Oracle EPM Planning Cloud REST API Enhancements

Recent Oracle EPM Cloud monthly updates introduced a few great REST API enhancements. With new classes added to the Groovy library, it is now possible to interact with external web resources. This creates tons of potential for Oracle EPM budgeting, forecasting, and planning solutions.

Recent Patches

First, let’s take a step back and see what exactly got updated for REST API during the past few months.

The July 2019 patch added the ability to call external rest resources from a Groovy object model. The August, September, and October patches enhanced the REST API’s abilities for Planning, Financial Consolidation and Close, Profitability and Cost Management, Account Reconciliation and Enterprise Data Management.

With the recent patches, what really changes the EPM design and makes calling external web content possible is the “Connection” class. This creates a communications link between Groovy and an HTTP/HTTPS resource. To create an on-demand connection, you can use:

Connection connection = connection(“http://server:port/HyperionPlanning/rest/v3/applications/Vision”, “user”, “password”)

For more Groovy rules and Java API topics, please check out the EPM Cloud, Groovy Rules Java API Reference.

Using REST API in Groovy business rules is similar to how EPM Automate developed. In fact, EPM Automate is built on top of REST API. With the new Groovy functionality, we can call EPM Automate REST resources from planning Groovy business rules.

Also, with the new Oracle EPM Cloud SKUs, both the Standard and Enterprise versions can create unlimited planning instances. Having Groovy rules to call other planning applications to process data integration and other admin/power user activities can come in very handy.

Note: Are you still a bit confused on what version of Oracle EPM Cloud to buy? Check out this blog post about it here: “Should I Buy Standard or Enterprise Oracle EPM Cloud (Hyperion)?”

Supported Solutions

Currently, we are able to use REST API for the following cloud services:

1. Planning

2. Financial Consolidation and Close

3. Account Reconciliation

4. Profitability and Cost Management

5. Tax Reporting

Use Cases

Since connections can be used in Groovy business rules, Groovy business rules can be used on form’s right-click menus and task lists.

Sample right-click menus options and task list activities could include:

1. Set application to admin mode

2. Set application to user mode

3. Refresh database

4. Run data map

5. Run ASO aggregation

6. Run snapshot backup

7. Copy snapshot across instances

8. Set maintenance time

9. Data management – import actuals

10. Import metadata

11. And more….

REST API Client

To start using REST API, I highly suggest you use the REST client to test your solution first. Then, translate the logic to a planning Groovy business rule.

Sample REST API clients include:

1. RESTED

2. Advance REST

3. Postman

4. Insomnia

We can call a REST API against the same planning instance. Then, we can use the “GET” request to obtain basic information from the application. We will receive the following response from the Planning server, which includes the basic application information:

Figure 1 – Response received from the Planning server

Groovy Rules

Once you have tested the connection through REST clients, translate the logic to a Groovy business rule. For example, use a Groovy business rule to get application information. You will be able to see the detailed log from the job console.

Figure 2 – Detailed log messages from the job console.

Considerations

Some items to consider include:

1. The use of REST API is based on Groovy, which is only available in Oracle EPM Cloud

2. The password in “Connections” must be manually updated every 120 days

3. Only service administrator accounts can define connections

4. Testing REST API through REST clients first will help you prepare the related Groovy rules

REST API creates many possibilities for Planning applications and changes solution designs. It ultimately helps simplify administrator’s and user’s planning and budgeting processes.

We hope you enjoyed this topic! Please feel free to email us here if you are interested in learning more or have any further questions about REST API.

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