The initial setup is not too complex.

The setup was more complicated than we initially thought. The technicians were there to assist. The full process of implementation took approximately one year.

I was not present during the installation of Oracle Planning and Budgeting Cloud but from what I heard it is complex.

The initial setup is straightforward. We did not receive any formal training on how to use the system, it's very intuitive to use.

The whole implementation did not take long. It took a couple of weeks for them to do the provisioning for the environment and make the software available for us and other aspects, such as assigning the users. It has been easy. The IT department has done almost nothing to help the users.

That is one big advantage of cloud solutions: no initial setup, just start to develop. And the development is almost the same as on-premises. The only difference is the way you load data and metadata.

The initial setup is more complicated than HFM (Hyperion) was. That said, it was fine.

In level 122, creating a new cube is very difficult. I'm hoping that in level 124 it will be much easier. It should be more straightforward for the end users. As is, it’s a little too geared towards IT professionals.

If you have an already existing on-premise planning application, it's quick because you just move it to the cloud. Considering that all the construct capabilities available in the P&BCS deployment option meet your planning requirements, it's a pretty straightforward setup.

But when there's a new client, the first out-of-the-gate benefit is your IT infrastructure and you're not engaged on that level. You don't have to do upgrades because the cloud will do it for you. We take the spreadsheets and their planning cycle and we built it.

We segregate the deployment into three phases. The first, laying the foundation, is the biggest, which takes three months. Next, is a one-month period of enhancements to functionality and build-out. Finally, we automate everything so that we just push a button and everything works.

We have a government plan, so we don’t completely blindly upgrade the system. We need infrastructure for patching and we have to wait to get approval from the client. If we have issues we talk to tech support.

It is easy to use.

Upgrades and patching are a pain in the butt. There are just too many pieces that have to be implemented in the right sequence.