Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP – now I get it!

Roger Cressey

Associate Director – North America

My Oracle CloudWorld 2024 Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP Investigation…

For years, my professional life has revolved around a rich heritage of Oracle Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), Oracle Analytics, and the intricacies of Oracle Essbase.

I am now involved in helping organizations with their Global IT Transformations. Interestingly they often suffer from a common malady where multiple organizations have become one with a mish-mash of different systems.

As much as Oracle Cloud EPM feels like home — a robust suite of tools where I understand almost every nook and cranny and where Oracle Analytics empowers us to transform data into insightful narratives, guiding strategic business decisions. My understanding of the way in which we capture transactions and handle inputs, ensure compliant action and distribute outputs using Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP is developing at an ever-increasing pace.

In my previous company, we had begun an Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP practice, and it was growing steadily. I have never been an ERP developer but have architected enough systems and transformations with our teams that I believed my knowledge to be fairly strong. However, designing an efficient chart of accounts does not constitute anything like the knowledge that comes from “doing” some ERP!  Especially when there is so much newness with each successive release.

At Oracle CloudWorld I was able to take time out to do a hands-on lab with Oracle Integration Cloud. I used the visual builder to create a form with all of its controls and link it back to Oracle Fusion Cloud Financials. The ease and configurability of a no code AI activated environment is now that much more real to me.

A Fresh Introduction!

Walking into Oracle CloudWorld, I had determined that Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP was to be my primary focus. Having now spent 5 days drinking from the firehose, I have come away with confirmation that reinforced the planned architecture for my current customer. This is not only because the software is intuitive and should be quick to implement, but because having met some of the Oracle Product Development teams for this area, they all without exception were welcoming and ready to jump in and assist.

During the week I saw firsthand how this suite of applications, built for the Cloud, is transforming enterprise resource planning. Not just automating processes but creating a cohesive digital thread across all business functions, with machine learning, AI, and connected integrations all the way from data capture to analytic reporting.

Oracle Cloud EPM to Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP – A Complementary Shift

For someone who had spent so much time in Oracle Cloud EPM, the transition to understanding Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP has been interesting. Oracle Cloud EPM is a lot about planning and forecasting — looking ahead and shaping business decisions with data mostly already collected and processed. Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, on the other hand, is the engine driving the day-to-day operational functions—keeping the business running efficiently, collating and creating the data in real time to help make those essential ‘here and now’ decisions.

The beauty of Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP is how well it complements the tools I have grown to depend on in Oracle Cloud EPM, Oracle Essbase and Oracle Analytics. The Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP applications provide real-time data directly from operational transactions—whether it’s finance, procurement, or HR. That same data can feed directly back into the Oracle Cloud EPM suite, enhancing accuracy in forecasting and improving financial models.

The hands-on labs were where everything clicked. I was able to directly interact with the technology, exploring its capabilities. For example, I saw how easily Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP integrates with Oracle Analytics Cloud, offering built-in analytics and reporting capabilities. This is the Fusion Data Intelligence platform (FDI) which has all the power of Oracle Cloud Analytics but with extensive pre-built functionality – a great saver of development time!

However, the real power of the technology comes from the fact that it really has become a no code type technology. This will allow customers to easily manage their day to day without having to constantly call on expensive outside help.

The Power of End-to-End Integration

What stood out the most throughout all the sessions at Oracle CloudWorld was the seamless integration of all Oracle applications within the cloud ecosystem. It wasn’t just Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP standing alone—it is part of a broader, connected architecture. From OCI, which underpins all Oracle applications, to the embedded machine learning models in Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, it was clear that Oracle is pushing boundaries in intelligent automation and process efficiency.

One of the sessions that left a lasting impression was about Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP’s AI-driven capabilities. AI is being used to predict and prevent issues before they happen, optimize workflows, and provide actionable insights. In my EPM experience, the processes were often reactive—we crunched data and then made decisions. Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, however, proactively gives the insights pretty much in real-time, allowing operational decisions to be made immediately. It is in my opinion a game-changer.

Looking Ahead

More so than ever before I am convinced that the vast potential Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and associated technologies holds is streets ahead of any other vendor from an “end to end” perspective. While my expertise in Oracle Cloud EPM and Oracle Analytics will always be part of who I am as consultant, the future clearly lies in a deeper integration with Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP’s capabilities. The unified cloud ecosystem Oracle has built means that data flows seamlessly across all business functions, making enterprise-wide visibility and decision-making more intuitive and effective than ever before.

Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a transformative platform that, when combined with Oracle Cloud EPM and Oracle Analytics, offers an unparalleled opportunity to drive business performance and innovation.

I plan to push that innovation to the limit!

Until next time

Roger