Oracle Fusion App Builder: Streamline Your Agentic Applications

May 24, 2026 ~ K8 Mead ~ Leave a comment

Over the bank holiday weekend, with the heat driving me indoors, I opened up my Fusion demo environment and decided to try building my first Oracle Agentic Application. Within a few minutes, it was up and running. That is not marketing spin, it is genuinely how quick and straightforward the experience was. It also gave me a good reason to sit down and share what I found.

Officially, the Agentic Application Builder does not arrive until Release 26C. However, if you are already familiar with AI Agent Studio and have access to a non production pod, there is more than enough available today to start building something meaningful and to get a feel for where this is going. Over the weekend, I put together two applications. The first used one of Oracle’s out of the box prompts, and the second was based on a custom prompt I created with support from Microsoft Copilot. Both came together quickly, which is really the point.

Before getting into what I built, it is worth being clear on how this fits together architecturally. AI Agent Studio, which is included within your Fusion Applications subscription, will introduce the Agentic Application Builder in Release 26C. It provides a low code way to create and extend agentic applications directly within Fusion. What makes it different is the starting point. Rather than beginning with code or a process diagram, you simply describe the business outcome you want to achieve, and the builder identifies the right agents, creates the initial structure, and connects to your enterprise data. It is also important to understand the licensing model. While you can explore, test, and build in non production environments without any additional cost, a separate licence is required to deploy and run these agentic applications in production. This means there is nothing to stop you getting hands on now and understanding the art of the possible before making any investment decisions.

Applications built in this way run natively within Fusion Applications, using your existing business objects and data, and operating under Fusion’s role based security. That is worth pausing on, because it means you are not creating something separate or bolting on additional functionality. These agents are working within the same security and access model your users already rely on in their day to day roles.

The builder brings applications together using reusable agent teams. These can be provided by Oracle, developed by partners, or created in house to suit your own needs. Each team is designed to handle a specific role, and the builder assembles them into a single application that works towards a common business outcome.

For my first build, I started with one of Oracle’s out of the box example applications. From selecting the template to having a working framework in front of me took only a few minutes. The App Builder presents a range of example agentic applications from the outset, giving you something tangible to work from straight away. You can select one, use it as a foundation, adapt it to your needs, and build from there. In my case, I chose the Talent Review and Insights application.

The steps are: go to AI Agent Studio, open the Apps tab, select Add, enter the name, code, and description for your agentic app, and navigate to the App Builder. Select one of the example apps and you’re looking at a working framework almost immediately.

That speed was the first thing that stood out to me. The framework clearly sets out the agent teams involved, the different sections of the application, and how everything fits together. You are not faced with a blank canvas. Instead, you can immediately see which published workflow agent teams are available to include, and the structure gives you a clear sense of how the application will operate before you have made any changes.

What really caught my attention was the quality of the insights it produced. This is not a static report. The agents actively draw on the data in your environment and present findings in a way that is designed to prompt action, not just provide information. For an HR practitioner used to working with standard Talent Review dashboards, the difference in how those insights are surfaced is immediately noticeable.

The second build is the one I found most interesting, and it was just as quick to put together. I used Microsoft Copilot to help shape a detailed natural language prompt, then passed that into the App Builder through the Ask Oracle interface to generate a completely custom agentic application from scratch.

The prompt set out an application designed for Payroll Administrators, bringing everything into a single workspace to monitor payroll activity and improve processing accuracy. The aim was to give payroll teams a clear, action focused view of exceptions, anomalies, and key changes that need investigation before payroll is finalised. In practice, that means removing the need for administrators to piece together that picture across multiple pages and reports.

The App Builder works through three clear phases: intent, assembly, and refinement. You start by describing the business objective in plain language, the builder then suggests the most relevant agents and proposes an initial structure, and from there you refine the application through layout changes, naming, and added detail before publishing. The whole journey, from a simple prompt to a structured application framework, moves quickly. If anything takes time, it is shaping the prompt itself rather than waiting for the builder to respond.

What I found is that the quality of the prompt makes a real difference to what the builder produces. The prompt I created with Copilot was clear about the user persona, the business context, and the type of information needed, focusing on a Payroll Administrator working in a pre finalisation scenario and looking for exceptions, anomalies, and priority changes. The application that came back reflected that level of clarity. In many ways, it is no different to working with any AI tool. The prompt is the critical part. The clearer and more specific you are, the more useful and relevant the outcome will be.

For those looking to get familiar with the structure ahead of 26C, an agentic application is built from three core elements: agent teams, communications, and actions. Agent teams sit at the heart of it. Only published workflow agent teams that have been enabled for use in applications are available to select, which helps ensure consistency and control over how these applications are put together.

Communications allow the application to send emails and messages using predefined templates. These templates can take the form of PowerPoint, PDF, email, or simple text. For email templates, the agent can be given the ability to suggest recipients, generate a subject line, and complete sections of the content. For PDF and PowerPoint templates, the agent can generate titles and populate the content, helping to streamline how information is produced and shared.

Actions define what happens as the application runs, including where human approval is needed along the way. The flow itself is straightforward. A widget or user interface element triggers a command, that command determines which action to run, and the action then executes its steps in sequence. There is a good level of flexibility in how those steps are defined. You can keep an action visible in the interface after it has run, navigate users to another application, send a command to an agent, refresh what the agent is showing, or switch the application context. Taken together, these steps allow you to shape how the application behaves and how users interact with it.

Once built and tested, you publish the app. Users can then access it from the AI Agents page, reached via Me > Quick Actions > Show More > AI Agent Studio > AI Agents.

I realise I am starting to sound a bit like an Oracle advert, so it is worth being honest about the experience. In its current pre release state, not everything behaves as you would expect from a finished product. Some agent team options are not yet fully populated, and there are limits to how far you can test the end to end flow in a sandbox without complete data. That is to be expected at this stage.

What is clear, though, is the direction of travel. The App Builder is designed to enable functional consultants and technically minded administrators to create agent driven applications without writing code, and to do so quickly. Starting with natural language removes much of the usual barrier, building from reusable agent teams means you are not starting from scratch each time, and the inclusion of example templates means you can have something up and running in the time it takes to make a coffee. For organisations investing in the Fusion Agentic Apps Platform, this is where a great deal of tailored capability is likely to be developed over the coming releases.

If you have access to a non prod pod and want to get ahead of 26C, it is well worth spending some time in AI Agent Studio now. The core concepts you will be working with, including agent teams, sections, communications, and actions, are already in place and align with what will be available in the full release.

I will share a more detailed walkthrough once 26C is live and the full feature set is available. In the meantime, if you are interested in where this is heading, it is worth taking a look at my earlier write up on AI Agent Studio and what it means for Oracle Fusion HCM.

Please note all screenshots are the property of Oracle and are used according to their Copyright Guidelines

Agentic Applications for HCM Cloud

Mar 25, 2026 ~ K8 Mead ~ 1 Comment

At the AI World London HCM Partner Summit, Oracle unveiled 22 new Agentic Applications across the Fusion suite, including eight designed specifically for HCM Cloud. One of the standout additions is the Workforce Operations Command Centre, which brings scheduling, time, and absence management into one coordinated hub. It highlights real‑time risks, helps managers make confident coverage decisions, and streamlines day‑to‑day operations. During the demo, we saw a live priority queue flagging shift conflicts and timecard issues by severity, with simple one‑click options to approve, reassign, or review — making it far easier to stay ahead of workforce challenges.

Oracle has also introduced a series of new workspaces designed to streamline everyday manager and employee tasks. The Hiring Workspace for Store Managers brings candidate details, interview scheduling, and urgent hiring requests together to support faster decisions, while the Manager Concierge Workspace unifies compensation, performance, talent, and absence insights with simple, policy‑backed actions. The Team Learning Workspace helps managers stay ahead of compliance risks and focus on development priorities, and the Career Advancement Command Centre connects employees to suitable roles, required skills, and training. Alongside this, the My Help Workspace offers a clear view of open requests and relevant knowledge articles, and Contracts Intelligent Counsel, also known as Agentic Compliance, provides continuous, autonomous monitoring of contract terms and policy changes to reduce compliance overhead.

Oracle also unveiled Oracle Manager Edge, a new personal AI coach designed to give managers practical, data‑driven guidance directly within Touchpoints, with suggested actions seamlessly linked to Oracle Team Touchpoints. Although it isn’t an Agentic Application, it will be available through the AI Agent Studio once released, offering organisations an accessible way to bring personalised, context‑aware coaching into everyday management without additional complexity.

Oracle also confirmed six dedicated Payroll Agents designed to cut manual effort and improve payroll accuracy. The Payslip Analyst, already live in 25D, helps employees resolve payslip queries and has been shown to reduce inquiry costs by up to 70 per cent with a rapid ROI. The Compliance Update Agent (26C) converts legislative changes into proactive configuration updates, removing up to 90 per cent of the manual workload. The Court Order Processing Assistant (26A) fully automates garnishment intake, while the Tax Calculation Statement Agent (26C), currently specific to the US and California, explains the detailed tax logic behind each payroll run. The W‑4 Compliance Agent (26B) automates US tax‑form completion, and the Pay Run Agent (26C) provides real‑time summaries and flags exceptions, reducing manual review efforts by as much as 70 per cent. For UK and global payroll teams, the Payslip Analyst and Compliance Update Agent are the most relevant today, with the remaining agents focused on US‑specific requirements.

As Oracle continues to expand its portfolio of Agentic and AI‑driven capabilities, the direction is clear: more guidance, more automation, and less friction across everyday HR and payroll operations. For organisations already using Fusion, these new applications offer a practical way to improve decision‑making, strengthen compliance, and deliver a smoother experience for managers and employees alike. And with more innovation on the horizon, now is an ideal time to explore how these tools can support your roadmap and help your teams work smarter, not harder.

Please note all screenshots are the property of Oracle and are used according to their Copyright Guidelines.

Oracle HCM Cloud Recruit 26B

Mar 7, 2026 ~ K8 Mead ~ Leave a comment

The final deadline to move to Recruit Redwood is the 26B release, so if you haven’t made the move yet, I’d strongly recommend doing so as soon as possible. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what’s coming up for Recruiting in 26B. As is often the case, Oracle may introduce additional features as the quarter progresses, and if any of those are particularly noteworthy, I’ll share a follow‑up update.

The Job Application Overview in the Redwood experience introduces an AI‑generated summary to help recruiters review applications more efficiently. When a candidate uploads a CV or adds further information after applying, the Overview tab automatically presents a concise summary across three key areas. This includes screening and interview highlights, showing the status of questionnaires, assessments and feedback; an AI‑driven candidate summary covering recent experience, education, skills, achievements and work preferences, with clear call‑outs where these align to the requisition; and a dedicated section for candidate attachments, bringing all supporting documents into one place.

The next feature will not surprise you to hear, is another AI one. The generative AI search capability in the Redwood Candidate Experience makes it quicker and easier to find the right candidates using natural language. By simply describing the type of candidate you’re looking for, the AI automatically translates your input into relevant search filters and values. The search intelligently matches your wording to structured candidate data, applying keywords and related synonyms, and can also include CV content if required. Clear aggregation counts show how many candidates match each filter, while synonym‑based suggestions highlight potential matches found within resumes. All filters remain fully editable, allowing you to refine or adjust the results further and quickly narrow down to the most relevant candidates.

The Interview Schedule Templates list has been rebuilt in the Redwood experience using Visual Builder Studio, making it quicker and easier for recruiters to manage interview scheduling at scale. When the relevant profile options are enabled, the list is accessed via My Client Groups > Hiring. The redesigned page is built to reduce clicks and save time, with intuitive search and filtering, the ability to save searches, flexible sorting, and customisable columns so recruiters can see the information that matters most to them. Templates can be opened, reviewed and actioned directly from the list, and new interview schedule templates can be created just as easily. By aligning interview schedule management with other Redwood list pages, this update delivers a more consistent and efficient experience, helping recruiters spend less time on administration and more time focusing on candidates.

I love an Activity Centre, they’re a one stop shop for all transactions relating to that area. The new Sourcing Activity Centre provides recruiters with a single place to manage all sourcing‑related activities across campaigns, candidates and events, helping them stay on top of priorities and reduce manual tracking. Users with the appropriate access can reach the Sourcing Activity Centre directly from Candidate Sourcing or via a Quick Action. The activity list gives clear visibility of everything requiring attention, with the ability to filter by activity type and quickly identify high‑priority items. Recruiters can open activities to view more detail and take action directly from the list, making it easier to keep sourcing work moving without switching between pages. Activities span campaigns, candidates and events, including follow‑up tasks, campaign status updates and event‑related actions such as registrations and capacity management. By bringing these into one central view, the Sourcing Activity Centre helps recruiters work more efficiently, respond faster, and maintain momentum across their sourcing activities.

Oracle often introduce additional features as the quarter progresses, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for further updates. If anything particularly impactful appears, I’ll share a follow‑up blog to make sure you’re fully up to date. In the meantime, you may also be interested in my latest write‑up on the new Core HR features in Release 26B, which you can find here.

Please note all screenshots are the property of Oracle and are used according to their Copyright Guidelines

Oracle HCM Cloud Payroll 25C

Jun 7, 2025Jun 7, 2025 ~ K8 Mead ~ Leave a comment

Everyone who knows me, knows that Quarterly Release time is my favourite time of the quarter, as I love finding out all the new features that Oracle have released. Payroll is mandatory in Redwood by release 25C, therefore there isn’t a large number of new features for Global Payroll in this release, but there are still some significant changes! Oracle will continue to roll out new features throughout the quarter. If any additional updates stand out, I’ll share a follow-up blog to keep you informed.

The first key point of note is that the Payroll Activity Centre will be automatically switched on in 25C. Given that it’s a really helpful tool, I would imagine this won’t cause any Payroll users hassle, but I wanted to flag it in case any organisations have delayed their move to Redwood for Payroll. If you don’t know what the Payroll Activity Centre is, it’s a one stop shop for all your payroll needs. You can run flows, check person results and do all of your usual Payroll transactions from one place. I’m a massive fan of all the activity centres, but this one is a massive leap forward for Payroll users.

A number of pages have made the move to Redwood in this release. These include the Payroll Costing Setup and Process Summary pages. The Process Summary page allows for a high level summary of all payroll processes that have been submitted. The new page can either be accessed from the Payroll Quick Actions or the Payroll Activity Centre. This a much more user friendly way of reviewing any processes that have been submitted.

A new feature has been introduced to control how Retropay results are processed. Oracle have introduced the Retroactive Overpayment and Recovery for Earnings Elements process. How this differs from current behaviour is that rather than automatically processing the deduction for the overpayment in full, it is now offset resulting in no immediate impact to the employee’s net pay. You can then chose to setup and track repayments by the employee until it is paid back in full. This will ensure the fair recovery of overpayment.

For those customers in the US, there is a significant change to US Payroll Engine. Oracle have introduced the new US Oracle Payroll Tax Engine (USOPTE) solution. The key change is that all statutory tax data information is now maintained and delivered by Oracle Cloud. These include wage limits, filing statuses and allowance amounts. The new Engine will also perform federal, state, and local tax calculations within the payroll product and provide improved visibility of tax calculations with a Tax Calculation Statement.

As mentioned earlier, Oracle often roll out new features throughout the month. Should these updates turn out to be significant, I’ll publish a refreshed blog post. Please check out my blog on the new features in Core HR for Release 25C here.

Please note all screenshots are the property of Oracle and are used according to their Copyright Guidelines