Budgeting

Revelwood Partners Adaptive Insights and IBM Earn High Ratings in BPM Partners’ BPM Pulse Survey

June 27, 2019 by Lisa Minneci Leave a Comment

BPM Partners’ BPM Pulse Survey is in its 16^th year, and yet again Revelwood partners Adaptive Insights and IBM have both earned high ratings in the annual survey of business performance management vendors.

General Trends in the Business Performance Management Market

According to Craig Schiff of BPM Partners, the survey revealed that users of performance management systems are primarily looking for three main features when they evaluate BPM solutions:

Ease of use;
Performance and scalability; and
A single user interface for budget owners outside of finance.

Additionally, Schiff mentioned that users strongly prefer vendors who have integrations with existing systems.

This year’s survey revealed a very interesting key trend: the “rebirth” of dashboards. Users reported that they’ve added dashboards on to most projects, that dashboards are used to deliver analytics, that they have a desire for interactive, drillable dashboards, and that in some cases they have multiple dashboards throughout a solution for specific use cases.

The BPM Pulse survey also found that users have a focus on granular profitability analysis. That focus, however, is different based on industry. Currently the pre-packaged options are limited. It also creates system challenges around volume and performance.

Adaptive Insights’ Rating in the BPM Pulse Survey

Adaptive was named a top-rated vendor in 2019 for the key category of budgeting/planning functionality. The company had an overall score of 4.31 (out of 5) and was cited for its extended market reach, AI capabilities and anomaly detection. Adaptive Insights was also recognized for its comprehensive solution, integrations, data visualization, operational analytics, collaboration, and clean/intuitive user interface. The survey found that Adaptive Insights was most often selected for its product flexibility. Its highest functional rating in the BPM Pulse survey was for budgeting/planning.

BPM Partners BPM Pulse Survey Adaptive Insights Ratings

IBM’s Rating in the BPM Pulse Survey

IBM was named a top-rated vendor for Planning Analytics’ budgeting/planning functionality as well. The company had an overall score of 4.28. The webinar for the BPM Pulse Survey cited the company’s business performance management offerings’ latest enhancements as including “cloud-based administration and modeling, seamless switching between web and Excel views, and more. Users selected Planning Analytics for its product flexibility and its highest functional rating in the BPM Pulse survey was for reporting.

BPM Partners BPM Pulse Survey IBM and IBM Planning Analytics Ratings

Watch BPM Partners’ webinar – in conjunction with Industry Week – here.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Best Practices for Hierarchies

June 25, 2019 by Nina Inverso Leave a Comment

Did you know IBM Planning Analytics hierarchies are used to see alternative data rollups in the same view? By default, all dimensions include a single hierarchy based on the original definition.

Creating multiple hierarchies in a dimension is initially disabled in Planning Analytics Workspace. The EnableNewHierarchyCreation parameter must be set to true in the server’s tm1s.cfg file to enable hierarchy creation. This is a static parameter, which means you will need to restart the server once you change the parameter value.

Hierarchies should be maintained via TurboIntegrator (TI) processes whenever possible. For example, when changes are made to the attribute that was originally used to create an attribute-based hierarchy, the associated hierarchy is not automatically updated. The user must delete and recreate the hierarchy to see the changes reflected in the model.

Hierarchies that have been created manually or via TI process can have any structure, while attribute-based hierarchies always have three levels: a total, the attribute values, and the leaves. A hierarchy must be maintained manually or via TI process if it is asymmetric, its elements belong to more than one parent, or it requires more than three levels.

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!

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: How to Maintain a Hierarchy via a TurboIntegrator Process

June 18, 2019 by Revelwood Leave a Comment

Did you know it is best practice to maintain a hierarchy in Planning Analytics via TurboIntegrator (TI) process whenever possible? There are five key functions that can be used to do so.

HierarchyExists(DimName, HierName)

HierarchyExists is used to determine whether a specific hierarchy already exists on the server. The first parameter is the name of the dimension that contains the hierarchy to check, and the second parameter is the name of the hierarchy to check.

HierarchyCreate(DimName, HierName)

HierarchyCreate is used to create a new hierarchy in an existing dimension. The first parameter is the name of the dimension in which to create the hierarchy, and the second parameter is the name of the hierarchy to create.

HierarchyDeleteAllElements(DimName, HierName)

HierarchyDeleteAllElements deletes all elements from a hierarchy. The first parameter is the name of the dimension in which the hierarchy exists, and the second parameter is the name of the hierarchy from which to delete all elements.

HierarchyElementInsert(DimName, HierName, InsertionPoint, ElName, ElType)

HierarchyElementInsert adds an element to a hierarchy. The first and second parameters are once again used to specify the names of the applicable dimension and hierarchy (respectively). The third parameter can be used to specify the element before which the new element will be inserted. If it’s left blank, the new element will be inserted at the end of the dimension. The fourth parameter is the name of the new element, and the fifth parameter is the element type. The letter N signifies a numeric element, the letter S signifies a string element, and the letter C signifies a consolidated element.

HierarchyElementComponentAdd(DimName, HierName, ConsolidatedElName, ElName, ElWeight)

HierarchyElementComponentAdd adds a child to a consolidated element. The first and second parameters are once again used to specify the names of the applicable dimension and hierarchy (respectively). The third parameter is the name of the parent or consolidated element, the fourth parameter is the name of the child element, and the fifth parameter is the weight of the child element in the consolidation.

The following code example is used to create the Delivery Format hierarchy in the Publication dimension of this server. The metadata section of the code could then use attribute values or information from the data source to determine where in the hierarchy to place each base level publication.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: How to maintain a hierarchy via a TurboIntegrator Process

The full list of hierarchy manipulation TI functions can be found here.

Need more help? Learn about our Customer Care options for IBM Planning Analytics & TM1 users.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Troubleshooting Planning Analytics for Excel

June 11, 2019 by Alex Needham Leave a Comment

Did you know there are some easy approaches to troubleshooting IBM Planning Analytics for Excel (PAx)?

Given that PAx is an Excel add-in, sometimes things go wrong. Do you know the basic steps to take when a user says that PAx isn’t working for them?

We at Revelwood have often seen two primary issues that appear at our clients:

The “IBM Planning Analytics” ribbon doesn’t show up
A user can connect in, but they cannot see anything in the task pane

So, let’s take a look at how to solve either of these two primary issues.

Issue 1 – The IBM Planning Analytics ribbon doesn’t show up

In our experience, this is almost always an issue of one of the three add-ins not showing up properly. PAx depends on 3 add-ins within excel. If you open “File”, “Options”, “Add-ins” in Excel, you should see the following list:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Troubleshooting PAx

Chances are that at least one of these three add-ins are missing. At the bottom of this window is a “Manage” option. If you are missing either of the “IBM Cognos Office…” items, you’ll want to select “Excel Add-ins” from the drop down. If you are missing “IBM Framework for Office”, you’ll want to select “COM Add-ins” from the dropdown.

IBM Cognos Office Reporting BI Addin (Excel Add-ins)
- C:\Program Files (x86)\ibm\cognos\IBM for Microsoft Office\CognosOfficeBI.xll
IBM Cognos Office Reporting TM1 Addin (Excel Add-ins)
- C:\Program Files (x86)\ibm\cognos\IBM for Microsoft Office\CognosOfficeTM1.xll
IBM Framework for Office (COM Add-ins)
- C:\Program Files (x86)\ibm\cognos\IBM for Microsoft Office\CognosOfficeShim12.dll

NOTE: If you are running 64 bit, then those will all start with “C:\Program Files\” instead.

Issue 2 – Nothing is showing up in the task pane in Planning Analytics for Excel

Troubleshooting PAx - IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks

This usually happens when a client is far behind on the monthly PAx and Planning Analytics Workspace updates, and there have been some sizable Windows updates since your last update. If you are not applying updates at least once a quarter, make sure to get in touch with us to see if we can help in staying up to date!

Thankfully, the quick band-aid fix for this is quite simple. Excel comes with the ability to turn on “Optimize for Compatibility” for Excel 2016 and newer. To do this, click “File” and then “Options” and look at the beginning of the “General” section. If you have “When using multiple displays” under “User Interface Options”, select “Optimize for compatibility”.

IBM Planning Analytics 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!

Did you know Revelwood offers a Customer Care program? Learn more.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Snap Commands – Spelling

May 21, 2019 by Lee Lazarow Leave a Comment

Did you know IBM Planning Analytics’ snap commands can serve as a spellcheck for you?

In today’s Twitter and text based world, misspellings (or abbreviations, as some people call them) have become a way of life. It’s virtually impossible to make it through a day without seeing a reference to “ur”, “imho” or some other form of abbreviation.

For those of you who use these abbreviations regularly, you will be happy to know that IBM Planning Analytics has your back! PA’s snap commands allow you to use natural language wording to perform simple tasks. It allows you type phrases such as “sort May 2016” and “hide Jun 2016”. It also allows you to abbreviate these commands as “so May 2016” and “hi jun 2016”.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Snap Commands - Spelling

And for those of you who struggle with spelling, PA has your back yet again! The snap commands will help fix any spelling mistakes.

In a situation where there is only one possible option, the snap command will correct your typo. Here is an example where “trave” is obviously a typo for “travel”.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Understanding snap commands and spelling

In a situation where there are multiple options, the snap command will let you select which option should be the proper correction. Here is an example where “trvel” can reference an account called travel or refer to something associated with a level.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Spelling with Snap Commands

I’m happy to stand on my soap box and complain about the lack of grammer and speeling [sic] in today’s world, but I also understand that it’s sometimes much easier to let Planning Analytics help minimize my worries.

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Synchronizing Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Snap Commands – Sorting

May 14, 2019 by Lee Lazarow Leave a Comment

Did you know IBM Planning Analytics has snap commands that allow you to use natural language wording to perform simple tasks? One example of this entails the use of sorting data within a view.

We can start with a simple view that shows operating expenses by quarter.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Snap Commands

We can sort this by simply typing “sort Q1 2016” into the snap command window.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Understanding Snap Commands

By default, the sort command sorts the values in ascending order. We can sort data in descending order by adding “descending”, “des”, or “de” in front of the time period.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: How to use snap commands

In addition to defining the order, the sort command allows for parameters that define row vs. column sorting and allow you to break the hierarchy when sorting.

Once we have completed our analysis, we can reset the view and clear all sorting by typing “sort -x”.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Learn how to use snap commands

There are many different ways to sort your data and Planning Analytics’ snap commands allow you to use them in your analyses.

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Synchronizing Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Template Styles

May 7, 2019 by Lee Lazarow Leave a Comment

Many of you know that Planning Analytics Workspace books allow you utilize templates, but did you know there is a difference between the options that show a solid frame vs. the options that show a dotted frame?

Creating a new PAW book is as easy as clicking the “New” button and then selecting how you want to define the book. One way to do this is to utilize a pre-built template which defines the layout of how the sheet is broken into sections.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Template Styles

After clicking “book from template”, you will see a series of options that allow you to define the layout.

One option is called the Freeform option. This option is depicted by having a sold line surrounding the window. This area consists of one large area that allows you to place objects anywhere on the page. Objects within a free-form layout will always keep their size regardless of the screen size. This means that as you change your view, you may see extra white space along the edges or may not see all of the components of your page without scrolling.
The other options all have a dotted line surrounding the sections within the sheet. Not only do these sections use a “snap to fit” approach, but they are also designed to resize both the size and position to fit the space. This approach will ensure that you don’t have extra white space and don’t have to scroll to see everything.

Understanding Planning Analytics Workspace Template Styles

If you have users with different screen fonts (1440×900, 1280×800, etc.) or different screen types (PC monitor, tablet, etc.) then the ability to resize can be used to ensure that all important components remain on your screen. Keep this in mind.

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Synchronizing Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Calculations

April 30, 2019 by Lee Lazarow Leave a Comment

Did you know IBM Planning Analytics offers more than one way to add calculations to your data?

The great thing about using Planning Analytics within Excel is that you can add additional calculations to your data set to help you further analyze your data. Did you know that you can also do this within PAW explorations?

Use the following steps to create a new calculation:

Select one or more elements within your exploration. The elements can be from either the row or column axis.
Right click on a selected element
Choose the option to “create calculation”.

Planning analytics will then provide you with a set of pre-built calculations to choose from. The calculations available vary according to the number of members selected.

If you select one element, you will have options such as absolute value and percentage of total:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Calculations

If you select two elements, you will have options such as variance amount and percentage change:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Using PAW Calculations

If you select three or more elements, you will have options such as average amount and maximum value:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Working with PAW Calculations

Once created, you have the option to rename or remove any calculations within your exploration.

Learn more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating Buttons in Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Synchronizing Selectors in Planning Analytics Workspace

Need more guidance? Take a look at our IBM Planning Analytics Training services and our Customer Care Program.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Cell Comments

April 23, 2019 by Lee Lazarow Leave a Comment

Did you know IBM Planning Analytics Workspace allows you to add comments to your data set?

During both planning and reporting cycles, many clients often ask how they can add comments into their data set. After all, the goal of a Planning Analytics database is to have a single source of data … both numeric and text.

Planning Analytics Workspace allows you to insert comments into your explorations quickly and easily.

Step 1:

Right click on the cell where you want to insert the comment and select the option for “Comments”. As with all string values in Planning Analytics, comments can be added at either a base level or a consolidated level.

Step 2:

Click on “Add Comment”, enter your comment, and select the option to “Post”. You can enter multiple comments into a single data cell.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Using cell comments in PAW

Step 3:

A blue triangle will now appear in the top, right corner. You can follow the tasks in step 1 to review the existing comments.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: How to add cell comments

In addition to viewing the comments in PAW, the information is stored in a control cube called }CellAnnotations_CUBENAME. The data point contains a lot of metadata information to define the caption, the creator, the intersection, and other reference points. However, this data could easily be cleaned up and be included in reports.

Revelwood Partners Adaptive Insights and IBM Earn High Ratings in BPM Partners’ BPM Pulse Survey

General Trends in the Business Performance Management Market