Recently, I published a blog post on how to migrate FR reports to EPRCS MR. This covered the migration process, as well as a few common errors that I’ve personally encountered at customers. However, one of the key areas that I didn’t cover in-depth was what is truly different, technically and functionally, between FR and EPRCS MR…at least what you need to consider when migrating from FR to MR. I find this to be a key consideration when thinking about the end user and developer experiences in EPRCS MR.
(Note that there are many features that MR has that FR does not, but that will be covered in a later post. This is focused on migration from FR to MR.)
MR Parity with FR
To start off, as of February 2019 the following FR features are not in MR (#safeharbor on expected release dates):
- Batches (expected later 2019)
- Bursting (expected later 2019)
- Auto Calculations (TBD)
- Multiple data sources in a single grid (not coming – the workaround is to use multiple grids on the same report and then reference cells using the CellValue MR function on the main reporting grid)
- Annotations and Planning Unit Annotations (TBD)
- Linked Objects (TBD)
- Only grid objects can be hidden in MR – any object can be hidden in FR (TBD)
- Custom report size (TBD)
- Functions – lesser known functions – most commonly used ones are already in MR now (TBD)
^^ Direct integration with Smart View has not traditionally been available for EPRCS MR. In Feb 2019, Oracle introduced the ability to import MR grids into Smart View. This is not the same thing as direct integration (similar to how you can connect to FR via Smart View), but we’re getting closer. More on this in a future blog post!
Please note that the above list is not 100% encompassing, but it does cover the gaps that: I’ve either seen personally when testing EPRCS MR migrations, I’ve heard customers ask about, or those mentioned specifically in the following (excellent) Oracle documentation:
The MR End User Experience
Another difference technically is how users will interact with MR. EPRCS is in a different pod since it’s a different product. Yes, end users will run MR reports over the web like FR, but how do they get to them?
The obvious answer is that users can log into the URL for EPRCS and run reports from there. However, this can create a disjointed experience. When using EPRCS with other Oracle EPM Cloud pods, one of the most common recommendations is to use the EPM Business Processes feature. This is a pod integration feature where you create connections to other EPM Cloud instances and then create navigation flow cards linked to objects from those pods into a single interface. This helps users avoid having to log into multiple places.
However, there are limitations on how EPRCS MR can be used in this fashion. Some notes:
- You can create a cluster with multiple cards in it, each linked to different MR reports
- You can link a single navigation flow card to a single MR report
- You can also link a single navigation flow card to a series of MR reports via the horizontal/vertical tab option
- You cannot directly link a task list to an MR report
- You also cannot copy the URL of a run MR report and use it in task list URL’s
^^ I have logged an enhancement request on this on the Planning Cloud side. I would be great if task lists could point directly to EPRCS MR reports in the future.
Keep this in mind as you think about your end user experience and how they will access those MR reports. It’s recommended that users use navigation flow cards with the EPM Business Processes feature.
~~~
If you are planning an FR to MR migration, I highly suggest you start with the Oracle documentation listed above and then read back through this blog post so you know what to encounter. It’s important to ensure that you’re as prepared as possible for the migration and that you work around any limitations to give your users the highest quality experience with EPRCS. Good luck!
woman in epm 
One thought on “EPRCS Series: FR to MR – What’s Different?”