Managing large datasets in IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) often means dealing with complex lists of elements—from thousands of SKUs to extensive customer databases. In this edition of our IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks series, Lee Lazarow, IBM Planning Analytics Practice Leader at Revelwood, demonstrates a simple, one-click solution to clean up your subsets by removing duplicate elements.
Watch the Video
See this tip in action! Watch the full video below to follow along step-by-step as Lee Lazarow demonstrates how to quickly identify and eliminate duplicates in Planning Analytics Workspace.
Whether you are a developer staring at a long list of elements or a modeler managing static subsets created by users, this tip will help you maintain a clean and accurate Planning Analytics environment.
Why Duplicates Happen in PAW
Duplicates often creep into explorations and subsets, especially when dealing with:
- Large Dimensions: When viewing thousands of elements like SKUs or customers, it’s easy to miss a repeating entry.
- Static Subsets: Unlike dynamic subsets, static lists created manually by users may accidentally include the same member multiple times.
- Manual Modeling: Even experienced developers can overlook duplicates when manually building complex views.
How to Remove Duplicate Elements
Lee Lazarow shows the following process in the video:
- 1. Identify the Duplicate: In your exploration, notice if an account or element (such as “Rent”) appears more than once in your rows or columns.
- 2. Open the Set Editor: Click on the dimension in your rows (or columns) and select the Set Editor.
- 3. Find the “Remove Duplicated Members” Button: Within the Set Editor, look for the specific icon designed to clean up your list.
- 4. Execute with One Click: Simply click the “Remove duplicated members” button. PAW will instantly scan the list and remove any redundant entries.
- 5. Apply Changes: Click “Apply” to update your view. Your exploration is now modified to show only unique elements.
Why This Feature Matters
Using the built-in duplicate removal tool helps:
- Save Time: You don’t have to manually scan thousands of rows to find errors.
- Improve Accuracy: Ensure your reports and explorations aren’t double-counting or cluttering your data view.
- Simplify Maintenance: Clean up user-created static subsets with a single click.
By leveraging this built-in PAW feature, you can let the system do the heavy lifting, allowing you to focus on analyzing your data rather than cleaning it.
Revelwood is an IBM Gold Business Partner with more than 30 years of experience designing, developing, implementing and maintaining IBM Planning Analytics environments. We focus on solutions for the Office of Finance and have partnered with clients of all sizes across all industries to optimize, enhance and expand their use of Planning Analytics. Revelwood’s Planning Analytics team consists of PA experts with decades of experience, and we have been recognized via awards including IBM Champion status.
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Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:
How to Create Picklists in Planning Analytics Workspace
Performance Monitoring in Planning Analytics Workspace
Linking Textboxes in IBM Planning Analytics Workspace
