Winter20 Release Notes

Enhancements to Application Behavior

Structured Planning

• Ability to delete old and unused Scenarios.

• Renaming of Detailed HR to Workforce Planning.

• Employees are copied but are not processed when the Enable Delta Processing option is set as Yes.

Reports

• Enabled Automatic Data Refresh to update reports automatically whenever data is updated and saved in templates.

• Enabled Save As and Copy for Can Read Access in Dynamic Reports.

• In file cabinet and Report administration, rows can be filtered by searching date in the corresponding columns.

Consolidation

• Enabled the Cloud Scheduler Process for the Dynamic Journal Task type.

• Task name has to be entered manually for the Cloud Scheduler Process and once saved is non-editable.

• Dynamic Journal Task type is non-editable.

Platform

• Enhanced the Audit Log description of Clear Data.

• The GL data web service API call will be aborted when a cube processing is in progress.

• The ability to update the username of existing users from the User Management page has been restricted.

• The format of the date column for all files exported to excel has been changed. Now, the time details in exported excel files will be visible only when you navigate to the respective cell.

User Interface Enhancements

We are excited to announce that we have enhanced the user interface for our application with the Winter 20 release. You will see these changes take form in the navigation bar, planning templates, dynamic reports, dashboards, planning and consolidation control panels, and task manager, among other elements throughout the platform. You will see modern icons, rounded edges, and larger fonts. We have also introduced a sleek new monochromatic color scheme and larger spacing between rows and columns. Large clickable icons have been added to create a visual experience that is dynamic and inviting, eliminate wasted white space, and make navigation easy and intuitive.

These updates do not require any re-implementation, training, or technical support. User click-path and navigation will remain unchanged. In other words, there will be absolutely no disruption to how you currently work within the platform.

You can expect a user experience and navigation that is modern, beautiful, intuitive, and easy to use. If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to Planful Support to learn more.

The list of improvements made to the Planful platform is as follows:

Planning Templates

The following improvements have been made to the Planning Templates Input view:

• A new list box for Grid Actions

• Added Comfortable Mode to the Grid Actions list box for better visibility

• Added the Show All and Hide All options to the Grid Actions list box

  

  

File Cabinet

The following improvements have been made to File Cabinet:

• Improved color scheme for better visibility

• Improved the page for comfortable view

  

  

  

Dynamic Report

The following improvements have been made to Dynamic Report:

• Improved color scheme for better visibility

• Improved the page appearance

  

  

  

Dashboards

The following improvements have been made to Dashboards:

• Improved color scheme for better visibility

• Improved the page appearance

  

  

  

Consolidation Control Panel

The following improvements have been made to Consolidation Control Panel:

• Improved color scheme for better visibility

• Improved icons

  

  

Workforce Planning

The following improvements have been made to Workforce Planning:

• Improved color scheme for better visibility

• Improved icons

  

Dynamic Planning

The following improvements have been made to Dynamic Planning:

• Improved color scheme for better visibility

• Improved the page appearance

  

  

  

  

  

Structured Planning: Ability to Delete a Scenario

With the Winter 20 release, we have provided the functionality to delete a scenario that has been referenced in other scenarios.

Earlier, you could only delete a scenario with no reference scenarios.

You can now delete reference scenarios in addition to deleting unused or inactive scenarios.

In Practice: Delete a Scenario

1. Go to Maintenance > Admin > Scenario Setup.

2. Select the scenario that you want to delete.

3. Click the Delete icon. A confirmation dialog box appears.

4. Click Delete.

   

   Note:

   The confirmation message consists of the list of scenarios that are associated with the scenario that you want to delete. The scenario is removed from all the reference scenarios mentioned in the list. All the data (template and report data from the deleted scenario) is retained even after the references associated with the scenario are deleted.
   Note:

   It is recommended that you export the data before deleting a scenario from the Export Data page. After you delete a scenario, it cannot be restored. If you want to reuse this data you will have to reload it to the application, using data load rules.
   Note:

   You cannot delete a scenario with referenced attributes in the Workforce Planning template in the Workforce Cube settings. Remove the referenced attributes to delete the scenario.

   If the deleted scenario is used as a reference in any of the following items, the scenario references will be deleted and replaced with the word “None” on the Edit Scenario page:

   • In a Compare Scenario

   • In History Scenarios for Cash Flow

   • In Data Trends

   • In Closed Periods

   • In Seeding as a source scenario

   • In a History Scenario

     

     

   • For all references except for Data Seeding, a new reference scenario can be selected.
   
   

   Limitation:

   • You cannot delete actual and default scenarios.

Structured Planning: Name Change from Detailed HR to Workforce Planning

As part of our continued dedication to make the Host platform easier, simpler, and more intuitive to use, we have concluded that Workforce Planning is a far more accurate description of the business activity that we are addressing. We believe that aligning this description with the way our customers think and talk about the activity will make the user experience within the Host platform more intuitive. This will enable users to navigate within the application more easily, finish their work faster, and get more value out of the platform.”

As part of the Winter 20 release, we have changed the name of Detailed HR to Workforce Planning across all screens for enhanced consistency. The Workforce Planning template is a specialized template that is used to model compensation structures at the individual employee-level.

Here are some of the screens on which new Workforce Planning name will be displayed:

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Structured Planning: Enhanced Workflow Updates for Send Back and Recall

We have introduced an option named Recall to help users undo their actions, if actions are performed in error on entities and templates. We have also enhanced the existing Send Back option to allow additional flexibility.

Recall is the reversal of personal actions by a user who performed the action, as long as a user with a higher-level privilege does not act on the entity or template before it can be reversed.

Send Back enables users to send entities or templates back for any changes, and users get notified if a template or entity is sent back.

For more information on these enhancements, refer to the following sections:

Ability to Recall Templates/Budget Entities after Forwarding, Approval, and Final Approval

Enhanced Send Back Action for Templates/Entities

Availability of Send Back and Recall options for users with a detailed example

Ability to Recall Templates/Budget Entities after Forwarding, Approval, and Final Approval

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

Prior to this release, after a template or budget entity was forwarded, approved, or final approved, it had to be sent back for any changes. You had to return the template to an In Progress state by sending it back, make revisions, and then forward and approve it once again. This also required higher level user access.

To help users undo their action on a template/entity, we have introduced an option named Recall. Users who perform an action on an artifact can undo their action by using the Recall option.

The Recall option is only available for users who have performed an action on a template/entity until the template/entity has not been moved to the next stage by another user.

For example, let us consider that you have forwarded an HR template and want to recall it to make some changes. You can recall the template until it is not approved by another user. Once the HR template has been approved, you cannot recall it.

In Practice: Recall

1. Go to the Planning Control Panel.

2. Select a scenario, a budget hierarchy entity member, and a template that you have forwarded as shown in the image.

   

3. Click Recall.

   

   The template is moved to an In progress state.

   Note:

   When you Recall an entity, this action is a “smart” undo; because this action truly reverses the action that you previously performed. Consider an example where you selected an entity that has 5 templates within it; template 1, 2, and 3 have been forwarded by another user. If you then Forward the entity, this action will forward the remaining templates (4 and 5). If you perform a Recall action, only the entity and templates 4 and 5 are moved back to an In Progress state. The state of templates 1, 2, and 3 (which were forwarded by another user before you performed the Recall action) will not be changed.
   Note:

   You can recall all the actions for entities and templates.

Enhanced Send Back Action for Templates/Entities

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

Prior to this release, after a template or budget entity was sent back, it moved to an In Progress state by default. We have modified this functionality to enable users to send back a template or budget entity to the previous state, and not directly to an In Progress state.

In Practice: Send Back

1. Go to the Planning Control Panel.

2. Select a scenario, a budget hierarchy entity member, and a template that you want to send back as shown in the image.

3. Click Send Back.

   

   The template is sent back to an In Progress state.

   Note:

   The Send Back action is no longer available on the Add Approval Role/Edit Approval Role screen, because it is available to all users with proper privileges.
   Note:

   The Send Back option is applicable for all the workflow actions on entities and templates.
   Note:

   When you Forward a template and you just have Forward privileges for templates, a Recall option is available for the forwarded template. However, the Send Back option is available to your peers who have Forward/Approve access for this template. Such users have the ability to Send Back the template that you have forwarded.

Availability of Send Back and Recall options for users

This table lists the availability of Send Back and Recall options for users who have the following approval actions for a budget entity.

The following example explains in detail the behavior of both the Recall and Send Back options:

Hierarchy:

List of users with Approval actions:

• Joe has Final Approve permissions for Parent Entity, Entity 1, and Entity 2.

• Jack has Approve permissions for the entire hierarchy.

• Harry has Forward permissions for all the entities and templates; for example, Entity 1 (Template1, Template 2, and Template 3) and Entity 2.

• Tom has Forward permissions for all the entities and templates; for example, Entity 1 (Template1, Template 2, and Template 3) and Entity 2.

  

1.  If Tom forwards Template 1, he can view the Recalloption for Template 1.

   • Harry can view the Send Back option for Template 1.

   • Jack can view the Approve and Send Back options for Template 1.

   • Joe can view the Approve and Send Back options for Template 1.

     

2. If Harry then forwards Entity 1, Template 2 and Template 3 are also forwarded.

   • Harry can use the Recall option for Entity 1, and this action will move Entity 1, Template 2, and Template 3 to an In Progress state.

   • Harry can also use the Send Back option for Entity 1, Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3; if he wants to move either of these artifacts to an In Progress state and not the entire Entity 1 hierarchy.

   • Tom and Harry can use the Send Back All option for Entity 1. This will send back Entity 1 and all its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3) to an In Progress state.

   • Tom can use the Send Back option for Template 2 and Template 3.

   • Jack can use the Approve, Send Back, and Send Back Alloptions for Entity 1.

     • Jack can move Entity 1 and all its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3) to an Approved state by using the Approve option.

     • Jack can move the Entity 1 to an In Progress state by using the Send Back option.

     • Jack can move Entity 1 and all its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3) to an In Progress state by using the Send Back All option.

   • Jack can also use the Send Back option explicitly for Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3.

   • Joe can use the Final Approve, Approve, Send Back, and Send Back All options for Entity 1. Joe can also use the Send Back option explicitly for Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3.

     

3. Now if Jack approves Entity 1, Entity 1 and all its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3) are moved to an Approved state.

   • Jack can use the Recall option for Entity 1 to move Entity 1 and all its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3) back to a Forwarded state.

   • Jack can use the Send Back All option only for Entity 1. He can also use the Send Back option explicitly for Entity 1 and each of its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3).

   • Joe can use the Final Approve, Approve, Send Back, and Send Back All options for Entity 1. Joe can also use the Send Back option explicitly for Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3.

   • Harry and Tom can only use the Workflow History option in this scenario.

     

4. If Joe then final approves Entity 1, Entity 1 and all its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3) are moved to a Final Approved state.

   • Joe can use the Recall option for Entity 1 to move Entity 1 and all its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3) back to an Approved state.

   • Joe can use the Send Back All option for Entity 1. He can also use the Send Back option explicitly for Entity 1 and each of its artifacts (Template 1, Template 2, and Template 3).

   • Harry, Tom, and Jack can only use the Workflow History option in this scenario.

     

Reports: Dynamic Commentary (PREVIEW)

This opt-in feature is being released for PREVIEW only! It will be available to be enabled in the Sandbox environment.

The Dynamic Commentary functionality provides you the ability to collaborate within the different product areas and to streamline the reporting processes. This functionality allows you to:

• Add comments for a cell level in Dynamic Reports and Spotlight Analyze and Reports.

• Update or delete comments.

• Post comments for a combination of leaf level, rollup level, calculated members, and custom members.

• Include text, #tags, and hyperlinks in the comments.

• Assign tasks and track them using Task Manager. Mention + in the comment to assign a task to a user.

• View all comments in the application and perform actions like bulk delete in Comments Manager.

In Practice: How to post a comment

1. Enable the Comments option from the More list box in Dynamic Reports and from Properties in Spotlight.

2. Right-click on the required cell. The menu list appears.

3. Click Comment. A pop-up window appears.

4. Enter the required text and click Comment. The comment is saved successfully.

You can view an indicator wherever a comment is posted in the report. You can include text, URL in the comments.

You can include the following in a comment:

• Add a user - Mention + and the user name to add a user in a comment. When you type + auto-suggest is enabled to retrieve the user's name. A notification is sent to the mentioned user. You can turn off the notifications if required.

• Add # - Mention # tags in a comment.

Any user with read-only or full access to the report can post comments for a data intersection honoring dimension security.

You can post comments on the following cells with:

• Data combination of leaf level, roll up level, calculated members.

• Data where substitution variables are used in the dimension intersection.

• Data derived from a Custom Member (hierarchy-based, multi-dimensional rule, calculation-based) when calculation-based comments are stored for the Custom Member on the corresponding dimension. This is applicable for Dynamic Report and Financial Reporting Area ( for Main and Alternate hierarchies).

Enhancement to Dynamic Reports

With this release, a new Comments On/ Comments Off option has been added to the More list box in Dynamic Reports. The default is set to Comments Off in all existing and new reports. If Comments On is enabled, the Comment option is visible on the right-click menu. A visual indicator is displayed if a comment already exists on a cell. When Comments Off is enabled, the Comment option and visual indicators for comments are removed from the Dynamic Report. The setting is retained when you Save, Save As or Copy a Dynamic Report.

Comments on a Custom Member cell within Dynamic Report

The Comment option is enabled for the Custom Members defined using dimensions or substitution variables and disabled when attributes or attribute hierarchies are used on at least one of the dimensions for the data cell.

Enhancement to Spotlight

A new Enable Comments option has been added to the Analyze and Report Properties in Spotlight. The default is set to No in all existing and new views. This functionality is enabled in all views across all models.

The Views created on any Analytical, Master, DAP model where Enable Comments is set to Yes, any Admin or Designer or Reviewer user with full or read-only access can post a comment on a data cell or reply on an existing thread.

When Enable Comments is set to On, the Comments option is visible on the right-click menu for Web and on the toolbar for XL. A visual indicator is displayed if a comment already exists on a cell.

When you select the Comments option from the toolbar in Spotlight XL, the Comment(s) pane is displayed on the right-hand side of the screen.

When Enable Comments is set to Off, the Comment option and visual indicators for comments are removed. The setting is retained when you Save or Copy.

The Enable Comments option is saved on a View and retained on Save, Copy. The Analyze Properties as updated from Web are retained in XL and vice versa.

Actions

Edit a Comment

You can only edit the comments posted by you. The administrator can update comments posted by any user.

In Practice: How to edit a comment

1. Click the icon on the right-hand side of the comments pop-up window and select Edit from the menu list.

2. Make the required changes and click Save.

   

You can edit comments from anywhere (Dynamic Reports, Spotlight Reports, and Views) within the application irrespective of where you posted the comment.

Delete a Comment

You can only delete the comments posted by you. The administrator can delete comments posted by any user.

In Practice: How to delete a comment

1. Click the icon on the right-hand side of the comments pop-up window and select Delete Thread from the menu list. A confirmation message appears.

2. Click Confirm to delete the thread.

   

You can delete the comments from anywhere (Dynamic Reports, Spotlight Reports, and Views, Excel Based Reports) within the application irrespective of where you posted the comment.

Resolve a Comment

You can resolve a comment thread by clicking Resolve available in the first comment of the thread.

You can resolve the comments from anywhere (Dynamic Reports, Spotlight Reports, and Views (XL and Web) within the application irrespective of where you posted the comment.

Assign Task

You can assign a task to any user in a comment. The assignees and admin will have access to the assigned tasks. You can view the task details from Task Manager.

In Practice: How to assign a task to a user

1. Right-click in the required cell and select Comment. The pop-up window appears.

2. Enter + and type the user name.

3. Select Assign.

4. Enter the following details:

   • Add task title

   • Due On - Select the required to date.

   • Priority- Select any of the following:

     • Low

     • Medium

     • High

5. Click Comment. A notification is sent to the mentioned user.

   

Edit a Task in Task Manager

The tasks created from a comment are editable from Task Manager. This is applicable to the information mentioned in the Comment pop-up window. If you edit any of the task information from Task Manager, the updated information will be reflected in the Comments pop-up window.

If a task is completed, then a tick mark is visible on the Comments pop-up window against the respective task name.

If you change the assignee from Task Manager, the assignee details in the Comment pop-up window is not updated. If a task is deleted from Task Manager, it is removed from the Comment pop-up window, however, the user mentioned in the comment is retained.

Limitations

• Comments are not supported for the following:

  • Cells where advanced MDX rules, multi-member selections on the Report Set rule, excel formulas, headers, footers, or Subtotals or Grand Total are used.

  • When multiple POV selections, attributes, or attribute hierarchies are used.

  • External Source Models in Spotlight.

  • When a user is in an inactive state.

• Comments are not copied from the previously linked PCR application when you copy Modeling only application.

• Model Backup and Restore does not retain comments.

• Comments are not moved from source to target when data is moved from one model to another.

• Comments posted on leaf members do not roll up into its parent.

• Comments are supported only in Google Chrome.

Comments Manager

With this release, we have added a new Comments Manager in Admin under Maintenance.

All comments posted or updated from Dynamic Reports or Spotlight Views and Reports for the Financial and Operational models are displayed in the Comments Manager.

When you open Comment Manger for the first time, it retrieves comments based on the default setting in the Selection Criteria pane for the Financial area. However, the Selection Criteria is editable. A grid is displayed with all the comments posted or updated by the logged-in user. Each comment on the thread is displayed individually on a row.

The following options are available in the Comments Manager toolbar:

Selection Criteria

The Selection Criteria pane provides various fields based on which you can retrieve comments from the application. The following fields have default values:

• User Name - Displays the logged-in user name. You can select one or all the users from the drop-down list.

• From Date - Displays the current date.

• To Date - Displays the current date.

• #Tag - Displays All as the default value. You can select one or all the tags from the drop-down list.

• Model - Displays Financial as the default value.

• Scenario - Displays Actual as the default value. You can select one or all the scenarios from the drop-down list honoring dimension security.

• Time - Displays the time hierarchy, Variables, and Custom Members.

You can edit the default values based on your requirements. Also, you can select values for all other fields that are system and user-defined Financial or Model Segments. You can select any roll up, leaf, calculated, custom members, and variables honoring dimension security.

The grid displays all comments based on Selection Criteria and dimension security. The columns displayed in the grid include all the dimensions for the selected model, user, created date, comment. The +mentioned users and #tags are highlighted in bold. By default, the Member labels are displayed in the grid.

Filter

You can search the columns by using the Filter icon on the toolbar. When you click the icon, a search field appears at the top of every column. Type the required value and click Enter.

Full screen

You can view the Comments Manager in full screen mode by clicking the Full screen icon. This action hides the top banner and the left navigation pane in the application.

If you want to exit full-screen mode, click the Full Screen icon or press the ESC key on your keyboard.

More

You can delete single or multiple comments by using the More icon. Click the icon and select Delete to delete the required comments. If the first comment on a thread is deleted, all the other comments on the same thread are automatically deleted.

Audit log for Comments Manager

With this release, the Audit Area for Comments Manager is added to the application. Audit Log is enabled if the Dynamic Commentary functionality is enabled for the application. The user's Email address, IP address, Audit Action, Time Stamp, and Audit Description are maintained for Comments Manager. Audit Log exists for Comments as well.

In Practice: How to view Audit Log for Comments Manager

Go to Maintenance > Audit > View Audit Log > select Comments Manager form the Audit Area drop-down list > click View Logs.

Reports: Automatic Data Refresh (PREVIEW)

This opt-in feature is being released for PREVIEW only! It will be available to be enabled in the Sandbox environment.

We have introduced automatic data refresh for Dynamic Reports that allows you to update data whenever data is modified in templates. This avoids manual processing of data. The functionality is applicable only for Financial cube.

The Run icon on the Dynamic Report toolbar has been enhanced. The modified icon is displayed whenever the data being displayed in the report is not up to date. A call-out has been added to the icon which displays the time at which the data was updated. Once you click the Run icon, the report is updated with the latest data.

Prerequisite: FaaS (FactGL as a Service) needs to be enabled in the application. Contact the Planful support team to enable this functionality.

Reports: Custom Members in Dynamic Report

With this release, Custom Members are now supported in Dynamic Reports. Custom members can be defined on any dimension including attribute and attribute hierarchies. You can select Custom Members from the Members section while creating a report. The Custom Members header is displayed in the Member section only if at least one Custom Member exists on the dimension or attribute or attribute hierarchy. You cannot add Custom Members to the Page axis.

We have introduced the following Custom Members in all the new and existing applications:

• Last Twelve Months - Provides the sum of the last 12 months considering the current month. For example, if the current month is January 2020, this Custom Member calculates the sum of values from February 2019 to January 2020.

• Rest of Year - Provides the sum of subsequent months of the current year. For example, if the current month is January 2020, this Custom Member calculates the sum of values from February 2020 to December 2020.

You can access the Usage Report for Custom Members to view the following details:

• Label of the artifact where the member is used.

• Type of artifact (Translations or Report Set or Budget Template)

• Path where the member is used - Reference Account or Destination Account

In Practice: How to access a Usage Report for Custom Member

1. Navigate to Maintenance > Reports > Cube Settings > Custom Members.

2. Select the required Custom Members and click Usage Report. The Custom Members Usage Report window appears.

   

Custom Members when evaluated can result in a single or multiple hierarchy members from a single dimension or a multi-dimensional rule or a calculation. You need to update the Dynamic Report MDX query to evaluate Custom Members.

When you run a Dynamic Report with Custom Members, the MDX in Custom Member is calculated and displayed in the Dynamic Report output. If a Substitution Variable is used in the Custom Members, then it is replaced with the variable value that is set up in Dynamic Report. You can use Custom Members that return dynamic output and static output together in Dynamic Report on the Row or Column axis.

Custom Members honors the following:

• Dimension security - Scenario security, Budget Entity security, dimension, attribute, and attribute hierarchy security are honored as configured for the application. Also, any rollup aggregation or the MDX calculations are derived based on dimension security. After evaluation of the Custom Member, if no data is returned due to user’s dimension security on a specific row or column, then those rows/columns are ignored and the rest of the report is generated without any errors.

• Options - When you run a Dynamic Report, the MDX for the Custom Members is calculated with selected Options and data is displayed in Dynamic Report. Options apply only to the resulting rollup members derived from Custom Members. All the available Options are honored on Custom Members.

• Report Set based Dynamic Report - You can use Custom members on dimensions or rows or columns. If a Report Set is used on the Row or Column axis, Custom Members cannot be used on that particular axis. Additionally, Custom Members cannot be used in a Report Set.

• Code/Name/Label Display - The Code/Name/Label display set up for a dimension within the Dynamic Report member selections is honored on the hierarchy members derived from a Custom Member. If display currency configuration is enabled in the application for reporting dimensions, then LC & CC values are replaced with the appropriate currencies when derived from a Custom Member. If Code or Name does not exist for a member, Label is displayed. Also, the Code/Name/Label display is honored on the multi-dimension rules and calculations. Custom Members displayed in the Header or Footer section honors the Code/Name/Label display as set up for the dimension.

• Cell-Level Formatting - All text and data formatting options as available in Dynamic Reports are applicable to Custom Members. The format is retained when you Save, Run, Refresh, Save As, Copy a Dynamic Report. Also, the cell level formatting is retained when you use Option in a Dynamic Report. Additionally, the cell-level formatting is applicable for calculated Custom Member rows or columns.

• Insert Formulas and Formula Exceptions - Insert formulas and Formula exceptions are supported in all Dynamic Reports where custom members are used.

• Exports - Rows or columns derived from Custom Members are included in all Dynamic report exports, Report Collections, FPP, email attachments, print, cloud scheduler, mapped reports and so on.

• Drill Down - Drill down is enabled on all roll up members across all dimensions derived from a Custom Member. Drill down is not enabled on multi-dimensional rules and calculated Custom Members.

• Drill Through - Drill through is enabled for all hierarchy-based members and multi-dimensional rules derived from Custom Members. Drill through is not enabled on calculated Custom Members.

The following features are disabled when you use Custom Members in a Dynamic Report:

• Notes - If Custom Members are selected on any dimension on the row/column axis of a Dynamic Report, Notes is disabled in the toolbar and the Notes column is removed from the report. However, the Notes column is displayed in all the drill through reports. This is applicable to hierarchy-based or multi-dimensional rules or calculations derived from Custom Members.

• Rank - When Custom Members are used in a Dynamic Report, Rank is disabled in the toolbar and the existing Rank settings are removed from the report.

Limitation

• Custom Members defined as a combination of functions from different functional groups such as Array, Dimension, Numeric, and so on, creates an inconsistent MDX query and results in an error.

Reports: Enabled Save As and Copy for Can Read Access in Dynamic Reports

With this release, we have enabled the Save As and Copy options for users with Can Read access.

Prior to this release, the Save As and Copy options were enabled for users with Full Control access.

The Dimensions, Reports sets, and Member selection settings are retained when you Save As or Copy a Dynamic Report. This is applicable to all existing and new Dynamic Reports across all Reporting Areas, environments, and browsers. The Save As option is applicable to mapped reports. The Copy option is not applicable to mapped reports.

In Practice : Save As a Dynamic Report

1. Click Reports to access File Cabinet. The File Cabinet window appears.

2. Click the report label to open the report.

3. Click the Save menu list and select Save As. The Save As window appears.

4. Enter the required details and click OK.

   

In Practice: Copy a Dynamic Report

1. Click Reports to access File Cabinet. The File Cabinet window appears.

2. Select the report that you want to copy.

3. Click the More list box and then select Copy. The Copy Report window appears.

4. Enter the required details and click OK.

   

Consolidation: Dynamic Journals Automation

Now, you can process and post active Dynamic Journals as an independent task (that can be combined and sequenced with other tasks such as cube processing) in Cloud Scheduler; adding convenience and eliminating manual steps. Inactive Dynamic Journals are not available for selection via the Cloud Scheduler. You must make inactive Dynamic Journals active via the Consolidation Control Panel to make them available for selection in Cloud Scheduler.

In Practice

1. Access Cloud Scheduler by navigating to Maintenance > Admin > Cloud Scheduler.

2. Add a process and add a new task to the process. The New Task page appears.

3. Select Dynamic Journal as the Task Type as shown in the image below. When the Dynamic Journal task type is selected, Task Name + Scenario Name, Scenario, Period, and Dependencies fields are displayed.

   

4. Enter a task name and select the scenario for which you want to process Dynamic Journals. Once the scenario is selected, it will be added to the Task Name as shown below.

   

5. Select the period for which you want to process Dynamic Journals. Options include Custom Period (where you can select a specific date range), Previous Period, Current Financial Year, and Current Period.

   

6. For Dependencies, select a dependent task that must occur and complete prior to the posting of Dynamic Journals. For example, the processing of the reporting cube.

7. Now, select the Dynamic Journals you want to process by clicking the Selected link. The Active Journals/Selected Journals pane appears. Active Journals for the current period are displayed based on period selection in the Consolidation Control Panel. If there is a journal not displayed, navigate to the Consolidation Control Panel and check if the period selection is appropriate or update the period range of the Dynamic Journal. Navigate back to Cloud Scheduler and the journal will appear in the Active Journals pane. Selected Journals displays the journals selected.

   

8. Select all journals you want processed/posted. Click Save. Note that within a task, the sequence of Dynamic Journals do not matter nor are they executed in the same sequence selected.

Here is an example of how the task name (Task Name + Scenario) appears in the process flow once processed.

Dynamic Journals can be processed for both the Actual scenario and other scenarios. If you select Custom Period for the Period field, additional From and To fields are displayed. This allows you to select specific dates for which to process Dynamic Journals.

Consolidation: Journal Entry Report Enhancements

We’ve added more details to the Journal Entry Report to provide you with even more information on Dynamic Journals and Standard Journals. Now, you can view the status of the journals and the last updated user details. Specifically, the following details are now displayed:

• Posting Type

• Status

• Date

• Name of the user who last modified or changed the status of the journal

In Practice

1. Open the Consolidation Control Panel.

2. Select a Journal Process.

3. Under Reports, click Journal Entry Report.

   

4. You can select specific details and run the report as well as export it to Excel. An example is provided below.

   

   

Consolidation: Flow Dimension Updates

A Flow dimension is an additional segment set up to handle automated cash flow reporting needs. With this release, we are providing several updates to Flow Dimension Functionality.

For detailed information on Flow Dimension Functionality see the Flow Dimension Functionality for Cash Flow Reporting topic in the Consolidation Admin Guide.

Update 1: Ability to roll forward the beginning balances to open periods of a Planning scenario such as Budget, Plan, and Forecast

The combinations as to which types of scenarios can be rolled forward are: Actual to Budget, Forecast or Plan Budget to Budget, Forecast or Plan Forecast to Budget, Forecast or Plan Plan to Budget, Forecast or Plan.

As of this release, you need to run the Consolidation Process to roll forward the beginning balances in non Actual scenarios. Ending balances from the History or Close Period scenarios are rolled forward as beginning balances. Running the Consolidation Process for one period will calculate the beginning balances and the FX impact in converted currencies for all the periods of the scenario range. The example below illustrates this.

Using the data in the table below, the non Actual rolling forecast Plan type scenario has a projection start of June 2019. The beginning balances for the Plan type scenario are sourced from the ending balances of the Actual scenario based on measure. So, for the MTD measure, the ending balances are source from the Actual scenario May 2019. For the QTD measure, the ending balances are sourced from the Actual scenario March 2019. And, for the YTD measure, the ending balances are source from the Actual scenario December 2019 (which in this case is the last period of the prior year).

Update 2: CTA redirections are now carried out by the Consolidation process

For detailed information on how to set up CTA functionality and Flow Dimension information, see the respective topics in the Consolidation Admin Guide.

Update 3: Flow calculations now work with interim and reporting currencies

Interim currencies provide the ability to report on additional currencies other than local and common currencies. So, if you define an entity with an interim currency, the calculation is executed when the Consolidation Process is run for the Flow member. Similarly, Reporting Currencies are now supported. Reporting currency members help generate reports in a common currency (CC) for accounts required to be converted to CC at a special rate. For example, converting all accounts at the ‘Prior year Rate.’

For detailed information on Interim Currency, see the Hierarchy - Reporting, Entity & Interim Currency topic in the Consolidation Admin Guide. (link) Information on how to set up interim currencies is also provided under the aforementioned topic.

For detailed information on Reporting Currency, see the Reporting Currency topic in the Consolidation Admin Guide.

It's important to note that the setup for reporting currency has been simplified as depicted below when comparing an application without Flow Dimension enabled with an application where it is enabled. Now, for reporting currency, you only need to select the currency code and exchange rates.

Dynamic Planning: Modeling Product Renamed to Dynamic Planning

We’ve renamed the Modeling module to Dynamic Planning to better represent the features and abilities available with the module.

Dynamic Planning is an advanced multi-dimensional modeling engine and analysis tool designed to support operational planning and advanced analysis. It is built with web and Microsoft Excel front ends, and allows for rapid ad hoc query and analysis, self-service data access within and beyond finance, formatted reporting, and more.

With Dynamic Planning, you can access Planful and other data sets from the Modeling interface using a sign-on, password, and specifying environment details. Once connected, you can use all data stored in the Planful Financial Cube to work with existing models, to perform such tasks as:

• Creating sub-models (also known as Analytic models)

• Slicing and dicing data to rapidly build and produce flexible custom reports and charts for distribution

• Performing what-if analysis using your Planful data as a foundation

See Also: https://planful.com/platform/dynamic-planning/

Dynamic Planning: New Version 3.2

A new version of SpotlightXL is now available. See the Installation guide for information.

Dynamic Planning: Renamed Roles

Prior to this release, there were three roles available in Modeling named; Admin, Designer, and Reviewer. There are still three roles, but the Admin User role has been renamed to Power User and the Designer User role has been renamed to Contributor User. The Reviewer User role has not changed. The abilities associated with each role have not changed.

The renamed roles better reflect the abilities associated with each role. For example, an Admin user doesn’t only perform Admin type of responsibilities, but also advanced Modeling abilities which is more reflective of a Power User.

See Also: https://planful.com/platform/dynamic-planning/

Important Notes:

• These are only textual changes to the role names and you can use the legacy role names or the new role names in the User Management API.

• There are no changes to the user roles and the underlying functionalities. For example, the Power User role will have access to all Models and associated artifacts.

• If you need a refresher on user roles and the associated functionality please refer to this link.

User Management API

You can continue to use the Admin, Designer and Reviewer user role names in the User Management API or the new roles (Power User, Reviewer User and Contributor User). A sample payload is provided below.

Create Users and Groups (User Management)

POST /api/ui/user/saveUsersRaw

Content-Type: application/json

Accept: application/json

X-ACCESS-TOKEN: <Token>

Returns: nothing or error message.

This API creates users and groups.

Groups sent must be the final mapping because the previous mapping will be erased. If no groups are sent, the user will not be able to login to the tenant.

Unmapped groups will not be deleted.

Inactive users should be deleted before adding new users to avoid license limitations.

Required Fields (email, name, groups, role, password, userType):

• Email: Must be a valid email format. Cannot be empty.

• Name: Can be empty.

• Groups: List of Group Objects {“name”:”group”}. Can be an empty list.

• Role: "Admin" or "Power User", "Designer" or "Contributor User", or "Reviewer" or "Reviewer User". Cannot be empty.

• Password: Must contain at least 1 uppercase, 1 lowercase, 1 number, and 1 special character. Minimum length 8 characters. Cannot be empty. Passwords will be set only for new users on the environment (users are global). If the user is already present on environment but not on the tenant, the password will not be reset/overridden.

• userType: "External", "Business". Cannot be empty. User Types will define which users are internal to your business and which are external.

  • The Business user type is for all users within your organization that use Dynamic Planning, and have access only to your organization's tenant or tenant group.

  • The External user type is for users outside of your organization who need to access your application for diagnostics, development, or debugging work, such as Planful Support or Partner Consultants. External users have access to yours and other organizations' tenants.

Sample Payload

[

{

"email": "testuser1@test.com",

"name": "",

"status": "Unverified",

"groups": [

{

"name": "Group1"

}

],

"role": "Admin" or "Power User",

"password":"Test1234!"

"userType":"External"

},

{

"email": "testuser2@test.com",

"name": "",

"groups": [

{

"name": "Group1"

},

{

"name": "Group2"

}

],

"role": "Reviewer" or "Reviewer User",

"password":"Test1234!"

"userType": "Business"

}

]

Dynamic Planning: Support for Variables in External Source Models

You can now use variables and expressions in External Source Model (ESM) Formulas and Maps providing even more flexibility during design. Variable and expression usage can simplify ESM maintenance. For example, let’s say you use a #service end# named expression with an EDATE function. Maintenance becomes easier because you can simply update the #service end# expression with a new value in a single place and there is no need to modify any of the expressions where #service end# is used.

Overview

Exploring the Variable Table

Field Descriptions

Exploring Variables

Exploring Expressions

Use Case

Tips and Tricks

Overview

In SpotlightXL, navigate to Model > External Source Model > Source Model. Notice the difference between the legacy screen and the new screen. The Variable Table and Named Expression fields are pointed out.

Exploring the Variable Table

In the Variable table portion of the screen, enter variables to be used in the map to transfer data to a source model and to the master. For example, use a variable instead of a text field name fixed value like Jan-2020. The variable might be @Jan20@. When the calculation is run, the @Jan20@ variable becomes Jan-2020. Similarly, use a date variable such as @curMonth@.

You can also use a variable expression such as "@curMonth@+1"or "@curMonth@-7" instead of the field names. The order of field names is a sort order in the ESM definition.

Information on each of the fields in the variable portion of the table is provided below.

Field Descriptions

Variable Name:

Variables must start and end with the @ symbol. For example; @StartMonth@, @FixedTerm@, and @PlanStart@. The maximum number or characters supported for the variable name is 120 characters. The @ symbol cannot be used in the name portion nor are the following special characters supported in the variable name: /\.~\"$*<>:;|?]+[]{}()#%&=`-_,'

Type:

For Type, 3 existing types are supported and we’ve introduced a new type. The existing supported types are ConstantText, ConstantNumeric, and ConstantDate. The new type is Constant Month, which is used to describe months.

Supported Types:

New Supported Types:

You can use variables of type ConstantMonth anywhere where ConstantDate type is expected.

When used in ConstantDate context, the value is automatically converted to the first day of the month. To add a month, use a Lead operator. To subtract a month, use the Lag operator. Example provided below.

Format:

The Format field is applicable for ConstantDate and ConstantMonth types.

Value:

Value is the constant value. Variable values can depend on other variables. Variables values cannot refer to fields or named expressions. To fully explain how variable values work, several use cases are provided below in the Exploring Variables section below.

Exploring Variables

Variable Values Dependent Upon Other Variables

Variables Used in Field Expressions

Variable Values Dependent Upon Other Variables:

In the example below, the @FixedTerm@ is a variable which is being used in another variable (i.e. @HalfTerm@). The @FixedTerm@ variable value is set to 12. @HalfTerm@ variable is using @FixedTerm@ and the result is 6.

Variables Used in Field Expressions:

Variables can be used in field expressions for constant and formula fields. For example, the DATE expression value is Month (which is 12), Day (which is 31) and the next year substitution variable.

Exploring Expressions

Expressions consist of a Name and Value as shown in the image below.

The Expression Name must start and end with the hashtag (#). The Expression Name cannot contain special characters and the hashtag cannot appear within the name. The following special characters are not supported: /\.~\"$*<>:;|?]+[]{}()@%&=`-_,' Expression Values are formulas/functions that use fields.

Examples of expression names and values are provided below.

Example of an Expression Name and Value

Example of an Expression Value that Uses the @FixedTerm@ Variable

Examples Where Expressions Use Other Expressions

Example of a Named Expression Used in an ESM Field Expression

Example of an Expression Name and Value:

Example of an Expression Value that Uses the @FixedTerm@ Variable

Examples Where Expressions Use Other Expressions:

Example of a Named Expression Used in an ESM Field Expression:

When using a named expression in the Expression field, you can specify its name only. If the named expression is used, no functions or operators are allowed.

Rolling Month Use Case

Let’s say you have the following expressions and you want to simplify this setup.

To do so, create a named expression called #df# and refer to it from the field.

Using the named expression, the result will look as follows for the Jan-19 row:

However Feb-19 has a lead of 1 and Mar-19 has a lead of 2. So, the result will look as follows:

Tips and Tricks

If you have several fields to populate as shown in the table below, the following trick can reduce the amount of typing.

Enter the first expression fully. For the rest, do not enter anything inside the curly braces. Ensure that there are spaces around the column as in the example below.

Dynamic Planning: External Source Model Performance Improvements

With this release we are rolling out the new Calculation Engine for External Source Models, which will improve the performance of data loading, data mapping and calculations

This is an opt-in feature. Contact the Support team if you would like to enable the new Calculation Engine for external source models.

Platform: Enhancements in NetSuite Connect

With this release, we have enabled the Leaf Node option in the drop-down list under the Maps to column for the Segment Hierarchies in the Define Data Mappings step. You can use this functionality to load leaf members in Parent-Child Segment Hierarchy. This functionality is applicable to all new and existing applications.

You can now map a source column to Leaf Node as shown in the image below.

Platform: Enabled Support for Ragged Hierarchies

We now support Ragged hierarchies (hierarchies with varying levels of tree depth) while loading Level based segment hierarchies using a Data Load Rule.

Here is an example of a Ragged hierarchy.

With this release, the drop-down list name is changed from Number of Levels to Max Number of Levels. You can select the number of levels you want to include in a Data Load Rule.

Platform: Enhancements in Audit Log for Back Up of Cleared Data

With this release, if you delete data using the Clear Data functionality, the deleted data is backed up and available for download up to a period of 90 days. A new Download File link has been added to the Description column of the audit log record for the Clear Data action. This allows you to access to the deleted data. The link is valid for 90 days. The downloaded file is in a zipped format. The link is only available when you perform the delete action.

Additionally, you can download the file from the Notification icon on the toolbar. The file is available for 48 hours after deletion.

In Practice: How to view Audit Log for Clear Data

Go to Maintenance > Audit > View Audit Log > select Clear Data form the Audit Area drop-down list > click View Logs.

Platform: Description for Source Segments in Translation Lines

While loading data from ledger systems, translation lines are leveraged. However, the source segments members are often a sequence of numerical codes which often cannot be easy consumed by business users on a drill through report.

With this release, we have added a new Description column for the Translation Lines source segment combinations. This allows you to add descriptions against each Translation Lines based on your requirement. The Description column will be visible when you drill through in a Dynamic Report with Translations data.

A new Enable Description checkbox has been added to the Add and Edit Translation page. If you select this checkbox, then a Description column will be visible in the Translation Lines.

When you use multiple Translations Lines and the Target segments are overlapping, the description is appended and a separator is used to display multiple descriptions.

You can use the Hide Description option available in the Translation Lines toolbar to hide the Description column.

Best Practices:

• When there are multiple Translation Lines available, add a description only to one of the Translation Lines.

• Maximum 120 characters are allowed in the Description column.

Platform: Enhancement in the GL Data Retrieve API

With this release, we have restricted the GL Data Retrieve API to extract data when the cube is processing. This enhancement helps you to extract the latest data using the GL Data Retrieve API. Prior to this release, the GL Data Retrieve API extracted incomplete data when the cube was being processed.

If you run the GL Data Retrieve API to extract the data while the cube is processing, an error is displayed in the application.

Platform: Enhancement to Single Sign On (SSO) Support

With this release, we have enabled support for multiple SSO configurations at the environment level as required by SSO providers like Azure ADFS.

Platform: Heads Up! Windows 7 Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 and Edge (Legacy) will not be supported

We plan to end support for Microsoft Edge (Legacy, pre-version 44) on March 30, 2020 and Internet Explorer 11 on August 21, 2020.

For more information, refer to Feature Deprecation - Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 and Edge (Legacy) browsers.