Essbase Analytics Link Gets Updated

Oracle Essbase Analytics Link for Hyperion Financial Management (let's just say "EAL") is a very handy product if you want to take data out of HFM and create reports out of it in Essbase (or using OBIEE for example). The product is not quite integrated with the rest of the Oracle EPM product suite though and it also hasn't received too many updates lately. Now it looks like EAL has awakened from its slumber as Oracle has produced Patch Set Update 11.1.2.2.400 for the product. The most important change is that EAL finally has official support for the EPM 11.1.2.3 release:

Analytic Links 11.1.2.2.400 can be used with the Oracle Enterprise Performance Management System 11.1.2.2.xxx and 11.1.2.3.xxx EPM System releases only. Pre-11.1.2.2.xxx EPM System releases are not supported.

Another new feature is that migration of HFM security to Essbase has been improved for more fine grained control when using Shared Services groups with HFM security classes. And as usual, lots of bugs have been squashed. See the Patch Details page on Oracle Support for full description of the update: Oracle Essbase Analytics Link for Hyperion Financial Management Patch Set Update (PSU): 11.1.2.2.400

Note that this update requires a full installation of EAL (uninstall previous version, install updated one, configure the updated version).

Essbase 11.1.2.3.500 Released

Looks like Essbase has been the first product in the EPM 11.1.2.3 code line to receive the PSU 500 treatment. The following patches have been released for Essbase and its helper applications on Monday:

Component	Patch ID
Essbase Client MSI (Windows)	17767307
Essbase Client (OPatch)	17767301
Essbase Runtime Client	17767299
Essbase Server	17767302
Essbase Administration Server	17767309
Provider Services	17767293

The updates include a large number of fixes but this is not just a bugfix release, especially not for Essbase Server. Take a look at the list of new features after the jump:

EPM System Standard Deployment Guide

EPM System Standard Deployment Guide is a recently published Oracle document that describes the Standard Deployment Topology for the EPM products. To put it simply the guide shows you an Oracle-approved and tested way to install the main EPM modules (HFM, Planning, Essbase) in a multi-server environment and also how to scale out (or to cluster) different parts of the system when needed. The standard environment is based on EPM 11.1.2.1 installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system and Oracle 11g database but the installation and configuration process can be adjusted to suit any supported operating system.

Oracle EPM Standard Deployment Topology