Oracle EPM On-Premise and Cloud Direction. Since its launch, EPM has been the go to financial product of choice for large companies across the world.
Due to its lower cost, EPM cloud is now enabling smaller companies to reap these benefits previously only enjoyed by larger corporations.
In order to expand Oracle’s market presence, developing agile planning processes in every function and responding effectively to business change, has become a must for Oracle EPM suite.
Oracle’s aim is to have an EPM suite for every function, not just finance, but also alignment, collaboration and transparency.
- The current EPM Cloud imperatives:
- PBCS
The first of Oracle EPM Cloud product, PBCS connects and aligns operational planning processes with financial planning and creates a culture of fact-based planning across the entire organization.
- FCCS
Leverages automation for all aspects of the close, dramatically reducing the time and costs.
Provides an extensible framework to cover today’s and tomorrow’s reporting demands.
Enables a culture of fact-based decision making across the entire organization.
- ERPCS
Combines System-of-record Data with Rich Narrative Text to capture the full story. Taps into the wisdom across the entire organization through secure collaboration and addresses the needs of Management Reporting and External Disclosures.
We see these themes in modern releases, patches, and roadmap:
– Notable highlights
- Enhanced user experience… user interface, valid combinations, Excel type grid capabilities
- Sandboxing, excel based grids, write back enabled dashboards, integrated real time reporting
- Advanced member function support
- Cloud innovations and integrations
- What next?
Below are lists of planned future EPM products and their features.
2.1 Account Reconciliations Cloud Service:
Transaction Matching
- Tax Reporting Cloud Service
Dimension Management Cloud Service
- EPBCS: Strategic Modeling and XBRL
2.2 HFM – Current release and roadmap
Source: Oracle
2.3 FR: Current release and roadmap
Source: Oracle
2.4 FR Web Studio: phase 1
- Create, insert and position objects (grids, charts, image, textbox)
- Grid dimension layout, member selector
- Set object properties
- User & Grid POV
- Format cells, rows, columns
- Header / footer, textbox with text functions
- Insert data, formula, text rows and columns
- Change database connection
- HTML and PDF output
- Charting
- Save Reports and Snapshots
- Edit one report at a time
2.5 FR Web Studio Post phase 1
- Conditional formatting and suppression
- Related content
- Auto Calculations
- Save Objects
- Sorting
- Row/Column templates
- Edit multiple reports at the same time
- ‘Same As’ member selection function
- Grid Format Cell > Replace
2.6 Updated Charting Engine
- Utilizes an updated chart engine for an overall improved charting presentation and user experience.
– Replaces the previous charting engine
- Current chart engine functionality, additional preset color themes
– Phase 2: Monthly phased releases
- Additional chart properties
- Better control over chart formatting, axes and legends
- Options for Data Integration
- Native data load features in PBCS / EPRCS
- Using ‘Data Management’ (PBCS)
- Certified Integrations (e.g. PBCS to Fusion Financials Cloud Service)
- REST API (currently PBCS, ERPCS on roadmap)
- Relevant Cloud Innovations
- Operational simplification and automation
– Lifecycle management
– Automation scripts and utilities
- Deployment accelerators
– Configuration wizards
– Pre-built content
- Experience enhancements
– UX improvements
– User assistance
- Simpler Architecture
- Ease of maintenance
– HFM introduction of Rules Profiling & Insights
- De-emphasis of Windows Clients
– Functional parity Adoption Deprecation
– FR web based studio
– HFM web based metadata editor
– Essbase web based modeling UI
- On-Premise Product Updates
Even though Oracle current focus t is on expanding its Cloud presence, it has not forgotten its on premise products and clients.
- Plan to release a series of product specific PSU(s)
– Incremental features
– Defect fixes
– Independent releases by product
- Thematic in nature
– Introduce relevant cloud Innovations
– Evolution to a simpler architecture
– Focus on Usability
Source: Oracle
- Challenges when integrating all of the “pieces”
It is one thing purchasing the right product for your business, but it is another knowing how to best utilize it within your organization. Here are some of the benefits and challenges you will need to be aware of:
Source: Oracle
Want to have a face to face consultation about the future of EPM product suite? Do not hesitate to contact Tactic Key Consulting for more detailed information about EPM on premise or cloud direction.