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IBM Cognos TM1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Max Number of ELSEIF

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Most of you know the concept of an IF statement within TurboIntegrator

IF (expression);
statement1;
ENDIF;

… and most of you also know the concept of nested-IF statements

IF (expression);
    statement1;
ELSEIF (expression);
    statement2;
ENDIF;

… and most of you also know the concept of generically using an ELSE command as a catch-all

IF (expression);
    statement1;
ELSEIF (expression);
    statement2;
ELSE;
    statement3;
ENDIF;

But did you know that Planning Analytics has a maximum number of nests that can be included within a TurboIntegrator process?  You can nest up to 20 ELSEIF/ELSE statements in a process. If you exceed 20 nested statements then you will receive an error when attempting to save the process.

If you come across situations where you are using a lost of nested IF statements, then there may be a way to re-assess the expressions that are being used.  Give us a call!

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! You can also sign up to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks sent directly to your inbox!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Learn the Excel CELL Formula

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: IFERROR

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Excel’s CONCAT and TEXTJOIN Functions

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 20

Tech Bulletin: New IBM Planning Analytics Features for 2020

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IBM introduces new features for Planning Analytics in releases throughout the year. We publish IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks on these features every Tuesday in our Knowledge Center. If you would like to receive these in your inbox every Tuesday, you can subscribe here.

Here we list out which useful features have been released so far this year for PAx and PAW.

New PAx Features in 2020

2.0.50 (Feb)
Design Mode can be used to enable or disable the refreshing of an Exploration View upon every change. As of 2.0.50, you can now also use Design Mode to preserve or clear DBRW formulas when you are copying and pasting values into cells.

2.0.51 (Mar)
As of version 2.0.51, you can now bulk update the data source or package for multiple Exploration Views at the same time.

2.0.52 (Apr)
Various improvements were made to the set editor to make it easier to work with large dimensions. These include the ability to focus on one area at a time, have easy access to various functions, perform drag and drop functionality, and define default settings for the available members and current set panes.

New PAW Features in 2020

2.0.48 (Jan)
Ability to abbreviate numbers to thousands or millions within the Set Format options

2.0.49 (Feb)

  • Changed hierarchy sorting to an alphabetical approach
  • Ability to enable security access to processes

2.0.50 – 2.0.52 (Apr)

  • Set editor improvements (see Pax 2.0.52 for details)
  • The AgentActions.log file can be used to review the user and time associated with these database actions: start, stop, restart, and end process
  • Modified various icons and the settings within the refresh menu

If you have any questions about these features, please feel free to reach out to me at llazarow@revelwood.com.

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New Excel Feature – Map Charts

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One of the new features in Excel is the ability to create Map Charts to compare values and show categories across geographical regions.

If you have your own set of data to use skip to step 3. Otherwise, we can accomplish this in a few easy steps using one of Excel’s preset geographical data types:

  1. Once you have your list of geographical values, navigate to the Data Tab > Data Types > Geography.IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:New Excel Feature - Map Charts
  2. An option to insert data will appear. This will offer several preset options that will be automatically populated once selected.IBM Planning Analytics Tips: New Excel Feature - Map Charts
  3. Now that data is populated the Map Chart can be created. Highlight your table, navigate to the Insert Tab > Charts > Maps > Filled Map. A Map Chart will now be createdIBM Planning Analytics Tricks: New Excel Feature - Map Charts

This is a nifty feature in Excel that will help visualize your data. Remember, this feature is already built-in to Planning Analytics Workspace! Learn more about this in our earlier blog post on displaying data in maps.

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: Sparklines

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Visualizing Data in Pie Charts

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating a Simple Dashboard in Planning Analytics Workspace

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 20

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Sparklines

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Are you familiar with Sparklines, a rarely used feature in Excel?

What happens when you’d like to provide a visual representation of data but don’t necessarily want, or have the space, for a big chart? Sparklines may be a viable solution.

To add a Sparkline for data, follow these steps:

  1. Once you have your data, navigate to the Insert Tab > Sparklines. In this scenario a Line Sparkline will be used but there are also options for Column and Win-Loss Sparklines.IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Sparklines
  2. Once selected, a dialogue box will show two fields:
    1. A. Data Range – Data that will appear in the Sparkline
    2. B. Location Range – Where the Sparkline will be placed
      Learn how to use Sparklines in IBM Planning Analytics
  3. After filling out the necessary fields, a Sparkline will be created, and the Sparkline Tab will appear. This provides several options to change the appearance of a Sparkline.sparklines in IBM planning analytics

Implementing Sparklines is a very easy and effective way to visualize data without the need for charts.

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! You can also sign up to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks sent directly to your inbox!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New Configuration Setting for Dates

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New Parameters for TurboIntegrator

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: The New Set Editor

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 20

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Bulk Load Template for Cubes with Indices

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Do you have cubes in your IBM Planning Analytics (PA) model that allow for planning with line item detail? The struggle you may come across in creating a template in Excel that automatically loads to the next available line is that such a template will either not allow you to load in bulk or requires you to load to only one center or account combination at a time. Using PA’s Quick Report, you can create an input template that solves both obstacles.

In implementing a Quick Report load template solution, you must include a Count measure in your cube to track which indices are currently used.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Bulk Load Templates for Cubes with Indices

Create your Quick Report so that the Index dimension and other dimensions that constitute a unique index row are in the rows and the other dimensions are in the columns. In the example below, every new item entered for a center will require its own index row. The Measure, Version, and Time dimensions are in the columns.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips: How to Bulk Load Cubes with Indices

In the first row, hard-code a dummy line that will not be included in reporting or will not receive any inputs. The reason for this is that a Quick Report always needs at least one data row to maintain the connection to the cube. You can format this row and change the row height to have it appear as a thick border to your users.

IBM Planning Analytics Tricks: Bulk Load Templates for Cubes with Indices

Lastly, for every row that you’d like to be a part of the load area, populate the Index column with a formula that will determine the next row number by pulling the Count measure of “Total Index” for the center, adding the number of times the center appears in the rows above the current row, and add one to increment to the next index.

You can hide the Index column as this column will no longer be controlled by the user.

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! You can also sign up to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks sent directly to your inbox!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Clearing all Data from a Cube

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Cellput vs CellIncrement

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: When to Build Multiple Cubes

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 20

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Video: Formatting Views in Planning Analytics Workspace

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In today’s IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks video, Lee Lazarow, our PF&A Technology Director, demonstrates how to format views in Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW). By using formatting, you will make your views easier to read so your users can spend more time focusing on their data.

Watch the video to learn how to manipulate your views by:

  • Making your columns wider
  • Changing rowing heights
  • Changing fonts and text styles
  • Adding shading, and more.

You’ll also learn how to start over if you want to change your formatting. Taking the time to format your views makes it much easier for your users to home in on the data and the meaning behind that data.

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!

Want to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks delivered to your inbox every Tuesday? Sign up to get our weekly email of just the week’s tip! And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Planning Analytics videos.

Watch more Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks videos:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Video: Creating Multi-Level Dimensions

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Video: The Hold Feature

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Video: Using Words Instead of Numbers

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 20

Webinar: The Value of Long-Term Planning

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The value of long-term planning can’t be underestimated. When you have a long-term plan, you have a better understanding of your income and cash flow. This enables you to plan better for resource needs such as personnel, equipment purchases, expansion opportunities and more. Improving your planning process will help you to define your future business strategies and provide a path for achieving your goals.

Join us on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 4pm EDT for a live webinar on long-term planning with IBM Planning Analytics. Attendees will learn:

  • Different approaches for short-term versus long-term planning
  • The reasons why you should do long-term planning
  • Factors to consider when defining the long-term planning process

Attendees will also see a live demo of IBM Planning Analytics, which includes two different approaches to long-term planning: driver-based and growth percent planning.

Now is a great time to think about how you approach planning and to learn the benefits of long-term planning. Join us on Tuesday, April 21st.

Register today!

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 20

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Create New Books with the Diamond Icon

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IBM Planning Analytics pages are defined as “books.” Each book can have multiple components on it (a view, an image, etc.) and the book can contain multiple sheets.

Most users create books by clicking on the “New” icon from the Welcome screen and selecting either a book from a list of templates or via a default format (freeform layout and tabbed workspace).

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Creating New Books

But did you know that you can save time by clicking on a single button on the Welcome screen? The top left corner contains an icon that looks like a diamond.

Creating new books with the diamond icon in IBM Planning Analytics

You will notice that this is an icon (and not just an image) since the image will change slightly as you hover over it. By clicking on this image, you can create a book that uses the default format.

This “hidden” approach in Planning Analytics will help you save time by creating a new PAW Book via a single click.

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! You can also sign up to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks sent directly to your inbox!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Admin Server Recycle

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Admin Critical Alerts

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Admin Alerts

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 20

Webinar: How to Reforecast Effectively & Quickly in Uncertain Times

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These are uncertain times. All but essential businesses in many parts of the U.S. are now working from home. Retail establishments have closed. Manufacturing plants are being re-worked to adapt from making car parts and sneakers to manufacturing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Some industries are booming. Some are busting. And most just don’t know what the future holds.

Unfortunately, from a financial standpoint or an operational standpoint, you can’t ignore the changes that are happening to your business. The question is: how easily can you adjust your forecast to reflect these changes?

Join us on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 4pm EDT for a live webinar on agile forecasting. Lee Lazarow, our FP&A Technology Director, will present examples of how our clients use IBM Planning Analytics for forecasting and what-if scenario planning. You’ll hear how:

  • A retailer/manufacturer used a percent approach to adjust numbers while dealing with a shut down in production
  • A financial services company, which uses driver-based planning, updated their plan by changing their starting assumptions
  • A medical not-for-profit created a new high-level, driver-based model to reflect decreased donations of supplies and money

Whether you are looking for a better planning solution, or if you are already an IBM Planning Analytics client, you will learn something from this webinar. Our goal is for you to come away with an understanding of different approaches for more nimble and efficient planning.

Register today!

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