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New Additions to Oracle Primavera Cloud in January 2023

by | Jan 10, 2023 | Oracle, Primavera, Primavera P6 | 0 comments

Oracle Primavera Cloud (OPC) is Oracle’s newest cloud-based CPM scheduling solution. As a relatively new product, OPC is updated each month with new enhancements.
 
As both a Primavera P6 and OPC trainer, I have helped many organizations transition to the cloud. I have found that some veteran P6 users may be initially frustrated by OPC. This is somethimes due to the hassle of having to learn a new product. Others may be dissapointed that some features from P6 are missing in the cloud version. My advice to all new users of Oracle Primavera Cloud is the same: just wait.
 
Each month, Oracle updates the program with new features based on customer feedback. Within the last few years, I have seen OPC introduce many innovative features – even ones missing in Primavera P6. These enhancements have streamlined scheduling processes and made the program easier to use.
 
Oracle has started the year off strong with a wide variety of enhancements to the platform. Let’s take a look at some of the additions to Oracle Primavera Cloud in January 2023.

WBS Summary Activities

In the Schedule app, you can now create WBS Summary Activities. As a previous offering in Primavera P6, this will be a very welcome addition for former P6 users. WBS Summary activities are activities that summarize information within a single WBS layer. These activities allow you to roll up WBS dates and durations with a single activity.
 
When cost loading, you can assign resources to WBS Summary activities to capture units/costs for the entire layer. Now, you no longer have to resource load individual activities – you can roll them up to the WBS layer.
This will also ease the transition when importing projects from P6 into OPC. Previously, WBS Summary activities from P6 would not import in with the rest of the project. Users would instead have to recreate those activities as Level of Effort activities if needed. Now, P6 users don’t need to worry about losing any activity data when importing projects into the cloud.
 
You can add a WBS Summary activity on the Activities page. First, open up a Project and select Schedule > Activities. Add a new activity to the project by pressing Add in the toolbar. Then, in the General tab of the Activity Details section, set the Activity Type to WBS Summary. This activity will act as a summary for all activities within its WBS layer.
Exporting Projects as XER

Around the end of 2022, Oracle Primavera Cloud introduced the ability to import in XER files. XER is the native Primavera P6 file type. Prior to this, OPC only allowed you to import in XML file types. While XML files can be exported from P6, this created some confusion for users. Allowing users to import in XER files was a huge improvement for P6 users.

Now, OPC has expanded on this capability by allowing users to now export projects as XER files. This is very important, as many contracts require users to share projects within the XER file format. Users can now export and import projects as XER, allowing for a smooth transition from P6 to OPC and vice versa.

To export a project file as XER, open up the Projects page. To do this, click on the Object Selector and press Projects > View All Projects. Right click on the project you want to export and select Export to P6. You can now choose to export as either XER or Compressed XER.

Viewing Cost Variance in Schedule Comparison

The Schedule Comparison page allows you to compare different versions of the schedule. Here, you can view date and duration variances between a current project and its baseline. This is an important process when analyzing whether a schedule is running ahead or behind where it should be.

Previously, the Schedule Comparison page would allow you to data and variances for a wide variety of project data – such as start and finish dates. However, there was no option to compare cost variances. This would instead need to be done manually on the Activities page.

This month, Oracle Primavera Cloud has added a variety of Cost columns to the Schedule Comparison page. You can now compare Cost, Unit, and Earned Value data between two schedule versions.

To open the Schedule Comparison page, select Schedule > Schedule Comparison. To view cost and unit variance, select the Settings button in the toolbar. Under Columns, there are now sections for Financial, Earned Value, and Units. Add the desired columns to the table by selecting them in the Available Columns box. Use the right facing arrow to move them to the Selected Columns box. Once saved, you will see a section for the column on the table. This section will show you the original data, the revised data, and the variance between them.

Setting Workspace Currency

When you first set up an Oracle Primavera Cloud database, you will be prompted to choose a base currency. This currency would apply to all projects added to the database by default. When creating projects, you could choose to use the base currency or set a project currency. On any project cost page, you would be able to switch between the base currency and the project currency.

As of January 2023, OPC now allows you to set currencies to the workspace. Instead of having to use the base currency,  you can now track different currencies within different workspaces. Any project added to a workspace will be able to use its own currency or the set workspace currency. Cost pages now allow you to switch between 3 different currencies: the project currency, the workspace currency, and the base currency. This will be especially useful for international companies that have work in different countries.

You can set the Workspace currency by first opening the Workspace. Open the Summary & Settings by selecting the gear icon on the toolbar. From the Details tab, select the Workspace Currency field to adjust the currency. You will also be able to set this field while creating a workspace. It’s important to note that the currency will need to be added to the database before being assigned. You can create currencies in the Dictionaries tab within Summary & Settings.

 

Where to Find New Features in Oracle Primavera Cloud

These are just a few of the additions added to the program in January 2023. You can find a full list of program enhancements by visiting the What’s New page. To get to this page, open up OPC and select the Oracle logo in the upper left hand corner of the screen. This will open the Get Started page. Here, you’ll see a link to the What’s New page. Under What’s New, you can see everything added to the program within the last month.

This page is updated at the start of each month. I recommend all users keep an eye on this page to stay up to date with all OPC changes.

What was your favorite feature added to Oracle Primavera Cloud in January 2023? Feel free to leave a comment below!

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please use the comment section on the bottom of this page, and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to get more Oracle Primavera Cloud tips & tricks directly in your inbox!

Lauren Hecker is an Oracle Primavera Cloud Instructor and teaches onsite and virtual Oracle Primavera Cloudcourses. To see her next open enrollment course, please visit our OPC page. To schedule an onsite or custom course, please contact us!

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