Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Navigate to Structured Planning to open the Planning Control Panel.

2. In the left pane, select the appropriate budget entity from the budget hierarchy.

3. In the middle pane, select the desired template.

4. In the right pane, click Input under the Actions menu to open the template in Input mode.

5. Look for a line marked with an L hyperlink—this indicates that sublines are associated with that line.

6. Click the L hyperlink. The Sub Lines Template window appears.

7. In the Sub Lines Template page, click the More (three vertical dots) icon and click Reset Formula.

   • This feature is used to reset any modified formula back to its original configuration.

   • For example, if the formula was edited to calculate a quarterly total but was originally designed for monthly totals, clicking Reset Formula will restore the monthly calculation. To learn more about Subline Template, click here.

Plan-type scenarios only support seeding from a single scenario. To seed from multiple scenarios by period, you must use Budget or Forecast types and apply “Change by Period” seeding during scenario creation. To learn more about scenario types, click here.

Spreads allow users to distribute annual value across columns based on a selected spread method. To learn more about setting up spreads, click here.

These methods can be selected directly from the input template. This error typically occurs when a line item is added to a planning template—often through spread methods—but no values are entered for any of the periods. As a result, the year total remains zero, triggering the validation message. To learn more about spreads in Template Setup, click here.

To resolve this:

• Enter values in all periods for the line to ensure the year total is greater than zero.

• Delete the line if it was added by mistake or is unnecessary.

No, processing the cube is not required before mapping templates. You can create the new scenario, then map templates and entities to that scenario using the Template Setup.

No, adding Reference Cube (RC) lines in a template is not supported. Reference Cube lines must be added individually using the Account Mapping > Reference Cube option.

To attach a document in the Structured Planning Template Header,

1. Navigate to Maintenance > Planning Templates > Template Setup.

2. Select the Scenario from dropdown and Template.

3. Click More icon.

4. Select Attach Documents.

5. Upload the document to attach and click Save.

You can view the attached documents in the Input/View mode of template. To learn more about Input/View mode, click here.

If actuals aren't updating in your template, it's likely due to a misalignment between loaded data and what the template is configured to display. To troubleshoot this:

1. Run “Verify Data” for the Actual scenario used in the History Periods of your planning scenario.

   1. Go to Reports > Verify Data.

   2. Select the Actuals scenario configured in your forecast/budget scenario’s History Periods.

   3. Filter by the relevant GL combination (e.g., account, entity, department) and time period.

   4. Check whether data exists for those dimensions. If no data appears in Verify Data, it means that the actuals may not have been loaded correctly or were loaded to a different combination, period, or scenario.

To learn more about Verify Data, click here.

You cannot create a new "Actual" scenario — the Actual scenario is system-defined and cannot be manually created, renamed, or deleted.
To learn more about scenario types, click here.

You cannot create a new Actual scenario — the Actual scenario is system-defined and cannot be manually created, renamed, or deleted.

A History scenario refers to a type of scenario used within Structured Planning that represents a version of a budget or forecast for a fiscal year. Scenarios, including history scenarios, are typically set up by Admin users and are visible in the Planning Control Panel only when they are forwarded and the user has access to them.

These scenarios allow users to input or view historical data for comparison and reporting purposes, such as in variance analysis or trend reporting.

To create a Prior Year scenario:

1. Go to Maintenance > Administration > Scenario Setup.

2. Click Add to create a new scenario.

3. Enter a Scenario Code (e.g., PY2024) and Scenario Name (e.g., Prior Year Actuals - 2024).

4. Select Scenario Type as Budget or Plan.

5. Set the Fiscal Year to the prior year (e.g., 2024).

6. (Optional) Enable Data Seeding.

7. On the Compare Scenarios tab, enable comparison and select Actual as the source, with the same period range (Jan–Dec 2024).

8. Click Save and then Forward the scenario so it becomes available for templates and reporting.

To learn more creating scenarios, click here.

Forecast scenarios may auto-populate when the scenario was created with Data Seeding enabled, which copies data from another scenario. Data Seeding pre-populates a new scenario with data from an existing one (e.g., prior budget or forecast). This is optional for Forecast scenarios but is enabled by default for Plan scenarios.

To prevent auto-population:

1. Go to Maintenance > Administration > Scenario Setup.

2. Click Add and select Forecast as the Scenario Type.

3. Under the Data Seeding tab, make sure "Enable Data Seeding" is unchecked.

4. Choose your desired Projection Start date. Earlier months (closed periods) will remain empty unless you refresh actuals later.

5. Save and forward the scenario.

Yes, it is possible to copy budget data between entities in Planful’s Structured Planning, but there’s no dedicated option.  You can do it directly in templates by manual copy-paste (suitable for smaller scale), or use Planful’s Data Load Rules (DLR). No matter the method, you must have the proper access permissions (typically admin or integration permissions to run DLRs, or at least input access for manual copying).

The history period columns can extend beyond 12 months only by updating the Periods Per Fiscal Year field in the Configurations tasks > General Financial Configuration > Define Fiscal Year settings.

Note:

This setting can only be configured during the initial tenant setup and it's not editable.

The Share button may not appear for the following reasons:

• When scenario was not selected.

• The selected entity has no templates

• The selected entity does not contain any templates that support sharing. To learn more about how to share templates, click here

Sign-offs cannot be added directly to subline details. However, you can use the Comments feature to add notes or remarks on sublines or main lines. Formal sign-offs are managed at the template level using workflow actions such as Forward and Approve. These actions track the approval status of the entire template rather than individual sublines.

Historical data did not appear in your templates. This may be due to the following reason:

• If a scenario was created before the historical data was available and that data was inserted later, the system does not automatically refresh closed periods. As a result, the locked (closed) period columns in your templates remain unchanged and do not reflect the newly loaded historical data.

To resolve this, You need to manually refresh closed periods in the scenario to ensure historical data is displayed in the templates.

The AVERAGEIF function calculates the average of numeric values that meet a specified condition or criteria.

To use the AVERAGEIF function in a template:

1. Open the desired template in Input mode.

2. Click on the cell where you want the average value to be displayed.

3. Enter the AVERAGEIF Formula:

   1. Start by typing =AVERAGEIF(

   2. Enter the criteria.

   3. Define the range to check for your condition.

   Example: AVERAGEIF(Value1, Value2, condition)

4. Press Enter key to apply the formula.

5. Save the template once your calculations are complete.

The created budget hierarchy doesn’t appear in the Budget Hierarchy of the Planning Control Panel (PCP) when the newly created Budget Entity is not assigned to the user’s Approval Role. Even if the entity exists in Hierarchy Management, users won't see it in PCP unless they are granted access through Approval Role Setup.

Let’s say you have created a new Budget Entity (e.g,. North America) in Hierarchy Management. To view the newly created Budget Entity in the Budget Hierarchy list of PCP, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Maintenance > Administration > User & Role Management.

2. Locate the user and click Security Configurations (shield icon) next to the user name.

3. Click Approval Role Setup.

4. In the Level 1 to Level n fields, select the appropriate hierarchy level:

   • For example: Select North America for Level 1. If you have created leaf levels for this Budget Entity, select accordingly. You can select either All or specific leaf level.

5. In the Role column, select the relevant Approval Role. This defines the actions the user can perform on templates for this entity..

6. Click Save.

The user will now see the newly created Budget Entity in the Budget Hierarchy pane of the Planning Control Panel. Once selected, any assigned templates for the entity will also be visible and accessible.

Also, ensure that the Budget Entity is correctly placed within the Budget Entity Hierarchy in Hierarchy Management, and that the user has the necessary scenario access and dimension security.

If you're getting a message that 2026 is not open when trying to create a new Budget for that year, it means the fiscal year 2026 has not been enabled in your Planful application.

To resolve this, follow these steps (Admin access required):

1. Navigate to Maintenance > Administration > Scenario Setup.

2. Check the fiscal year setup:

   1. Make sure 2026 is included in the calendar.

   2. If not, extend the calendar to include 2026.

3. To extend the calendar:

   1. Go to Configuration Tasks > Define Fiscal Year

   2. Extend the Calendar End Year to include 2026.

   3. Save and complete the task.

4. Return to Scenario Setup:

   1. Try creating the Budget scenario again for 2026. To learn more about creating the Budget scenario, click here

If you're not an User with Admin access, contact your Planful administrator to perform these steps.

Yes, you can edit a template even if the status is "Contains Data", as long as:

• You have input access to the template.

• The period is open.

• The template has not been locked (for example, by being forwarded or marked as complete).

"Contains Data" simply means that data has already been entered in the template. It does not restrict you from making updates or edits.

Yes, data can be posted to prior fiscal years if those periods are defined and open within the scenario. The fiscal year assignment does not limit data entry to that year alone.

Note:

Predict features (e.g., Signals, Projections) only process data from the current month forward. Data in earlier periods, while allowed, will be excluded from AI-driven analysis.

The fiscal year calculation depends on how your fiscal year is configured in your Planful application.

1. Identify Your Fiscal Year Setup

   1. You need to know: Fiscal Year Start Month (e.g., January, April, July, etc.)

   2. Total Periods per Fiscal Year (usually 12, but could be 13 or more in some setups)

   3. Current Fiscal Period (where you are in that fiscal year)

   4. You can find this under: Maintenance > Administration > Fiscal Year Setup.

2. Use the Appropriate Formula

   1. Assuming 12 periods per fiscal year: Remaining Months = Total Periods - (Current Fiscal Month Number - 1) > This includes the current month in the count.

   2. To exclude the current month: Remaining Months = Total Periods - Current Fiscal Month Number.

   Example:

   • If your fiscal year starts in April, and you're currently in August (which is fiscal month 5):

   • Including August: 12 - (5 - 1) = 8 months remaining

   • Excluding August: 12 - 5 = 7 months remaining

The following are possible reasons why data entered in Template Setup for a Global Template – Single Copy (GTSC) template does not appear in Structured Planning (PCP):

• Line Type L is Input-Only: No formulas or values defined in Template Setup for Line Type L are transferred to PCP.

• Purpose of Template Setup: The Template Setup step defines the structure (e.g., Line, Destination Account mapping), but it does not carry any pre-populated values or formulas into the PCP Input mode.

Best Practice:

• Use Template Setup to structure your lines and mappings, but always enter planning data within PCP Input mode when using Line Type L in GTSC templates.

Posting in templates is only possible in open periods. If some months are locked or not available, it’s usually because of the Scenario setup (Projection Start Date or Fiscal Year) or because periods have been locked. To ensure all periods (January–December) are open for posting:

1. Go to Maintenance > Administration > Scenario Setup.

2. Select the scenario you want to work with.

3. Check the Fiscal Year setup to confirm it is defined as a 12-month year (January to December).

4. Review the Projection Start From field.

   1. If it is set to January, all 12 months will be available.

   2. If it is set later in the year (e.g., March), only March–December will be available for posting. Change it to January if you want the full year open.

5. Save any changes.

6. On the same Scenario List page, check if the scenario is locked.

   1. To unlock the scenario, click More Options in the toolbar and select Unlock.

   2. To lock the scenario, click More Options in the toolbar and select Lock.

Once the scenario is defined correctly and unlocked, all templates tied to it will allow posting across every period in the fiscal year (Jan–Dec).

You can hide rows with no history data by enabling the appropriate Hide options in Template Setup. This functionality allows you to automatically hide rows that contain no data or only zeros in specific columns, including history data (like last year actuals).

To hide rows, do the following:

1. Navigate to Structured Planning > Planning Control Panel.

2. Select the desired template.

3. Click Template Setup.

4. Click Hide, and then select the No History Data check box.

5. Click Save. If rows have no values in the selected column(s), they will now be hidden in Input/View mode, cleaning up your view.

Currently, Planful does not natively support mapping sublines directly to specific ‘projects’ in Structured Planning.

In Templates, the Freeze On / Freeze Off option is found under the Grid menu.

• Freeze Grid: Keeps the selected rows (above) and columns (to the left) visible while you scroll through the template making it easier to review large templates without losing sight of important headers or subline labels.

• UnFreeze Off: Turns off the freeze setting so the entire grid scrolls normally.

Note: Freeze Grid/Unfreeze Grid only affects how you view the template not and cannot prevent edits.

Go to User & Role Management > Approval Role Setup, and deselect the option Edit Subline Summary Line. This prevents users from editing subline formulas, effectively freezing them.

• Freezing Sublines

  • Found under: Click any L line. On the SubLines Template page, click View > Freeze On.

  • Purpose: Keeps selected rows/columns visible while scrolling, similar to Excel’s Freeze Panes.

  • Impact: Improves navigation only.

  • Security: Does not prevent editing or changes to data.

• Locking Sublines

  • Found under: User & Role Management > Approval Role Setup > Edit Subline Summary Line.

  • Purpose: Controls whether users can edit or overwrite subline summary formulas.

  • Security: Prevents edits.

Open Periods refer to the time periods within a scenario (such as months or quarters) where users are allowed to input or edit data in templates or reports. The Audit Log allows you to track changes and actions, but there's no specific audit log exclusively for "open periods

What it means

• When you create a view with filters and click Save View, the view is created.

• However, if you don’t also save it in Input Mode, the view is not fully retained. As a result, when you exit and return, the filtered view appears lost.

How to resolve

1. After applying filters, click Save View.

2. Save the template in the Input Mode. This ensures the view (with filters applied) is fully retained and available when you reopen.

No. When uploading a budget entity, all required fields must be populated. Roll-up members aggregate values from their child members, so they cannot have blank or missing items. If a roll-up member has blank values, the upload will fail validation.

If certain details are not applicable, use a placeholder (such as “Not Applicable”) instead of leaving the field blank. Only leaf-level members (posting entities) can hold data, and even for those, required fields cannot be left empty.

No. Planful does not support live linking between Structured Planning scenarios. Once a scenario is created or seeded, it functions as an independent data container. Edits made in one scenario do not automatically update another.

What you can do:

• Scenario Seeding / Copying: Create a new scenario by seeding from an existing one. This gives you a starting point, but changes made later in the base scenario will not flow through automatically.

• Reference Scenarios in Templates: Use Reference Accounts or Reference Cubes in templates to pull data from one scenario into another. This allows one scenario to “look up” data from another, but the data itself is not linked.

• Global Fields: Centralize key drivers and assumptions in Global Fields so updates apply consistently across multiple scenarios.

While you cannot create a direct “parent-child” link where edits cascade automatically, you can use Reference Scenarios and Global Fields together to simulate a base-and-what-if relationship while maintaining control over which data stays synchronized.

No. It is not allowed to configure a segment attribute to automatically default to no value. Attributes will only remain blank if you do not assign a value when creating or loading members.

Yes, you can post to the same destination account but on different rows, provided the destination intersections (such as dimensions like Entity, Department, or Product) differ. In Structured Planning templates, posting values to the same account across multiple rows is supported, as long as the row definitions have distinct combinations of segment values. Each row is uniquely identified by its segment intersection, so duplicate account usage is allowed in different contexts.