Ascend 2026 will teach the Future use of Cloud EPM for Oracle Users
The Office of Finance is currently undergoing a structural divorce from the retrospective methods of the last decade. For organizations still tethered to static, univariate forecasting, we have reached a crisis of obsolescence. Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) is no longer a system of record used to report what happened; it has evolved into a predictive engine designed to dictate what happens next.
Staying competitive in this landscape requires more than just keeping up with patches; it requires an "under-the-hood" understanding of the autonomous shift. From June 8–11, 2026, the Ascend 2026 conference in Orlando, Florida, will serve as the epicenter of this transformation. Hosted by OATUG and OHUG, this event is designed to bypass the marketing gloss and focus on the high-signal technical shifts that are redefining the EPM practitioner’s roadmap.
To navigate this transition, leaders must move beyond the buzzwords and look at the specific architectural changes reshaping the ecosystem. Whether it is the integration of external economic signals or the retirement of legacy leadership, the signals from 2026 are clear: the era of "good enough" data is over.
1. The 15-Session Filter: Why Your Peers (Not Oracle) Set the Agenda
The signal-to-noise ratio at Ascend is intentionally high due to its unique "democracy of ideas" selection process. Unlike vendor-heavy events, every session at Ascend is vetted by the community. For the 2026 program, each track was reviewed and voted upon by approximately 200 individual users.
The rigor of this process is best illustrated by the numbers: while 70 EPM sessions were submitted, only the top 15, the highest-voted 21%, were selected for the final agenda. This ensures that the content is stripped of promotional fluff and focused entirely on the practical workarounds and architectural strategies that practitioners actually value.
2. The Death of Univariate Forecasting: Leveraging the Oracle Database ML
The most significant technical shift discussed for 2026 is the transition from univariate to multivariate forecasting. In the past, EPM predictions were largely univariate, taking a single historical variable and projecting it forward. Today, the "Living EPM" model incorporates external data points such as weather patterns, economic trends, and promotional cycles.
Crucially for the technical strategist, this isn't just a software layer; it is an architectural play. Oracle EPM is now leveraging the machine learning models that are native to the Oracle Database. This allows for a "living and breathing" process where the system reacts to real-time external factors. As Oracle’s Mike Casey explains:
"It goes from really being just sort of a static process to really this living and breathing process that changes based on external factors like weather or promotion data... you really can use these advanced predictions to help with coming up with a better forecast for you."
3. The "Groovy" Secret to Groovy-Based Business Rules
For power users and developers, the ceiling of EPM functionality has effectively been removed through the use of Groovy-based business rules. While the EPM suite offers robust out-of-the-box features, Groovy allows for infinite extensibility in all platform-based applications (excluding Account Reconciliation).
Led by experts, the 2026 curriculum focuses on how these custom rules allow organizations to build bespoke logic that exceeds standard functionality. By mastering Groovy, developers can effectively turn Oracle EPM into a fully customized enterprise application that remains within the supportable Oracle ecosystem.
4. Account Reconciliation: The Frictionless "Gateway Drug" to the Cloud
For organizations still struggling with on-premises legacy systems, the move to the cloud often feels like an insurmountable lift. The consensus for 2026 is that Account Reconciliation (ARCS) is the ideal entry point.
ARCS is widely considered the "gateway drug" to the cloud because it is easily integrated with existing on-premises systems and provides immediate business value. The ARCS team is currently prioritizing auto-reconcile features, which automate the "low-hanging fruit" of the close process, allowing teams to secure a high-impact win with minimal implementation risk.
Pro Tip: Use ARCS as your pilot project for cloud transformation. Its ability to automate reconciliations and provide immediate visibility makes it the most effective way to prove cloud ROI to executive leadership.
5. AI as the Executive Assistant: Narrative Reporting and Automation
AI is moving past the "chatbot" phase and becoming a core functional component of Narrative Reporting. The focus has shifted toward narrative summarization and automated insights (automated variance detection). Instead of a human analyst spending hours identifying why a number changed, the system identifies the variance and drafts the summary.
However, the technical shift requires a parallel shift in leadership. With the retirement of Al Maranti, Mike Casey has taken the helm, signaling a new era of product management focused on AI-driven transformations. As Casey notes, the challenge is no longer the code, but the vision:
"I think the hardest thing is just to really decide how to even get started with AI? Do I just use Co-Pilot? Do I use the built-in features... but you really need to come up with a business strategy of how I’m going to implement AI within my organization."
6. The Re-Skilling Mandate: Professional Development for the AI Era
The Oracle ecosystem is signaling that AI literacy is no longer optional. The 2026 Professional Development track is heavily focused on AI certification. These sessions are not generic training; they are led by Oracle users to help peers understand how their specific jobs will change as finance becomes autonomous. Mastering the intersection of Oracle Cloud and OCI-based AI tools is now a mandatory requirement for career longevity in the Office of Finance.
Monday Kickoffs and World Cup Energy
Ascend 2026 is breaking its traditional Sunday start, moving the kickoff to Monday, June 8. This change aims to accommodate more travelers and ensure a high-energy start in the exhibit hall. With Orlando serving as a host city for the World Cup, the conference is leaning into a sports theme; Jerseys are encouraged for the opening reception, and the "Stadium Club" sendoff will feature 360° screens and interactive games.
From Strategy to Action
With 300+ events and the top 15 EPM sessions selected from a pool of 70, the landscape at Ascend 2026 is too vast to navigate without a concrete plan. The shift toward AI-driven, multivariate, and integrated EPM applications is no longer a future roadmap; it is the baseline for current operations.
As you prepare for the next fiscal year, the critical question is whether you are simply utilizing tools or building a future-proof architecture.
Join us at Ascend