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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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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: 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:

A screen shot of a computer code Description automatically generated

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:

A screenshot of a computer code Description automatically generated

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: PAW Workbench Go To Rule

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Have you ever referenced a view in an IBM Planning Analytics workbench and then realized that you also want to look at the rules associated with the cube? You can do this by referencing the left side navigation to scroll through the list of cubes or using the option to show the cube in the data tree, opening the list of components, and then clicking on the rule to open it.

But did you know that there was a quicker way? The “Cube Rules” icon will open the rule as a new tab via a single click from your exploration.

Once opened, you can then move and resize your tabs to show both the view and the rule at the same time.  

This navigational approach saves you development time by performing multiple steps with a single click.

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: VSTACK_HSTACK

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Slow-Performing Scripts

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

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: VSTACK_HSTACK

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In a previous blog, I wrote about the ability to convert a list into a set of smaller lists (create a link to the WRAPCOLS blog). But what if you wanted to do the opposite? What if you wanted to merge a set of smaller ranges into a single range?  Excel’s VSTACK and HSTACK formulas are an easy way to combine several non-contiguous ranges into one range.

The syntax of the VSTACK formula is:

=VSTACK(array1,array2,…)

  • Each array parameter represents a range to be stacked

Using the following data as an example:

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated

We can stack both ranges on top of each other using the following formula:

=VSTACK(A1:D4,A9:D11)

A screenshot of a data Description automatically generated

This example was relatively simple since both ranges have the same number of columns. However, if one range has less columns then each cell mismatch will generate an error. For example, taking all three columns of the first data set but only two columns from the second data set will generate this result:

=VSTACK(A1:D4,A9:B11)

A screenshot of a table Description automatically generated

We can remove the errors by nesting the VSTACK within an IFERROR formula:

=IFERROR(VSTACK(A1:D4,A9:B11),””)

We can also use the HSTACK formula if you prefer to append your data horizontally instead of vertically.

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated

To combine both these tables into one table, this HSTACK formula will do the trick:

=HSTACK(A1:D4,G1:I4)

A screenshot of a table Description automatically generated

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: Slow-Performing Scripts

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

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Enter Members Feature

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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Slow-Performing 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: An accounts receivable provider that offers collection and contact center services.  

Planning Environment: IBM Planning Analytics

Problem: This client had a very large model that led to slow-performing scripts and reports. Revelwood analyzed their model and determined that much of the data was associated with historical information that was no longer needed. This included multiple versions of plans dating back to 2015. 

How We Helped: Revelwood worked with our client to determine an asymmetrical approach to removing data (example: keep three years of budget data, one year of forecast data and remove all historical reforecast data) and reordering the dimensions in the model. These changes reduced the four largest cubes from 56% to 70% and removed more than 8.5GB of memory. This optimization led to faster reports calculated in seconds instead of minutes.

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

Send us a quick email!

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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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IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: PAW Enter Members Feature

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Have you ever created an IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) exploration and then wanted to look at data that was not in your original set? You can open the set editor and follow the applicable steps, or you can instead simply type the element you want to select.  The second option is done via the use of the “Enter Member” feature in PAW.

For example, if I had a view with a company dimension selector but only had the grand total element in my existing set then I would see the following clickable option:

However, if I know that my model contains a company element called 002 then I can input that directly by selecting “Enter member” within the context area:

You have the option to either enter a single element or a set:

  • When you enter a member using the input box, the current set is ignored, and you can directly use any member. The set then changes to a single member set.
  • If you are selecting a set using the input box, the named set you enter must exist. 

The system will utilize the alias that is currently defined in the existing set, even if you input the element differently. For example, if I input the element called 002 then the system will convert this to an alias called Oldies.

A screenshot of a computer Description automatically generated

becomes…

This approach will speed up your analyses by allowing you to skip the subset editor and directly accessing a new data point.

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: Convert to Driver-Based Planning

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Excel’s WRAPCOLS Formula

IBM Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks: Fixing Repetitive Scripts

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Meet Lee Lazarow, Revelwood’s IBM Champion

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If you are one of Revelwood’s clients using IBM Planning Analytics, you are likely familiar with Lee Lazarow, our IBM Planning Analytics Leader. You’ve probably read some of his blog posts, attended some of his webinars, and learned from his Planning Analytics Tips & Tricks videos. 

Here’s your chance to learn a little more about Lee. Here’s a recent interview between Lee and IBM.

How long have you been an IBM Champion?

Since 2022

What is your favorite IBM product and why?

I have been implementing Planning Analytics (and TM1) solutions since 2003 –and I cannot say enough great things about it! Every aspect of my career has entailed a combination of business and technology, and PA fits perfectly into that mix. In 20+ years, I have yet to find an FP&A challenge that can’t be solved with the tool.

What’s your favorite type of “advocacy” – blog? Community? Speaking? and What drives you to give back to the technology community and led to your becoming an IBM Champion?

I don’t have a single favorite type of advocacy. Those who know me know that I love to speak (maybe sometimes too much!) and I also love to write. I am truly a fan of Planning Analytics and will gladly talk about this to anyone who wants to listen and will gladly write about this for anyone who wants to read. This approach led me to begin posting weekly “Tips and Tricks” blogs which has expanded into a full Revelwood team effort. In the past 5 years alone, we have published over 200 blogs with topics including Planning Analytics tips, general Excel tips, and Financial Planning concepts.

What is one accomplishment you’re proud of or a story about your success that you’d like to share? 

We recently worked with a customer that expressed a simple concern of “our system is slow.” While many companies may look at this as a technical issue, we expanded our approach to also look into the customer’s business process. Once we learned what the customer was trying to analyze, we found that the customer was performing millions of unnecessary calculations.  After modifying the model to match their business goals, we were able to shrink their model by more than 99%!!!  The full case study can be found here.

If you didn’t work in technology what would your dream job be?

I would be a teacher.  I fully believe in the Whitney Houston lyrics of “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.”  This is why most of my non-work activities entail coaching or leading various activities for kids.

Share your viewpoints/ experience/ future plans about IBM’s AI capabilities and watsonx!

A few months ago, I led a webinar that talked about AI as one of the big trends impacting PA. The community had a lot of questions and we were able to share our thoughts about both the future of AI and PA’s use of AI. Some of the points that I covered included Gartner’s assessment that financial planning software (like Planning Analytics / TM1) is at the forefront of finance modernization efforts, how to write code with the help of AI tools, and how to use PA’s Forecasting feature that allows customers to use time series modeling to discover trends, seasonality, and time dependence in their data.

Any upcoming events/conference that you will be speaking at?

I recently hosted a webinar that discussed and analyzed the new IBM Planning Analytics Engine (also called v12).  The video replay can be found on our YouTube channel.

What would be your superpower and why?

Batman has shown me that anything can be done with planning and preparation, even without powers. With that said, it would be nice to have super speed so I can get my kids to their activities without getting stuck in traffic.

Lightning Round:

Ice cream or cake?  Cake with lots and lots of frosting!

Cats or dogs?  Dogs, of course. They are not afraid of a squirt gun.

Summer or winter?  Winter. The polar bear swim isn’t as challenging in the summer.

Morning or evening?  Morning. It’s nice to be ahead of the day before 8am.

eBook or paper book?  Paper so I can hear the sound of the pages turning.

TV shows or movies?  Movies. Once I start something it’s hard for me to not finish it, and a good TV series can go on for many seasons.

A night out or a night in?  A night in, although I might change my answer if I ended up getting the super speed!

Cannonball into the pool or dip a toe in first?  Cannonball.  Why delay?

Go-to karaoke song? I’m more of a shower singer, so only a few people have heard me sing.  However, I was in a 5th grade select chorus … but it’s been downhill since then.

Drive or fly?  Fly, even though my 6’1″ 225-pound frame doesn’t always fit so well.This post was originally published on the IBM TechXchange Community.

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