Planning & Forecasting

Why Revenue Planning Deserves a Fresh Look

December 4, 2025 by Revelwood

Revenue planning is more than just crunching numbers—it’s the heartbeat of a successful organization. In a recent episode of FP&A Done Right – the Podcast, we dissect how to simplify the process while keeping it strategically aligned with company goals. A thoughtful approach to revenue planning can reduce guesswork, boost accountability, and enhance operational agility.

The Three Pillars of Modern Revenue Planning

In the podcast episode, we break revenue planning into three interlinked pillars:

1. Strategic Alignment:
- Anchoring revenue targets to the company’s overarching vision and KPIs.
- Ensuring cross-functional teams—from sales to marketing to operations—understand and buy into those targets.
2. Data-Driven Forecasting:
- Leveraging historical sales trends, pipeline velocity, and win rates to inform realistic projections.
- Emphasizing automation and integrated tools (e.g., specialized FP&A software) to reduce manual errors.
3. Dynamic Adjustment:
- Treating the revenue plan as a live document—not a static artifact.
- Incorporating real-time analytics for timely pivots in strategy, pricing, and resourcing.

Practical Tips For Revenue Planning

The episode shares hands-on tactics you can apply immediately:

Break Goals into Manageable Chunks: Set quarterly, monthly, even weekly targets to sustain momentum and improve predictability.
Use Rolling Forecasts: Continuously update forecasts on a regular basis, rather than relying on an annual planning cycle.
Set Ownership & Visibility: Assign accountability at every stage. A visual dashboard helps teams track progress and flags issues early.
Foster Collaboration: Bring finance, sales, marketing, and operations into early-stage discussions. This prevents silos and aligns incentives.

Tools & Technology in the FP&A Toolbox

Effective revenue planning is rooted in process, but also includes a technology component:

Integrated FP&A platforms: Solutions that sync CRM data with finance tools.
Business intelligence dashboards: Empower team leaders to monitor KPIs without waiting for end-of-month reports.
Automated workflow engines: Reduce manual touchpoints and improve compliance in the planning cycle.

Revenue Planning: More Strategic, Less Flawed

Revenue planning should be both strategic and flexible:

Strategic: Tied closely to your vision and based on informed data.
Flexible: Built on rolling forecasts that update frequently and translate into operational adjustments.

Adopting this three-pillar framework can lead to sharper decision-making, faster course corrections, and stronger financial results.

Listen to the full episode.

Using Parameters on Web Reporting

November 19, 2025 by Sarah Hildenbrand

Parameters in Workday Adaptive Planning offer a simple yet powerful way to make your Web Reports more dynamic. Instead of creating multiple versions of the same report or constantly adjusting filters, parameters let you easily change levels, time periods, versions, dimensions, or attributes on the fly — all from a single interface.

1. For Web Reporting in Adaptive Planning, you can use parameters to be able to select specific levels, time, versions, dimensions, or attributes to view the data at.

2. To add these on a report you first click “Edit” to go to the back end of the report:

3. Once here, anything which is currently on the report as a “Filter”, “Row”, or “Column” can be pulled on as a “Parameter”. Shown below are those elements which were dragged and dropped from the section they already exist at on the report into the “Parameter Section”. The outlet icon shows how it is connected as well as the highlights.

4. After the parameters are created, you can right click on them and click “Properties” to select what choices you want, if you want multi-select, and if you want a prompt window to open to select the choice before the report loads. After making the choices make sure to click “Apply”. Save the report and now you have parameters created.

Revelwood is more than just a Platinum Workday Adaptive Planning partner — we’re a trusted advisor to the Office of Finance. With 30 years of experience and award-winning expertise, we bring together powerful software, proven best practices and pre-built, ready-to-deploy solutions that accelerate time to value. Our team doesn’t just implement technology — we help finance teams transform the way they plan, analyze and make decisions. Discover how Revelwood can help you get the most out of Workday Adaptive Planning — and achieve results that matter.

Workday Adaptive Planning 2025R2 Release: Version-Specific Overrides for Linked Accounts

November 12, 2025 by Cameron Burke

The 2025R2 release of Workday Adaptive Planning introduces a powerful new capability that many model builders and planners have been waiting for: version-specific overrides for linked accounts. This feature gives you the flexibility to decide when linked account behavior should apply and when you’d rather allow direct data entry.

Why This Matters

Linked accounts are a core part of Adaptive Planning, allowing you to tie calculations and flows across your model. But until now, they’ve come with a limitation: once an account was linked, it couldn’t be edited directly for any version – meaning the GL accounts that were linked to a model would show data from that model for ALL versions (excluding locked/archived versions). That was great for consistency—but not always for flexibility.

With the new release, you can now override linked accounts in specific plan versions. That means you can still take advantage of links when you want them, but unlock data entry for certain versions when you don’t!

This matters because you can now:

Import data into linked accounts without having to redesign your model.
Use Predictive Forecaster to populate linked accounts in planning versions.
Manually enter data into linked accounts on sheets.

In short, you get more control over when links enforce consistency, and when data entry needs to take priority.

How to Utilize This Feature

The new options live in the Link Filters section of the account settings for accounts that support links (Cube Standard, Cube-Entered, General Ledger, and Custom accounts).

Here’s what you’ll see:

Override links for specific version: A checkbox that turns on the override fields.
Link Version Selector: Choose which plan version you want the override to apply to.
Override Link Setting: Choose between:
- None → Keep the link in place.
- Data Entry → Allow imports, manual entry, and Predictive Forecaster to populate data.

1. Go to Modeling.
2. Click into the account type (Custom Account, General Ledger, or Cube Accounts from a sheet summary).
3. Select the linked account you want to adjust.
4. Check Override links for specific version.
5. Choose your version and set the Override Link Setting (None or Data Entry).
6. Save.
7. Start entering or loading your data.

Once enabled, you can enter or import data into those accounts directly within the selected version.

Where You Can Use Overrides

When you enable overrides, you can:

Enter or adjust values directly in sheets.
Bring in values through manual imports.
Load and export values using:
- Loaders in Design Integrations (for GL and custom accounts).
- customReportValues and exportData APIs.

For cube and standard accounts, this means you can import data into data-entry-linked accounts in the current version—a big win for planning workflows.

Important Considerations

There are a few nuances to keep in mind:

During actuals overlay periods, plan data will still display when a linked account is set with both:
- Enable Actuals for Link in the Actuals Overlay setting.
- Data Entry in the Override Link Setting.

This ensures consistency between actuals and plan data.

Final Thoughts

The release of version-specific overrides for linked accounts in Workday Adaptive Planning 2025R2 is a small change, but has big implications. By giving model builders and planners the ability to control when linked accounts can be overridden, Workday has struck a balance between structural consistency and planning flexibility.

If your business has ever struggled with needing to enter or import data into a linked account “just for one version,” this feature is going to make your life a lot easier!

Importing Transactions

October 8, 2025 by Julia Seelin

Manually uploading transactions into Workday Adaptive Planning is a useful method for adding data outside of automated integrations. Here are the steps you need to take to do this:

Step 1: Edit the columns that will appear in your transaction report by navigating to Model Management > Transactions.

Step 2: You can add various text or dimension columns that will be displayed when you drill into transactions.

Step 3: After you add the necessary columns, you are ready to upload transactions.

Step 4: To get the correct import template, you go to the Import Data section under Integration. Before you select “Download template.” you want to make sure you have the transaction option selected as seen below.

Step 5: Once that is selected, you can import transactions.

Step 6: You will be prompted to map any unmapped accounts, levels or dimensions.

Step 7: The last screen you will see before importing is an option to “Delete Existing Transactions.” This will delete all transactions in Adaptive, even the ones outside the level you are importing too.

You may need to do multiple imports, because there is a limit on how many Adaptive will take in one upload file.

Why Strategic Headcount Planning Is the Missing Link in FP&A

September 4, 2025 by Revelwood

In a recent episode of FP&A Done Right – The Podcast, the focus is on strategic headcount planning. This episode delves into the critical role of aligning workforce planning with organizational strategy, emphasizing the importance of integrating financial planning and analysis (FP&A) with human resources to drive business success.

Transforming Headcount Planning into a Strategic Advantage

Strategic headcount planning goes beyond filling roles—it’s about aligning your workforce with your organization’s long-term goals. This episode explores how incorporating workforce planning enables more agile decision-making, improves resource allocation, and ensures your people strategy keeps pace with business demands.

1. The Importance of Strategic Headcount Planning
Effective headcount planning is essential for aligning talent acquisition and management with the company’s strategic objectives. By forecasting workforce needs and understanding the financial implications, organizations can make informed decisions that support growth and adaptability.

2. Leveraging Workday Adaptive Planning
Enterprise planning solutions facilitate real-time collaboration between finance and HR departments. These tools enable dynamic modeling and scenario planning, allowing organizations to respond swiftly to changing business conditions and workforce requirements.

3. Integrating FP&A with HR for Better Outcomes
By integrating FP&A processes with human resources planning, you ensure that financial forecasts account for workforce trends and HR strategies are grounded in financial realities, leading to more cohesive and effective organizational planning.

4. Navigating Challenges in Headcount Planning
The episode addresses common challenges such as data silos, communication gaps between departments, and the complexities of modeling various workforce scenarios. It offers strategies for overcoming these obstacles, emphasizing the need for transparent communication and integrated planning systems.

5. Real-World Applications and Success Stories
We share practical examples of how organizations have successfully implemented strategic headcount planning. These success stories illustrate the tangible benefits of aligning workforce planning with financial strategies, including improved agility and resource optimization.

For finance professionals, HR leaders and organizational strategists, this episode offers valuable insights into the interplay between workforce planning and financial management. It underscores the necessity of integrated planning approaches to navigate the complexities of modern business environments effectively.

Tune in to this episode of FP&A Done Right – The Podcast to explore how strategic headcount planning can serve as a cornerstone for organizational success.

Mastering Merged Cube Sheets in Workday Adaptive Planning

September 3, 2025 by Revelwood

Merged cube sheets are a powerful tool in Workday Adaptive Planning that combine data from up to three modeled or cube sheets. They enable advanced calculations, simplify data management, and enhance forecasting. Let’s dive deeper into understanding their purpose, characteristics, and how to build them.

Why Use Merged Cube Sheets?

Merged cube sheets are especially useful for:

Creating calculated accounts without requiring data presence in the sheet itself. This feature ensures that formulas calculate accurately, even when data is absent in the merged cube’s standard accounts. Usually, a lack of data in the cube’s standard accounts forces formulas to evaluate at zero. Merged cube sheets bypass this rule by using the data presence of the source sheets.
Building simpler source sheets that focus only on necessary dimensions, then merging them to manage complex data across multiple dimensions efficiently.

Additional benefits include:

Allocations across dimensions using formulas.
Serving as calculation identifiers for other cube sheets.
Chaining merged cubes, where one merged cube acts as a source for another.

*Disclaimer: Using merged cube sheets in these additional ways can increase complexity of your model and may cause unexpected behaviors.

Example of a Merged Cube Sheet

Suppose you need to calculate revenue based on quantity and price across dimensions like customer, region, and product. Instead of managing this in one massive sheet:

1. Create a modeled sheet with the Customer dimension for forecasting total product purchases without breaking it down by product.
2. Create a cube sheet with the Product dimension for forecasting prices and mix by product.
3. Build a merged revenue sheet that combines these two sources to calculate total revenue by multiplying quantities and prices for each customer and product.

Characteristics of Merged Cube Sheets

Merged cube sheets:

Are read-only with no data entry support.
Require at least one calculated account. Data entry overrides are not available for this account.
Only allow account groups, calculated accounts, and metric accounts.
Can merge up to three source sheets (modeled or cube).
Contain only dimensions already present in the source sheets.
Must include any common dimensions across all source sheets.
- Ex: if both sheets contain the product dimension, the merged cube must also include the product dimension.
Cannot include cube restrictions.
Only calculate intersections where data exists in the source sheets.

Steps to Build Cube and Merged Cube Sheets

1. Create Dimensions, Attributes, and Levels you want to add to the sheet.
- Follow standard procedures for adding these elements to your planning model.
2. Create Source Sheets for Merged Cube Sheets.
- Source sheets can be either modeled or cube sheets.
3. Start a New Sheet.
- Select cube sheet and check the box for a merged cube.
4. (For Merged Sheets) Select Source Sheets.
- Identify the sheets you wish to merge. This is located in the settings under “Dimensions, Attributes and Levels.”
5. (Optional) Create Account Groups.
- Organize accounts for easier navigation.
6. Create Cube Accounts.
7. Add general ledger and custom accounts to your sheet and ensure they are cube-entered in account settings.
- You can add general ledger and custom accounts to the cube sheet after you make the accounts cube-entered. In the account settings, for Data Entry Sheet Type, click Cube.
8. Add Dimensions and Attributes.
- Include necessary custom dimensions and attributes in your sheet.
9. Select Time Periods.
- By default, all available time periods are included.
10. Add Levels, Accounts, Dimensions, and Attributes.
- Optionally hide certain cube accounts to simplify the sheet view.
11. (Optional) Adjust Sheet Properties.
- Set the initial view, remove the cube root account, set the time strata, and manage calculation scope as well as other settings to enhance usability.
12. Assign the Sheet to Users.
- If the sheet requires user assignment, ensure permissions are correctly set.
13. Load Data into the Sheet.
- Data can be imported via spreadsheets, integration loaders, or entered directly from the Sheets menu.
14. Monitor Usage and Performance.
- Regularly review the sheet’s performance to ensure optimal functionality.

Merged cube sheets are a great feature for streamlining complex forecasting models. By combining data from simpler sheets, they improve calculation efficiency and enhance data visibility. Following these steps will help you create effective merged cube sheets tailored to your organization’s planning needs.

Limiting the Scope of Calculated Accounts

August 20, 2025 by Revelwood

Both modeled and cubed sheets in Workday Adaptive Planning allow the user to set a scope to limit the calculation for calculated accounts for both actuals and planned data. A user may utilize this feature to allow calculations to start at a certain point, without having to alter the actuals or plan version start date.

In order to limit the scope of the calculated accounts, you will begin by navigating to the back end of the sheet and go to columns and levels. Once you are at columns and levels, you can press the sheet properties gear in the middle of the screen.

Once you have navigated to the sheet properties, press the last tab that is titled “Scope.” This is where you will have the option to limit the scope for calculated accounts.

You now have the ability to set the scope either forward or backwards for actual values or plan values as well. For the actuals, the drop down for the start/stop calculating gives you an option to select start/end of version, month, quarter, year. For the plan, the drop down for start/stop gives you the option of left scroll limit, end of plan, month, quarter, year.

In the example above, we set the scope so that the plan values do not start until 6 months after the start of the plan. As you can see from the start date, it should start 1/1/2025, but from the row details we can see that the calculations do not begin until July.

Workday Named a Leader in IDC MarketScape Report for MidMarket Organizations

August 14, 2025 by Revelwood

Our partner, Workday, has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Enterprise Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting Applications for Midmarket Organizations 2024 Vendor Assessment, which was issued in late 2024.

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The IDC study assessed vendors in the worldwide enterprise planning, budgeting and forecasting applications that focus on midmarket organizations. The evaluation is based on a “comprehensive and rigorous framework that assesses each vendor relative to the criteria and to one another.

Vendor requirements to be included in this report included:

Have 50% of its enterprise planning, budgeting and forecasting applications revenue from the midmarket segment.
Have business operations in two or more regions worldwide.
Have market presence and momentum based on IDC inquiry volume.

Download this report to learn why:

The latest functionality being added to enterprise planning, budgeting and forecasting applications is AI-/ML- and generative AI (GenAI)-based functionality.
Applications continue to be enriched with improvements in collaboration and collective intelligence capabilities
Market uncertainty and volatility have increased demand for more robust what-if or scenario planning and analysis capabilities.

Key Highlights on Workday:

Workday is in the Leaders category for this IDC MarketScape for its Workday Adaptive Planning offering. The report cites Workday’s strengths as:

Workday Adaptive Planning is user-friendly for both data modelers and business users.
There is a strong ecosystem of implementation partners (like us!).
The software is feature-rich, with extensive planning, analytics and data management functionality.

Download your copy of the study today.

Override Formula Settings on Calculated Accounts

August 13, 2025 by Cameron Burke

Workday Adaptive Planning is a powerful tool for financial planning and analysis. One of its key strengths is its flexibility in handling data input and formula calculations. One often overlooked, but highly useful feature is the Override Formula Setting on accounts. This allows users to control how data is entered and calculated within specific accounts or sheets.

In this post, we’ll explore the three options in the Override Formula Setting — None, Override Formula, and Data Entry — and how you can leverage them to refine your planning models.

What is the Override Formula Setting?

The Override Formula Setting determines whether users can manually enter data into an account or if the system will enforce a formula-based calculation. This setting is particularly useful when working with modeled sheets, standard sheets, or specific versions of your budget and forecast.

1. None (Default Setting)

When the Override Formula Setting is set to None, the account strictly follows the formula defined in the account’s properties. This means that users cannot manually enter data in the cell; Adaptive Planning will always use the account’s default formula to calculate the value.

Use Case:

When you want to ensure that a particular metric (e.g., Gross Margin % or a calculated KPI) is always derived from a formula and never manually overridden.
Useful for accounts that should remain consistent across all planning scenarios.

2. Override Formula

Selecting Override Formula allows users to enter data manually in specific instances while keeping the formula intact. When a user inputs a value, it replaces the formula-driven calculation for that particular cell, but the original formula remains in place for all other cells where data is not manually entered.

Use Case:

When you want the flexibility to override a formula-based calculation in certain months or scenarios but still rely on the formula for most periods.
Example: If revenue is usually calculated using a formula but needs to be adjusted manually for a particular product launch or seasonal fluctuation.

3. Data Entry

With Data Entry enabled, the formula is completely removed, allowing full manual input for all periods and scenarios. This effectively turns the account into a standard input field rather than a calculated one.

Use Case:

When the account should be completely user-driven, such as manually entering sales targets or one-time adjustments.
Example: Entering specific planned expenses for an event that vary from period to period and do not follow a predictable pattern.

This setting also allows you to have different override settings for different versions. For example, if you want to manually upload/enter actuals for an account and have the budget version calculate numbers based off of these actuals, you can set the actuals version to data entry and the budget version to none. You are able to enter a formula in the budget version referring to actuals data for that account as shown below.

Best Practices for Using the Override Formula Setting

1. Lock Critical Formulas: If an account should always be formula-driven, keep the setting at None to prevent accidental overrides.
2. Use Override Formula Sparingly: This setting is powerful, but frequent overrides can lead to inconsistencies. Use it only when necessary and document any manual inputs.
3. Enable Data Entry When Needed: If you expect manual input for an account, proactively set it to Data Entry to avoid confusion among users.

The Override Formula Setting in Workday Adaptive Planning provides essential flexibility in managing how data is calculated and entered. Understanding when to use None, Override Formula, or Data Entry ensures that your planning models remain both accurate and adaptable.

By strategically applying these settings, you can strike the right balance between automation and user control, leading to more effective and reliable financial planning.

Planning & Forecasting

The Three Pillars of Modern Revenue Planning

Practical Tips For Revenue Planning

Tools & Technology in the FP&A Toolbox

Revenue Planning: More Strategic, Less Flawed

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Why This Matters

How to Utilize This Feature

Where You Can Use Overrides

Important Considerations

Final Thoughts

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Transforming Headcount Planning into a Strategic Advantage

Why Use Merged Cube Sheets?

Example of a Merged Cube Sheet

Characteristics of Merged Cube Sheets

Steps to Build Cube and Merged Cube Sheets

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Vendor requirements to be included in this report included:

Download this report to learn why:

Key Highlights on Workday:

Download your copy of the study today.

What is the Override Formula Setting?

1. None (Default Setting)

2. Override Formula

3. Data Entry

Best Practices for Using the Override Formula Setting

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

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