Oracle EPM

Planning, budgeting and close on Oracle EPM, so the cycle stops living in spreadsheets.

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What is it?

Oracle EPM for planning, budgeting, forecasting and financial close. The goal is a shorter cycle with a clear audit trail, replacing the spreadsheet network that currently carries the process and depends on a handful of people.

For a technical reader

EPM implementations succeed or fail on data integration and dimensionality. Pulling actuals from ERP through Data Management on a schedule removes the manual load step where most delay and error originate. Dimension design — entity, account, scenario, version, period — determines what the model can answer and is expensive to change later, so it deserves disproportionate attention up front. Driver-based planning is the point: models that compute from volume and rate assumptions rather than storing last year's number plus a percentage.

Our services

Planning and budgeting implementationEPBCS with driver-based models for workforce, capital, projects and financials.
Close and consolidationFCCS for intercompany elimination, currency translation and group reporting.
Account reconciliationARCS with automated matching and certification workflow.
Close accelerationMeasuring the current cycle and removing the slowest steps iteratively.

What’s covered

Planning and budgeting
EPBCS with driver-based models for workforce, capital and projects
Consolidation and close
FCCS for intercompany elimination, currency translation and group reporting
Account reconciliation
ARCS with automated matching and reconciliation certification
Narrative reporting
Management and statutory reporting packs tied to the same data
Profitability and cost
PCMCS allocation models for product, customer or channel profitability
Data integration
Data Management pulling actuals from ERP on a schedule rather than by hand

Business problems we solve

Planning lives in linked spreadsheetsFragile, unauditable and dependent on a few people. A modelled system replaces it with something that survives staff change.
The close takes too longUsually manual reconciliation and late data. Automated actuals and task management address both.
Reforecasting is too slow to be usefulIf a reforecast takes three weeks, it is out of date on arrival. Driver-based models make scenarios fast.
Consolidation is a manual assemblyAutomated elimination and translation remove the month-end assembly exercise.

Our delivery approach

  1. 01
    Document the current cycleEvery spreadsheet, handoff and manual adjustment. The informal process is the real process and has to be understood before it is replaced.
  2. 02
    Model the driver logicPlanning models built on business drivers rather than last year plus a percentage.
  3. 03
    Automate the data inActuals flow from the ERP automatically. Manual loading is where both delay and error enter.
  4. 04
    Shorten the close iterativelyEach cycle, the slowest step is identified and addressed. Measurable improvement rather than one redesign.

Solutions & project types

Examples of the work we take on in this area. These describe project shapes, not named client engagements.

Annual budget and reforecastA driver-based planning model with workforce and capital, and scenario comparison.
Group consolidationMulti-entity, multi-currency consolidation with intercompany elimination.
Reconciliation automationARCS with auto-matching rules and certification tracking.
Management reporting packNarrative reporting tied to the same data as the consolidation.

Technologies & platforms

Planning

  • Planning and Budgeting (EPBCS)
  • Workforce
  • Capital
  • Projects
  • Financials modules

Close

  • Financial Consolidation and Close (FCCS)
  • Account Reconciliation (ARCS)
  • Task Manager

Reporting

  • Narrative Reporting
  • Financial Reporting
  • Smart View for Office

Profitability

  • Profitability and Cost Management (PCMCS)

Integration

  • Data Management
  • EPM Automate
  • REST APIs
Learn this field

Where to start with oracle epm.

Secondary to the work itself, but genuinely useful if you are building the skill. Every link goes to official documentation or an official channel.

Beginner

  • Budgeting and forecasting concepts
  • Dimensions: entity, account, scenario, version, period
  • Smart View basics in Excel
  • Navigate an EPM planning form
  • Run a data load and see where it lands

Intermediate

  • Business rules and calculation scripts
  • Driver-based model design
  • Data Management mappings from ERP
  • Consolidation mechanics: elimination and translation
  • Security and approval workflow in planning

Advanced

  • Multi-currency consolidation with complex ownership
  • Performance tuning on large cubes
  • EPM Automate for scheduled operations
  • Groovy rules for dynamic behaviour
  • Close calendar design and cycle reduction

Certifications

  • Oracle Planning Cloud: Implementation Professional
  • Oracle Financial Consolidation and Close Cloud: Implementation Professional
  • Oracle Account Reconciliation Cloud: Implementation Professional
  • Oracle Enterprise Data Management Cloud: Implementation Professional

Practice projects

  • Design a dimension structure for a three-entity group
  • Build a driver-based workforce plan from headcount and rate
  • Load actuals from a flat file through Data Management
  • Write a business rule that allocates overhead across cost centres
  • Build a close task list with owners, dependencies and due dates
FAQs

Questions we get asked.

Do we need EPM if we have Oracle ERP?

They do different jobs. ERP records what happened; EPM plans what should happen and consolidates the result. Planning in the general ledger is possible and generally painful.

Can we keep using Excel?

Yes, through Smart View. People keep the interface they know while the numbers live in a governed model rather than in the file.

How much can the close actually be shortened?

Depends entirely on where the time currently goes, which is why we measure the cycle first. Automating the slowest step is worth more than a broad redesign.

What if our dimension design turns out wrong?

Changing it later is expensive, which is why we spend disproportionate time on it early and validate against the questions you need answered.

Oracle

Related services.

Oracle ERPOracle Cloud ERP implementation and migration, sequenced so the business keeps running.Oracle SCMSupply chain on Oracle Cloud: planning, inventory, procurement and order management.Oracle HCMCore HR, payroll and talent on Oracle Cloud, with the parallel runs to prove payroll is right.Oracle EBSE-Business Suite estates kept current, upgraded, or moved to Fusion Cloud, on a decision made with the numbers in front of you.Oracle Cloud InfrastructureOCI landing zones, migration and operations, built to your security and compliance requirements.
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