Get Groovy FREE for 12months!Oracle is providing free access to Oracle Financial StatementPlanning, including Strategic Modeling, to all existing OraclePlanning Cloud customers for the next 12 months. Thisincludes the use of Groovy.

You would be able to purchase Financial Statement Planning andScenario Modeling if you choose to continue using it.Alternatively, your right to use Financial Statement Planningand Scenario Modeling will expire after April 30th, 2021.

And yes, Hackett Consulting is a preferred provider to helpyou take advantage of this.

The Oracle FAQ will provide answers to your most of yourquestions. If you would like to take advantage of this, let’sget the ball rolling! If you are a do-it yourselfer, thefollowing classes will kickstart your ability to implementGroovy.

Mastering The EPM Planning JavadocsGroovy for EPM Cloud PlanningGroovy for EPM Cloud Planning (Grid Builders Only)A REST API offering will be available next month

Try it out for free getting a few samples.

Bug Report: Push Data failed.

Error: Exported data sizeviolates permissible amount:100 MB

IntroductionData Map Error:

Push Data failed. Error: Exported data size of data map thatis being executed from groovy is more than permissible amount:100 MB.

If you are confused, join the club. The results areinconsistent as some data pushes are successful that are overthe 100MB limit. So, why the following error?

Exporting data…Exported data file(s) size is: 207.1 MB.Push Data failed. Error: Exported data size of data map thatis being executed from groovy is more than permissibleamount: 100 MB.

ClarificationA point of clarification for those of you who are new to datamaps and smart pushes. If you think they are the same thing,here is the clarification from Oracle, in my words.

A Data Map is any data map executed from the Data Maparea, whether it is through the UI, EPM Automate, or theREST API.A Smart Push is essentially any Data Map executed from aData Form.

Although they seem like the same function, they have different

logical areas in execution. My understanding is that a DataMap should never hit a cap on memory. A Smart Push does havea cap. Not only that, the way it was explained to me is thatthere is a hard cap on how much memory Smart Pushes canconsume, and this is a global limit, not a limit per SmartPush. So, the reason you are experiencing inconsistentresults with Smart Pushes is quite simple. The more SmartPushes that are executed in a time window, the more memory isused. So, you may never have a problem in a Test, or atnight, but during UAT or in Prod, successful execution may beintermittent. The reason is when these are run periodically,that limit may never be reached. Run multiple times bymultiple people in short durations will cause the limit to beconsumed.

This bug only applies to Data Maps.

The ProblemThe same Data Map executed results in two different outcomes.

Failure

Exporting data…Exported data file(s) size is: 207.1 MB.Push Data failed. Error: Exported data size of data map thatis being executed from groovy is more than permissibleamount: 100 MB.

Success

Exported data file(s) size is: 464.7 MB.EXPORT elapsed time: 39584IMPORTING – AppName: AreakFinTRANSFORM elapsed time: 63634IMPORTING elapsed time: 21166TOTAL elapsed time: 124553

So, if there is a cap at 100MB, what gives? If you have seenthe following error, and wondered why the same Data Mapsometimes runs and sometimes fails, it is related to Bug27161430.

The FixAlthough support was difficult to navigate, I was lucky enoughto be at an Oracle session in Virginia and talked to adeveloper. He immediately requested the ticket number andsaid flat out, this is a problem. I don’t want to name names,so a huge thank you to an unidentified developer at Oracle forgiving me a few minutes and helping, because I don’t believeit would have been escalated to the development teamotherwise.

The ticket was updated yesterday, and the fix is slated to bereleased in February. Although this is an internal bug, hereare the details.

Bug 27161430 – PBCS: EXPORTED DATA SIZE OF DATA MAP THAT ISBEING EXECUTED FROM GROOVY IS MORE

Bug Report: GroovySubstitutionVariable ClassNot FunctioningIf you have jumped into Groovy Calculations, one of the thingsyou likely would try to do is grab a value for a sub var. Hopefully, you haven’t spent too much time before readingthis. I wasted a ton of time trying to get this to workbefore I opened a ticket with Oracle. This class is NOT

available yet and was inadvertently included in the publicdocs at https://docs.oracle.com/cloud/latest/epm-common/GROOV/. The development team told me they are going toremove it from the API docs.

Without it, the best way I have found to get this value is byadding it to a grid and pulling the dimension value from thatcolumn/row. For example, if your periods are in the columnsand you are need the value of a substitution variable thatholds the current month, add the substitution variable to thefirst column for the variable that holds the current month ofactuals, and hide the column so the users are not confusedwith its purpose/location. If you make use ofgetCellWithMember, and don’t pass it any parameters, it willpull the top left cell in the grid, even if it is hidden. Since this is a period member, use the getPeriodName method. If it is a custom dimension, the getMemberName will providewhat you need.

Here is an example. The grid’s first column is hidden, andthe period is set the substitution variable that representsthe last month of actuals for the year.[crayon-626890168f6ca006576386/]The sCurMonth variable can be used where needed in the Groovycalculation to obtain the substitution variable value.

Bug Report: EPM AutomateA bug with EPM Automate has been identified. This is notreplicated on every version or client. Please pay attentionto any EPM Automate updates installed. In the past, I wasable to install the latest version without any issues.

Currently, the install prompts users to uninstall the olderversion. In the past, this worked as expected, but now, whenselected, this has no effect and the new EPM Automate is NOTinstalled, leaving you with the existing version. I noticedthat this goes VERY fast, like nothing was updated. If youexperience a similar, sub second installation, you may havethe same issue.

Oracle has assigned a bug number to this issue, but no releasedate has been assigned to a fix. The following is not apublic bug.

Bug 25429167 : EPMAUTOMATE NO LONGER PROPERLY REMOVES OLDVERSION.

When you update EPM Automate, validate the install worked byrunning EPM Automate and checking the version number.

The version should generally reflect the date of download, ifyou download this from Oracle’s website. The version abovesignifies a release of December, 2017 (17.12).

If the version doesn’t change and shows a prior installversion date, go to Control Panel, select Programs, andUninstall a Program. Find EPM Automate and uninstall it. Once this is completed, install the newest version fromOracle’s website and you should be good to go.

Happy Holidays!

PBCS Release 16.06 OverviewPBCS is about to release a major upgrade (1 of 2 every yearscheduled). Oracle released a 29 page document laying outeverything that should be expected. Want the abbreviatedversion?

Want your users to see the simplified user interface?You will be able to make it the default.Welcome to EPBCS. This enhanced version will includemodules for Financials, Workforce, Projects, andCapital.Users can now create dashboards that include editableforms and ad hoc grids, and include new chart types.Forms, task lists, and reports can be viewed in eitherlist view or hierarchical view.You can now use an attribute dimension as a dimension,as a filter in forms and reports, and within ad hocgrids. Using attribute dimensions enables administratorsand end users to perform tasks such as:

Filtering data using attribute members, such as by1.products with a certain colorPerforming cross-dimensional rollups across2.attribute membersReporting and analysis with attribute dimension3.members using Smart View, or financial reportsUsing attribute dimensions in dynamic user4.variables Attribute dimensions are optional andare listed separately on the Layout tab of theForm Designer. Drag the Attribute dimension to aPoint of View or to a row or column to add it tothe form grid.

Administrators can create aliases for artifacts similarto alias tables where things like forms can be viewed innative languages.For new applications, administrators can optionallychoose a simplified multicurrency option duringapplication creation. Using simplified currency avoidsthe use of the Hsp_Rates dimension and adds a Currencydimension with exchange rates stored in the AccountdimensionYou can now create smart lists based on dimensionhierarchies. This dynamically updates smart list valuesbased on member updates.Form grid display can be tied to the start and endperiod for the respective scenarios on displayA new action menu in the console allows customers toclear specific areas within both input and reportingcubesUsers can now drill on shared members to get to thechildren of the base member.Form designers can now prevent the form saveconfirmation message from being displayed to users byspecifying an option in form design.The usability and readability of forms is increased withduplicate aliases. Aliases can now contain the same namewithin an alias table and across alias tables.Import Metadata functionality is extended to MicrosoftWord.You can now quickly add attribute dimensions to an adhoc grid at any time during the ad hoc session.In the Planning Admin Extension, you can now work withattribute dimensions and the Time Period dimension. Justas with regular dimensions, you can use the PlanningAdmin Extension in the Smart View application to quicklyimport and edit attribute and time dimension applicationmetadata.System Templates are now displayed under New Objects.You can now add a warning or an error to a step using

validation conditions. Errors prevent the next step.Warnings allow the next step after you click OK on thewarning message. You can use a design- time prompt orfunction on the validation condition. This allows you touse functions on design-time prompts without having tocreate non-promptable design-time prompts.When you are debugging business rules, a ConditionBuilder is now available to help you build conditions.You can use the Member Selector dialog box to create MDXsyntax and validation before running a partial clear.The following new design-time prompt types areavailable:

Percent1.Integer2.StringAsNumber3.DateAsNumber4.Smart List5.UDA6.

New Design-Time Prompt Functions@AVAILDIMCOUNT – Returns the number of availabledimensions.@DEPENDENCY – “Inclusive” returns member(s) from Input 1for which Input 2 has member(s) specified from the samedimensions. “Exclusive” returns members from Input 1 forwhich Input 2 has no specified members in the samedimensions.@DIMATTRIBUTE – Returns the attribute name if thespecified attribute is associated with a dimension.@DIMNAME – Returns the name of a dimension if it isvalid for the database.@DIMUDA – Returns the UDA name if the specified UDA isvalid for the dimension.@EVALUATE – Returns the result of an expression.@FINDFIRST – Finds the first substring of a string thatmatches the given regular expression.

@FINDLAST – Finds the last substring of a string thatmatches the given regular expression.@GETDATA – Returns the value of the slice.@INTEGER – Returns an integer.@ISDATAMISSING – Returns true if the value of the sliceis missing.@ISANDBOXED – Determines if the current application issandboxed.@ISVARIABLE – Determines if the argument is a variable.@MATCHES – Returns “true” if the first substring of astring matches the given regular expression.@MEMBERGENERATION – Returns the generation number of amember.@MEMBERLEVEL – Returns the level number of a member.@MSGFORMAT – Takes a set of objects, formats them, andthen inserts the formatted strings into the pattern atthe appropriate places.@OPENDIMCOUNT – Returns the number of dimensions forwhich a member was not specified.@VALUEDIMCOUNT – Returns the number of dimensions forwhich a member was specified.@TOMDX – Returns an MDX expression.

New Design Time Prompt TypesPercent1.Integer2.StringAsNumber3.DateAsNumber4.Smart List5.UDA6.

New Custom Defined Functions@CalcMgrBitAnd – Performs a bitwise AND operation, whichcompares each bit of the first operand to thecorresponding bit of the second operand. If both bits

are 1, the corresponding result bit is set to 1;otherwise, the corresponding result bit is set to 0.@CalcMgrBitOR – Performs a bitwise OR operation, whichcompares each bit of the first operand to thecorresponding bit of the second operand. If either bitis 1, the corresponding result bit is set to 1;otherwise, the corresponding result bit is set to 0.@CalcMgrBitExOR – Performs an exclusive bitwise ORoperation, which compares each bit of the first operandto the corresponding bit of the second operand. Ifeither bit is 1, the corresponding result bit is set to1; otherwise, the corresponding result bit is set to 0.@CalcMgrBitExBoolOR – Performs an exclusive booleanbitwise OR operation.@CalcMgrBitCompliment – Performs a unary bitwisecomplement, which reverses each bit.@CalcMgrBitShiftLeft – Performs a signed left shift.@CalcMgrBitShiftRight – Performs a signed right shift.@CalcMgrBitUnsignedShiftRight – Performs an unsignedright shift.@CalcMgrCounterClearAll – Removes all keys and valuesfrom the counter@CalcMgrCounterClearKey – Removes the value from thecounter associated with the key@CalcMgrCounterDecrement – Decrements the value in thecounter based on the key. If the key is not found, avalue of zero is set for the key@CalcMgrCounterDecrementKey – Decrements the value inthe counter based on the key. If the key is not found, avalue of zero is set for the key@CalcMgrCounterGetKeyNumber – Returns the text found inthe counter based on the key. If the key is not found,missing value is returned.@CalcMgrCounterGetKeyText – Returns the text found inthe counter based on the key. If the key is not found,missing value is returned.@CalcMgrCounterGetNumber – Returns the number from the

counter specified by the key. If the key is not found orthe value is not a number, missing value is returned.@CalcMgrCounterGetText – Returns the text found in thecounter based on the key. If the key is not found,missing value is returned.@CalcMgrCounterIncrement – Increment the value in thecounter specified by the key@CalcMgrCounterIncrementKey – Increments the value inthe counter based on the key. If the key is not found, avalue of zero is set for the key.@CalcMgrExcelToDate – Converts an Excel date to YYYYMMDDformat.@CalcMgrExcelToDateTime – Converts an Excel date toYYYYMMDDHHMMSS format.@CalcMgrGetStringFormattedDateTime – Converts the datedefined by format to date in the YYYYMMddHHmmss format.@CalcMgrDateToExcel – Converts a date in YYYYMMDD formatto an Excel date@CalcMgrDateTimeToExcel – Converts a date inYYYYMMDDHHMMSS format to an Excel date@CalcMgrRollDay – Roll the day up or down to the datewhich is in the YYYYMMDD format@CalcMgrRollDate – Adds or subtracts (up or down) asingle unit of time on the given date field withoutchanging larger fields.Possible values of date_part are: day, month, week andyear.@CalcMgrRollMonth – Roll the month up or down to thedate which is in the YYYYMMDD format.@CalcMgrRollYear – Roll the year up or down to the datewhich is in the YYYYMMDD format.@CalcMgrExcelACCRINT – Returns the accrued interest fora security that pays periodic interest@CalcMgrExcelACCRINTM – Returns the accrued interest fora security that pays interest at maturity@CalcMgrExcelAMORDEGRC – Returns the depreciation foreach accounting period by using a depreciation

coefficient@CalcMgrExcelAMORLINC – Returns the depreciation foreach accounting period@CalcMgrExcelCOUPDAYBS – Returns the number of days fromthe beginning of the coupon period to the settlementdate@CalcMgrExcelCOUPDAYS – Returns the number of daysin the coupon period that contains the settlement date@CalcMgrExcelCOUPDAYSNC – Returns the number of daysfrom the settlement date to the next coupon date@CalcMgrExcelCOUPNCD – Returns a number that representsthe next coupon date after the settlement date@CalcMgrExcelCOUPNUM – Returns the number of couponspayable between the settlement date and maturity date,rounded up to the nearest whole coupon@CalcMgrExcelCOUPPCD – Returns a number that representsthe previous coupon date before the settlement date@CalcMgrExcelCUMIPMT – Returns the cumulative interestpaid on a loan between start_period andend_period@CalcMgrExcelCUMPRINC – Returns thecumulative principal paid on a loan between the startperiod and the end period@CalcMgrExcelDB – Returns the depreciation of an assetfor a specified period using the fixed-declining balancemethod@CalcMgrExcelDDB – Returns the depreciation of an assetfor a specified period using the double- decliningbalance method or some other method you specify@CalcMgrExcelDISC – Returns the discount rate for asecurity@CalcMgrExcelDOLLARDE – Converts a dollar priceexpressed as an integer part and a fraction part, suchas 1.02, into a dollar price expressed as a decimalnumber. Fractional dollar numbers are sometimes used forsecurity prices.@CalcMgrExcelDOLLARFR – Converts a dollar price,expressed as a decimal number, into a dollar price,expressed as a fraction@CalcMgrExcelDURATION – Returns

the annual duration of a security with periodic interestpayments@CalcMgrExcelEFFECT – Returns the effective annualinterest rate@CalcMgrExcelFV – Returns the future value of aninvestment@CalcMgrExcelFVSCHEDULE – Returns the future value of aninitial principal after applying a series of compoundinterest rates@CalcMgrExcelINTRATE – Returns the interest rate for afully invested security @CalcMgrExcelIPMT – Returns theinterest payment for a given period for an investmentbased on periodic, constant payments and a constantinterest rate@CalcMgrExcelIRR – Returns the internal rate of returnfor a series of cash flows@CalcMgrExcelISPMT – Calculates the interest paid duringa specific period of an investment@CalcMgrExcelMDURATION – Returns the Macauley modifiedduration for a security with an assumed par value of$100@CalcMgrExcelMIRR – Returns the internal rate of returnwhere positive and negative cash flows are financed atdifferent rates@CalcMgrExcelNOMINAL – Returns the annual nominalinterest rate@CalcMgrExcelNPER – Returns the number of periods for aninvestment@CalcMgrExcelNPV – Returns the net present value of aninvestment based on a series of periodic cash flows anda discount rate@CalcMgrExcelPMT – Returns the periodic payment for anannuity@CalcMgrExcelPPMT – Returns the payment on the principalfor a given period for an investment based on periodic,constant payments and a constant interest rate@CalcMgrExcelPRICE – Returns the price per $100 face

value of a security that pays periodic interest@CalcMgrExcelPRICEDISC – Returns the price per $100 facevalue of a discounted security@CalcMgrExcelPRICEMAT – Returns the price per $100 facevalue of a security that pays interest at maturity@CalcMgrExcelPV – Returns the present value of aninvestment@CalcMgrExcelRATE – Returns the interest rateper period of an annuity@CalcMgrExcelRECEIVED – Returns the amount received atmaturity for a fully invested security@CalcMgrExcelSLN – Returns the straight-linedepreciation of an asset for one period@CalcMgrExcelSYD – Returns the sum-of-years’ digitsdepreciation of an asset for a specified period@CalcMgrExcelTBILLEQ – Returns the bond-equivalent yieldfor a Treasury bill@CalcMgrExcelTBILLPRICE – Returns the price per $100face value for a Treasury bill@CalcMgrExcelTBILLYIELD – Returns the yield for aTreasury bill@CalcMgrExcelXIRR – Returns the internal rate of returnfor a schedule of cash flows that is not necessarilyperiodic@CalcMgrExcelXNPV – Returns the net present value for aschedule of cash flows that is not necessarily periodic@CalcMgrExcelYIELD – Returns the yield on a securitythat pays periodic interest@CalcMgrExcelYIELDDISC – Returns the annual yield for adiscounted security; for example, a Treasury bill@CalcMgrExcelYIELDMAT – Returns the annual yield of asecurity that pays interest at maturity@CalcMgrExcelCEILING – Rounds a number up (away fromzero) to the nearest integer or to the nearest multipleof significance@CalcMgrExcelCOMBIN – Returns the number of combinationsfor a given number of objects@CalcMgrExcelEVEN – Rounds a number up to the nearest

even integer@CalcMgrExcelFACT – Returns the factorial of a number@CalcMgrExcelFACTDOUBLE – Returns the double factorialof a number@CalcMgrExcelFLOOR – Rounds a number down, toward zero@CalcMgrExcelGCD – Returns the greatest common divisor@CalcMgrExcelLCM – Returns the least common multiple@CalcMgrExcelMROUND – Rounds a number to a specifiednumber of digits@CalcMgrExcelMULTINOMIAL – Returns the multi-nominal ofa set of numbers@CalcMgrExcelODD – Rounds a number up to the nearest oddinteger@CalcMgrExcelPOWER – Returns the result of a numberraised to a power@CalcMgrExcelPRODUCT – Multiplies its arguments@CalcMgrExcelROUNDDOWN – Rounds a number down, towardszero@CalcMgrExcelROUNDUP – Rounds a number up, away fromzero@CalcMgrExcelSQRT – Returns a positive square root@CalcMgrExcelSQRTPI – Returns the square root of (number* pi)@CalcMgrExcelSUMSQ – Returns the sum of the squares ofthe arguments@CalcMgrExcelSUMPRODUCT – Returns the sum of theproducts of corresponding array components@CalcMgrExcelAVEDEV – Returns the average of theabsolute deviations of data points from their mean@CalcMgrExcelDEVSQ – Returns the sum of squares ofdeviations@CalcMgrExcelLARGE – Returns the nth highest number@CalcMgrExcelMEDIAN – Returns the median of the givennumbers@CalcMgrExcelSMALL – Returns the nth smallest number@CalcMgrExcelSTDEV- Estimates standard deviation basedon a sample

@CalcMgrExcelVAR – Estimates variance based on a sample@CalcMgrExcelVARP – Estimates variance based on theentire population@CalcMgrFindFirst – Find the first substring of thisstring that matches the given regular expression.@CalcMgrFindLast – Find the last substring of thisstring that matches the given regular expression.@CalcMgrMatches – Returns true, if the first substringof this string that matches the given regularexpression. For regular expression, see”java.util.regex.Pattern” in the Java docs.@CalcMgrMessageFormat – Creates a string with the givenpattern and uses it to format the given arguments.@CalcMgrStartsWith – Tests if this string starts withthe specified prefix.

SecurityWhile the overall access rights granted to a user arecontrolled by the assigned identity domain role, ServiceAdministrators can use the Access Control feature fromthe Console to assign additional application-levelaccess by provisioning users and Native Directory groupswith application-specific roles. For instance, a Plannerin the service can now be assigned the ApprovalsAdministrator role to enable the user to performapprovals-related activities.

Countdown to 11.1.2.4

The Countdown begins11.1.2.4 is being releases in as little as 10 days. It isreally exciting and here is what you will see.

On the fly iterative planning using sandboxes

Create version on the flyHonors security and access rightsIterative modelingDynamic scenario comparisonsCollaborative modeling

Web form performance improvements

Near 0 lag timesFast cell-to-cell navigationQuick scrollingForms with 100,000 cells loads in less than 5 seconds

Setup valid combinations

Forms show only valid combinationsEnd users can only interact with valid combinationsNo more data entered in the wrong placeBypasses the lack of multidimensional securitySpeeds user interactionOut of the box clear of invalid combinations

User defined calculations

Loaded from Excel by the userThey persist with member referencesExcel syntaxSupports most of the Excel financial, mathematical, andstatistical functions

Real time push to ASO, including relational data

Calculate and aggregate instantaneously

Simpler user interface

—–

This might introduce more questions than answers, but youdon’t have to wait long to get them. 11.1.2.4 will bereleased this month – as soon as the end of next week!

What’s New in HyperionPlanning 11.1.2?

What’s New in Hyperion 11.1.2?

Shared Services

As you’ve no doubt noticed by now, this has turned into a series of postsinvolving new features in the 11.1.2 release of the Hyperion products.This post will cover some of the significant changes to Shared Services,including improvements to Security Administration, Lifecycle Management,and Taskflows.

Security Administration

It’s been well-documented at this point that there have been multipleissues with the OpenLDAP approach to the Native Directory. In 11.1.2, theOpenLDAP has been replaced with a relational database as the storagepoint for native accounts and provisioning. This has already provenbeneficial, as it allows for the next improvement below.

There is no longer a need for Essbase synchronization for users, as it isnow done automatically. This is a welcome change from most, as it wasalways very easy to forget to refresh security. However, group

synchronization must still be done manually.

The supported SSL configurations have also seen significant improvements.These include:

SSL Offloading1.2-way SSL deployment2.SSL termination at the web server3.

Oracle Single Sign-On (OSSO) is also supported in this release. TheOracle Internet Directory (OID) is used to provide SSO access to webapplications.

Lifecycle Management (LCM)

Like the rest of Shared Services, LCM has adopted Oracle DiagnosticsLogging (ODL) as the standard logging mechanism.

Perhaps the biggest improvement to LCM is that it now supports theextraction of data. Essbase data now appears as a selectable artifactwhen performing an export, and can be updated with the outline. On thisnote, I should probably point out that for cross-product migrations, LCMdetermines the correct order based on dependencies.

Some other modifications to LCM include:

Additional information in migration status reports, including1.source and destination details.Users must be provisioned with the Shared Services Administrator2.role to work with the Deployment Metadata tool.The Calc Manager is supported, and has its own node under3.Foundation. As a result, business rules can now be migrated toclassic HFM and Planning applications.

Shared Services Taskflow

This release has seen the addition of two new roles in Shared Services

Manage Taskflows – This role allows users to create and edit a1.taskflowRun Taskflows – This role permits users to view and run a2.taskflow, but they cannot create or edit taskflows

Follow the link below to view the complete document of changes

Oracle Shared Services Documentation