Kscope25 Recap: Oracle EPM Trends, AI Innovations, and iArch Solutions Highlights
Kscope25 Recap: Key Trends, Insights & iArch Highlights
The iArch Solutions team had a fantastic time attending Kscope25, one of the most respected conferences for Oracle EPM, Essbase, and analytics professionals. From AI breakthroughs to platform roadmaps, here’s a look at what stood out — plus a quick recap of our own session highlights.
AI Is Taking Center Stage in Oracle EPM
Oracle made it crystal clear: AI is no longer experimental — it's becoming foundational. A standout session titled “Financial Close Reimagined with AI” showcased how predictive models, intelligent workflows, and automation will soon transform close and consolidation cycles.
Even more exciting was a preview of AI Agent Studio, Oracle’s upcoming toolset for embedding AI agents directly into the EPM ecosystem. Think plug-and-play assistants that integrate seamlessly with your Planning or Close processes. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this for future client enablement.
Essbase: Innovation Is Alive and Well
During the conference, Oracle reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Essbase — both for existing on-prem customers and those looking to modernize in the cloud.
Key takeaways:
- Essbase On-Prem and OCI Marketplace editions remain fully supported.
- A major evolution is coming: within ~18 months, Essbase will be integrated with Oracle Autonomous Database (ADB) via the Autonomous Data Studio.
- This means one-click provisioning, live federated partitions, and a true PaaS experience.
- Oracle confirmed Essbase 21c will reach end-of-life in 2026. Customers not already on Marketplace will require an out-of-place upgrade to the upcoming Essbase 26 release.
We also caught up with Tim Tow from AppliedOLAP, who remains one of the strongest voices in the Essbase community. There’s growing energy behind efforts to drive greater awareness and innovation — and we’re excited to see what’s next.
Hyperion On-Prem: Supported Through 2036
Hyperion customers can breathe easy: Oracle confirmed on-premises support through at least 2036. The roadmap includes incremental updates with meaningful technical improvements.
Highlights from upcoming versions:
- 11.2.22 (July 2025): DB 23c support, script engine toggles in HFM, and middleware compliance updates.
- 11.2.23 (October 2025): HFM support on Linux, Windows Server 2025 compatibility, and Always-On clustering for SQL Server.
Oracle continues to draw a clear line: EPM refers to the cloud suite, while Hyperion now officially means on-prem software.
ODTUG & Community Momentum
ODTUG announced the launch of a new OCI-focused community track, opening up more opportunities for experts to share experiences and contribute content. For firms like ours, this is an ideal platform to help shape the future of Oracle Cloud adoption.
We also had the opportunity to reconnect with several longtime iArch clients at the event — always a great way to gather direct feedback and share what’s on the horizon.
Our Kscope25 Sessions
We were honored to present two sessions this year:
- “Demystifying AI: How to Use AI in Just 30 Minutes a Day” – Standing-room-only, with nearly 100 participants registered. Focused on practical, approachable AI adoption.
- “Modernizing EPM: Moving to Oracle Cloud Without Losing Control”. Focused technical session with strong engagement during Q&A.
Looking Ahead to Kscope26
Kscope26 will be held in Denver, Colorado — and we’re already thinking ahead about how to contribute. Whether through sessions, workshops, or community engagement, iArch will be there to help clients make sense of the evolving Oracle landscape.