Performance Improvement - Enabling the faster load time for the Jobs page

As per new updates from April 24, the Jobs page and the Jobs Filter will display only last day's data. Before this update, the Jobs page used to default to display three days of data under Recent Activity. Now the Jobs page defaults to display only the last day's data. Similarly, the filter’s Start Time and End Time dates default to yesterday and today to have only a one day difference.

This feature enables a faster load time for the Jobs page, allowing you to more quickly view the status of recent activity.

This feature is only applicable to Financial Consolidation and Close, FreeForm, Planning, Tax Reporting.

To view the Jobs page:

1. Click Application, and then click Jobs.
2. View the jobs list under Recent Activity to see the last day's activity.
3. To change the default display, click the Filter icon.

Thank you!

Introduction of new report for Cosmetic changes in Transaction Matching in ARCS

For Transaction Matching profiles that are integrated with Reconciliation Compliance, the Cosmetic Changes Report displays all cosmetic changes for a reconciliation during a specified Period. Cosmetic changes are operational changes made after a reconciliation is submitted and they do not result in the reconciliation being reopened.

What is Cosmetic and Non-Cosmetic Changes

Loading transactions into Transaction Matching may cause period-end reconciliations to be reopened. This happens automatically, without a warning message, since the importing of transactions is, typically, a scheduled job performed after business hours.

The system handles transactions differently based on how they affect the period-end reconciliation. Changes to transactions can be classified into non-cosmetic changes and Cosmetic changes.

Non-Cosmetic Cosmetic Changes to Transactions in Transaction Matching

Non-cosmetic changes automatically reopen period-end reconciliations. If the period is locked, non-cosmetic changes are not allowed.

Following is a list of non-cosmetic changes:

• Import one or more transactions whose Accounting Date is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date

• Delete one or more transactions whose Accounting Date is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date

  The deletion can be done from the Unmatched Transactions tab or by searching using the Job Id.

• Unmatch a match with an adjustment, if the Accounting Date of the adjustment is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date and the Extract Status of the adjustment is Open
• Match with Adjustment where Accounting Date of the adjustment is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date

• Delete Support from one or more transactions with Accounting Date is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date. 

  Note: Adding Support is a cosmetic change.
• Edit transaction Accounting Date or Balancing Amount when Accounting Date is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date

The Closed Through Date is defined as the period-end date for the last Preparer completed reconciliation. For example if the Preparer is working on April 2022, and the most recent previous reconciliation completed is March 2022, then the Closed Through Date is 31-March-2022 (assuming that’s the End Date of the March period).

Cosmetic Changes to Transactions in Transaction Matching

Cosmetic changes automatically update the subtotals on the period-end reconciliation. Because the reconciliation balancing (unexplained difference) is not affected, the reconciliation is not reopened.

Following is a list of cosmetic changes:

• Match Set created and all transactions have an Accounting Date that is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date

  The cosmetic effect is that the Total Unmatched and/or Unmatched Supported is reduced equally.

• Match Set is Unmatched and all transactions have an Accounting Date that is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date

  The cosmetic effect is that the Total Unmatched and/or Unmatched Supported is increased equally.

• Match Set created and some transactions have an Accounting Date that is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date, others have Accounting Date greater than the Closed Through Date

  The cosmetic effect is that, for the affected sources, the total Unmatched and/or Unmatched Supported is reduced, and Matched In-Transit is increased, equally.

• Adjustment Match Set is Unmatched and Accounting Date of Adjustment is greater than the Closed Through Date

  The cosmetic effect is that, for the affected sources, the total Matched In-Transit is reduced, and the Total Unmatched is increased equally.

• Unmatch a match with an adjustment, if the Accounting Date of the adjustment is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date and the Extract Status of the adjustment is Closed

• Support is added to Unmatched Transactions having an Accounting Date that is less than or equal to the Closed Through Date

  The cosmetic effect is that the Total Unmatched is reduced, and Total Unmatched Supported is increased equally.

 To generate the cosmetic changes report:

1. From the Home page, click Matching, and then select the reconciliation for which you want to generate the cosmetic changes report.
2. In the Balancing panel of the Overview tab, select the period for which the report must be generated.
3. Click Actions and select Cosmetic Changes Report.





4. The Information dialog is displayed containing the Job ID of this report generation job.

                                

5. Click the link in the Information dialog to display the Jobs page.

6. For Job ID, click the Succeeded link to view the generated report.

        

The file name of the generated report is in the format Cosmetic_Changes_Report_ACCOUNT_ID_<JOBID>_<YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS> <SERVICETIMEZONE>.csv.

Business Benefit: This feature enhances usability by providing a single report containing all cosmetic changes made to a particular reconciliation. Auditors can also easily view and track changes made to a reconciliation from the time it was submitted until date.

Thank you!

Ability to Disable the 'Submit Application Snapshot' Feature in the 'Provide Feedback Utility' from April 2024 update

Ability to Disable the 'Submit Application Snapshot' Feature in the Provide Feedback Utility

If your organization enforces a policy that restricts data access, which prevents Service Administrators from submitting application snapshot to Oracle, the Submit application snapshot check box in the Provide Feedback utility will be greyed out. A Service Administrator has got option to manage data access settings for the environment using REST APIs or EPM Automate commands. In this blog, we will discuss about the newly introduced EPM Automate Comments.

The setRestrictedDataAccess and getRestrictedDataAccess commands are available with this update. 

setRestrictedDataAccess Command

This command configures EPM Cloud environments to prevent Service Administrators from consenting to submit an application snapshot to Oracle while using the Provide Feedback utility. 

Required Roles

Service Administrator

Usage

epmautomate setRestrictedDataAccess true|false

Examples

• Prevent Service Administrators from consenting to submit an application snapshot:

  epmautomate setRestrictedDataAccess true

• Allow Service Administrators to consent to submit an application snapshot:

  epmautomate setRestrictedDataAccess false

getRestrictedDataAccess command

This command displays whether an EPM Cloud environment is configured to prevent Service Administrators from consenting to submit an application snapshot to Oracle or not.

Required Roles

Service Administrator

Example

epmautomate getRestrictedDataAccess

Applies to:  Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Enterprise Profitability and Cost Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, FreeForm, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: This change in behavior enforces your organization's data sharing policy related to submitting snapshots while submitting feedback to Oracle.

Thank you!

Randomization of Daily Maintenance Start Time

Starting with April 24 update, the Daily Maintenance Start Time of EPM Cloud environments are updated by assigning a random minute at which the maintenance process starts. 

Before:

Before this update, the daily maintenance started at the top of the hour, for example at 2:00 p.m. UTC (14.00 on a 24 hour clock) only. 

With this update:

This change modifies the start time by adding a value for minute (for example, 2:24 p.m. UTC (14.24 on a 24 hour clock). A Service Administrator can change the daily maintenance start time to a more desirable minute, if needed.

Applies to: Account Reconciliation, Enterprise Data Management, Enterprise Profitability and Cost Management, Financial Consolidation and Close, FreeForm, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Profitability and Cost Management, Tax Reporting

Business Benefit: This change ensures that the daily maintenance load on EPM Cloud infrastructure is distributed throughout the hour.

Thank you!

Redwood Experience starting from April 2024!

What is going to be change!

Notice for Administrators: from April 2024, Redwood experience will be streamlined for simpler theming and compact navigation. You won't need to do anything for this upgrade. It will happen automatically.

About Redwood Experience

The Redwood Experience applies the Redwood theme to the current environment providing simplified and compact navigation across Oracle EPM Cloud. When you switch to Redwood Experience, you get the advantage of additional EPM Cloud capabilities such as Dynamic tabs (Dynamic tabs enable you to view multiple artifacts on a single page. A tab that is added at the bottom of the page to the right of the source tab when a related artifact is launched.) and IPM Insights that are enabled with it.

What is about this change!

A notification will be displayed in the home page of Service Administrators. This notice lets the Service Administrators know about the new and streamlined Redwood experience that will be implemented in the April Update (24.04), which will make available these three new Redwood themes -

1.Oracle

2. Custom Dark

3.Custom Light

User who has already enabled Redwood Experience

Appearances of all EPM Cloud environments that already use the Redwood Experience will automatically be shifted to either the default Oracle theme or the Custom Dark theme based on currently deployed background appearance of the environments.

Note that you will not be able to switch back to another theme after you enable the Redwood Experience.

The Oracle theme will be the default Redwood theme for all new environments and existing environments wherein the theme has not been customized. 

The Custom Dark theme will be used as the theme for customers who have already implemented theme customizations.

User who has not enabled Redwood Experience

The existing theme on the environment will remain active until the second quarter of 2024 when support for non-Redwood Experience themes will be discontinued. All environments that do not use the Redwood Experience will automatically be migrated to use the Redwood Experience.

Oracle recommends that you switch to Redwood Experience at the earliest. 

This change applies to ARCS, FCCS, PCMCS, EPCMCS, FreeForm, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Planning Modules, and Tax Reporting

Business Benefit By supporting simpler theming and compact navigation, the new Redwood themes improve user experience.