Oracle EPM 11.2.6 Has Hit the Stands – What’s New?

Oracle EPM 11.2 hit the market with a fair amount of pomp and circumstance (and lots of anticipation) in December 2019. With it came continuous innovation – the promise of no more major technology upgrades. Instead, the on-premises applications would combine technology stack updates, bug fixes, and new features into one patch set – a simple in-place update.

Oracle has held to their promise, releasing six updates since the release of 11.2. This month featured the sixth version update of Oracle EPM: 11.2.6. As with previous releases, this one comes with new features, automations, certifications, and procedures that will make Oracle EPM more effective and streamlined for EPM administrators and users. It comes on the heels of the Oracle EPM Cloud July monthly update, which comes with even more functionality and fixes. You can read about the new developments in EPM Cloud here.

What Came with Oracle EPM 11.2.5?

Let’s take a quick look at the highlights of the April release of EPM on-premises, EPM 11.2.5, as published on the Oracle EPM blog:
 

• Delivery of Fusion Middleware 12.2.1.4 (certification matrix) and Java version 1.8.0_251.
• SQL Server 2017 certification
• Certification of Essbase 21c for:
  • Oracle Smart View for Office
  • Oracle Hyperion Financial Reporting
  • Oracle Hyperion Shared Services.
• Certification of upgrades and migrations from Solaris to Linux or Windows.
• Certification of the ability to upgrade Java to the latest patch level.

This release also included a new Hyperion Financial Close Management feature that allows you to configure a content management system. Instructions for implementation are available in this section of the Oracle Enterprise Performance Management System Installation and Configuration Guide.

New Features and Fixes in EPM 11.2.6

Release 11.2.6 continues the path to additional SQL certifications as well as the rumored removal of Oracle Essbase Studio. Here’s a shortlist of the changes in the latest release, as documented in the Oracle EPM Blog:
 

• Certification of SQL Server 2019.
• Removal of Oracle Essbase Studio from EPM System Installer.
• Automation of the process of uninstalling or updating Fusion Middleware patches as needed during Apply Update.
• Delivery of updated HTTP client.
• Support for any identity management product that supports header-based authentication.
• Certification of Oracle Hyperion Planning Release 11.2.x with OGNL 3.2.18.
• Documentation of database password change procedure in the Oracle Enterprise Performance Management System Deployment Options Guide.

There are also new defect fixes applicable to EPM System Configurator, Essbase installations on Linux, Fusion Middleware, EPM Workspace and Hyperion Shared Services, Calculation Manager, and more in the new release. Be sure to review the entire 11.2.6 readme to better understand how these fixes will benefit you.

Profitability and Cost Management and Planning received some new features as well:
 

• In PCM, the “Enable Native ML Application” and “Create ML Application Using Native Method” REST APIs can now enable or create any native application.
• Planning now supports custom grid spread functionality.

What is Expected for EPM 11.2.7?

There are two anticipated changes and updates coming in EPM 11.2.7 (and beyond) that Oracle has released so you can prepare for what’s coming down the pipe. More detail is available in the 11.2.6 readme, but in summary, Oracle Hyperion Financial Data Quality Management will lose Visual Basic Support. (You can prepare by switching to Jython) In addition, SAP ERP and BW adapters will be certified for FDMEE for companies needing to integrate these platforms.

Final Thoughts

Oracle continues to improve EPM 11.2 for companies that rely on these critical applications. If you haven’t upgraded from an older version yet, new features and releases are a good jumping-off point for making the case. Be sure to check out our content about EPM 11.2, what’s new, and upcoming end of support for EPM 11.1 by visiting our EPM Resource Center.