This document will continue to evolve as existing sections change and new information is added. All updates appear in the following table:
Date | Product | Feature | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
30 JUL 2021 | Absence Management | Better Checks to Enter and Validate Absence Reasons | Updated document. Revised feature information. |
25 JUN 2021 | Time and Labor | Time Card Change Audit Enhancements | Updated document. Feature delivered in update 21C. |
03 JUN 2021 | Created initial document. |
HCM Cloud applications have two types of patches you can receive that are documented in this What’s New:
- Release Updates (21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D)
- Optional Monthly Maintenance Packs to each update
It is important for you to know what Release Update your environment is on. You can find this in your Cloud Portal.
This document outlines the information you need to know about new or improved functionality in Oracle HCM Cloud. Each section includes a brief description of the feature, the steps you need to take to enable or begin using the feature, any tips or considerations that you should keep in mind, and the resources available to help you.
In addition to this document you will also want to review the Oracle Human Capital Management Cloud Functional Known Issues and Maintenance Packs (Document ID 1554838.1). These documents identify bug fixes and possible known issues. You will also need to review these documents based in the release update version you are currently on or will be moving to.
Oracle HCM Cloud release documents are delivered in five functional groupings:
Suggested Reading for all HCM Products:
- HCM Cloud Common Features (This document pertains to all HCM applications. It is the base human resource information for all products and HCM Tools.)
- Global Human Resources Cloud (Global Human Resources contains the base application in which other application use for common data such as workforce structures and person information. Regardless of what products you have implemented you may want to see the new features for Global Human Resources that could impact your products.)
NOTE: Not all Global Human Resource features are available for Talent and Compensation products.
Optional Reading for HCM Products (Depending on what products are in your cloud service):
- Talent Management Cloud (All Talent applications)
- Workforce Rewards Cloud (Compensation, Benefits, Payroll and Global Payroll Interface)
- Workforce Management Cloud (Absence Management and Time and Labor)
Additional Optional Reading:
- Common Technologies and User Experience (This documents the common features across all Cloud applications and is not specific to HCM)
NOTE: All of these documents can be found in Release Readiness under Human Capital Management or via the Oracle Help Center under Cloud Applications > Human Capital Management.
GIVE US FEEDBACK
We welcome your comments and suggestions to improve the content. Please send us your feedback at oracle_fusion_applications_help_ww_grp@oracle.com. Indicate you are inquiring or providing feedback regarding the HCM Cloud What’s New in the body or title of the email.
Column Definitions:
Report = New or modified, Oracle-delivered, ready to run reports.
UI or Process-Based: Small Scale = These UI or process-based features are typically comprised of minor field, validation, or program changes. Therefore, the potential impact to users is minimal.
UI or Process-Based: Larger Scale* = These UI or process-based features have more complex designs. Therefore, the potential impact to users is higher.
Features Delivered Disabled = Action is needed BEFORE these features can be used by END USERS. These features are delivered disabled and you choose if and when to enable them. For example, a) new or expanded BI subject areas need to first be incorporated into reports, b) Integration is required to utilize new web services, or c) features must be assigned to user roles before they can be accessed.
Ready for Use by End Users Reports plus Small Scale UI or Process-Based new features will have minimal user impact after an update. Therefore, customer acceptance testing should focus on the Larger Scale UI or Process-Based* new features. |
Customer Must Take Action before Use by End Users Not disruptive as action is required to make these features ready to use. As you selectively choose to leverage, you set your test and roll out timing. |
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Feature |
Report |
UI or |
UI or |
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Improved Multi-Assignment Support to Schedule Nonworking Days |
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Self-Service Cash Disbursements of Compensatory Plan Balances |
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Oracle Absence Management is a configurable and flexible global solution that enables organizations to manage absences of their workforce. The framework provides ability to define both complex and diverse absence plans. It integrates with the Oracle Cloud Global Payroll and Time and Labor products and provides dedicated work areas for the roles of Administrator and Employees. Simplified user interface is provided for employees’ absence data entry.
Improved Multi-Assignment Support to Schedule Nonworking Days
When you enter an absence that affects multiple assignments using the responsive or the classic pages, the application creates zero duration entries for all non-working days within that absence period for each assignment. The zero duration entries will be created only when you ensure that the absence type has the Schedule Non-Working Day option enabled and that it uses hours or days as the unit of measure. You can generate absence entries by clicking Edit Entries during absence entry.
Let’s take an example of an employee who has two assignments: teacher and coach. Let us assume their schedule looks like this:
Assignment | Working Hours | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
15 March | 16 March | 17 March | 18 March | |
Teacher | 4 | Non-working day | 8 | Non-working day |
Coach | 4 | Non-working day | Non-working day | 8 |
The employee adds an absence from 15 March to 18 March. 16 March is a non-working day for both assignments. Additionally, both the assignments have a non-working day on two different dates.
Previously, the application would create only a single zero duration entry for 16 March in the advanced mode.
Date | Assignment | Duration |
---|---|---|
15 March | Coach | 4 hours |
16 March | 0 hours | |
17 March | Teacher | 8 hours |
18 March | Coach | 8 hours |
With the new enhancement, zero duration records appear for every non-working day of each assignment. This is how the advanced mode would create the same absence now:
Date | Assignment | Duration |
---|---|---|
15 March | Teacher | 4 hours |
15 March | Coach | 4 hours |
16 March | Teacher | 0 hours |
16 March | Coach | 0 hours |
17 March | Teacher | 8 hours |
17 March | Coach | 0 hours |
18 March | Teacher | 0 hours |
18 March | Coach | 8 hours |
The new approach considers non-working days for each assignment individually and each day of the absence period is accounted for independently for each assignment.
Improved handling of scheduling absences on non-working days for employees with multiple assignments.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Tips And Considerations
-
You can see the zero duration records only if you click Edit Entries or in the advanced absence entry mode when you create or edit an absence.
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Existing absences won’t be impacted by this change, unless you decide to go back to the basic mode and then back again to the advanced mode to create absence entries.
Better Checks to Enter and Validate Absence Reasons
When you select an absence reason, the application ensures that this reason is valid as of the absence start date. If you decide to change the start date of an absence, you may have to select a new reason if the previously selected reason isn’t applicable on the new start date. Previously, absence reasons were validated based on the date of absence entry or the effective date in person search, which led to inconsistent results when an absence was updated.
Suppose some absence entries are connected to an absence reason that you want to end as of a specific date. You can end date the reason only if there aren't any absence entries after that date.
More consistent behavior in selecting absence reasons.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Tips And Considerations
- It’s possible that you might now have multiple absences with an absence reason that is no longer valid as of the absence start date because of the change in application behavior. When you try to update such an absence, the application will not retrieve the absence reason selected earlier and you’ll have to select a new reason. To avoid inconveniencing your users, we recommend that you check for the existence of such absences and make pre-emptive corrections using a diagnostic script. The script will give you the list of all absences that use a reason that is no longer valid as of the absence start date. Use HCM Data Loaders to correct these multiple absences at once. This is how you run the diagnostic script:
-
You need to login as an administrator. Ensure you have the Applications Diagnostics Administrator role.
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On the home page, click the menu next to the username, and then click Run Diagnostic Test.
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Select Absences – List Absence with end dated Reasons in the Search for Tests section in the Diagnostic Dashboard page.
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Click Add to Run.
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The diagnostic will be available in the Choose Tests to Run and Supply Inputs section.
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Click the icon in the Input Status column and click OK. The report will run for the entire population. You can optionally filter down to a subset if required.
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Enter a name in the Run Name field and click Run.
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Click the Refresh icon in the Diagnostic Test Run Status section to check the diagnostic status.
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When the status reads Complete, expand the diagnostic tree and click the Report icon in the Report column. The report will open in a new window.
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This report lists all absences alongside the absence reason within the selected population that have an absence reason that is not valid as of the absence start date. Use this report to pick an alternative absence reason for each absence.
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If you have many absences with reasons that aren’t valid, use HCM data-loader to make mass corrections. You need to replace the reason with a valid reason and pass a value to the comment field.
Self-Service Cash Disbursements of Compensatory Plan Balances
Employees and managers can now use self-service to request cash disbursement of the vacation balances in compensatory plans. Previously, only administrators could disburse cash.
Employees can disburse cash from the Request Cash Disbursement responsive page. The compensatory plan can be selected in the Plan dropdown list. Managers too can use this page to disburse their direct report’s balance as cash for compensatory plans. For employees with multiple assignments, managers will see only those plans of the employee that are enrolled against the specific assignment that they are responsible for.
Request Cash Disbursement Responsive page
Employees can now disburse compensatory plan balances as cash using self-service.
Steps to Enable
You need to configure a compensatory plan to enable cash disbursement for employees and managers. Here’s how you do it:
- While you create or edit a compensatory plan, click the Entries and Balances tab.
-
Select the Enable for manager and Enable for worker check boxes to enable cash disbursement for employees and managers in the Discretionary Disbursements section.
Create or edit compensatory plan page
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Click Save and Close.
The compensation plan will be available in the plan list in the Request Cash Disbursement page once these check boxes are selected.
Oracle Time and Labor is a comprehensive, easy to use, rule-based time recording and management application. The calendar-based time entry interface and fully configurable time card layout easily address simple and complex time recording needs. Rule templates and the real-time rules engine provide an extensible and robust method to validate time entries and automatically apply pay rules, such as overtime calculations. Time and Labor now integrates completely with the following Oracle Cloud Human Capital Management applications: Global Human Resources, Absence Management, Global Payroll, and Project Costing. This integration insures accurate and consistent data for payroll processing and costing as well as project management billing.
Time Change Requests Enhancements
As a manager, when you open a classic time card that has a change request pending approval, you see a banner letting you know. The banner includes a link that opens a dialog box with the request details. The dialog box doesn't include the Approve and Reject buttons. When individuals open the dialog box from their time cards, it doesn't include the Withdraw button.
Banner Identifying the Classic Time Card Has a Change Request Pending Approval
Dialog Box Opened from a Classic Time Card, with the Details of the Change Request Pending Approval
With this enhancement, you improve people's productivity by making them aware of time change requests and letting them quickly view the details.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Tips And Considerations
Managers can approve or reject change requests using the Team Change Requests quick action. Or you can enable responsive time pages. Individuals can withdraw change requests only from responsive time cards.
Time Card Change Audit Enhancements
You can now see the same change audit information for a time entry affected by a time card split.
Existing Time Card Summary Before the Time Card's Split
Change Audit History Page from the Time Card Before the Split
For example, the time card for April 26, 2021 to May 2, 2021 is split by the Resubmit Time Cards process on April 28 because of a change to the individual's time entry profile. The time entries for April 26 and 27 and their related change audit history are now on one time card. And the entries for April 28, 29, and 30 as well as their change audit history are on the other time card.
Existing Time Card Summary After the Time Card's Split
Change Audit History Page from the First of the Split Time Cards
Change Audit History Page from the Second of the Split Time Card
You can also see a time stamp for when the change reason was changed for a time entry. For example, the stop time for a time entry was changed at 12:45p on May 3, 2021 from 9:00p to 9:30p. The change reason was edited at 12:47p.
New Change Reason Time Stamp Column on the Change Audit Dialog Box of the Time Card
Change Reason Time Stamp on the Change Audit History Page of the Responsive Time Card
With this enhancement, you improve people's productivity by providing relevant change audit information where they need it.
Steps to Enable
Complete these tasks in the Setup and Maintenance work area to enable change auditing of time cards. Use the Workforce Deployment offering, Time and Labor functional area.
- Add the change audit reasons that support your time policies to the ORA_HWM_CA_REASONS lookup type using the Workforce Management Lookups task.
- Select the time card fields that enable people to identify a time entry that changed using the Time Layout Sets task. For example, on one set of layouts, the Job and Pay Type fields together uniquely identify time entries.
Time Entry Identifier on the Time Entry Layout
Time Entry Identifier on the Responsive Page Layout
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Enable the appropriate change audit options using the Worker Time Processing Profiles task.
Key Resources
For more information about reason lookups and enabling auditing of time changes, see these topics in the Implementing Time and Labor guide on Oracle Help Center:
- Change Audit Reason Lookup
- Time Entry, Review, View, Approval Notification, and Calendar Entry Layout Configurations
- Entries Section Configuration of the Responsive UI Layout
- Change Audit Options
IMPORTANT Actions and Considerations
SECURITY CHANGES FOR ABSENCES BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Absence Management has security changes for Business Intelligence. If you have implemented Absences and are using OTBI for reporting. Please pay special attention to the Role information on the feature Security Enhancements in Absence Related Subject Areas feature. If you have custom roles you will have to run the regeneration process after making your updates. If you have no custom roles no additional action needs to be taken.
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REPLACED OR REMOVED FEATURES
From time to time, Oracle replaces existing Cloud service features with new features, or removes existing features. When a feature is replaced the older version may be removed immediately or at a future time. As a best practice, you should use the newer version of a replaced feature as soon as the newer version is available.
Product | Removed Feature | Target Removal | Replacement Feature | Replaced In | Additional Information |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Absences | Removal of Work Day Definition Rules | 21B | N/A | N/A | |
Time & Labor | Removal of Work Day Definition Rules and Enhancement of the Start Day Rule | 21B | N/A |
N/A |
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ORACLE DECOMMISSIONED THE HCM CLASSIC SIMPLIFIED USER INTERFACE IN UPDATE 20B
The HCM Responsive User Experience has been available and promoted as our standard since Update 18B. If you are still using the older HCM Classic Simplified User Interface, you must transition to the HCM Responsive User Experience, as these older pages will no longer be supported.
For consolidated information on generic setup information you can refer to My Oracle Support Document ID 2399671.1 - HCM Responsive User Experience Setup Information.
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KNOWN ISSUES / MONTHLY AND STATUTORY MAINTENANCE PACK
Oracle publishes a Known Issues document for every Update to make customers are aware of potential problems they could run into and the document provides workarounds if they are available.
Oracle also publishes Maintenance Pack and Statutory Maintenance Pack documentation of bugs that are fixed in the monthly or statutory patching.
To review these documents you must have access to My Oracle Support:
Oracle Human Capital Management Cloud Functional Known Issues and Maintenance Packs (Document ID 1554838.1)