FCCS Updates (Jan 2018): Re-consolidating Data After Upgrading & More

The latest updates for Oracle's Financial Consolidation and Close Cloud Service (FCCS) are here. This blog post outlines multiple new features, fixed defects, and considerations.

The monthly update for FCCS will occur on Friday, January 19 during your normal daily maintenance window.

NOTE: You can migrate maintenance snapshots from the current version of the service instance to the preceding version or to the next version. For example, snapshots from 17.08 can be imported into 17.07 and 17.09 service instances. Migration between the same versions is always supported.

New FCCS Features

Validating Metadata Option

This update includes an option to validate metadata. You can run a metadata validation report at any time to ensure that your metadata is valid. If metadata errors occur, the report displays the dimension name, the member name in [Parent].[Child] format, and the error description. You can use the Dimension Editor to fix the errors.

For example, if an error occurs that an Entity dimension member has a Consolidation Operator of other than “Ignore”, in the Dimension Editor, select the member and change the Consolidation Operator property to “Ignore.”

To validate metadata:

1. On the Home page, click Application.
2. Click Overview, then from Actions, select Validate Metadata.
3. Click Run to validate the metadata.
4. Expand a dimension to see the invalid results for the dimension. The results are displayed in [Parent].[Child] format with the error description.
5. Navigate to the Dimension Editor to fix the metadata errors.
   
   

Restructure Cube Job

You can now run a Restructure Cube job in the Jobs console. When you select this option, the system performs a restructure of a Block Storage cube (BSO) to eliminate or reduce fragmentation, rebuild indices and remove empty blocks.

To run the Restructure Cube job:

1. From the Home page, click Application, and select Jobs.
2. Click Schedule Jobs.
3. From the General tab, click Restructure Cube.
4. From Cube, select the cube to restructure.

Relocate EPM Cloud Environments From One Identity Domain to Another

Oracle Cloud Account Administrators can now move an environment from its current identity domain to another. Unifying multiple EPM Cloud environments under one identity domain helps simplify user management and SSO configuration. It also supports seamless cross-environment navigation.

Oracle Cloud Account Administrators may relocate an environment from its current identity domain to another if the target identity domain is provisioned to the same customer account and is in the same data center.

In addition to requesting the relocation of instances from My Services, additional service environment specific tasks must be completed.

Note: You can relocate an environment only if it was provisioned after May 1, 2016. Environments that were provisioned prior to this date cannot be unified to use one identity domain.

New Guides for Getting Started with Oracle EPM Cloud

Information for getting started with EPM cloud services are now available for Service Admins and end users. The new guides include:

• Getting Started with Oracle EPM Cloud for Admins
• Getting Started with Oracle EPM Cloud for Users

The admin guides contains information for tasks that admins need to perform for EPM Cloud products. This guide is now the primary source for completing tasks like managing users and roles, setting up single sign-on, backing up, restoring environments, etc. The new guide replaces the following guides:

• Using Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud
• Getting Started with Oracle Financial Consolidation and Cloud Cloud
• Getting Started with Account Reconciliation Cloud for Administrators
• Getting Started with Oracle Profitability and Cost Management Cloud for Administrators
• Getting Started with Oracle Tax Reporting Cloud
• Getting Started for Administrators for Oracle Enterprise Performance Reporting Cloud

The new guide for end users introduces them to the Oracle EPM Cloud, giving them enough information to use the cloud-based tool. Getting Started with Oracle EPM Cloud for Users replaces the following guides:

• Getting Started with Account Reconciliation Cloud for Users
• Getting Started with Oracle Profitability and Cost Management Cloud for Users
• Getting Started for Users for Oracle Enterprise Performance Reporting Cloud
  
  

Removal of Support

Classic Dimension Editor

Effective the February 2018 (18.02) update, the Dimensions link in the Navigator will link to the Simplified Dimension Editor. Consequently, the Classic Dimension Editor will not be supported starting with the February 2018 update to the service (February 2, 2018 for test and February 16, 2018 for production instances).

File-based Integration of Data Management with Oracle Fusion Financials Cloud

Oracle Fusion Financial Cloud Budgetary Control and Encumbrance Accounting is now fully integrated with Data Management.

This enhancement brings the integration of Oracle Fusion Financials Cloud with Oracle EPM Cloud on par with the current, out-of-the-box, file-based integration. As a result, the file-based integration is being phased out starting the September update to the service.

If you are using file-based integration between Oracle Fusion Financials Cloud and Oracle EPM Cloud, Oracle recommends that you adopt this new integration as soon as possible.

Fixed Defects

Considerations

Reconsolidating Data After Upgrading

After you upgrade to 18.01, the first time you want to re-consolidate and re-translate any entity for a specific Scenario, Year and Period combination, you must run the Compute Rates task rule. Refresh the database and make sure that that Data Status is SC, showing that the cells are impacted. Then launch Consolidation and Translation. Subsequent re-consolidation / re-translation of the same Scenario, Year and Period combination does not require this step.

The Data Storage property has changed from Dynamic Calc to Never Share for these rate accounts in the Rates Cube:

• FX Rates – Average
• FX Rates – Ending

Additionally, due to a change in calculation for Opening Balance for Retained Earnings Prior, you may require reconsolidation of existing data if Opening Balance Adjustment entries have been made, but not otherwise.

Also, enabling the Ownership Management feature requires a reconsolidation of existing data in order to populate the Proportion member of amount in the Consolidation dimension.

Balance Calculation

Tip: By default, the system automatically processes the Balance Calculation, which can impact consolidation performance. To improve performance, you can disable the Balance Calculation so that the system does not automatically balance the Balance Sheet for you. You can select one or more scenarios to disable. If you do not want to have the calculation run for any scenarios, select all scenarios for disablement. You can then create a new balance account member and write a custom calculation to run as needed.

Ownership Management Enablement

Enabling the Ownership Management feature entails adding seeded accounts, which causes a restructuring of your application. Depending on the size of your application, the restructuring could take a considerable length of time. This can be expected to take as long as manually refreshing the database after adding accounts.

When the Ownership Management feature is enabled, you will need to reconsolidate all existing data in your application in order to re-populate the Proportion member in the Consolidation dimension.

If you enable the Ownership Management feature, you may not be able to open some existing Financial Reporting reports due to metadata changes for Ownership Management.

Adding Base Members from Dimension Editor

If you add a base member using the classic Dimension Editor and change the initially displayed Data Storage property on the Member Properties tab, please also check the Consol cube Data Storage option on the Member Formula tab. Ensure that the Data Storage option matches between the two settings. If it does not match, the member might not be usable. The Data Storage options can also be easily viewed and changed in the Simplified UI Dimension Editor.

Smart View

SUMMARY DIALOG DISPLAY

In Internet Explorer, you may experience issues using the Open Summary dialog in Smart View. To work around this issue:

• Use the keyboard arrow keys to make your selection, then close and reopen the Summary dialog; or
• Minimize and then reopen the Summary dialog; or
• Use a different browser

USING FIREFOX ESR 52.4.2 WITH SMART VIEW

Mozilla Firefox has phased out support for XUL-based add-ons such as Smart View. Only add-ons and extensions built with new web extension technology will work in newer versions of Firefox. Therefore, Smart View 11.1.2.5.710 and newer only supports Firefox versions up to ESR 52.4.1. If you want to continue using Firefox with Smart View 11.1.2.5.710 and newer, do not upgrade your Firefox browser.

If your Firefox browser is set to automatically install updates, Oracle recommends changing the setting to “Check for updates, but let me choose whether to install them.” See the Firefox help for instructions on changing this setting.

Copying and Clearing Data

If you try to clear a shared entity, the base entity and all shared entities do not get cleared. To work around this issue, clear the primary entity in order to clear all shared entities.

After copying data from actual to forecast, if you select the Rate option along with the Data option when clearing the forecast data, the system will clear the data as per the POV specified, but it also clears the Rate data for all Scenarios and not just the rate data as per the POV specified.

Change in Calculation of CTA for Net Income/Retained Earnings Current Accounts

In the August, 2017 update (17.08), the seeded Net Income hierarchy included a new member named “Retained Earnings Current – Opening Balance – FX-CTA” as a sibling of Net Income. Opening Balance calculation was done for the new member, which was automatically added during the upgrade process. Due to this change, if you have not yet done so, you must reconsolidate your historical data by running the Consolidation process.

Comprehensive Income CTA Accounts

If you assigned an account as a CICTA Redirection Account, after you upgrade, the Redirection account attribute that you selected may be missing.

If you configure a Comprehensive Income CTA account (CICTA) to capture CTA adjustments, the CICTA values are not correctly translated to reporting currencies other than the Entity and Parent Currency.

Self Service Upgrade

It is strongly recommended that you do not use the Upgrade Application Content settings in this update. Although a new Upgrade screen is available in Daily Maintenance, this feature is not fully functional.

Editing Dates in a Data Collection Period

In a Data Collection Period in Supplemental Data, editing Start, End, and Close Dates may result in an error that the date is outside the valid range.

Entity Member Names/Aliases with ICP Property

When you create an Entity with the ICP property enabled, the maximum length of the member name is 76 characters instead of 80, to allow for the ICP prefix.

Working with Metadata

Be aware of the following considerations:

• You should not make metadata changes that result in the following:
  • Changing a base member to which a journal has been posted into a parent member (other than in the Entity dimension in which journals are valid at a parent entity)
    If there are journals or Supplemental Data posted to those members, these changes can cause problems when accessing Journals or importing existing journals.
    
    
• When you use ad hoc grids in Smart View with Financial Consolidation and Close Cloud, do not add a root Period member on the grid. Make sure the root Period member is removed by either clicking Remove Only or selecting periods that are in the application and selecting Keep Only. If a Period member is left on the grid, then any changes to data that you make will fail to properly set the impact status of the Entities.