What is the Oracle EPM 26.04 release?

Oracle EPM 26.04 is the April 2026 Oracle EPM Cloud update. the first monthly release after a 5-month pause caused by Essbase 21c calculation accuracy issues discovered in November 2025. It includes Essbase 21c stability fixes, Groovy engine updates, Agentic AI REST APIs, Break Glass security, and over 10 new Migration REST APIs.

Why did Oracle pause EPM Cloud updates from December 2025 to March 2026?

Oracle paused EPM Cloud updates (skipping 25.12, 26.01, 26.02, and 26.03) after some customers reported calculation accuracy problems and performance slowdowns following the Essbase 21c engine upgrade in the 25.11 update. Oracle halted the production rollout on November 20, 2025 to protect customers during year-end close season and spent the intervening months resolving the issues.

What should Oracle EPM admins do before the 26.04 update hits production?

Before Oracle EPM 26.04 hits production, admins should: (1) Run the Groovy Script Validator and fix all flagged scripts, (2) Update any Groovy rules using http://localhost to https://, (3) Test consolidation and translation rules on Essbase 21c, (4) Compare ad hoc grid results between Essbase 21c and the previous version, (5) Run PCM allocations and reconcile results, (6) Update EPM Automate scripts for the new installation path, (7) Decide whether to take 26.04 or file an SR to skip it.

What are the Agentic AI REST APIs in Oracle EPM 26.04?

Oracle EPM 26.04 introduces three new Agentic AI REST APIs that allow AI agents to interact programmatically with EPM applications: Get Application Summary (retrieves application structure and metadata), Export Data (exports cube data), and Export Form Data (exports form data). These APIs are designed to enable AI-powered workflows and automation on top of Oracle EPM.

What is the Groovy engine update in Oracle EPM 2026?

In Oracle EPM 26.05 (May 2026), Oracle is making a mandatory Groovy engine upgrade with stricter validation rules. Groovy scripts that work today may fail after the upgrade. EPM admins and developers should run the Groovy Script Validator (Home → Application → Overview → Actions → Groovy Script Validator) before the update and fix all flagged issues. The update can be delayed up to three months using the skipUpdate command, but it is mandatory.

Oracle EPM April 2026 (26.04). What Changed

Should I Care?

Act Now. Action required Review. Evaluate for your environment FYI. Awareness only

Feature	Admin	Dev	User	Priority
Essbase 21c Testing (Planning, FCCS, PCM, FreeForm, Tax)	✓	✓	—	🔴 Act Now
Groovy Engine Update (Mandatory in 26.05)	✓	✓	—	🔴 Act Now
HTTPS Required in Groovy Rules	✓	✓	—	🔴 Act Now
EPM Automate Installation Path Changes	✓	✓	—	🔴 Act Now
PCM Allocation Testing on Essbase 21c	✓	✓	—	🔴 Act Now
Agentic AI REST APIs (Get App Summary, Export Data, Export Form)	—	✓	—	🟡 Review
AI Transaction Matching Assistance (ARCS)	✓	—	✓	🟡 Review
AI Account Assignment Assistance (ARCS)	✓	—	✓	🟡 Review
Break Glass. BYOK + Oracle Managed Access	✓	—	—	🟡 Review
New Migration REST APIs (10+ new)	✓	✓	—	🟡 Review
Export/Import User Variable Values	✓	✓	—	🟡 Review
Essbase Near-Zero Value Detection	✓	✓	—	🟡 Review
EDM: Azure Blob Storage Connections	✓	✓	—	🟡 Review
Tor IP Blocking (Automatic)	✓	—	—	⚪ FYI
Granular Role Renaming (was Application Roles)	✓	✓	✓	⚪ FYI
Gen AI Available in All OC1 Regions	✓	—	✓	⚪ FYI
Smart View: Ad Hoc on Imported Reports	—	—	✓	⚪ FYI
EDM: Chart Visualization of Hierarchies	✓	—	✓	⚪ FYI
Audit Timestamps Now Include Seconds	✓	—	—	⚪ FYI

The Essbase 21c Saga

▶ Watch: The full Essbase 21c story explained (0:38)

October 2025

Essbase 21c rollout begins with 25.10. Many customers upgraded successfully in test + prod.

November 2025

25.11 applied to remaining test environments. A few customers report calculation accuracy and performance issues.

Nov 20, 2025

Oracle halts 25.11 production deployment. Test environments stay on 25.11, prod frozen on 25.10.

Nov 25, 2025

Oracle skips 25.12 and 26.01 entirely. Year-end protection for all customers.

January 24, 2026

Pause extended further. Originally planned Feb restart pushed to April (26.04).

March 6, 2026

Patch 25.11.160 deployed to customers who reported issues or volunteered for testing.

March 13, 2026

Patch 25.11.160 applied to ALL test environments. Production remains opt-in only (file SR).

April 2026

26.04. Fleet-wide update resumes. Test: automatic. Prod: automatic (skip via SR only).

Key Highlights

Act Now

Essbase 21c Testing

Test consolidation rules, on-demand rules, ad hoc grids, data exports. Compare results against previous version. PCM: run all allocations and reconcile.

▶ Watch: Testing recommendations (4:13)

Act Now

Groovy Engine Update (26.05)

Mandatory new Groovy engine with stricter validation in May 2026. Run the Groovy Script Validator now. HTTPS also now required in server-side rules.

▶ Watch: Groovy Script Validator step-by-step (1:23)

Review

Agentic AI REST APIs

Three new APIs enabling AI agents to interact with EPM: Get Application Summary, Export Data, and Export Form Data. Oracle is building the future of AI-powered EPM.

▶ Watch: Agentic AI REST APIs explained (7:19)

Review

AI Transaction Matching

Predictive AI in Account Reconciliation learns from your historical matches and suggests new ones with confidence scores. Enable via "Enable Predictive AI" setting.

Review

Break Glass Security

New subscription: Oracle Managed Access (your approval required for Oracle operators) + Bring Your Own Key encryption. For regulated industries.

▶ Watch: Break Glass explained (4:01)

Review

10+ Migration REST APIs

Artifact categories, incremental exports, modification history, snapshot details, import options. Massive upgrade for lifecycle automation.

Act Now

EPM Automate Changes

New installation path (Program Files\Oracle\EPM Automate), SFTP key-based auth, changed retry logic (no more retries on 403/404). Update your scripts.

▶ Watch: EPM Automate changes explained (4:48)

FYI