Understanding Clear Data
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Understanding Clear Data
- 15 Minutes to read
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Access Clear Data by navigating to Maintenance > Data Integration > Clear Data. Clear Data allows you to delete financial data posted by the Consolidation process or loaded using Data Load Rules.
We recommend that you clear data for a Data Load Rule within the Data Load Rule using the Clear Data Combination functionality shown below. If you use the Clear Data page to clear the data loaded in the Data Load Rule AND you select the Enable new Data Calculations option in the Data Load Rule, Clear Data will override Data Calculations.
Clear Data works for Actual scenario data. Clear Data does not work for budget modules when data load rules are in shared mode.
To delete other types of data, use the related application pages. For example, to delete budget data, access budget templates and delete the data.
The cube must be refreshed after a Clear Data is performed. The details of Clear Data are recorded in the Audit Log.
Dependent Data
Dependent data is not always deleted when Clear Data is performed. Dependent data includes data posted in one area of the application and referenced in another. For example, data referred to by more than one scenario and associated templates. Dependent data also includes data used in calculations. For example, data posted to local currency of a legal entity and to the common currency via the Currency Conversion process.
It is important that you verify the deletion of dependent data and manually delete necessary dependencies not deleted by Clear Data. After necessary data is deleted, run appropriate processes to recalculate referenced data. For example, rerun the Currency Conversion process, refresh history data in budget scenarios, and so on.
Future Period Data
When data for a period is deleted, MTD/YTD calculations for future periods is also deleted to ensure data accuracy. For example, if you load data periods January through May 2018 and data for January 2018 is deleted, MTD/YTD calculations for periods February through May 2018 will be inaccurate. It is a best practice to reload your data using the correct future periods.
Note:
There is no option to retrieve cleared data.
Description of Fields for Clear Data
Preview
Retrieves data based on selection criteria. This function allows you to preview queried data before performing the delete. If the result of the data queried is high volume (i.e. 100 columns or hundreds of thousands of records), the data set is automatically exported and not displayed on the screen. You will receive a message when the data volume is too high for screen output.
Delete
Deletes retrieved data. You may only delete data for the Data Load Rules you have access to. You must have access to the Consolidation Process to delete Consolidation data.
Export Clear Data Files
After you can have deleted the files, you can export the deleted files from the confirmation message you would see on the screen. When you export the Clear Data file, the downloaded ZIP file will have the CSV files for each quarter in the selected period for Clear Data. Below is the screenshot of the downloaded zip file which contains the Clear Data CSV files of a scenario from Nov 2016.
The data is cleared sequentially from the bottom (last quarter) of the selected time period to the top (first quarter) to avoid nulls or voids in the data.
See Also:
Selection Criteria
Toggle back and forth between the data retrieval page and the selection criteria.
Provides a basis for data retrieval and deletion.
- Scenario - the scenario from which you want to delete data. Scenarios must be unlocked.
- Account/Company/Department/ICSegment - populated based on the segments defined on the Define Financial Segments configuration task page. Users must have Dimension Security configured to delete data.
- Reporting - the highest level in a rollup, which contains children and calculation parameters.
- From Period - the period from which you want to delete data. You may only delete data from unlocked periods. Future data will most likely be impacted.
- Module - the module that contains posted data you want to delete. You might delete it from Data Load Rules and the Consolidation module.
- Template - the template you want to delete data from.
Note:
The Clear Data functionality in the Non-shared Mode includes two additional fields Module and Template under the Selection Criteria pane. These two fields are not available in Shared Mode.
More - Settings
Display
- Label - a combination of code and name associated with hierarchical members.
- Code
- Name
Decimals - the number of decimals displayed for numerical values. It ranges from 0 to 6
Remember my selections - retain selections.
Note:
There is no option to retrieve cleared data.
Use Cases and How-Tos
Use Case on Data Load Rule File Load Level Based Approach
In this use case, Department dimensions are loaded from an Excel file in a level-based hierarchical format using a Data Load Rule. The source data is shown below.
Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration > Data Load Rules.
Click the New Data Load Rule tab.
Select Load Type select File.
For Load Item, select Segment Hierarchies.
For Load Sub Item, select Department
Click Next, or click the Select Sample Input File tab.
For File Type, select .xls.
There is one header row so enter a 1 in the Row with Header field. For # of Rows to Skip, enter 1 (also shown below). For # of Source Fields, enter 4 as there are 4 columns in the .xls file that are being loaded.
Click Choose File in the Sample Data File field (under File Information) and select the .xls file shown at the beginning of this use case.
Click Next.
For Build, select Level. There are 2 levels in this hierarchy, select 2 in the Max Number of Levels drop-down list. Then, click Next.
Click the Manipulate Input File tab or click Next. This is where you can manipulate the file or format of the data from which you are loading data.
Click Define Data Mappings or click Next. Map Planful source data columns (Source Column) to target segments (Maps To). This mapping tells the system where and how your data will display in the columns once the load takes place.
Click Load Data or Click Next. This is the final step in the Data Load Process. If there are issues with the load, an error log is created. If the Data Load was successful, a message indicating so will appear. Click Finish.
How to Load Zeros Through Data Load Rules to Reflect in a Template?
Loading zeros through the Data Load Rules will not reflect 0 in the template. If you want data in a template to display as a zero (0) versus a dash (-) in a template, load 0.000001 (1 as a sixth decimal) versus 0 via Data Load Rules. The Data Load Rule will indicate data was successfully loaded and the values will be shown when the template is opened.
Note:
This functionality behaves as it does because 'zero' is not recognized as a value.
The values in a template can be zeroed manually as well.
Workforce
You can now delete the Workforce Actuals in the clear data screen. You can see the Workforce option in the Select Area drop-down list.
You can select Time Period as a parameter and delete the Actuals loaded data in the Workforce Clear Data screen. Once you select the Time Periods and click Delete, a job will be scheduled. After completion of the job, a confirmation alert message containing exported file links is displayed.
For the Workforce Employee Data, you will receive an alert message if you click the Clear Data button and data exists. The alert message indicates that employee data exists and if you proceed, all employee details and associated data will be deleted. Clear Data deletes data from whichever scenario is selected and saved in the Define Overall Rule Settings step of the data load. If employees are mapped to any other scenario, the data is retained in that scenario.
Notes:
- Users having access to the Clear Data screen can delete Workforce Actuals data for the selected period, and a copy of the deleted Workforce Actuals data will be exported automatically.
- This feature is applicable for GL Data, Translations Data, Workforce - Employee Data.
How to Clear Data for Specified Time Periods?
- Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration > Data Load Rules.
- Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
- Select Area as Workforce from the Select Area drop-down list.
- In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
- Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
- Click Delete. A confirmation message appears.
- Click Confirm. A Job submission message appears.
- After completion of the job, a delete confirmation message appears.
Note:
After the deletion of Data, an email notification is sent to the user, and the data file is exported.
Preview and Export Data for Selected Time Periods
You can preview and export the loaded Workforce Actuals in the Clear Data screen before deleting them.
The Preview option allows you to view the details of actuals data of employees such as Scenario Name, Employee Number, Employee Name, Employee Position Description, Home Budget Entity, Position Budget Entity, Account, other finance segments, Currency(LC), and loaded amounts for selected time periods. The Export to CSV option allows you to export all the data for a selected time period. You can select the required time period and click Export to CSV to submit a request to export data. You can view the export status in the Job Manager. You will also receive a message containing links to download the exported file. The data is exported as a ZIP file. You can extract the ZIP file to see the exported data.
With this release, you can see the actual amounts in Local currency only. The preview screen only supports two digits after the decimal.
How to Preview Data for Specified Time Periods?
1. Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration.
2. Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
3. Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
4. In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
5. Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
6. Click Preview.
How to Export Data for Specified Time Periods?
1. Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration.
2. Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
3. Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
4. In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
5. Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
6. Click Export to CSV. A message is displayed confirming the submission of the export request.
7. A message is displayed once the file is exported.
8. Click the download link in the confirmation message to download the zip file containing the data.
9. Click the another link in the confirmation message to view the status in the Job Manager.
You can view, export, and delete all Actuals data posted against the Actual scenario with these options.
Home Budget Entity
As a Workforce admin user, you will have the ability to Delete Actuals data based on the entity access. If you do not have access to the entities will not be able to see the Workforce data. You will also be able to export the data based on the selections in the Selection Criteria column, allowing you to maintain a file of data for future references. You can also delete the wrong actual amounts loaded into the planful system by specifying the home budget entity and time period. Before deleting actuals for a Home Budget Entity, you can also preview the data to verify before the deletion.
How to Preview Data for Specified Home Budget Entity?
- Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration.
- Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
- Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
- In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
- Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
- Select an entity from the Home Budget entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
- Click Preview.
How to Export Data for Specified Home Budget Entity?
- Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration.
- Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
- Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
- In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
- Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
- Select entity from the Home Budget entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
- Click Export to CSV. A message is displayed confirming the submission of the export request.
- A message is displayed once the file is exported.
- Click the download link in the confirmation message to download the zip file containing the data.
- Click the another link in the confirmation message to view the status in the Job Manager.
Note:
You can view, export, and delete all Actuals data posted against the Actual scenario with these options.
Combination of Finance Segments
As a Workforce admin user, you will have the ability to Preview, Export, and Delete Workforce Actuals data based on the combination of finance segments. All the finance segments are displayed under the workforce area in the Clear Data screen. In case of no data available for the selected segment combination, a notification is displayed when you click on Preview. You will be able to delete the data displayed based on the selection of segments on the Clear Data screen.
How to Preview Data for Specified Segment Combination?
1. Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration.
2. Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
3. Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
4. In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
5. Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
6. Select an entity from the Home Budget entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
7. Select a member from the Legal entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
8. Select an account from the Natural Account drop-down menu. You can select multiple accounts.
9. Select a department from the Department drop-down menu. You can select multiple departments.
10. Select a project from the Project drop-down menu. You can select multiple projects.
11. Select a member from the ICSegment drop-down menu. You can select multiple segments.
12. Click Preview.
How to Delete Data Using the Specified Segment Combination?
1. Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration.
2. Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
3. Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
4. In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
5. Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
6. Select an entity from the Home Budget entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
7. Select a member from the Legal entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
8. Select an account from the Natural Account drop-down menu. You can select multiple accounts.
9. Select a department from the Department drop-down menu. You can select multiple departments.
10. Select a project from the Project drop-down menu. You can select multiple projects.
11. Select a member from the ICSegment drop-down menu. You can select multiple segments.
12. Click the Delete icon. The data for the selected combination will be deleted.
Employee and Position
As a Workforce admin user, you will have the ability to Preview, Export, and Delete workforce actuals data based on Employee and Position. This will provide you the ability to preview multiple employees and delete and reload the wrong actual amounts loaded into the system.
The Preview option allows you to view the details of actuals data of employees such as Scenario Name, Employee Number, Employee Name, Employee Position Description, Home Budget Entity, Position Budget Entity, Account, other finance segments, Currency(LC), and loaded amounts for selected time periods. Once the selection is complete, you can click Delete, and a job will be scheduled. The Export to CSV option allows you to export all the data for a selected employee and positions. You can select the employee and positions and click Export to CSV to submit a request to export data. You can view the export status in the Job Manager. You will also receive a message containing links to download the exported file. The data is exported as a ZIP file. You can extract the ZIP file to see the exported data.
How to Preview Data for Specified Employee and Position?
1. Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration.
2. Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
3. Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
4. In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
5. Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
6. Select an entity from the Home Budget entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
7. Select an employee from the Employee drop-down menu. You can select multiple employees.
8. Select an employee position from the Position drop-down menu. You can select multiple employee positions.
9. Click Preview.
How to Delete Data Using the Specified Employee and Position?
1. Navigate to Maintenance > Data Integration.
2. Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
3. Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
4. In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
5. Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
6. Select an entity from the Home Budget entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
7. Select an employee from the Employee drop-down menu. You can select multiple employees.
8. Select an employee position from the Position drop-down menu. You can select multiple employee positions.
9. Click the Delete icon. The data for the selected combination will be deleted.
How to Export Data Using the Specified Employee and Position?
1. Navigate to Maintenance > Data Load Rules.
2. Click Clear Data. The Clear Data screen is displayed.
3. Select Area as Workforce from the drop-down list.
4. In the Selection Criteria, the Scenario is set to Actual by default.
5. Select time from the Select Time drop-down menu. You can select multiple time periods.
6. Select an entity from the Home Budget entity drop-down menu. You can select multiple entities.
7. Select an employee from the Employee drop-down menu. You can select multiple employees.
8. Select an employee position from the Position drop-down menu. You can select multiple employee positions.
9. Click Export to CSV. A message is displayed confirming the submission of the export request.
10. A message is displayed once the file is exported.
11. Click the download link in the confirmation message to download the zip file containing the data.
12. Click the other link in the confirmation message to view the status in the Job Manager.
Enhancement to Workforce Area in Clear Data Preview Screen
As an Admin user, you will be able to see up to 1000 rows of data in the Clear Data Preview Screen. Previously this limitation only existed in the Finance area, now with this release, it is applied to the Workforce area as well.
Clear Data- Currency types Updated
We have introduced few currency types in the Clear Data screen. Previously we only had Local Currency as currency type mapped against the employees, which has now been updated to the Currency field. As an admin user you will now be able to view Local currency, Common currency, and Position Entity currency type against the employees. You can also see an ‘Amount in’ column in the Clear Data preview screen, that will display currency names mapped against the employees.
If the Local Currency and Common Currency are the same for an employee, then the duplicate row will not be displayed in the clear data preview screen.
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