Download Old EPM/Hyperion Binaries While You Still Can

Just thought I'd post a quick note about the following statement that was posted on the Oracle EPM Proactive Support blog today:

The following media packs will be removed from E-Delivery this week, as of the above reason.

• Hyperion 9.3.1
• Hyperion 9.2.1
• Hyperion Pre-system 9
• EPM 11.1.1.3
• EPM 11.1.1.4

If you are still using one of these versions it might be a good idea to grab the installation packages  - just in case you need to reinstall any components in the future. Access to the removed media packs can be arranged later by contacting Oracle Support and asking to receive the archived software but it is a lot easier to have a local copy of the files in any case.

Link: eDelivery (Delivery Cloud) Housekeeping - removal of obsolete EPM products

Update on October 4th:

Looks like the original statement was not an empty threat. The only pre-EPM 11.1.2 packages remaining on eDelivery (and on the Oracle Technology site) are the latest Hyperion Enterprise media files:

If you still need to install EPM 9.3.x or 11.1.1.3 (for a staging server for example) you need to dig into your own stash of media files or follow the steps detailed in this Support document to request a separate download:

Requesting Physical Shipment or Download URL for Software Media [ID 1071023.1]

PSU 600 Brings IE9 Support To EPM 11.1.2.1

The following Patch Set Updates have been made available on Oracle Support with the primary purpose of adding support for Internet Explorer 9 into Oracle EPM System Release 11.1.2.1.

• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 for EPM Architect (patch ID 14224664)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 for Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) (patch ID 14354419)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 for Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management (patch ID 14548006)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 Hyperion Planning (patch ID 14464109)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 Shared Services 11.1.2.1 (patch ID 14142678)
• Patch Set Update: 11.1.2.1.600 Workspace 11.1.2.1 (patch ID 14119724)

You should apply the PSUs for Shared Services and Workspace in all environments and include the other specific updates depending on what products are installed. Take time to study the readme files carefully as some of the updates (especially the one for Planning) includes quite a few prerequisites and also instructions to work around known issues.

I'm not sure if these will be the only products to receive (or to require) the IE9 treatment but this information will hopefully be added to the EPM certification matrix document soon. It's also worth noting that the readme file for the Planning PSU mentions that even with these updates applied, Internet Explorer 9 is still supported in compatibility view mode only.

Maximum Number of Custom Dimensions In HFM 11.1.2.2

Note: I have now updated the post with some additional research. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see my later findings.

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"Unlimited" number of custom dimensions is one of the biggest changes introduced in HFM 11.1.2.2. The actual amount of dimensions is not unlimited though - and it is pretty hard to find solid information about the real limits at the moment. So far the best resource explaining how to use the expanded dimensionality seems to be this post on the Oracle OBI/EPM PAE (Product  Assurance Engineering) blog:

• Oracle Hyperion Financial Management (HFM) Configurable Dimensions FAQ

A Ton Of Updates For EPM 11.1.2.2

I just noticed that the long awaited Patch Set Update for HFM has been released yesterday. And Financial Management is not the only product to get the PSU .300 treatment - read below for a full list of recently released updates for EPM 11.1.2.2.0:

Summer Vacation And Career Update

I'm currently trying to steer away from all things EPM as I started my summer vacation on Monday, 2nd of July. I will return to work on July the 30th - and the interesting part is that after the holiday I'm starting in my new position at Infratects. The Netherlands-based company specializing in EPM/Hyperion infrastructure services and hosting business is expanding and I will start in their newly opened office in Espoo, Finland. I'm looking forward to seeing what EPM consulting work feels like when seen outside the vendor's safe walls...

Have a nice summer and be sure to check back in early August!

EPM 11.1.2.2 Advanced Team Training Material

The material from the Advanced Team Training that was held for Oracle Consulting Services and other internal audiences earlier this year has been published on the Oracle EPM/BI Whitepaper website. The zip bundle contains the following Powerpoint slidesets targeted to EPM infrastructure consultants and other parties interested in learning more about the technical changes in the latest EPM release:

• Configuring OWSM - A tutorial describing the steps required to deploy Oracle Web Services Manager (required by Financial Close Management and Profitability and Cost Management)
• Deployment Report - A short description of the contents of the deployment report that's included in EPM 11.1.2.2
• Deployment Trouble Shooting Process - Tips for troubleshooting different phases of the EPM deployment (installation, configuration, startup etc.)
• Infrastructure and Architectural Changes - Standard Deployment Guide, Compact Deployment, Shared Services/LCM improvements explained. Also worth noting: Exalytics support for Planning and Essbase.
• Installation and Configuration Changes - An in-depth look at the changes in the EPM 11.1.2.2 installation and configuration tools
• Lifecycle Management and Security Changes - A presentation about the new simplified LCM user interface
• Managing EPM Using FMW Control - A short overview about the capabilities of the Fusion Middleware Control application bundled with the latest EPM release.

Get the training material on the EPM/BI Whitepaper website.

HFM 11.1.2.1 PSU 104

Here's a quick heads-up note for HFM customers: HFM 11.1.2.1 has received another update in the form of Patch Set Update 104. The update includes one new feature - logging capability for the Task Automation module which helps in troubleshooting taskflow issues. The PSU is cumulative so it includes all previous HFM Patch Set Updates and also a lenghty list of new fixes.

Review the readme file and download the package for HFM 11.1.2.1 PSU 104 on Oracle Support.