In 30 seconds
- EPM Automate password files change format from 26.09. Upgrade the client and rerun encrypt before 26.12, or scheduled jobs stop.
- Scripts that sign in as accountName.userName stop working in 26.11. Switch them to the plain user name.
- The original PCM agent is removed in 26.10. Plan the switch to the enhanced agent now.
- The new Integration Agent needs Java 17. Check your agent servers before you upgrade.
- The one to try: the Financial Analysis Hub for Financial Consolidation. DSO applications only.
What is inside. Click any item to jump to it.
Act now
4 itemsAction required. These changes can break something, or already did.
EPM Automate password file format changes, hard stop in 26.12
EPM AutomateFrom 26.09AdminDev
- What changed
- From 26.09, EPM Automate uses a new encrypted password file format. Environments on 26.09 through 26.11 read both formats. From 26.12, only the new format works, and EPM Automate clients from 26.08 or earlier stop working.
- Why it matters
- Every scheduled job that signs in with an encrypted password file depends on this, and that is most automation. Finding out in December, during year end close, is the worst case.
- What to do
- When your environment reaches 26.09, upgrade the EPM Automate client, then rerun the encrypt command to regenerate your password files. Put it in the calendar now.
Account prefix login format stops working in 26.11
EPM Automate26.11AdminDev
- What changed
- From 26.11, the old account name prefix login format no longer works.
- Why it matters
- Scripts that sign in as accountName.userName will fail.
- What to do
- Find those scripts and switch them to the plain user name before 26.11.
PCM agent: the enhanced agent replaces the original in 26.10
PCM26.08 to 26.11AdminUser
- What changed
- In Enterprise Profitability and Cost Management, the enhanced agent now works inside Models, Waterfall Setup, Mass Edit, and Calculation Control. It creates and modifies rules, runs calculations, and manages POVs, including many POVs in one request, like all twelve periods of a new fiscal year. In 26.08 both agents coexist. In 26.10 the original agent is removed. From 26.11, Analyze Performance is only available through the new agent.
- Why it matters
- Anyone working with the original agent loses it in October.
- What to do
- Try the enhanced agent in test now and plan the switch before 26.10.
EPM Integration Agent: new version needs Java 17
Integrations26.08Admin
- What changed
- The new EPM Integration Agent version requires Java 17 or newer. OAuth setups gain resource scope support.
- Why it matters
- An agent server on an older Java version cannot run the new agent.
- What to do
- Check the Java version on your agent servers before you upgrade the agent.
Worth a look
8 itemsReview for your environment. Useful if you run the module.
Financial Analysis Hub for Financial Consolidation and Close
FCC26.08AdminUser
- What changed
- A built in analytics workspace for the close: analysis views on your POV, variances, year over year and period over period trends, custom ratios, drill to detail, and a central validation hub. Three ready statements: balance sheet, income statement, cash flow.
- Why it matters
- A controller reviews consolidated results with variance and trend views out of the box, without waiting for a report developer. It only works for Dense/Sparse Optimized applications.
- What to do
- Check whether your application is DSO. If it is not, this is the reason to start that conversation.
Task Manager comes to FreeForm
FreeForm26.08AdminUser
- What changed
- FreeForm applications with valid Year and Period dimensions can now run Task Manager: schedules, orchestration, notifications.
- Why it matters
- Teams that built planning or reporting processes on FreeForm no longer track the cycle in a spreadsheet next to the application.
- What to do
- If you run a process on FreeForm, set up one schedule in test.
Strategic Modeling redesign, Forms 2.0 account grids, no revert
Strategic Modeling26.08User
- What changed
- Seventeen screens redesigned and the rest moved to Redwood. Account grids inside models now run on Forms 2.0 with no option to revert. User defined accounts can be created on the web, previously Smart View only. A model checked out by a colleague no longer blocks your scenario rollups. One behavior change: model check in no longer calculates scenarios.
- Why it matters
- Users will see different screens, and anyone who relied on check in to calculate will get stale numbers.
- What to do
- Tell users to calculate first, then check in.
Groovy: grids created in a script and never closed fail validation
Groovy26.08Dev
- What changed
- A grid you create in a script and never close now throws a validation error. Deployed rules that still do it report completed with warnings.
- Why it matters
- Rules that leave grids open will fail validation the next time someone edits them.
- What to do
- Review your Groovy rules for grids created in scripts and close them.
Data Intersection Check Report for FCC and Tax Reporting
FCC26.08Admin
- What changed
- Data validation can now show exactly which intersections are invalid, locked, or blocked by write access. Full workflow mode only. Enable Check Intersection in the integration options.
- Why it matters
- No more guessing why a load dropped rows.
- What to do
- Enable Check Intersection if your loads have been dropping rows.
New Insights REST APIs built for AI agents
AI26.08Dev
- What changed
- Oracle now exposes insights and summaries through REST APIs designed for agents to consume.
- Why it matters
- This is the plumbing an AI agent needs to read insights without a screen in front of it.
- What to do
- If you build or plan agents against EPM, read the API documentation.
Scrollable dashboards on a twelve column grid
Dashboards26.08User
- What changed
- Dashboards 2.0 gets a scrollable layout on a twelve column grid. Only available when creating a new dashboard. Existing dashboards cannot convert.
- Why it matters
- Dashboards can extend down the page instead of squeezing into one screen.
- What to do
- Use it for the next new dashboard you build.
Transaction Matching audit table moves to numeric codes in 26.10
Account Reconciliation26.10Admin
- What changed
- In 26.10, several text columns in TM_AUDIT_TRAIL move to numeric codes.
- Why it matters
- Custom SQL reports built on that table will break.
- What to do
- Update those reports before 26.10.
Good to know
5 itemsNo action needed. Read once so nothing surprises you or your users.
Sankey charts arrive as a dashboard chart type
Dashboards26.08User
Money flow diagrams for allocation and contribution analysis, straight from the dashboard designer. Nothing to do. Try one on an allocation dashboard.
Smart View for Google Workspace: connections file sign in
Smart View26.08AdminUser
Admins can hand users a connections file that fills in all connection fields automatically. One less support headache if you have Google shops in your user base.Hand Google Workspace users the file.
Account Reconciliation renames coming in 26.10
Account Reconciliation26.10User
Data Loads becomes Balance Loads. Invalid Mappings becomes Missing Profiles. Same features, new names. Update your runbooks.
Application Diagnostics can run with cube refresh; new deleteFolder command
Administration26.08Admin
Application Diagnostics can run automatically as part of cube refresh. A new deleteFolder command cleans up inbox folders in one call. Nothing to do.
Redwood wave: alias tables, appearance, and variables pages
All apps26.08User
The alias tables, appearance, and variables pages moved to the Redwood design. Screens look different. Nothing else changed.Nothing to do.
Dates to put in the calendar
The keeper section. Screenshot it or bookmark this page.
| When | What changes | What to do |
|---|
| 26.09 (September) | New EPM Automate password file format arrives; both formats readable through 26.11 | Upgrade the EPM Automate client, then rerun the encrypt command |
| 26.10 | Original PCM agent removed; Account Reconciliation renames; Transaction Matching audit table moves to numeric codes | Switch to the enhanced agent, update runbooks and custom SQL reports |
| 26.11 | Analyze Performance only through the new PCM agent; account prefix login format stops working | Update scripts using accountName.userName to the plain user name |
| 26.12 | Only the new password file format works; EPM Automate clients from 26.08 or earlier stop entirely | Be done with the two step action before year end close |
| Not announced yet | IP addresses in connection URLs will stop working | Switch connections to hostnames now |
| Not announced yet | Power Users will need write access to a folder to create forms and dashboards in it | Review folder security assignments |
| Not announced yet | Calculation Manager will enforce its Errors and Considerations diagnostic | Clear diagnostics before opening rule SRs with Oracle |
The 26.08 checklist
Click an item to mark it done. Progress saves in your browser.
Calendar the EPM Automate two step action for when your environment reaches 26.09: upgrade the client, rerun encrypt Inventory every scheduled job that logs in with an encrypted password file Find scripts logging in as accountName.userName and switch them to the plain user name before 26.11 Check whether your Financial Consolidation app is Dense/Sparse Optimized; if not, start the DSO conversation Plan the PCM agent switch before the original agent disappears in 26.10 Warn Strategic Modeling users: calculate first, then check in Verify Java 17 on Integration Agent servers before upgrading the agent Review Groovy rules for grids created in scripts and never closed Enable Check Intersection in integration options if loads have been dropping rows (full workflow mode) Hand Google Workspace users the Smart View connections file for the new sign in Sources
Everything on this page comes from Oracle's release documents. Read them for the full detail.
Questions people ask
What changed in Oracle EPM 26.08?
The August 2026 update brings the Financial Analysis Hub for Financial Consolidation and Close, an enhanced PCM agent embedded in the modeling screens, Task Manager support for FreeForm applications, a major Strategic Modeling redesign, scrollable dashboards, Sankey charts, and a new EPM Automate password file format arriving in 26.09 with a hard stop in 26.12.
What is the Financial Analysis Hub in Oracle EPM 26.08?
A built in analytics workspace for the close inside Financial Consolidation and Close: analysis views on your POV, variance and trend views, custom ratios, drill to detail, and a centralized validation hub, with ready made balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statements. It is only available for Dense/Sparse Optimized applications.
What is the EPM Automate password file deadline?
From 26.09, EPM Automate uses a new encrypted password file format. Environments on 26.09 through 26.11 read both formats. From 26.12, only the new format works, and EPM Automate clients from 26.08 or earlier stop working entirely. When your environment reaches 26.09, upgrade the EPM Automate client and rerun the encrypt command to regenerate your password files.
Do I need to switch to the new PCM agent?
Yes, and soon. In 26.08 the original and enhanced agents coexist. In 26.10 the original PCM agent is removed, and from 26.11 the Analyze Performance option is only available through the new agent. Plan the switch now rather than discovering it in October.
Can FreeForm applications use Task Manager?
Yes, starting with 26.08. FreeForm applications with valid Year and Period dimensions can run Task Manager for schedules, orchestration, and notifications, so process tracking no longer has to live in a spreadsheet next to the application.
When is the next Oracle EPM update?
Oracle ships monthly. 26.09 follows the usual pattern: test environments on the first Friday of September and production on the third Friday. I cover every monthly update on this site and channel.
Reading every release against client environments is part of my managed services work.
Fred Mamadjanov is an Oracle ACE Pro and EPM Solution Architect based in Toronto. He runs
FMEPM, a consulting practice for Oracle EPM, NetSuite Planning and Budgeting, and Vena Solutions.
