Release Updates

Dynamic Planning: Enhanced External Source Model for Streamlined Management of Structured, Non-Numeric Data

Enhanced the flexibility of Dynamic Planning with powerful enhancements to External Source Models (ESM). These updates bring richer management of structured, non-numeric data directly into the Spotlight web experience, making planning models more scalable and easier to maintain.

Note:

This is an opt-in feature. Contact Planful Support to enable the DP 2.0 flag for you.

Dynamic Planning: Multi-Block Cascade Support in SpotlightXL

With this release, we have enhanced Multi-Block Cascade support in SpotlightXL reports, a powerful enhancement that significantly boosts report-building flexibility. This update allows users to define and execute multiple independent cascade blocks within a single SpotlightXL report using the same or different models, enabling more dynamic and complex reporting scenarios.

Note:

This is an opt-in feature. Contact Planful Support to enable the Multi-Block Cascade flag for you.

Key Capabilities:

• Multi-Block Cascade Per Report: Users can now define several independent cascade blocks in the same SpotlightXL report layout.

• Flexible Layout Options: Support for stacked, side-by-side, and offset block placements to fit diverse reporting needs.

• Multi-Model Compatibility: Each cascade block can link to the same or different Dynamic Planning models, with validations performed individually.

• Excel Formula Compatibility: Excel formulas placed outside named cascade blocks are preserved. The system automatically adjusts relative references to maintain formula accuracy during cascade expansions.

Notes:

• Your Named Ranges are not supported in SpotlightXL when publishing Multi-Block Cascade templates.

• Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V are not supported on the cascade blocks to cut and paste it in the other sheet.

• Cascade Block names are system-defined and cannot be renamed.

Dynamic Planning: Commentary now compatible with Non-Numeric Measures

With this release, we have expanded support for non-numeric measures to allow comments directly on data values within planning models. You can now annotate values while leveraging non-numeric fields improving context, collaboration, and clarity in reviews and forecasts.

Integrations: Enhanced Export Attribute Hierarchy REST API

The enhanced Attribute Hierarchy Export API now supports Tree, Parent-Child, and Level-Based formats, with export options available in CSV, JSON, or Excel.

{
  "AttributeHierarchy": "Text_Attribute_hierarchy",
  "Dimension": "Account",
  "ExportType" :"LevelBased"
}

Planful AI Analyst: Threshold-Based Filtering

With this release, users can automatically filter data based on user-defined thresholds (for example, variances greater than 10%). This enhancement enables users to focus their analysis on material changes and outliers, while ignoring less significant data points.

By streamline reviews and highlight only what is most impactful, threshold-based filtering streamlines reviews and supports faster, more informed decision-making.

Sample Natural Language Queries:

• Which expenses are more than 500K?

• Which departments spent more than 10% above the budget?

• Which product's revenues increased by more than 15% compared to last quarter?

Note:

Supported Query Categories:

• Get Data

• Scenario Variance

• Time Variance

Predict: Forecasting with Limited Historical Data

With this release, we have supported forecasting with as few as 2 months of historical data, reduced from the previous minimum of 24 months (2 years).

This enhancement is especially valuable for newly created GLs or business segments with limited data history, enabling teams to start leveraging AI-powered forecasts earlier in the data lifecycle.

• Minimum Requirement: 2 historical data points (2 months).

• Admin Control: Admins can toggle this option in General Settings.

• Accuracy Warning: A notification will display when configuring predictions with less than three years of history, advising that forecast accuracy may be lower.

Predict: New Multi-Year Graph View for signals and Trend Analysis in Dynamic Report

With this release, we have introduced a multi-year graph drop-down for signals and Trend Analysis in Dynamic Report that allows users to visualize historical and forecasted data over multiple years, greatly expanding on the previously available single-year view. It provides a holistic perspective on trends and seasonality across years, enabling data-driven decision-making at both the GL and category levels.

Users can switch between views from the new Graph View dropdown

• View Options:

  • Single Year View: Displays one year (12 months) at a time.

  • Multi-Year View: Displays full history and projections over multiple years.

• Zoom Capabilities: Users can zoom into specific periods in the multi-year view

Applicable To:

• Trend Analysis

• Signal Context

• Signals Overview

Notes:

• This feature is already available for Projection Templates.

• The data grid now updates based on the selected year in both Single-Year and Multi-Year views. The Multi-Year graph remains fixed, while the grid reflects the chosen year. In Single-Year View, users must switch years to update both graph and grid.

Predict: Introduced Algorithm Mode in Templates

Explore the new Algorithm Mode in Predict to compare accuracy metrics, toggle projections, and even upload custom models for tailored planning.

Workforce Planning: Introduced the Ability to Map or Unmap Employee Types when Managing Compensation Items

With this release, users can now map or unmap compensation items to Employee Types directly when adding or editing the Compensation Items, without needing to navigate to the Employee Type tab. This improvement streamlines the process of assigning compensation, making it faster and more intuitive. To learn more about the Employee Type tab, click here.

When creating or editing a compensation item, users will now see an Employee Type dropdown that allows selection of one or more Employee Types. To learn more about creating or editing a compensation item, click here.

Note:

The Employee Type dropdown is optional, and users can still save the compensation without selecting a type.

Additionally, mappings made in the Add/Edit Compensation Item screens are automatically synced with the Employee Type screen and vice versa. This ensures both views remain up to date without additional manual effort.
This enhancement improves efficiency and reduces friction when managing compensation configurations in Workforce Planning.

Other Important Notes

• When copying a compensation item, Employee Type mappings from the original compensation item are not retained. These mappings must be selected manually for the new compensation item if needed. All other compensation details will be copied as-is without changes.

• When adding or editing the compensation items, only one wage-type compensation can be mapped to an Employee Type at a time. Also, you cannot remove an Employee Type from a wage-type compensation item if that removal would leave the Employee Type with no wage-type compensation mapped.

• When a scenario is locked, or an entity/template is forwarded, or the user has no access to the Entity, users can still map new or updated compensation items from the Compensation screen. However, associated employees will be marked as Unprocessed, and changes will not reflect until the scenario is unlocked or access is restored. This allows partial setup flexibility, but no data push or processing will occur under these restricted conditions.

• When a new compensation item is created with Employee Type selection, it will be automatically added to all existing employees belonging to that Employee Type — including those with a status of Terminated, Promoted, or Transfer-Out.

  So these employees will be marked as Unprocessed, and must be manually reviewed or reprocessed if needed.

Workforce Pro: New Agg() Function for Rolling Commission Calculations in Custom Compensation

With this release, a new function Agg(Input, TrailingMonths, OffsetMonths) has been added to the Custom Compensation feature to support dynamic rolling aggregations across monthly windows. To learn more about Custom Compensation, click here.

This function enables users to calculate trailing or forecasted values such as commissions, bonuses, or quota achievements using flexible, scalable syntax. It operates at the employee level and supports aggregation across fiscal years and offset periods.

Key Features

• Accepts Compensation Items (e.g., Comp[Commission]) and Integer-based By Period Attributes (e.g., Attr[Target]).
• Supports trailing month windows and offsetting (forward or backward) from the current period.
• Handles missing months by defaulting values to 0—no errors are thrown.
• Enables cross-fiscal year aggregation logic.

Function Syntax

Agg(Input, TrailingMonths, OffsetMonths)

Examples

Use Cases:

• Trailing 6-month commissions
• Prior-year quota achievements
• Future-dated forecast aggregations