Have you ever converted a stacked Perspectives view into a Dynamic report? If so, you may have noticed the way Excel formats the outside of your stack. For example, if I use the Active Form button to send the following view to Excel …

… then the result appears like this:

Perspectives groups the outside rows together via formatting. If I click on cell B19 then I will see that the cell contains the value “Total Company,” but the formatting makes the cell appear to be invisible.

But did you know that the same approach looks different in IBM Planning Analytics for Excel (PAx)? If I create a similar exploration in Planning Analytics for Excel and convert it to a dynamic report, then the result appears like this:

In Planning Analytics for Excel, a dynamic report with nested rows repeats the member names. The concept is the same and the data is the same, but the formatting is different.

So, is this good or is this bad? That’s up to you to decide. But if you decide that you prefer the Perspectives formatting, you can use conditional formatting combined with the OFFSET function to re-create the “invisible” approach.

IBM Planning Analytics, which TM1 is the engine for, is full of new features and functionality. Not sure where to start? Our team here at Revelwood can help. Contact us for more information at info@revelwood.com. And stay tuned for more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks weekly in our Knowledge Center and in upcoming newsletters!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Excel OFFSET Function

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Alternative Row Formats for Excel Reports

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New PAx Feature