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IBM Cognos TM1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Waterfall Charts

June 20, 2023 by Revelwood

Did you miss our webinar on waterfall charts in IBM Planning Analytics? Here’s our take on best practices and how and why to use waterfall charts.

Waterfall charts, also known as bridge charts, floating column charts, or cascade charts, are a data visualization tool used to represent changes in a value over time. They are particularly useful for showing how a specific value, such as a company’s profit or revenue, has changed from one period to another and the impact of different components on this change.

Waterfall charts are named after their appearance – the bars in the chart resemble a waterfall cascading downward. In a common example, the initial value is displayed as the starting point, and each segment of the waterfall represents the change in value due to certain factors. The length of each bar segment represents the size of the change, with upward bars indicating increases and downward bars representing decreases.

One of the advantages of using a waterfall chart is that it helps users easily identify the contribution of each component to the overall value. For example, a waterfall chart can show the contribution of different revenue streams to a company’s total revenue, thereby highlighting areas of strength and weakness in the company’s income stream.

Another common usage of waterfall charts is to show how an investment or project has affected the financial performance of a company. For instance, a waterfall chart can demonstrate the cost and revenue distribution of a new product development project over time. This can help in identifying areas where costs could be optimized or where revenue could be increased.

In enterprise planning and analytics, waterfall charts are crucial in depicting the impact of different scenarios, period-over-period comparisons, and identifying performance gaps. These charts allow professionals to identify key drivers of revenue or costs and identify areas that require improvement. It is also useful for businesses to use waterfall charts to identify performance trends, forecast trends based on prior data, and determine areas that require resource allocation.

Creating a Waterfall Chart

Creating a waterfall chart is relatively easy. A waterfall chart can include as many segments as required to represent the changes that need to be visualized.

To create a waterfall chart in Excel, start by creating a table that contains the total initial value and the changes in value. The table should represent a timeline that goes from left to right. The first column will contain a description of the different components that make up the initial value. The second column will display the size of the initial value. The subsequent columns will display the changes that occur within each segment. Each column will represent a change in the value of the previous column, either positive or negative. For example, a positive value could represent an increase in sales revenue, while a negative value could represent a rise in production costs.

Once the table has been created in Excel, the next step is to insert a waterfall chart. Select the table contents, including the initial value, then select “Insert” on the top menu bar and choose the “Waterfall Chart” type. The chart will then be created, showing each segment’s component and how it contributes to the overall value.

When using Planning Analytics, the process follows a similar outline. You will first need to create a table that houses the total initial value and the changes in value across time. The processes available with Planning Analytics are more user-friendly and automated than those of Excel, making the analysis of the chart trend even easier.

Waterfall charts are a critical representation tool in enterprise planning and analytics. They play a significant role in identifying the drivers of revenue or performance, identifying gaps in performance, and providing a retrospective review of trends in a business’s performance. Furthermore, the ability to create data-driven visualizations in IBM Planning Analytics and Microsoft Excel (amongst other tools) has allowed businesses to quickly adapt to new data insights. As a result, they are valuable tools in every data-savvy professional’s toolkit.

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: Planning Analytics Workspace (PAx) Zoom Bar

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: HTTPPORTNUMBER

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Popular Posts, Part 2

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 7

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Budgeting Planning & Forecasting, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, TM1, waterfall chart

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Planning Analytics Workspace (PAx) Zoom Bar

June 13, 2023 by Lee Lazarow

One of the strengths of OLAP tools like IBM Planning Analytics is that you can create data sets that stack multiple dimensions together. Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) allows you to easily convert those data sets into an easy-to-read visualization. Here is an example of a column chart that shows historical expense data by both time and company.  

These charts can quickly become hard to read as you include more dimensions in your rows. To minimize this issue, PAW includes a feature to add a zoom bar to your line and column visualizations. This zoom bar lets you focus on a smaller area of the visualization.

The zoom option is enabled within the Chart section of the Properties.  

Once enabled, a scroll bar will appear on your chart.  

You can then drag the edges of the scroll bar to zoom into a specific area. Here is an example of the same chart with a focus on Quarter 2.

This approach will make your existing line and column charts more interactive and easier to use as you ask more questions about your existing 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!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Run TI Processes from PAx Task Pane

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: TI Dimension Functions

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Users and Groups

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 7

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, TM1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Popular Posts, Part 2

May 30, 2023 by Revelwood

Earlier this month we shared three of our most popular IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks blog posts. Since we publish these tips & tricks posts every Tuesday, we have plenty of tips you might have missed. Here are three more of our most popular posts over the last 12 months. 

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Edit Action Button

Action buttons in IBM Planning Analytics are a great utility that allows users to recalculate a sheet, navigate to another location, or run a TurboIntegrator process. As your models evolve, you may need to periodically revise your templates to maintain their functionality. This sometimes include the action buttons. Read this post to learn how to quickly edit all of your action buttons at the same time instead of having to navigate through your workbook and search for each button. 

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Adding a New Entry to Index Cube via Dynamic Report

If your IBM Planning Analytics model contains a cube that uses an index or slot dimension, you may encounter a situation where you’ll need to create a template that will allow your users to add data to an unused index. Read this post to see how to add a new entry in the index of a staffing cube.

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

We’ve had clients ask about the approach of building one cube for a model versus building multiple cubes for a model. A cube consists of a single table/database of data, whereas a model consists of a series of cubes that are linked together.

Planning Analytics (TM1) is designed to quickly and efficiently link a series of small cubes together. This style of thinking contradicts the approach that you may be used to with Excel. Read this post to learn more about building one cube versus multiple cubes.

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: Approaches in Planning Analytics’ New Set Editor

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Charts in Planning Analytics Workspace, Part 1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: DefineCalc

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 7

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, TM1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Set Editor Remove Duplicates

May 23, 2023 by Lee Lazarow

In a recent blog post, we explained how to use Excel to produce a list of unique values. But what if you wanted to do the same thing in your subset?

IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) version 82 introduced an approach into the set editor that will automatically remove duplicate members from the current set via a single click. The button looks at the elements within the current set and ensures that the full list contains only unique elements.  

Here is an example of a set that contains two instances of department 46:

Here is the same set after pressing the button:

This is especially helpful if your set contains a very large number of elements. 

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 EOMONTH

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Excel TEXTSPLIT

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: How to Make an MDX Statement Dynamic

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 7

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, TM1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Popular Posts, Part 1

May 16, 2023 by Revelwood

Revelwood’s IBM Planning Analytics team covers a wide range of topics in their weekly IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks posts. We’ve decided to share some of the most popular posts over the past 12 months.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Dynamic Subsets Based on a Cube

Did you know you can use MDX to create dynamic subsets based on cube values in IBM Planning Analytics? Read this post as we explain an example where we will only show companies with net sales greater than 30,000,000 in the selected year.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Garbage Memory

A client asked us why Windows was showing a much larger memory footprint than expected from their cube sizes. We analyzed the model and found a large amount of garbage memory. Which leads to the question “what is garbage memory?”

IBM Planning Analytics uses various approaches to minimize the amount of RAM needed for a model. Read this post to learn how much memory is being used by your cubes. 

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Adding and Editing Connection URLs in Planning Analytics for Excel

Read this post to learn how to add a new Connection URL or to edit an existing Connection URL in Planning Analytics for Excel (PAx).

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 YEARFRAC

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: On-Demand Webinars, Part 1

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Excel Tips, Part 2

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Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks

Leveraging IBM Planning Analytics for xP&A

May 12, 2023 by Revelwood

FP&A Done Right: Finance’s Role in ESG Reporting

This is a guest post from our partner IBM. In this post, Michael McGeein, program director and product management leader – IBM Planning Analytics, showcases how organizations use IBM Planning Analytics for Extended Planning and Analysis (xP&A). 

Extended Planning and Analysis (xP&A), is not a new concept for IBM clients who use IBM Planning Analytics with Watson, formerly known as Cognos TM1. For the past several years, clients have embraced the need to tie operational decisions to the financial impact from both planning and analysis perspectives. For instance, a Director of Operations may want to increase production for the upcoming selling season, but they must first understand the impact on the business overall.

There are many operational considerations, from labor, staffing and production capacity — such as machinery and warehousing — to ensuring the business has the capital needed. All these factors need to be considered, and fortunately, IBM Planning Analytics with Watson has helped clients do this for years.

Financial and supply planning for a national blood service organization

A national blood service, and long-time Planning Analytics client, has started implementing a financial planning solution to better plan, forecast and analyze the cash flow needs and improve reporting to the leadership team and Board of Directors. Once the team fully understood the capabilities of Planning Analytics, they saw an opportunity to improve salary planning, a key part of the financial planning process. 

From that, the HR team expanded the salary plan to include the components of staff planning, including hiring and attrition.

Another way the team used Planning Analytics was to plan for the supplies needed for the collection of blood from donors. They created a planning application that schedules nurses and technicians who collect specimens and accounts for the supplies needed, from orange juice, bottled water, and cookies to medical supplies like tourniquets, blood bags, type testing kits and more.

As this company can attest, extending beyond the core finance function to plan for people, activities, and other areas has been part of Planning Analytics for years.

Financial and HR planning for a television production company

Another great example of Planning Analytics in action is with a television production company that, like many clients, was initially focused on financial planning. After the team had their financial planning and forecasting running well, they turned their focus on how to better run their business. As a ‘job shop,’ where each TV program is a job, one area of focus was cost planning by job. The team created a job planning application, starting with staff planning as one of the largest cost components. Then they extended to include overhead and expense allocations, and eventually created a weekly Show Cost planning module to understand the contribution of each show to the overall production company’s results.

Supply chain planning for a global contract specialty manufacturer

A global contract specialty manufacturer, with deep expertise in manufacturing know-how, supply chain insights, and product design, uses Planning Analytics for nearly every ‘non supply chain’ use case in their organization. From financial analysis and reporting, forecasting, reserves reporting, aged accounts receivables, and treasury cash balance and forecasting to working capital, HQ allocations, local tax adjustments, and income tax in interim periods, all of these Planning Analytics solutions are integrated to ensure changes in one area, like cash forecasting, can be reflected in the overall working capital analysis.

No matter the industry, Planning Analytics is a continuous, integrated business planning solution that helps run some of the best companies in the world. Those who use IBM Planning Analytics with Watson understand the benefits of integrated planning that are not realized when doing ‘connected’ planning in spreadsheets or other traditional tools. 

Are you interested in expanding your use of IBM Planning Analytics? Let us know – we can help!


This blog post was originally published on the IBM Journey to AI blog.

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 7

Filed Under: FP&A Done Right Tagged With: FP&A, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, xP&A

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Run TI Processes from PAx Task Pane

May 9, 2023 by Revelwood

Did you know that you can run TurboIntegrator (TI) processes via the task pane in Planning Analytics for Excel (Pax)? Within the task pane, you can choose to display processes by clicking on the “Show and Hide” button and selecting the option to “Show processes.”

Once enabled, the processes will appear at the bottom of the task pane.

You can run the scripts by right-clicking on a process and selecting the option to “Run process.”

If any parameters are needed, a popup box will appear.  

After the process has completed, you can expand the details by hitting the drop-down symbol on the right. This will summarize whether the process ran successfully or whether there were any errors. You can then get further details about the error(s) via the message log. 

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: UNIQUE Function in Excel

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: On-Demand Webinars, Part 2

IBM Planning Analytics Tips and Tricks: Upgrading to Planning Analytics for Excel 2.0.65 or later

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 7

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, IBM Planning Analytics Workspace

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: TI Dimension Functions

May 2, 2023 by Marc Assenza

Have you ever updated a dimension in the Prolog of your TurboIntegrator (TI) script and then received errors when making further changes to the dimension in the Metadata section? This is because certain dimension altering functions such as DIMENSIONELEMENTINSERT are not evaluated until the Data Procedure runs.  

Dimension updates in IBM Planning Analytics / TM1 follow a specific pattern: duplicate the current dimension, make changes to the duplicated dimension, and then apply the changes to the actual dimension. The applied changes to the actual dimension do not occur until the Data procedure begins (e.g., when all Metadata scripting is completed).

Let’s say that you placed code in the Prolog to add elements using the DIMENSIONELEMENTINSERT function. If you then try to interrogate or manipulate those elements in the Metadata tab, the script would not be successful because the changes have not been fully completed. This can be resolved by instead using the DIRECT version of dimension manipulation functions, such as DIMENSIONELEMENTINSERTDIRECT. The direct version of the functions applies changes immediately to the current dimension and does not require the entire Metadata processing to be completed.

This approach will allow you to properly manipulate dimension in both the Prolog section and the Metadata section of the same script.

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 Tips, Part 4

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Users and Groups

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Excel Tips, Part 3

Home » IBM Cognos TM1 » Page 7

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks, IBM Planning Analytics Workspace

Revelwood Partners IBM and Workday Named Market Leaders in BARC Score – Integrated Planning & Analytics 2023

April 28, 2023 by Revelwood

Revelwood’s partners IBM and Workday have been named Market Leaders in the recent BARC Score – Integrated Planning & Analytics 2023.

BARC defines Market Leaders as “well-established vendors that drive strong market adoption, supported by technology innovation and strategic acquisitions and by leveraging robust account management and a solid track record. Their portfolio enjoys high brand awareness in the market and covers an extensive range of technologies and services with only few gaps. Market Leaders typically have a large market share, making them a viable contender in almost all implementation scenarios.”

BARC is one of Europe’s leading analyst firms for business software, focusing on the areas of data, business intelligence (BI) and analytics. This year’s BARC Score for Integrated Planning & Analytics assessed Anaplan, Board International, IBM, insightsoftware, Jedox, OneStream Software, Oracle, Planful, Prophix, SAP, Unit4, Wolters Kluwer and Workday.

“Today, the reality in many companies is that IP&A is an often proclaimed but seldom achieved goal,” writes BARC. “BARC research studies continuously reveal that companies consider the improvement of the software they use to be an important investment for optimizing planning, forecasting and analytics.”

BARC notes that “the software market for IP&A is highly competitive.” Read and download the full report here.

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Filed Under: FP&A Done Right Tagged With: BARC Score report, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, Workday, Workday Adaptive Planning

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