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TM1 Perspectives

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Rule Timestamps

December 10, 2019 by Lee Lazarow Leave a Comment

Tips & Tricks

TM1’s print report wizard still exists in Perspectives and many clients continue to use this approach. I recently came across an issue where a client wanted to “burst” a report and include a time stamp on a report that is being snapshot (e.g., set the cells to contain actual values and not TM1 functions that retrieve values).  Easy peasy … just use the =NOW function to generate a time stamp. Right?

Wrong. =NOW is not a TM1 formula. This means that the cell will not get converted and the timestamp would therefore refresh each time the report was opened/refreshed.

Ok, no problem. We can create a numeric value in a control cube that uses TM1’s NOW function. The time stamp will refresh each time the cell is referenced and we can then zap that value. Again, easy peasy. Right?

Wrong again! TM1 only refreshes numeric rules when the rule is re-processed. In order to keep updating the result (e.g., show the current time and date), the user would need to reprocess the rule each time.

Again, no problem. TM1 may not re-evaluate the numeric value, but it will re-evaluate a string rule like this each time the cell is queried. So we can just switch this into a string value and simply use a STR formula against the NOW command. Right?

Wait for it … wait for it …

Wrong once more! Remember that date stamps within TM1 and Excel vary by 21,916 days (well, maybe). As a result, we need to add these days to the formula. The end result gives us a formula that uses a combination of STR, NOW, 21916, lots of digits and decimals, and a trim of the wasted space.

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Rule Timestamps

… and this end result gives the client the ability to have a time stamp using a TM1 formula that can be snapshot and then converted into a date format!

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! Or, sign up to get our Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks delivered directly to your inbox!

Read more IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks:

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

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Writing Rules

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Rule Concepts that are Often Forgotten

Home » TM1 Perspectives

Filed Under: IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks Tagged With: Analytics, Budgeting, Budgeting Planning & Forecasting, Financial Performance Management, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, Planning & Forecasting, Planning & Reporting, Revelwood, TM1, TM1 Perspectives

Revelwood Launches Report Conversion Service for Migrating Excel & TM1 Web Reports to PAx

October 17, 2019 by John Pra Sisto Leave a Comment

News & Events

Revelwood has launched a new Report Conversion service to help TM1 users to migrate their Excel and TM1 Web (Websheets) reports to Planning Analytics for Excel (PAx). Our service also helps TM1 users recreate their existing Excel or TM1 Web reports in PAx.

As with all the aspects of migrating from TM1 to Planning Analytics, there is a significant benefit to migrating existing reports to the new platform. The biggest of these benefits is improving performance. When you migrate to, or recreate these reports in PAx, you’ll also be able to take advantage of both Active Forms and MDX to make the new versions of your reports truly dynamic.

Migrating reports can be time-consuming. But it also presents the opportunity to review your report library and assess which reports you actually need and which ones you can retire. Rather than get overwhelmed with the prospect of assessing and moving your reports, let us help you.

Revelwood’s report conversion service consists of:

  • Conversion – We’ll convert your Excel reports from TM1 Perspectives to PAx. We’ll work with you to make sure the new reports look the way you want them to look, execute correctly, and render as Websheets where appropriate. We’ll use our own tools we’ve developed, specifically designed to streamline the conversion process. We’ll also make sure you have easy access to all the reports in your report library.
  • Optimization – Over time reports tend to become laden with too much information, or, on the flip slide, missing data elements. They also end up with hidden hard-coded values, errors, and performance issues. Our Report Conversion service includes automating and optimizing for accuracy and improved performance. You’ll save time and eliminate errors in your ongoing reporting process.
  • Rationalization – We’ll work with you to rationalize your reporting strategy. Together we’ll determine which reports you need and which reports can be combined to save time and effort. We’ll decide which reports need to be rendered in Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) and accessed via a browser, instead of in Excel. We’ll also help you determine if Quick Reports and/or Explorations should be used instead of the traditional DBRW-style reports from TM1.
  • Education – We’ll make you self-sufficient in creating and maintaining PAx reports going forward! Our team will train you on PAx, with an emphasis on how to build well-designed, dynamic financial reports that leverage the best of both Planning Analytics and Excel.

Migrating your existing reports to Planning Analytics presents a unique opportunity to assess your reporting strategy, optimize and streamline your reports. Don’t just migrate your reports wholesale. Let us help you convert and make the most out of your reports.

Questions? Just drop me an email!

Home » TM1 Perspectives

Filed Under: News & Events Tagged With: Financial Performance Management, IBM Cognos TM1, IBM Planning Analytics, PAW, PAx, PAx reports, Planning Analytics for Excel, Planning Analytics Workspace, report conversion services, Revelwood, TM1, TM1 Perspectives, TM1 web

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