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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Search with Descendants

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The IBM Planning Analytics subset editor includes various options to search a list of elements within a dimension. This includes the ability to search by name and attribute, search by referencing mathematical comparisons or text searches and search by one filter or multiple filters. 

But sometime challenges occur with your searches when the element you are looking for does not exist in the current list of available members. For example, a search for “taxes” might not appear if my current list of available members only contains the consolidated element called “Compensation.”

This situation requires users to expand their consolidation elements when looking for specific elements.

Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) version 101 has introduced a setting to eliminate this challenge, which allows you to define whether you want to search the current set only (the default option) or whether you want to include descendants in your search.

This approach works with both the Available Members search (e.g., the left side) and the Current Set search (e.g., the right side).

By changing the search approach, you no longer need to pre-expand your consolidations when looking for elements within a dimension. 

Revelwood is an IBM Gold Business Partner with 25+ years of experience designing, developing, implementing and maintaining IBM Planning Analytics environments. Revelwood has helped clients in all sizes across all industries optimize and grow their use of Planning Analytics. Revelwood’s Planning Analytics team consists of experienced PA experts, including a multi-year IBM Champion.

Stay up to date with PA – sign up for our weekly Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join our IBM Planning Analytics All-Stars group on LinkedIn.

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Workspace Settings: DIM Editor Page Size

IBM Planning Analytics Workspace Settings – Dim Editor Index

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Application Websheet Folders

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Rename Views in PAfE

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Have you ever been in a situation where you saved a view and then realized that you want to change the name in IBM Planning Analytics for Excel (PAfE, formerly PAx)?  Maybe you had a typo or maybe you referenced a date that has changed.

In the old Perspectives world, there was no way to change the name of an existing view, so you were forced to resave the view with a new name and then delete the original view.  Planning Analytics for Excel offers the ability to rename a view without having to perform multiple steps.  

Renaming a view in PAfE is as simple as right-clicking on the view!

Once the option is selected, a popup box will appear that allows you to rename the view.  

This approach gives you the ability to maintain your environment with a single click, thereby simplifying your overall processes.

Revelwood is an IBM Gold Business Partner with 25+ years of experience designing, developing, implementing and maintaining IBM Planning Analytics environments. Revelwood has helped clients in all sizes across all industries optimize and grow their use of Planning Analytics. Revelwood’s Planning Analytics team consists of experienced PA experts, including a multi-year IBM Champion.

Stay up to date with PA – sign up for our weekly Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join our IBM Planning Analytics All-Stars group on LinkedIn.

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Excel’s AGGREGATE Function

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Update on Planning Analytics’ Deprecation

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Unpivot

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Upcoming Changes to Planning Analytics

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In a recent webinar, Understanding the Migration from Legacy TM1 to Planning Analytics, we dove deep into some significant upcoming changes in IBM’s Planning Analytics environment, focusing on how these changes will affect both cloud and on-premise users. Here’s a breakdown of the key points discussed:

Why are these changes happening?

IBM is evolving its Planning Analytics ecosystem, with a primary shift coming for cloud customers. IBM has stated that, effective November 16, 2024, the Rich Tier desktop will no longer be accessible to Cloud Modelers. 

If you’re on-premise, the current version (2.0.9.x) has an end-of-support date in April 2025. The supported versions beyond that will no longer include these legacy tools, aligning on-premise with the changes in the cloud environment.

Planning Analytics Legacy Tools

The legacy tools, as described in the webinar, include familiar names like Architect, Perspectives, and Performance Modeler, among others. These tools have been integral to the work of many organizations for years. However, due to the evolution of the technology and the shift to new REST API calls (which aren’t fully compatible with the older APIs), these tools are being deprecated.

The Shift to New Tools: Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) & Planning Analytics for Excel (PAfE)

As IBM phases out these legacy tools, they are being replaced by PAW and PAfE (formerly PAx).

  • PAW: This is the new web-based interface that will handle everything from reporting and input to development and administration. It’s a one-stop-shop for users in the new environment.
  • PAfE: If you’ve been using Excel for your reporting and input, you’ll transition to PAfE, a tool that’s deeply integrated with Excel but supports the new Planning Analytics features.

What does this change mean for you?

The removal of the legacy tools is not just a cosmetic change. It will fundamentally alter how users interact with IBM Planning Analytics. While the tools themselves are being replaced, the approach you take will also shift:

  1. 1. Legacy Environment: In the old setup, web tools (like TM1 Web) were mainly consumer-based—used for reporting and data input—while Perspectives and other Excel tools were multipurpose, handling reporting, input, development, and administration.
  2. 2. New Environment: In the new world, IBM flips this model on its head. Excel/PAfE will now be used primarily for reporting and input, while PAW will handle everything, including developer tasks and administration. This shift in usage may feel daunting, but it centralizes more complex tasks into a powerful, web-based interface.

Cloud vs. On-Premise: What’s the difference?

  • Cloud users will experience the most immediate and direct impact. Since IBM controls cloud infrastructure, the transition will be more abrupt—“deprecated” in the cloud means these tools will be removed entirely.
  • On-premise users will also need to make the switch but can do so at their own pace. While the tools will no longer be supported, you’ll still have access to them for a while. However, it’s worth planning for the future, as staying on unsupported versions isn’t sustainable.

What’s Next?

While change is always challenging, this transition brings many advantages. The newer tools (PAW and PAx) are better integrated with modern technologies, offering greater flexibility, improved performance, and a more seamless user experience.

For organizations, the key takeaway is to start planning now. Whether you’re on the cloud or on-premise, this shift is coming, and adapting early will ensure a smoother transition. Understanding the new tools, retraining staff, and updating workflows will be essential to staying ahead of the curve.

The deprecation of legacy tools in IBM Planning Analytics marks the end of an era, but it also signals the start of something new and more advanced. While the transition might seem overwhelming at first, these updates position your organization for a more scalable, efficient, and future-proof analytics environment.

Stay tuned for further announcements and updates from IBM and consider reaching out to us at info@revelwood.com for personalized guidance on how to best prepare for these changes.

Revelwood is an IBM Gold Business Partner with 25+ years of experience designing, developing, implementing and maintaining IBM Planning Analytics environments. Revelwood has helped clients in all sizes across all industries optimize and grow their use of Planning Analytics. Revelwood’s Planning Analytics team consists of experienced PA experts, including a multi-year IBM Champion.

Stay up to date with PA – sign up for our weekly Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join our IBM Planning Analytics All-Stars group on LinkedIn.

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Explorations and MDX

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New Videos

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: File Manager

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Recommendations from the 2024 CFO Study

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The IBM Institute for Business Value states, “CFOs must be both guardians of stability and agents of transformation …CFOs supercharge technology as the transformative force in their organization.” It found that “some CFOs are leaping forward, while others are being cautious.”

What should a CFO do? The report makes several recommendations. These are the ones that stand out to us:

  • Apply FinOps across the enterprise to make technology more valuable
    • Modernize budgeting, forecasting and chargebacks to reflect costing, agile scenario planning and incentives for shared objectives
    • Implement a cost estimation and tracking framework that can help your team understand the costs associated with technology projects
  • Foresee possibilities
    • Assess, forecast and communicate economic factors, industry-specific competitor actions and geopolitical trends that could impact the organization
    • Adapt financial strategies in response to changes in the external environment of shifts in company priorities
  • Achieve impact
    • Determine the data sources and leverage financial management systems, analytics tools and business intelligence platforms to track your outcome indicators
    • Prove business value during regular reviews and report on financial metrics, operational efficiency indicators and market performance measures
  • Cultivate a future-focused perspective
    • Create dynamic, longer-term forecasts on future cash flows to educate employees on how the market recognizes value creation over time
    • Provide long-term guidance to your stakeholders and share the progress toward achieving long-term goals
  • View spending through a wide-angle lens
    • Invest in the initiatives (for example, sustainability, GenAI) that align with your long-term goals
    • Prioritize technology applications that accelerate the transition from piloting to gaining efficiency to driving new growth
    • Evaluate and quantify the opportunity cost of borrowing from tomorrow to pay for today. 
  • Fund the future – flexibly
    • Avoid static capital allocation – use a fluid portfolio with each investment focused on outcomes
    • Conduct regular investment evaluations to drive capital redeployments and resource reallocations

The 2024 CFO Survey explains the whys and hows of these recommendations, along with other recommendations we did not highlight. It also features the six power moves CFOs must make. Download your copy today. 

About the 2024 CFO Survey

In Q1 2024, the IBM Institute for Business Value, working with Oxford Economics, surveyed 2,000 CFOs. The survey respondents span 26 industries and 34 locations worldwide. The organizations also engaged a small group of these executives for in-depth qualitative interviews.

Revelwood is dedicated to helping the Office of Finance succeed through the strategic use of technology. We have a nearly 30 year history helping CFOs and FP&A leaders modernize and transform the Office of Finance. Our approach is to focus on your success, speak business first and to leverage best-in-class technology that suits your organization’s unique needs. Contact us at info@revelwood.com to start a conversation on how we can help your Office of Finance be thes best it can be.

More from our FP&A Done Right Series:

FP&A Maturity Assessment: Where Do You Rank?

Solving Financial Reporting Challenges

The Promise of AI in Finance

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Explorations and MDX

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Have you wanted to learn how to use MDX to create a VIEW, but are not sure where to start? A great way to learn is by looking deeper into one of your PAW explorations.

The “Edit MDX” button can be used to show the expression associated with your PAW view.

In addition to using the resulting screen to see the expression, PAW allows you to edit the expression … and therefore change your view.

For example, I can update the last line of the expression below to change the EUR result into a USD result.

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Not only will this approach help you learn MDX, but it will allow you to easily change the results without having to use the subset editor.

Interested in learning more about using MDX? Watch our webinars:

Revelwood is an IBM Gold Business Partner with 25+ years of experience designing, developing, implementing and maintaining IBM Planning Analytics environments. Revelwood has helped clients in all sizes across all industries optimize and grow their use of Planning Analytics. Revelwood’s Planning Analytics team consists of experienced PA experts, including a multi-year IBM Champion.

Stay up to date with PA – sign up for our weekly Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and join our IBM Planning Analytics All-Stars group on LinkedIn.

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New Videos

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: File Manager

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Process Indent Script Button

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New Videos

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This summer we released several new IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks videos. Here’s a recap of those videos and what you can learn from them.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: ASCIIOUTPUT

IBM Planning Analytics version 12 lets you use a file manager to export files using ASCII output. One of the biggest benefits of exporting files using ASCII is reduced code complexity. In this video, Lee Lazarow, Revelwood’s IBM Planning Analytics Practice Lead, shows you how to do this.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Create Database

IBM Planning Analytics version 12 has a database creation wizard that makes creating new Planning Analytics databases very simple. All you need to do is fill out a couple of parameters. Watch Ivan Cepero demonstrate how easy it is to create a database.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: High Availability

IBM Planning Analytics version 12 has a concept called high availability. This is a way to have the engine manage multiple replicas of the database all in parallel. High availability works when a user sends in a request, changes a data point, runs a TurboIntegrator script, or does some processing. The request is sent to a replica of the database. The replica is called the leader. The leader makes all the changes. The other replicas apply the changes. Learn more from Lee Lazarow about high availability.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Backups 

This tip & trick video explores how backups work in IBM Planning Analytics version 12 in the cloud. In version 12, backups only run on active databases and cannot be performed on stopped ones. This applies to manual backups as well. Watch Ivan Cepero explain more about backups in version 12.

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: File Manager

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Process Indent Script Button

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Workbench Go To Rule

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Process Indent Script Button

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One of my favorite development quotes is from a man names Martin Fowler. He said, “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.”

There are many ways to approach the definition of “understand.” One of my favorite ways is to use a simple indenting approach. Specifically, when writing IF statements and WHILE loops I like to indent the code within the section. A few spaces of indentation will allow you to quickly scan sections to determine where an area starts and ends.  

But what happens in a situation when you inherit someone else’s TurboIntegrator process, and the original coder did not use this approach? IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) offers a one-click solution that will insert the applicable indents for you.

The “Indent Script” icon will make your code more readable by indenting IF statements, nested IF statements, and WHILE loops.

Here is some sample code that does not include any indenting:

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This code is somewhat hard to read since you cannot quickly define where the IF starts and ends. A single click of the “indent script” button changes the code to look like this:

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Not only did PAW automatically indent the components of the IF statement, but it also created a second level of indentation associated with the nested IF.

This simple approach will allow you to make your rules easier to navigate and read when scrolling through many lines of code.

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: PAW Workbench Go To Rule

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: VSTACK_HSTACK

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Slow-Performing Scripts

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Working with Two Time Zones in Google Calendar

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Do you regularly work with others that are in a different time zone? If so, how often have you heard your counterpart tell you to “just determine my time by adding X hours to yours.” And how often have you messed up that simple math by subtracting X or by adding Y?  

If you use Google calendars, then you don’t have to do this math each time you attempt to schedule a meeting. Google’s calendar allows you to show two time zones in your sidebar.

To enable this setting, click on the settings icon and select the option for Time Zone. From there, enable the option to “Display secondary time zone” and then select the time zone.  

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Once defined, you will see two time zones on the left side of your calendar.

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And Google also allows you to expand this further. If you don’t remember what time zone correlates with each GMT setting, you can also customize each header label.

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This approach will help you quickly define time zones for your coworkers while also avoiding their jokes about your basic math skills!

Revelwood has worked with IBM Planning Analytics / TM1 for more than 27 years. We’ve partnered with hundreds of companies on the design, development, maintenance and updates of IBM Planning Analytics applications, across every industry. Have a challenge with Planning Analytics / TM1? We can help you!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Visualization Value Labels

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Correctly Sum Rounded Numbers in Excel

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Planning Analytics Workspace Process Editor Function Help

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