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Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Editing Dimensions

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Both modeled and cubed sheets in Workday Adaptive Planning offer the ability to add dimensionality to the model to further enhance data visualization. Dimensions and their values are often needed to be updated and maintained. While this could be seen as an inconvenience, Adaptive offers a feature that enables the user to edit the dimension directly on a cubed or modeled sheet rather than having to navigate through modeling to the dimension home screen. 

If you navigate towards the back end of your cubed or modeled sheet and press on column and levels, you will see your dimensions. Select the dimension you want to enable the feature on, and check the “Edit dimension on sheet” checkbox circled in red. Save your changes.

To use the feature, navigate to the front end of the sheet you are working on. Hover over the cell you want to edit under the correct dimension column, and click the drop down arrow. You will then hit the “Edit Dimension” button that is circled in red. 

Next, the window below will pop up. Circled in red is the button to add a new dimensional value directly onto the sheet. This will also be updated on the main dimensions tab as well. Additionally, you have the ability to rename an existing dimension in this same window.

This feature is also available for text-selectors and follows the same process as dimensions.

Revelwood is an award-winning, Platinum Solution Provider for Workday Adaptive Planning. We build solutions for the Office of Finance that minimize your risk by seamlessly incorporating business analytics into your everyday thinking. By combining the software with our best practices and out-of-the-box applications, we help businesses achieve their full potential with Workday Adaptive Planning.

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Cube Sheet Restrictions in Workday Adaptive Planning

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: The User Access Calculator

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Machine Learning Predictive Forecaster: Lever Sheets

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How We Solve Problems: Improving the Performance of Workday Adaptive Planning

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This post continues our series on how we use Workday Adaptive Planning to solve problems. Each blog post focuses on a real-world client experience where Revelwood was presented with a unique or thorny problem.  We’ll explain our approach to how we solved it.

Revelwood Client: This company manufactures premium lighting and home accessories. It produces approximately 1,000 different designs that can be made in more than 25,000 ways as a standard product. 

Problem: Granular Details Impeded System Performance

Scenario: The company worked with an implementation partner to build a Workday Adaptive Planning solution for budgeting, forecasting and reporting. The implementation they built went to the nth degree of detail and granularity. That level of granularity resulted in the system performing poorly. It also required a high level of upkeep. 

How We Helped: The manufacturer engaged Revelwood for a health check, after which we revamped the company’s model. Revising the company’s model enabled ad-hoc analysis – a key aspect of forecasting that was impossible to do in the earlier instance. 

These changes had a big impact on the company’s next budgeting cycle. By revamping the company’s model, Revelwood enabled the manufacturer to do scenario planning – something they could not do in their earlier implementation of Workday Adaptive Planning.

Do you have a challenge you’d like to leverage Workday Adaptive Planning for? Reach out to us – we can help!

Read the posts in our series, How we Solve Problems Using Workday Adaptive Planning

Using Workday Adaptive Planning for Headcount Planning

Workday Adaptive Planning for Incorporating Foreign Transactions

Using Workday Adaptive Planning to Model Revenue and Expenses

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Workday Adaptive Planning User Interface Changes 2025 R1 

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As part of the Workday Adaptive Planning 2025 Release in March 2025, Workday will be making changes to the user interface. These changes will impact Sheets, Matrix Reports, Dashboards, and Scenario Management. The goal of these changes is to adopt a user interface that is consistent with other Workday products. There will also be changes to parameter sizing and visualization of various layouts. The aforementioned changes are designed to optimize screen space and enhance the product’s usability. The User Interface will be forcibly changed in ALL instances by Workday when the 2025 Release rolls out in March (The target date is 3/8/2025). 

Make the Switch Now

Workday has provided users the opportunity to get ahead of these interface changes before they are enacted in March. The settings can be found within the administration section of Adaptive Planning, under the system portion, in visual preferences pictured below. 

In Visual Preferences, you will see the user interface section where you can check off the latest updates seen below.

It is recommended and could be very beneficial for users to make these changes manually now so they can adjust and get used to them before Workday forces the changes. If the user wishes they can deselect these options and revert back to the old interface but again, the changes will be forcibly enacted come March so it may be best to make the switch and keep the changes.

Revelwood is an award-winning, Platinum Solution Provider for Workday Adaptive Planning. We build solutions for the Office of Finance that minimize your risk by seamlessly incorporating business analytics into your everyday thinking. By combining the software with our best practices and out-of-the-box applications, we help businesses achieve their full potential with Workday Adaptive Planning.

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Write-back for OfficeConnect

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: New Feature – Long-Running Processes in Workday’s 2024R2 Release

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Machine Learning Predictive Forecaster

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10 Steps to Transform Financial Planning & Analysis: A Guide to a Successful FP&A Implementation

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The role of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) has never been more crucial. Organizations are increasingly relying on FP&A solutions to streamline data, enhance decision-making and drive business strategy. Yet, despite the potential, many FP&A implementations fail to meet expectations.

Why FP&A Matters

FP&A systems are more than just software—they are a transformative tool for financial leaders. By centralizing data and enabling real-time analysis, FP&A allows organizations to:

  • Eliminate spreadsheet chaos and data silos.
  • Focus on strategic decision-making.
  • Align business goals with measurable financial outcomes.

But the path to success requires more than technology. It demands a strategic, phased approach that considers people, processes, and culture.

Read Top 10 Steps for a Successful FP&A Implementation to learn why the best implementations include:

  • Securing Strong Leadership: Every successful FP&A implementation begins with an engaged and empowered executive sponsor. Their support can steer the project and drive cultural alignment.
  • Defining Clear Requirements: A detailed understanding of your organization’s needs is critical. Without clarity, even the best technology will fall short.
  • Phased Implementation: Breaking the project into manageable phases ensures quick wins, sustained momentum, and reduced risks.
  • Emphasizing Ownership: Knowledge transfer is key. Ensure your team is equipped to take full ownership of the system post-implementation.
  • Communicating Effectively: Transparent communication keeps all stakeholders informed, builds trust, and minimizes resistance to change.
  • Partnering with IT: While FP&A is often led by finance, IT plays a vital role in data integration, infrastructure support, and ensuring scalability.
  • Investments in Training: The success of any system depends on its users. Tailored training programs ensure every team member—from power users to casual users—is ready to leverage the system.
  • Staffing Wisely: The right team can make or break your implementation. Carefully choose project managers, solution owners, and functional leads.
  • Closing the Loop: Measure your results against initial goals. Document lessons learned and use them to inform future projects.
  • Choosing the Right Partner: An experienced implementation partner can make all the difference. Look for expertise in your chosen software and a track record of delivering value.

Ready to Get Started?

Download the full whitepaper, Top 10 Steps for a Successful FP&A Implementation, to unlock the strategies for success.

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: ASCIIOUTPUT

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One of our recent IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks videos and blog posts focused on IBM Planning Analytics file manager, and how it can be used to export files. With IBM Planning Analytics, version 12, you can use that approach. But you can also still use ASCII output to create files.

The change with version 12 is that the output path is going to be a little different. Watch Lee Lazarow, Revelwood’s IBM Planning Analytics practice leader, explain how to use ASCII output in version 12.

Lee shows you how to:

  • Modify a TurboIntegrator script for specific paths
  • Create new folders with ASCII output

You’ll also learn the pros and cons of automatic folder creation.

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: Upcoming Changes to Planning Analytics

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Explorations and MDX

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: New Videos

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: File Manager

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Did you know that IBM Planning Analytics v 12 made changes to how users manage files? One of the biggest changes in version 12 was the removal of Microsoft Windows – which manage users rely on to manage file. 

For example, many of our clients use text files. They use these files to upload data or to create output files for exports. But fear not! Even though MS Windows have been removed, you can still manage files. What has changed is the approach to managing files.

Planning Analytics users will now use a new tool called File Manager to manage files. You can access File Manager through a modeling workbench. 

Watch one of our latest IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks videos to learn how to use File Manager. You’ll see Lee Lazarow, Revelwood’s IBM Planning Analytics practice lead, and a 2024 IBM Champion, manage files by starting with a new workbench. 

Lee will show you how easy it is to sort files by name, by file size, or by when it was last updated. 

IBM Planning Analytics’ File Manager, available in version 12, makes it easy to upload, download, manage and use any of the files you need for your Planning Analytics environment.

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 Process Indent Script Button

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

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: VSTACK_HSTACK

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Converting a Manual Process to TurboIntegrator Scripts

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This post is the latest post in our new blog series: How We Solve Problems. Each blog post focuses on a real-world client experience where Revelwood was presented with a unique or thorny problem.  We’ll explain our approach to how we solved it.

Revelwood Client: A financial services company specializing in retirement and life insurance.

Planning Environment: IBM Planning Analytics

Problem: Their business process included allocating summary quarterly forecast data to a more detailed level. When looking at months and the other dimensions, there were over 200 trillion possible target combinations. The process was performed manually and took two days to consolidate the source data, perform the allocation calculations in Excel and load the results into Planning Analytics.

How we Helped: We converted the full process into automated TurboIntegrator scripts that took under 10 total minutes to run.  

Do you have a challenge with your Planning Analytics environment? Let us tackle the problem! Send us a quick email!

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Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Using Display Fields in Modeled Sheets

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Modeled sheets in Workday Adaptive Planning often have no monthly data that displays on the sheet. To see the monthly calculations you must go to row details and create a report or create a separate sheet (standard or cube). However, you can see the calculated amounts in the sheet display by using the Display Column feature.

In this demo data, we see a typical Personnel modeled sheet. Notice there are no months. None of the calculated accounts such as Salary, FICA and Bonus are shown in a monthly display.

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However, the Salary column is shown and is the Salary that was loaded. Assume this file was loaded in January 2023 and now it is August 2023. We can go to the columns definition of the modeled sheet editor and select Display Columns:

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Which displays all the calculated accounts in a selection:

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Bring over Personnel Salary and we see the following options:

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Leaving the default options, we refresh the modeled sheet display to see a new field, Personnel Salary:

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Personnel Salary is showing the monthly salary cost. Notice for those making $120,000, the new field is displaying $10,000 for the monthly salary. We can change the parameter, “Number of time periods in Rollup Range” from 1 to 12 as shown:

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And the result is the monthly salary is now displaying the annual salary:

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To see how the different parameters affect the display consider the following scenarios.

  1. 1. Display 1 Year before Reference Time Period
  2. 2. Display Year Containing Reference Time Period
  3. 3. Display 1 year after Reference Time Period

To see the current time period, set the parameter and see the result:

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To see the 1 year later time period, set the parameter:

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Note: the Start of plan is Jul 2023. So, Year After Reference Time Period is Jan – Dec of 2024.

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Here, we can see that the salaries have increased by 3% which is the annual raise percentage. By switching from 1 month to 12 we get:

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These numbers represent the calendar year (Jan – Dec) after the reference period.

Revelwood is an award-winning, Platinum Workday Adaptive Planning partner. We build solutions for the Office of Finance that minimize your risk by seamlessly incorporating business analytics into your everyday thinking. We help businesses achieve their full potential with Workday Adaptive Planning by combining the software with our best practices and expert guidance.

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Restrictions on Cube Sheets

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Metadata Loaders

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Reordering Parent and Children Cube Accounts in Cube Sheets

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Limit the Drill Down List on a Workday Adaptive Planning Report

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Our latest Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks video features Michelle Song, a senior consultant at Revelwood, demonstrating how easy it is to limit the drill down list on a Workday Adaptive Planning report. This new feature will transform how you – and your end users – interact with your Adaptive Planning reports. 

Watch this video to learn how to:

  • Access the report
  • Edit the report properties
  • Select the relevant dimensions
  • Apply your changes
  • Save and Run

Now, when you click on an account name, you’ll be greeted with only the dimensions you’ve deemed pertinent. No more hunting for the right information or risking confusion for end-users!

By fine-tuning your reports, you’re not just saving time but also enhancing the overall user experience. No more distractions, no more unnecessary options—just precise, actionable insights.

Revelwood is an award-winning, Platinum Workday Adaptive Planning partner. We build solutions for the Office of Finance that minimize your risk by seamlessly incorporating business analytics into your everyday thinking. Combining the software with our best practices and out-of-the-box applications, we help businesses achieve their full potential with Workday Adaptive Planning.

Read more Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks:

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Metadata Loaders

Workday Adaptive Planning Tips & Tricks: Reordering Parent and Children Cube Accounts in Cube Sheets

Workday Adaptive Planning Framework: Purchase Order Management for Organization-Wide Planning

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