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    Template Mode

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    Article summary

    Before you add and set up/design a template, you need to decide on the type of template required. Several types are available depending on your planning needs. The template has two modes:

    How to Open Templates In Input and View Modes from the Planning Control Panel

    To open a template in Input mode:

    1. From the Planning Control Panel, select the budget entity in the budget hierarchy from the left pane.

    2. Select the template in the middle pane.

    3. Click the Input action in the right pane.

    To open a template in View mode:

    1. From the Planning Control Panel, select the budget entity in the budget hierarchy from the left pane.

    2. Select the template in the middle pane.

    3. Click the View action in the right pane.


    How to Open Templates in Input and View Modes from the Template Interface

    Once you are in a template (whether in Input or View mode) you can open other templates rather than returning to the Planning Control Panel. To do so:

    1. Click Select Template.

    2. The scenario selected on the Planning Control Panel is displayed. Optionally, select a different scenario.

    3. The template selected on the Planning Control Panel is displayed. Optionally, select a different template.

    4. The currency associated with selected budget is displayed.

    5. Click Open in read only mode to open the template in View mode.

    6. Click Apply and Open to apply the selections made and open the template based on those selections.

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    Note:
    An audit log entry is made each time you open a template.


    Types of Template View Modes

    There are two types of View modes; legacy and new. Each is explained below. New View Mode functionality is enabled by default in new applications starting February 2019. For customers with applications built prior to February 2019, you will have the legacy view mode enabled unless you've opted in to the new view mode functionality. Please be aware that once this functionality is enabled, you can’t go back to the legacy functionality. So, please test in the sandbox environment and train end-users accordingly.

    New View Mode Versus Legacy

    The new view mode functionality for templates offers several benefits and conveniences; most notably, real-time data changes/updates, streamlined movement of information, as well as the elimination of clicks.

    Template calculations are immediately executed so that the template shows up-to-date results (as if you opened it in Input mode). If you don’t enable this functionality and you open a template in View mode, you need to run a Validation report or reopen the template in Input mode. By introducing this new functionality, we have eliminated the need to run a Validation report or and reopen templates in Input mode to view the most recent data. If you enable this enhancement, the More list-box, will look a different ( View Mode options aren’t needed).

    If you export the template to Excel, formulas are retained (as shown in the image below) as are sublines.

    image1492zzzzz123234561.png

    In Practice

    Let’s say a template includes a formula that is based on a global field. When calculated, the formula (for example cell A10 * 2) results in the value of $100 USD. User A saves the template and forwards to User B for review. Before User B performs the review, the formula is changed resulting in a value of $120 USD versus $100 USD.

    If this feature is not enabled, this is how the application with behave when the template is opened in View mode:

    • The value of $100 USD will be displayed

    • The formula (A10*2) will not be displayed

      If this feature is enabled, this is how the application with behave when the template is opened in View mode:

    • The application will recalculate the formula so that the value of $120 USD is displayed

    • The formula (A10*2) will be displayed

      When Template View Mode functionality is enabled, the application will behave exactly as it would for a template opened in Input mode, but without the option to Save.

      If you run the Subline report, the template main lines and sublines will display. The application will recalculate the formulas for the sublines as well and show the latest values, but the formulas will not display.

      For Offline Planning, when a template is opened in View mode, the formulas are recalculated and the latest values are displayed. The formulas will display as well.


    Template Notifications

    The template notifications let you know who's working on the template, so you will not make any changes to the template.

    When you open a template in Input mode and another user is actively working on the same template with the same scenario, you will be automatically redirected to View mode, where you cannot make any changes. Furthermore, a notification will be displayed at the top of the template, informing you that someone else is currently working on the template and editing is restricted. To check if the other user has completed editing, click the Reload option. This will take you back to Input mode, and you can make your changes ensuring a better user experience in the handling of locked templates.


    View User History of Any Template

    The View Contributors feature displays a list of users who updated the template in the past 30 days with the last updated date. Selecting a user from the list will mark/highlight the cells the user updated in the past 30 days. Anyone accessing the template can view the changes made by the other users and update the data accordingly.

    Note
    The View Contributors feature is currently applicable only for GTSC templates.

    This feature helps you to track the changes made in the template when multiple users work on a template. If there is a mistake in the updated data, you can quickly identify the user who provided the incorrect data and rectify it with them. When used in conjunction with the comments feature, it empowers you to collaborate effectively with other users for planning/budgeting/forecasting within the Planful application.

    Note
    Along with being on the Ivy framework, make sure that the Planful support team has enabled the History feature to use the View Contributors feature.

    Do the following steps to use the View Contributors feature:

    1. Navigate to the Planning Control Panel and select a scenario from the Scenario list.
    2. Select a Budget entity from the Budget Hierarchy pane. Select the required template from the Template pane.
    3. From the right pane, click Input or View under the Template Workflow section in the Actions tab. The selected template data is displayed.
    4. Click the View Contributors icon on the top menu bar. The application displays a list of users who updated the template in the past 30 days.
    5. Clicking on any user will mark the cells they updated in the past 30 days, and the user name appears on the top menu.
    6. You can right-click on any marked cell and click Show History to view the detailed history of that cell.
    7. Click the close icon on the user name to remove the markings.

    Input Mode

    Where to Enter Template Data?

    Input data into templates in the white cells. Your Admin user may set up templates with additional colors as shown below.

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    Views

    You can create different layouts of a template and save them using Views. The scope of a View can depend on the different use cases you want to address using the template. When you share these layouts with any end-user, it will help them focus on the data they want to see and hide any unnecessary data.

    While creating a View, you can hide any row(s) or column(s) or filter any column based on the use case and save the View.

    Note
    You can see the Create and Manage options from the Views drop-down in templates, only if you have Create and Manage Views checkbox enabled on the Approval Role page. Learn more.

    In Practice: Accessing the View Option

    1. Navigate to Planning Control Panel and select a Budget entity from the Budget Hierarchy pane.
    2. Select the required template from the Template pane.
    3. From the right pane, click Input under the Template Workflow section in the Actions tab. The selected template data is displayed.
    4. You can access the View feature from the top menu bar.

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    Create a New View

    Perform the following steps to create a new View:

    1. Click the View option on the top menu bar in a template.
    2. Select the Create a New View option from the list.
    3. Provide a unique name for the View in the Enter View Name field, and do the following:
      • Filter the required column
      • Hide the required row(s) and column(s)
    4. Click Save View. The saved view is listed in the Views list.
      Note:
      You can use the Reset option to undo the changes made in that view till that point.

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    If you want to access any View created before, click the View option in the menu bar and click on the required view from the list.

    Manage Views

    If you want to edit or delete any View that was already created, perform the following steps:

    1. Click the View option on the top menu bar in a template.
    2. Select the Manage Views option from the list. The list of already created views is displayed.
    3. If you want to delete any view, click the delete icon adjacent to that respective view.
    4. If you want to edit any view, click the edit icon adjacent to that respective view, and do the required updates.

    Explanation of Line Types in Templates

    In the templates below, there are several line types; H, L, C, RA. Additionally, you may have templates with RC, DA, and N line types. Each of the line types has a specific purpose.

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    What is the L (Subline) Template Line Type and What is the Purpose

    A line with an L hyperlink indicates that there are sublines associated with the line. For example, you have a checking account line and the Subline template lines provide a way to itemize the account.

    Click the L hyperlink to open the Subline template interface where you can add Subline details. Subline details itemize accounts on the main template input page. You can perform direct entry (yellow cells) at the detail level in the cells of the Subline template. You can also add and remove sublines.

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    Once sublines are added, the template line displays in red with a green background on the main template page as shown below.

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    Description of the fields on the Subline Template page is provided below.

    • Remove All Lines - click to remove all the added sublines.

    • Insert Lines - enter the number of rows (account strings) to insert into the grid or press Enter on your keyboard.

    • Allow line total formula update - this selection prevents you from changing the formula associated with the line. For example, a formula might be set up to calculate monthly totals. Select this checkbox to open or unlock the row to allow modifications. Once selected, the row will change from white to yellow indicating that you can enter data in the cells.

    • Reset Formula - reset the formula to the original. For example, if a formula is defined to calculate monthly forecast and you change the formula to calculate, for example, quarter 1 total, you can then click Reset Formula to calculate monthly total once again.

    • Save - Saving the Subline template also saves the main template.

    Performing a save on the Subline template page synchronizes Subline template data with the main template. It also saves the main template.

    What is the C Template Line Type and What is the Purpose

    A row with a C means that it is a Calculated line. Calculated lines have calculations, such as the sum of several cells. Some examples are provided below.

    coreimage66.png

    coreimage67.png

    Enter formulas in the formula bar for a template opened from the Planning Control Panel in Input mode. Optionally, enter the formula in the cell.

    Note:
    Calculations are not displayed when in template View mode.

    What is the H Template Line Type and What is the Purpose

    Indicates the line is a header line. These lines are not editable. Your Admin might use this line type to enter notes for you, the end-user, or to format the template and even to add additional spacing.

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    What is the N Template Line Item and What is the Purpose

    Indicates notes are attached to the line. Notes might provide additional detail on the line or instructions to the end-user.

    If you click the Note icon the Line Notes page appears.

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    What is the RA Template Line Item and What is the Purpose

    RA stands for Reference Account and indicates another account(s) is referenced for that template line. For example, you might have a payroll account referenced from an HR template line.

    This template has 4 RA lines. If you click the Bonuses RA line, the Reference Account Report opens with information on the accounts referenced for this line.

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    What is the DA Template Line Item and What is the Purpose

    DA stands for Destination Account and indicates that template line is mapped to a segment combination. Destination accounts are used to save budget or forecast data entered or calculated in a selected budget template against a General Ledger account.

    What is the RC Template Line Item and What is the Purpose

    RC stands for Reference Cube and indicates the line references data from the reporting cube. For example, the line displays a total from data that was looked up. The results is total revenue for all sales departments in a legal entity.

    Perform Input after Forwarding or Approval of Templates

    This functionality is now enabled by default for all new and existing customers.

    Input data to templates in a forwarded and/or approved state. 

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    You can perform template input against a forwarded (or approved) template.

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    Note:
    This does not apply to templates in a Final Approval state.

    View Cell Updates

    You can view the history of the data changes on the source data available in the templates. You can double-click on any record from the template to view the history. The history contains information like dimension intersection details, who changed the data, the timestamp of the data change, and the details about the changes.

    This functionality is applicable only when the Ivy framework is enabled in the application. Reach out to Planful Support to enable Ivy in your Sandbox application.

    Note

    For now, the History feature is available in GTSC, GTEC, Allocation, New Line Item, Capital and Block templates.

    Templates act as structures that hold budget data like scenarios, attributes, and entities. You can design templates based on your business needs. Using the History feature you can verify the updates made to the source data in the templates. It provides information like who changed the data, the timestamp of the data change, and the details about the changes.

    Select any cell in the template and the History toggle is displayed in the top right corner of the template. Enable the History toggle to view the history of the data.

    Note

    You can view the History of the data related to Open Periods of the following Line Types:

    • L with posting (with or without sublines)
    • L with posting and history accounts (with or without sublines)
    • C with posting
    • C with posting and history accounts
    • RA with single account mapping

    History-Templates

    Disable the history toggle to stop the history view.

    Note
    • The history is displayed for a given dimension intersection across all the source types.
    • Up to 1000 rows (latest ones) are displayed in the history of Drill Through. Each page will display up to 100 records.

    View Mode

    View mode does not allow you to make changes to the template. You can only view the template.
    To open a template in View mode:

    1. From the Planning Control Panel, select the budget entity in the budget hierarchy from the left pane.

    2. Select the template in the middle pane.

    3. Click the View action in the right pane.

    What To Do When There Are Data Discrepancies in the Template?

    If calculations (for example, sub-totals or percentages) in the template you are viewing are not accurate/updated due to recent updates to the driver/source templates (for example, Employee Compensation, Capital Planning and Initiatives), but individual budget lines are updating correctly, do the following:

    1. Access the template that you are viewing in Input mode.

    2. Next, verify all fields are updated/accurate.

    3. SAVE the template. Doing so updates the calculations and synchronizes the driver/source templates until further changes are made requiring this process to be repeated.

    If Input mode is not available to you as a Budget Preparer/Approver, take one of the following actions depending on the use case situation:

    Situation 1: The budget entity is in an approval state (Forward, Approve, or Final Approve)

    Action : The Budget Approver must use Send Back so that the Budget Entity and all corresponding templates are available in Input mode. The Budget Preparer must open the template in Input mode and SAVE the template.


    Situation 2: The budget template is in an approval state (Mark Complete)

    Action : Click Mark Not Complete so that the template is available in Input mode. If the budget entity is also in an approval state, the Budget Approver must Send Back the budget entity as described in Situation 1. The Budget Preparer must enter the template in Input mode and SAVE the template.


    Situation 3: The Planning Scenario is locked (i.e., Budget Preparer/Approver cannot Send Back) and all budgeting actions are locked except for View function

    Action : Contact your Budget Approver to share the potential discrepancy. A Planful Budget Administrator can unlock the Planning Scenario so that you can access the template in Input mode. Once unlocked, if the budget entity is in an approval state, see Situation 1. If the budget template is Mark Complete, see situation 2.


    How to Determine if There are Data Discrepancies for Templates Opened in View Mode

    To determine if there are data discrepancies for templates opened in View mode:

    1. Open a template in View mode.
      Template%20View%20Mode

    2. Within the template interface, click the More menu.
      More%20menu

    3. Select Validation Report under Subline. The Validation Report checks for discrepancies between a View and Input template.

      Validation%20Report

    Note:
    These features are available for Global Template - Single Copy, Global Template - Entity Copy, and Block template types.

    What is View Mode Validation and How Do I Run It

    With View Mode Validation, you can check if there are any values that have changed since the last time the template was saved. When a template is opened in View mode, it retrieves the values for all cells based on the last time it was saved. So, if a formula is defined in a template cell that references accounts, opening a template in View mode will display the value that was calculated and saved in the prior template version. This means that if the values of the referenced accounts change after the last time the template was saved, and the template is opened in View mode, you will not see the impact of the change as the template is, essentially, out of date. However, with View Mode Validation, you can check if there are any of these types of discrepancies.

    In Practice: View Mode Validation

    Open a template in View mode from the Planning Control Panel. Click the More list-box and select the View Mode Validation option. The data in the template that is not up-to-date is highlighted in red as shown below.

    Prior to View Mode Validation:

    coreimage357.png

    After View Mode Validation:

    coreimage360.png

    What is the Validation Report and How Do I Run It

    Run the Validation report to view all discrepancies between a View and Input template. To access the report, open a template in View mode, click the More list-box and select Validation Report under View Mode.

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