The first updates of 2019 are here for Oracle's Financial Consolidation and Close Cloud Service (FCCS). Though there aren't any new features in this update, there are many new considerations for using the tool as well as come upcoming changes you should be aware of.
The monthly update for FCCS will occur on Friday, January 18 during your normal daily maintenance window.
Upcoming Changes
Proposed Changes to Application-level Access Control
Using Groups created in Access Control, EPM Cloud supports application-level access control for planning, consolidation and close, tax reporting, and Oracle Enterprise Data Management Cloud applications. In addition to the custom groups created in Access Control, access control screens list predefined identity domain roles (Service Administrator, Power User, User and Viewer) as groups.
With a view to simplifying security across EPM Cloud and to ensure that application-level access control can be seamlessly migrated across environments Oracle plans to remove the ability to display predefined roles as groups in access control screens. After this change, you will no longer see predefined roles listed when you search for groups in access control screens.
NOTE: The proposed change will not affect how you create and manage groups or use them for applicationlevel access control.
Before making this change, Oracle wants to evaluate the impact, if any, that the proposed change will have on your environments. If you are concerned that the proposed change will affect your environment, please create a service request explaining your use case.
Classic Dimension Editor
With a view to allowing customers more time to familiarize themselves with the Simplified Dimension Editor, Oracle has decided to defer the removal of support for Classic Dimension Editor to a future update in 2019. Oracle will notify you at least two months prior to the removal of the feature.
Ability to Create New Composite Forms
Oracle will remove the ability to create new composite forms (forms that comprise multiple simple forms) starting with the March 2019 update to the service (March 01, 2019 for test environments and March 15, 2019 for production environments). After the March update, all existing composite forms can still be edited and used. Removal of the ability to create composite forms impacts only the creation of new composite forms in the service.
All customers are advised to use dashboards in place of composite forms. No more enhancements will be made to the composite forms functionality.
Renaming Close Manager Feature Set
With a future update, the “Close Manager” feature set name is changing to “EPM Task Manager.” When the change is announced, the user interface and documentation will be updated.
Removal of Block Storage Cube Runtime Statistics
Starting in Release 19.02, run time statistics for Block Storage (BSO) cubes will no longer be available in the Database Properties module of Calculation Manager.
Considerations
Translation Override Rule Redirection
When you create a Translation Override rule, redirection does not work properly when you use a shared Parent account for the Source. The workaround is to specify the primary Parent account.
Load Data to P&L Accounts Using FCCS_ClosingBalance_Input
The 18.10 update contained a Valid Intersection rule to restrict users from using FCCS_ClosingBalance_Input to load data to P&L accounts. This rule has been removed starting in 18.11, so users should be able to load to that member now. Alternatively, P&L data can be loaded to the YTD_Input View without requiring a rule to populate the relevant periodic movement.
Simplified Dimension Editor and Metadata Validation
Some of the Simplified Dimension Editor errors (cells outlined in red) are false-positive errors (i.e. incorrectly reported as errors). Data Storage errors for the following members should be ignored: Data Source -> All children of "FCCS_Source Entities" Entity -> "FCCS_Global Assumptions".
If you are using a Hybrid upgraded environment, the Simplified Dimension Editor does not show Dynamic Calc as an allowed value for Custom dimension parent member Data Storage. This issue does not occur in a newly installed Hybrid environment. You can use the Classic Dimension Editor, Import Metadata, or Smart View to change the Data Storage value. In addition:
- The Metadata Validator incorrectly shows validation errors for shared level 0 Scenario dimension members.
- The Metadata Validator incorrectly shows validation errors for parent members of the Scenario dimension.
- The Metadata Validator warning message for the Data Source dimension’s system members incorrectly refers to “Never Shared” instead of “Never Share”.
Consolidation Operator for Children of Dimension Name Members
All immediate children of the dimension name member must be set with an aggregation option of Ignore or Never.
Seeded dimension members should already have the Consolidation Operator set as Ignore. Use the top dimension member rather than the dimension name in forms and reports.
Consolidation Operator for Children of "Label Only" Members
Children under a Parent member that has the "Label Only" data storage property must have the aggregation operator set to Ignore.
Calculation Status
When you change Ownership Data that uses a Consolidation rule and then consolidate, the Calculation Status is not correct for the partner and entity.When you change Ownership Data that uses a Consolidation rule and then consolidate, the Calculation Status is not correct for the partner and entity.
Metadata Aliases
Ensure that no alias entries are “Equity”. The use of “Equity” as an alias will cause issues with refreshing the database.
Re-consolidating 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 re-consolidation of existing data if Opening Balance Adjustment entries have been made, but not otherwise. Also, enabling the Ownership Management feature requires a re-consolidation of existing data in order to populate the Proportion member of amount in the Consolidation dimension.
Copying Data
When copying an entity with a Calculation Status of No Data, the target should also have a Calculation Status of No Data. The Copy Data process is incorrectly setting the Calculation Status to Impacted.
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.
Entity Member Name/Aliases wit 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
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 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.
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 dialog; or Minimize and then reopen the dialog; or Use a different browser.
Viewing the FCCS_View_System_Members
If you are using an Extended Dimensionality environment, users other than the Administrator can view the FCCS_VIEW_SYSTEM_MEMBERS and its hierarchy in the data form and Intercompany reports.
Refreshing the Database in Extended Dimensionality Environment
If you are using an Extended Dimensionality environment, when you refresh the database, an error message will be displayed if you exceed governor limits.
Viewing Members on Seeded Forms
If you are using an Extended Dimensionality environment, on seeded forms, use the View members, such as Periodic, QTD and YTD, instead of using functions to ensure the _RULE members are not accidentally added to the forms.
Unable to Refresh the Cube
A Cube refresh will not complete if a level 0 currency dimension member has the "Label only" data storage property, but this is not currently detected in the Dimension Editor or Metadata Validator.
Setting the Data Storage Property
The Metadata Validator may not recognize if a level 0 data source dimension member is incorrectly set to "Never share" as the value for the default data storage and Consol data storage property. No validation message is displayed. The Data Storage property for both the default and Consol data storage property should Shared, Store, Dynamic Calc for a Level 0 Datasource member.
Adding or Changing an Entity After Autonomous Consolidation is Enabled
If a new entity is added when Autonomous Consolidation is already turned on, the entity and parents will not be consolidated after data is entered. If an entity name is changed when Auto Consol is turned on, the consolidation will fail when it reaches the amended entity.
Horizontal Scroll on a Non-tabular Form
In Supplemental Data forms, the horizontal scroll does not work on a non-tabular form, which is intended only for use on a single record. Do not use non-tabular layout if the form is meant for more than one record.
Adding Shared Members in Smart View
When using Smart View, after adding a Shared Member, Refresh and Submit may not work correctly.
Do Not Change Member Formulas for Any Seeded Member
Do not change member formulas for any seeded member because it may cause consolidation to fail.
Setting the Data Collection Period
In Supplemental Data, when setting the Data Collection Period (DCP), the Start, End, and Close dates must be inside the valid range.
Errors When Importing Accounts
Sometimes when importing an account, error messages may be generated because there are several accounts that reference an intercompany account in the Plug Account column but that account has yet to be encountered in the account file. Try to reimport the account.
Exporting Data Collection Period Using Migration
In Supplemental Data, when SDM Data is exported through Migration by selecting a particular Data Collection Period (DCP), then all DCPs are incorrectly added to the listing file. Even though all DCPs are displayed on the snapshot selection, only the data for the selected DCP will be exported.
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.
