Part 1 – FDM Migration Utility: System Requirements

Okay, so this is an easy one to get out of the way. Considering your Legacy FDM application version and setup, are you eligible to use Oracle’s FDM Migration Utility.  Here are the source system requirements for the Utility: FDM Classic Only – Source Version must be 11.1.1.x and 11.1.2.x. FDM Classic with ERPi: Source Version – If you’re using FDM Classic with the Enterprise Resource Planning Integrator (ERPi) module, only 11.1.2.x is supported.  (Note: The Utility will only update ERPi content via an in-place upgrade.) FDMEE: Target Version – FDMEE release 11.1.2.4 or higher. If you’re FDM Classic application system doesn’t meet the above criteria, or you’re going to FDMEE 11.1.2.3, re-building your application is your only route to FDMEE.  If you do meet the above criteria, both the rebuild and Migration Utility are viable options for your upgrade. Next: Part 2 – FDM Migration Utility: The Secret Sauce Blog Series: Choose the Best Way to Migrate FDM Classic to...

Choose the Best Way to Migrate FDM Classic to FDMEE

Time is running out for legacy FDM users. Oracle officially retired FDM Classic in favor of its successor, FDMEE. With your next Oracle EPM upgrade cycle Oracle requires you to migrate to FDMEE. Don’t worry; you will want to make the leap to take advantage of the many enhancements that FDMEE has to offer. (Click here for a few reasons why you will want FDMEE.) Before migrating to FDMEE, administrators (with the assistance of a seasoned consulting partner) have an important decision to make – Which migration method is right for us? Two Migration Options: Rebuild vs. Migration Utility   When FDMEE was introduced in 2013 with Oracle Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) System Release 11.1.2.3, going from FDM Classic to FDMEE was a rebuild.  Last fall, however, the Oracle FDM development team released the FDM Migration Utility to complement FDMEE Release 11.1.2.4. Since considering your journey from FDM Classic to FDMEE, you’ve probably browsed the Internet for nuggets of information.  Our guess is you’ve heard a lot about the rebuild approach and not a whole lot about using Oracle’s FDM Migration Utility. Our objective with this blog series is simple – Help you decide which migration method is best suited for your upgrade project based on your Legacy FDM application(s), which method is best suited for you.  This series is less how-to and more which way. Which path provides the smoothest road to your ultimate destination – FDMEE. Part 1 – FDM Migration Utility: System Requirements Part 2 – FDM Migration Utility: The Secret Sauce Part 3 – FDM Migration Utility: Turn Classic to EE with a Push of...

What’s Coming to FDMEE 11.1.2.4.100

This past June saw the annual gathering of Oracle EPM folk for KScope15.  For those not in the know, KScope is the premiere conference for all things Oracle Hyperion put on by the esteemed  ODTUG (Oracle Development Tools User Group) community. Thought leaders, product experts, and end users meet to share tips, implementation success stories, and to get details on upcoming product releases from the Oracle product management team.  Enter FDMEE. If you couldn’t make it to KScope15, or you attended the conference but had too many commitments to make it to FDMEE sessions and the EPM Symposium (read: you were sitting poolside with a mojito in hand), here are the highlights of the near-term roadmap for FDMEE – 11.1.2.4.100. Note: It’s always important to bring attention to Oracle’s Safe Harbor statement, which simply says, Yeah, this stuff is on the way, but no guarantees as to when.   PBCS Integration and the Universal Data Adapter If you’ve ever attended one of Oracle’s presentations over the past couple of years, you know that data integration goal for FDMEE is any source/any target. FDMEE delivers several pre-built source adapters for major ERP systems, like EBS Financials and PeopleSoft.  Earlier this year, the 11.1.2.4 Release also introduced the EPM Data Synchronization component.  With FDMEE EPM Data Sync we can map and move data between two EPM applications, such as HFM and Essbase.  In the next 11.1.2.4 patch set update (PSU), we can expect Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service (PBCS) to the be part of the EPM Data Synchronization family for quick and easy EPM to EPM integrations. To achieve the objective of any source/any...

FDM Classic Now with Internet Explorer 11

      Good news for you FDM Classic users out there looking to extend the life of legacy FDM just a little longer. Oracle has provided a solution for using FDM Classic with IE11. See My Oracle Support Knowledge Base article Doc ID 2028236.1 for details. Keep in mind, if you plan an upgrade to Oracle EPM Release 11.1.2.4, you will still need to migrate to FDMEE.  There’s no sticking around with FDM Classic beyond Release 11.1.2.3.  And with 11.1.2.4 being the second major release of FDMEE, there are a lot of reasons to make the leap to FDM Enterprise Edition.  Want to know a few of those reasons?  Click here....

Oracle Wants to Make FDM Classic Seem Really Old

Oracle recently released FDMEE 11.1.2.4. Back when Oracle rolled out Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) System Release 11.1.2.3 in 2013, FDMEE was missing a number of core FDM Classic features (e.g. support for file-based data loads and scripting). Since the initial release, the Oracle development team published several patch set updates; each delivering more FDM Classic features to FDMEE. Now, with 11.1.2.4, FDMEE is FDM Classic and more. Like an aging superstar athlete in the twilight of a storied career, FDM Classic is looking ready to give way to its successor. Here are a few reasons why.   Web-enabled Application – FDM Classic comes with a Windows client called Workbench.  A Windows client is so 2005.  Like most other Oracle EPM applications, FDMEE is a fully Web enabled application.   Direct Connect to Any ERP System – Want to integrate data and metadata directly from an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) source system?  With FDM Classic, you will need to use the ERPi add-on module.  ERPi turns FDM Classic into a bit of a Frankenstein monster.  With FDMEE, this functionality is baked into one product.   Advanced Architecture – FDMEE’s underlying data transformation engine is Oracle Data Integrator (ODI).  ODI is a world-class data integration tool on par with Informatica.  FDM Classic doesn’t have ODI (unless you use it in conjunction with ERPi module).   EPM Data Sync – Oracle Hyperion FDMEE Release 11.1.2.4 introduced data synchronization to the product.  Using the data synchronization feature, you can now move data between EPM applications (e.g. from HFM to Planning).  FDM Classic does not have this capability.     Superior Performance on Exalytics – Want blazing data transformation performance using Exalytics,...

FDMEE: The Sequel Is Here! First Impressions of 11.1.2.4

In late January 2015 , Oracle Corp. released the first sequel to FDMEE – Release 11.1.2.4.  As expected, it’s chock full of some good stuff. 1) New Look FDMEE 11.1.2.4 has a new skin.  (That’s geek speak for a new visual style.)  With FDMEE 11.1.2.4 you get a slightly cleaner appearance than FDMEE 11.1.2.3.  There’s less shading in various component borders.  (If you’re using or have seen Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service (PBCS), it has the same look and feel.) A flatter user interface has been the trend for a couple of years now, as evidenced by the Windows 8 Modern user interface and Apple ditching it’s signature skeuomorphic design elements in iOS and Mac OS. 2) Fix Mapping Feature This important FDM Classic feature makes its way to FDMEE.  Using the Fix Mapping Feature the end user can view and fix mapping errors right from the Validate screen.  (In FDMEE 11.1.2.3, the end user had to leave the Data Load Workbench component and launch the Data Load Mapping component to fix the maps.) Fix Maps screen is a a handy end user feature, for sure. 3) POV Locking by Location Another critical FDM Classic feature finds it’s way to FDMEE – POV locking by location.  By locking a point of view (POV) you can prevent the location from modifying data.  FDMEE 11.1.2.3.520 provided the ability for the FDMEE administrator to lock all locations from the Application Settings component.  With 11.1.2.4, the end user can lock his/her POV at the location level.  Like FDM Classic, the end user even gets the groovy little lock symbol in the POV to...