This article provides troubleshooting help for common issues faced in Workforce Pro and Workforce Planning Setup in Planful. Each entry outlines what the issue means, how to resolve it, and additional notes where applicable.
Workforce Pro
Why can’t I edit the salary of a promoted employee?
What It Means
The employee’s salary and position fields cannot be updated via Roster or Mass Update once they’ve been promoted.
How to Resolve
Open the Employee Profile to review promotion details.
If incorrect, delete the Promoted Position to restore access to the original profile.
Review the Exception Report for details.
Tips
Always apply bulk updates before running promotions. To learn more about Promotion Action, click here.
Why is the “Transfer” option greyed out?
What It Means
The employee has overlapping simultaneous positions. Transfers can only be applied to single or incremental positions.
How to Resolve
Review the employee’s position history.
Consolidate or end overlapping positions.
Retry transfer.
To learn more about Transfer Action, click here.
Why do I get an error when terminating an employee with a backfill?
What It Means
If a backfill profile exists, the termination cannot be reverted.
How to Resolve
Delete the backfill profile first.
Retry the Revert Termination option.
To learn more about Terminate Action, click here.
Why can’t I change the Home Budget Entity for a transferred employee?
What It Means
The Transfer-In profile cannot have its Home Budget Entity manually changed.
How to Resolve
Perform a new Transfer action.
Manual edits are not supported.
To learn more about Transfer Action, click here.
Why are salary values missing after termination?
What It Means
Compensation only appears up to the end of the termination month. Future months are null.
How to Resolve
Review and correct termination date if needed.
Adjust or revert termination.
To learn more about Compensation Effect of Terminate Action, click here.
Why won’t Mass Update apply changes for some employees?
What It Means
Employees with Promotion, Transfer, or Termination actions cannot be edited in bulk.
How to Resolve
Use the individual employee profile.
Check the Exception Report.
To learn more about Mass Update Restrictions, click here.
Why can’t I delete a transferred employee?
What It Means
The system prevents deleting Transfer-Out until Transfer-In is removed.
How to Resolve
Delete the Transfer-In profile.
Delete Transfer-Out record.
To learn more about Transfer Reversal Rules, click here.
Why is the Actions menu disabled on an employee profile?
What It Means
The Actions menu is disabled if:
Employee is in Default Scenario
Position End Date is in the past
Advanced action already completed.
How to Resolve
Switch to a valid scenario.
Ensure employee has an active position.
To learn more about Workforce Planning Actions Menu, click here.
Can I reverse a promotion?
What It Means
Once a promotion is applied, the new profile becomes active.
How to Resolve
Delete the promoted profile.
Restore original employee profile.
To learn more about Promotion Troubleshooting, click here.
Why can’t I update Position Start Dates using Mass Update?
What It Means
Position Start Dates cannot be edited in bulk if Promotion, Transfer, or Termination exists.
How to Resolve
Edit via Update Action Date in the employee profile.
To learn more about Roster Restrictions, click here.
Workforce Planning
What does the error: "Employee with invalid attributes” means?
What it Means
This error occurs when an employee record in Workforce Planning contains one or more invalid or missing attribute values (e.g., Location, Pay Plan, Grade, or Employee Type).
It typically appears when:
Attribute values have been deleted or changed in Workforce Attributes Setup.
The Data Load Rule (DLR) file contains unmatched or misspelled attribute codes/names.
The employee was copied from another scenario or entity that does not share the same attribute setup.
How to Resolve
Validate Employee Attributes
Navigate to Maintenance > Workforce > Workforce Planning Setup > Employees Overview.
Open the affected employee record.
Review and correct missing or invalid attributes (such as Work State, Pay Plan, Grade, or Employee Type).
Click Save, then reprocess the employee.
Check Workforce Attribute Setup
Go to Maintenance > Workforce > Workforce Planning Setup > Workforce Attributes Overview.
Verify that all required attributes and their value sets exist and are active.
If an attribute value was removed or renamed, either:
Re-add the missing value, or
Update employees to use valid current values.
Validate DLR File (if applicable)
If loading data via a Data Load Rule, open your input file.
Cross-check all attribute values against those defined in Workforce Attributes.
Correct invalid entries and reload.
Optional Verification
Run the Workforce Planning Budget Report or Employee Validation Report to identify all employees with missing or invalid attributes.
Why am I unable to see workforce compensation data in reports?
What It Means
Reports respect Dimension & Budget Entity Security. Workforce Reporting Access must be enabled.
How to Resolve
Contact Planful Support to enable Workforce Reporting Access.
Assign permissions.
To learn more about Workforce Reporting Access, click here.
Why are some compensation items missing from reports or roster?
What It Means
Hidden compensation items do not appear if not enabled in the User Access tab.
How to Resolve
Go to Workforce Planning Setup > User Access.
Enable Read/Write access.
To learn more about User Access Tab, click here.
Why can’t I edit or save a compensation item?
What It Means
If the Scenario is locked or the Entity not In Progress, edits are blocked.
How to Resolve
Unlock scenario.
Ensure entity is In Progress.
To learn more about Compensation Item Setup, click here.
Why don’t compensation items show in Mass Update?
What It Means
Compensation fields are not visible until selected in Customize Roster.
How to Resolve
Go to Employees > More > Customize Roster.
Enable fields.
To learn more about Customize Roster, click here.
Why can’t I delete a Compensation Group?
What It Means
Group still contains active compensation items.
How to Resolve
Remove or reassign items.
Retry deletion.
To learn more about Compensation Group Rules, click here.
Why aren’t compensation items updating after data import?
What It Means
Imported employee data may not sync to mapped items.
How to Resolve
Go to Compensation Items > Employee Types.
Unmap and remap.
Check “Update from Employee Data.”
To learn more about Employee Types Mapping, click here.
Why isn’t my Workforce Attribute showing as a value source?
What It Means
The attribute is not configured for reporting.
How to Resolve
Recreate with Reporting enabled.
Remap if required.
To learn more about Workforce Attributes, click here.
Why can’t a user view specific compensation items in templates?
What It Means
User doesn’t have access to the item.
How to Resolve
Check the User Access tab.
Assign Read/Write access.
To learn more about User Access Setup, click here.
What should I do if a user cannot access a Workforce template at all?
What It Means
The user may lack Scenario, Budget Entity, or Template permissions.
How to Resolve
Grant Scenario Access.
Assign Budget Entity Approval Role.
Enable access via the User Access tab.
To learn more about Template Access, click here.
Why are workforce raises not being applied in my budget scenario?
What It Means
Workforce raise percentages control how salary increases are applied across employees in a budget scenario. Raises may not show if:
The raise percentage was not set correctly
Employee position is outside the active budget cycle
The template is locked/approved.
How to Resolve
Go to Maintenance > Workforce > Workforce Planning Setup > Employees Overview > Changing Budget Raise Percentage and verify the raise percentage is correctly entered.
To learn more about Changing Budget Raise Percentage, click here.Check whether the employee positions fall within the current budget cycle — raises won’t apply if they are outside of it.
To learn more about Employee Positions Outside of the Current Budget Cycle, click here.Ensure the template or budget entity is not locked/approved; if so, recall or reopen it before applying changes.
After adjustments, recalculate or refresh the Workforce Planning template so the raise values are reflected.
What is the purpose of showing entities that are not even mapped to the WFP template?
WFP shows all entities defined in the application, not just those mapped to the template.If you see obsolete entities, it means they’re still active in your entity hierarchy. To remove them, contact your administrator.
Why location not showing up in the Allocation tab of Workforce Planning?
What It Means:
If a location is not showing up in the allocation tab of Workforce Planning, it may be due to:
Missing or incorrect security access for that location (Budget Entity or Dimension).
The user may not have the correct Approval Role or Workforce Template Access configured.
The employee might not be mapped to the location or the Budget Entity the user is working in.
Check:
If the Budget Entity drop-down in the WFP template includes that location.
If the employee is allocated to that location and whether they exist in that scenario/entity combination.
Dimension security setup for the user or their group.
What does “Error: ‘Effective Period Validation (Numeric Validation)’ when loading Workforce Planning data means?
The "Effective Period Validation (Numeric Validation)" error usually occurs when:
A field like Effective Start Date, End Date, or Numeric values (e.g., salary, % raise, FTE, etc.) are missing or incorrectly formatted in the data load file.
Date fields may not fall within the expected range for the selected scenario.
A numeric field is non-numeric or left blank where a value is required.
Check:
Date values are in correct format and within the scenario’s open periods.
All required numeric fields contain valid numbers.
Ensure you are loading into open and valid periods for the selected scenario.
What does “Error Code: 2146232832. Problem Id: 90090611-d863-4b71-914f-e72d3d166733’ when loading Workforce Planning in Data Load Rules (DLR)
This error typically occurs due to one of the following issues during Workforce Planning loads:
Missing Required Fields in WFP Load Template
Required fields like Employee ID, Effective Date, Annual Salary, FTE, or Position Start Date are missing or blank.
Headers might be misaligned or renamed incorrectly in your Excel or CSV template.
Incorrect Data Types
A column expecting a number (e.g., FTE, Annual Salary) contains text or symbols.
A date field has the wrong format (e.g., mm/dd/yyyy instead of yyyy-mm-dd).
Scenario or Period Not Open
You’re trying to load into a scenario that is not open, or the effective dates in the data don’t fall within the open planning periods.
Invalid or Disabled Employee Record
The employee you're loading:
Doesn’t exist in the base scenario (if loading into a forecast)
Is missing from the template entity
Has been disabled or not copied into the scenario
Security / Role Restrictions
Your user account may not have permission to load into that scenario or Budget Entity.
What to Do
Check Required Fields – Make sure Employee ID, Effective Date, Annual Salary, FTE, and Position Start Date are filled in and headers match the WFP template.
Verify Data Formats – Dates must be in YYYY-MM-DD format; FTE and Salary should be numeric (no symbols).
Confirm Scenario Access – Load only into open scenarios and valid periods.
Validate Employee Records – The employee must exist and be active in that scenario/entity.
Check Security – Ensure you have the correct Approval Role, Budget Entity, and DLR access.
Retry the Load – Fix data issues and re-run the Workforce Planning DLR.
If the error persists, note the Problem ID and contact Planful Support with your DLR name and scenario details.
Why is the salary positions from the prior year not transferring over?
What it Means:
Employees were not copied into the new scenario.
Employees are unprocessed in the new scenario.
Compensation items (e.g., salary, custom comp) are not mapped. You are working in a default scenario (read-only).
Employee changes in the prior year were made Scenario or dimension access is restricted.
The workforce cube was not refreshed after updates.
Position was terminated in the prior year and not re-added for the new year.
How to Resolve
To fix the issue, you’ll likely need to:
Copy and process employees into the new scenario
Map compensation items
Use a valid scenario (not default)
Ensure user access and refresh the cube
What does this compensation item validation error means: "Should be numeric character or exceeding the maximum limit”?
What does this mean?
What it means:
1. The value is not a number
– You entered text, symbols, or formatted values like $1000 or 1,000.
2. The number is too large
– You entered a value that exceeds the allowed digits or decimal places.
What to do:
Enter only plain numbers (e.g.,
1000,250.75)Avoid text, currency symbols, or commas
Keep the number within 12 digits and up to 6 decimals.
Why there is no drop-down menu on the Compensation Basis tab of the item?
The Compensation Basis drop-down is part of standard Workforce Planning setup and lists predefined basis types. If it’s missing entirely, check that you’re in edit mode, the scenario isn’t locked, you have the right security access, and—if you’re looking for the “Custom” formula option—that Workforce Pro has been enabled.
Workforce cube refresh failed for partitions
What causes this?
This error means that Planful was unable to successfully refresh the Workforce Reporting cube for one or more time partitions. A cube refresh is required to process Workforce Planning data so it can be used in reports, dashboards, and analysis.
Common causes include:
Incomplete or invalid Workforce data (such as missing employees, positions, or compensation details)
Changes made to Workforce Planning configuration after data was loaded
Scenario or period setup issues
Locked scenarios or periods
Temporary system or processing issues during the refresh
How to fix it:
Review Workforce Planning data to ensure it is complete and valid
Confirm that scenarios and periods are correctly set up and unlocked
Re-run the Workforce cube refresh after correcting any issues
If the issue continues, contact your Planful administrator or support team for assistance
This error does not mean data is lost, but reporting and analysis will be unavailable until the cube refresh completes successfully.
What does “Detailed HR Template Mapping Validation Error code” mean?
What causes this?
This error occurs when Planful detects an issue with the mapping between the Detailed HR template and Workforce Planning data. It means one or more required mappings (such as accounts, dimensions, or attributes) are missing, invalid, or inconsistent with the Workforce Planning setup.
Common causes include:
Required HR or Workforce accounts are not mapped correctly in the template
Budget Entity, currency, or scenario mismatches between Workforce Planning and the HR template
Changes made to Workforce Planning setup after the HR template was configured
Missing or inactive dimension members referenced in the template
Invalid or incomplete template configuration
How to fix it:
Review the Detailed HR Template mapping to ensure all required accounts and dimensions are mapped correctly
Confirm that Workforce Planning data (employees, positions, budget entities, and currency) is valid and consistent
Verify that no referenced members have been deleted or inactivated
Re-save or revalidate the template mapping after correcting any issues
If the error persists, contact your Planful administrator or support team for further assistance
This error helps prevent incorrect data flow and ensures Workforce and HR data remain aligned.
Why is budgeted workforce data duplicated in reports?
What causes this?
Budgeted workforce data appears duplicated in reports when the data is being counted more than once due to reporting setup or dimension usage, not because the employees themselves are duplicated.
Common causes include:
Reporting by a dimension that causes multiple intersections (such as Position, Account, or another Workforce-related dimension)
Using a rollup or attribute that includes the same workforce data multiple times
Mixing Workforce Planning data with Structured Planning data in the same report
Reporting at both employee and position levels simultaneously
Not filtering the report to a single scenario, budget entity, or measure
How to fix it:
Review the report dimensions and remove any that may cause multiple intersections (such as Position when not needed)
Ensure the report is filtered to the correct Workforce measures and scenario
Avoid combining Workforce and non-Workforce data in the same report unless intended
Use the appropriate Workforce Reporting dimensions and measures designed for headcount and compensation
Drill through the report to confirm which dimension is causing the duplication
Once the report dimensions are aligned correctly, the duplication will be resolved.
What does the Workforce Processing error “Incorrect syntax near the keyword ‘AND’” mean?
What causes this?
This error occurs when Workforce Processing encounters an invalid or incomplete condition while processing workforce data. It typically indicates that part of the underlying logic (such as a rule, filter, or configuration) is missing required information, causing the system to fail when evaluating conditions joined by “AND”.
Common causes include:
Missing or blank values in Workforce data (for example, budget entity, position, or currency)
Invalid or incomplete configuration in Workforce Planning setup
Changes made to Workforce attributes, positions, or entities after data was loaded
Inconsistent or conflicting Workforce data across scenarios or periods
How to fix it:
Review Workforce Planning data to ensure all required fields are populated
Verify that budget entities, positions, and currencies are correctly assigned
Check for recent configuration changes and confirm they are complete and valid
Re-run Workforce Processing after correcting any missing or inconsistent data
If the error continues, contact your Planful administrator or support team for further assistance
This error does not indicate data loss, but Workforce Processing cannot complete until the underlying data or configuration issue is resolved.
Employee Position Budget Entity currency does not match
When this occurs:
This error occurs when the currency assigned to an employee’s position is different from the currency assigned to the budget entity where the employee is assigned. In Workforce Planning, each budget entity supports only one currency, and all employee positions under that entity must use the same currency.
This situation commonly happens when:
A new employee or position is created with a different currency
An employee is transferred to a budget entity with a different currency
The budget entity currency was changed after employees were already assigned
How to fix it:
Verify the currency assigned to the budget entity
Update the employee position currency so it matches the budget entity currency
Alternatively, move the employee position to a budget entity with the correct currency
Save the changes and reprocess Workforce Planning if required