Summary:
A common problem that Strategic Modeling users have been encountering is a compatibility issue between their Strategic Modeling Excel Add-on and their Cloud instance. When this occurs, they get an HSF 13499 error message, and they are unable to open models saved to the Cloud.
Background:
The Strategic Modeling module within Oracle’s Cloud EPM platform has both a Web User Interface and an Excel User Interface. The Excel UI requires a software installation that provides an Add-on or Ribbon to Excel. This is a great way to interact with the Strategic Modeling, however, the software installation needs to be updated on a regular basis, or it will become incompatible with the Strategic Modeling models saved in the Cloud.
Oracle provides monthly updates to their Cloud software which, is deployed to TEST PODs on the first Friday of the month and then deployed to PROD PODs on the third Friday of the month. The Strategic Modeling Excel Add-on is not automatically updated and must be manually installed by individual users or packaged and deployed by their IT departments.
Error Messages:
In the December 2020 release (20.12), Oracle introduced a helpful notification that your Strategic Modeling client install is out-of-date.
In previous versions, you would only know If your client software install is incompatible with the models saved in the Cloud if you received the following error message: HSF13499: Unable to load file: :Alcar Chart of Accounts. An unnamed file has a bad format.
You may still get this error message if you disregard the previous error message and do not install the version that Oracle instructs. Strategic Modeling will allow you to attempt to open a model from the Cloud even if your version is out-out-date. If a model has not been saved in the more recent EPM Server version, you can still open up it up with the older version of the Strategic Modeling client software. However, if the model has been saved in the more recent EPM Server version by any user or through any system processes (data integration, consolidation, metadata changes), you will receive the HSF13499 Error Message, and you will not be able to open that model until you upgrade your client software.
In addition to Oracle’s version messaging, you can also proactively check what version of the Strategic Modeling Extension or Add-on you have installed by going to the Smart View ribbon in Excel and clicking on Options. Under Extensions, it will display the version of Oracle Strategic Modeling that you have installed on your local machine.
Oracle presents the version in the following format: Year.Month.Day. In the example shown in the screenshot above, “20.11.7”, represents the November 2020 release of Strategic Modeling. If you are working in a TEST POD, that will be the most recent version of the software until the next month’s release drops on the first Friday of that month.
Resolution
If you find your software version incompatible or out-of-date, you will need to uninstall your current version and install the latest version that can be downloaded from the Web User Interface of your Cloud POD. Here are the steps to resolve this issue:
- Uninstall old version of Strategic Modeling
- On your local machine, go to Add/Remove Programs
- Scroll down to Oracle Strategic Modeling Client
- Select Uninstall
- Follow prompts to complete the uninstall process
- Download new Strategic Modeling Extension/Add-on
- Go to the Home Page of your Cloud Instance
- Click on your username in the upper right-hand corner
- Choose Downloads…
- Scroll down to Strategic Modeling
- Download to your local machine
- Install the new version of Strategic Modeling
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