Dynamic Planning Spotlight User Guide Analyze Task

Overview

The Analyze task provides functionality to perform speed-of-thought analytics. With Analyze, you can:

• Select a model and associated view

• Refresh the data in the model

• Zoom in and out of models

• Keep or remove only certain aspects of a model

• Pivot models

Available Tasks and Sub Tasks

When you select the Analyze task, the Data and Design View sub-tasks are available. Open View is also available on the menu.

A description of tasks is provided below:

Data

Select models and associated views.

Explore model data.

Design

Create a new view of a selected model view.

View or modify properties of a model group or user group.

Open View

Browse through each of the views associated with each model by expanding and collapsing the model and associated folders.

The following icon represents a model:

The following icon represents a folder:

The following icon represents a view:

To Rename or Delete a folder, right-click as shown below:

Use Favorites and Recent folders to quickly access your favorite Views or recently accessed Views.

Favorites and Recent folders are user specific. The Recent folder displays 10 recently accessed Views by user across all Models. The Favorites folder displays 10 items. If you add more than 10 items, the most recent 10 are displayed.

Open the folder structure (as shown below) and scroll to the Favorites and Recent folders.

To move a view from one folder to the next or to a folder, drag and drop.

Ribbon Actions Available When a View is Open

Zoom In

• Children - This is the default action if you just click Zoom In or if you double-click. Select a dimension and then click Zoom In, and select Children. When Zoom In, Children is selected for the Time dimension, only the highest-level parent for each year is displayed.

• Leaves - Select a dimension and then click Zoom In, and select Leaves. When Zoom In, Leaves is selected, leaf-level members associated with the selected dimension member are displayed, and all parent members in the dimension are removed from the view. For example, if you select Scenario and click Zoom In, Leaves, the children are displayed and the parent member is removed.

• All Children - Select a dimension and then click Zoom In, and select All Children. When Zoom In, All Children is selected for the Time dimension, yearly, quarterly, and monthly data for all years are displayed. Use caution when selecting the All Children option. Using this option on dimensions with an enormous amount of members may impact performance.

• Data Leaves - Select a dimension on the row axis and then click Zoom In, and select Data Leaves. When Zoom In, Data Leaves is selected, leaf-level members associated with all the dimensions on the row axis are displayed, but only if they contain data. All parent members in the dimension are removed from the view.

• Zoom In, More Options - To perform a Zoom In action with a combination of options, select how far you want to Zoom in the upper section of the Zoom Options box, and what to do with the parent member in the lower section of the Zoom Options box. You can keep the parent members above their children, move the parent members below the children, or remove the parent. Placing parent members below the children offers the ability to have subtotals and totals below the details in your views and subsequent reports.

  

Zoom Out

• Select a dimension member and click the magnifying glass with a minus symbol to zoom out from one level to the next.

• Parent - Zoom out to the parent member of the selected member. This is the default action if you just click Zoom Out. When Zoom Out, Parent is selected for a month in the Time dimension, only the next-highest-level parent for the month is displayed.

• Top Level - Select a dimension member and then click Zoom Out, and select Top Level. When Zoom Out, Top Level is selected for a month in the Time dimension, the view changes to go all the way back to the Top Level (the top or root of the dimension, or the topmost member in the dimension that you have access to).

Pivot

• Pivot - Swap row and column dimensions. For example, in the model below Scenario, Actual, and Forecast are column headers and 2014 is a row header. Click Pivot and 2013 becomes a column header and Actual and 2013 Budget become row headers.

• Pivot to Page - Pivot dimensions to the page level, pivot a dimension from a row to a column, or pivot dimension from a column to a row.

• Pivot to Row - With Pivot to Row, you can select a single dimension and pivot it from the column to the row. Dimensions not selected remain on the column.

• Pivot to Column - With Pivot to Column, you can select a single dimension and pivot it from a row to a column. Dimensions not selected remain on the row.

Keep Only

Keep selected members, removing all other members from the spreadsheet.

Remove Only

Remove selected members, leaving all other members on the spreadsheet.

Drill Through

This Drill Through action captures detail data for Master models loaded to Dynamic Planning through Planful Structured Planning, Consolidation, and Reporting applications or from an external data source. All users, regardless of access privileges, can drill through detail data exposing read-only detailed information.

When you perform a drill through from a model view, you can interact with the resulting Drill Through report in the following ways:

• Drag and drop a single column, a range of columns, or multiple columns to reorder them

• Adjust the width of a single column, a range of columns, or multiple columns

• Turn filters on or off

• Sort column data in ascending or descending order

• Select the code, name and label display for members

An example Drill Through report is shown below.

For information on Doc Ref, Lines, and Sublines, see Dynamic Reports: Enhanced Drilling on Dynamic Report Output

Important Details:

• Data is displayed in the same currency and formatted as loaded or upon input into the application for QTD and YTD or multi-currency calculations in Drill Through reports,

• Subline amounts are stored in local currency and currency conversions do not exist.

• Calculated members, calculations, and Excel formulas, are not supported in Drill Through reports.

• All template types are supported except for Actual Data Template, and Initiative templates.

• Drill Through is not supported with Multiple POV on a cell.

Get Data

The Get Data action updates data in the spreadsheet after selections are made.

Save

If you do not see Save Data on the menu, then the view does not have Save enabled. See Enabling Menu Items in Views and Reports: Save Data and Breakback.

This action saves modified data to the view, provided that Enable Save is set to Yes in the View Properties. Users can save changes only to leaf-level data.

If a user tries to save data changes to rollup members in the view, a message appears informing them that the changes have not been saved. The change they made remains on the screen but has not be committed to the model.

When the rollup notification appears, if the Save action was set to also a run a calculation, the calculation will not be run.

If the view consists of combination of leaf-level and rollup-level cells, then the validation is not run. The leaf-level cells will be saved and the rollup level cells will not be saved.

Breakback

If you do not see Breakback on the menu, then the view does not have Save enabled. See Enabling Menu Items in Views and Reports: Save Data and Breakback.

This action opens the Breakback box where you can select a spreading method and allocate changes in numeric data from the top down.

For details, see Breakback from View or Report.

Actions Available in the Spreadsheet

There are several features and functions available within the body of the spreadsheet, each of which is described below.

Dimension Drag and Drop

To move dimensions between the axes of your analysis (for example, page, row, or column), drag and drop the dimension. For example, you have a Product dimension and you want that dimension data displayed in the row to see product lines. Select the Product Main cell by clicking on and holding the drop-down arrow and dragging to the row then dropping on top of the Time dimension. You can then zoom in to reveal detailed levels within the Product Main hierarchy. Dimensions can be dragged and dropped between any of the axes, but there must be at least one dimension on both the row and column axes. No dimensions are required on the page axis.

Copy/Paste (Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V)

You can copy and paste cells, including underlying data or dimension members, within the spreadsheet.

Direct Cell Entry

Enter dimension data directly in a cell. For example, you have Actual and 2019 Budget scenarios. Now, you want to add the Variance scenario in the column next to 2019 Budget. To do so, select the cell and enter the word Variance. Then, click Get Data to update the spreadsheet data with variance data.

Ability to Have Multiple Views Opened at Once

In Spotlight, you can have multiple tabs opened with different views in each tab (just like SpotlightXL). Each tab will have the view name preceded by the model name. In the example shown below, 3 views are opened each displayed on a different tab.

In Practice: Opening Multiple Views

1. Open a view by navigating to Analyze > Data and selecting the view from the Open View list box.

2. Open another tab to display a second view by clicking the Add button (shown below).

   

3. In the new tab, select a view for display.

In Practice: Closing Tabs in Views

1. Right click on the tab.

2. Click Close Tab to close the selected tab. Or, click Close Other Tabs to close all other tabs except for the selected / active tab.

   

Support for Multiple POV Selections in Spotlight for Direct Connect Models

You can select multiple members of page filters for views and reports built on Direct Connect Models. A Direct Connect model is one created with Direct Access to PCR enabled.

For detailed information on Direct Connect models, click here.

This feature is available for all main, alternate, attribute and attribute hierarchies added to page filters. There is no restriction on the level or number or combination of members selected on each dimension.

If you decide to move the dimensions from the page to a row or column, the dimension tree is updated intuitively to display the dimensions.

Once you move the dimensions selected from the page to a row or column, you can save the view as a report and run it.

Here is a page shot from Spotlight (web version) showing the ability to select multiple members for the Product Main dimension. Select checkboxes next to members.

Standardized Font in Spotlight Views

The font used to display Views is standardized as Arial 9-point. However, you can change the font of headings and other text items in your view designs and save them.

Quick Math Functions

The View window includes a formula bar and quick functions such as Sum, Average, Count, Min, and Max. When you select a range of cells, the values in the quick functions update automatically.

View Formula Used for Calculation

You can view how a value at a particular cell intersection is being calculated by viewing the formula in the formula bar. For example, for all cell values that are derived using a calculation, you can view the formula associated with the calculation directly in the formula bar, while all cell values that do not have any calculation associated with them, you will see the respective cell values in the formula bar.

How does the functionality work

Now, while you are working on any Report or View, the application constantly validates each cell intersection and verifies if any formula is defined within the calculation that is mapped to the artifact. For example, if your calculation contains formula, aggregation, map, or some other step, the application validates all these steps, finds the exact dimension intersection based on the scope, and then retrieves the formula and displays it in the formula bar

In Practice

1. In Spotlight Web, select a View and navigate to any cell intersection that has a calculation associated with it.

2. View the formula in the formula bar.

Limitations

1. If the Enable Save property is set to Yes and the Calculation on Save property is configured with a calculation, then the formula configured in the calculation will be displayed in the formula bar. For any other calculation where the Enable Save property is not set to Yes, then the formula will not be displayed.

2. If the Enable Save property is set to Yes and the Calculation on Save property is configured with a calculation. Still, if the application runs a different calculation, then the formula displayed in the formula bar and the formula configured in the calculation will not match.

3. If multiple formulas are configured for any intersection, then the application will display only one formula in the formula bar.

Dynamic Commentary

What Is It and How Does It Work

Dynamic Commentary allows you to collaborate within Dynamic Reports, Spotlight Web (Views and Reports), and SpotlightXL (Views and Reports), and Excel Based Reports.

You can perform the following:

• Add cell level comments.

• Edit, Delete, Highlight, or Resolve comments.

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

• Add users, text, #tags, and hyperlinks in the comments.

• Assign tasks and track their status from Task Manager.

• Mark a task as Complete in the Comment(s) pane.

• View all comments in the application and perform actions such as Delete and Highlight in Comments Manager.

• Post comments on cells containing data from Alternative hierarchy.

You can view an indicator wherever a comment is posted in the report. You can include the following in a comment:

• Add a user - Type + and select the required username to tag the user in a comment. When you type + , username suggestions are provided automatically for the ease of selection. A notification is sent to the tagged user. You can turn off the notifications if required.

• Add # tags - Type # to find the most used tags in a comment.

• Add URLs in a comment.

How to Enable Dynamic Commentary and Post a Comment

You must enable Dynamic Commentary in SpotlightXL for it to be available in Spotlight. In the Design View for a specific View, click the Properties action. Select Yes in the Enable Comments drop-down list. The default is set to No in all existing and new views. This functionality is available in all views across all models.

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

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

When Enable Comments is set to No, 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.

You can add comments on a Direct Access to PCR (DAP) model in Spotlight Analyze and Report (Web and XL) with multiple members on the Page axis. Members can include Dimensions and Substitution Variables.

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 only edit the comments posted by you. The administrator can update comments posted by any user. You can edit comments from anywhere (Dynamic Reports, Spotlight Web (Analyze and Report), and SpotlightXL (Analyze and Report), and Excel Based Reports) within the application irrespective of where you posted the comment.

How to Highlight a Comment

Click the icon on the right-hand side of the comments pop-up window and select Highlight from the menu list. The Highlight icon is displayed next to the comment.

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 only delete the comments posted by you. The administrator can delete comments posted by any user. You can delete comments from anywhere (Dynamic Reports, Spotlight Web (Analyze and Report), and SpotlightXL (Analyze and Report), and Excel Based Reports) within the application irrespective of where you posted the comment.

How to Resolve a Comment

You can resolve a comment thread by clicking Resolve visible in the first comment of the thread. Resolved comments are not displayed in the reports or when the report is exported. Once you resolve a comment, the visual indicator is not displayed on the cells.

You can resolve the comments from anywhere (Dynamic Reports, Spotlight Web (Analyze and Report), and SpotlightXL (Analyze and Report), and Excel Based Reports) within the application irrespective of where you posted the comment.

You can view the resolved comments from the Comments Manager page. An icon is displayed next to resolved comments as shown in the image below.

Use the Filter icon to filter resolved comments in the grid. Also, you can delete resolved comments using the More option. The image below shows the filter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.

Once a comment is resolved, you cannot reopen, edit, reply, or highlight that comment. However, a new thread can be started for the same cell.

How to Assign a Task

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.

   

The assignees and admin will have access to the assigned tasks. You can view the task details from Task Manager.

Mark Task as Completed in Comments Pop-up Window

You can change the status of any of your assigned tasks to Completed directly from the Comments pop-up window using the Mark as Completed toggle.

Only Assignee, Reporter, or Administrator can mark the status Completed using the Mark as Completed toggle. The Mark as Completed toggle is available in Dynamic Reports, Spotlight Web - Analyze and Reports, SpotlightXL - Analyze, Reports, and Excel Based Reports. The following image shows the status of a task marked as completed using the toggle.

When you mark any task Completed from the Comments pop-up window, the same status is automatically updated for the corresponding task in the Task Manager page.

How to Email Notifications for Dynamic Commentary

You can configure email notifications for the Dynamic Commentary functionality from the My Setting page. This functionality helps you track actions in the Dynamic Commentary functionality and keeps you up to date by providing email notifications for the selected action based on your requirement.You will receive email notifications with hyperlinks to directly navigate to the respective product area. This helps you access reports and tasks quickly from emails.

The email hyperlink redirects you to the corresponding artifact (for example, a Dynamic Report, a SpotlightXL View, or a SpotlightXL Report) from which the comment was posted and also opens the corresponding Comment pop-up window.

If the email notification is regarding an assigned task, the email hyperlink redirects you to the corresponding task in the Task Manager page.

The image below displays an email notification for Dynamic Commentary.

In Practice

To configure email notifications for Dynamic Commentary, click your Profile Name , navigate to My Settings > General tab and then select or deselect the required check box under the Enable Email Notification for the Dynamic Commentary section.

The following actions are available for which you can enable email notifications:

• All Actions - Select this check box to enable email notifications for all actions available in Dynamic Commentary. By default, this check box is selected.

• Replied to My Comment - Select this check box if you want to receive email notification only when someone replies to your comment.

• Mentioned on Comment - Select this check box if you want to receive email notification only when someone mentioned you in any comment.

• Assigned Task - Select this check box if you want to receive email notification only when someone assigned you any task.

  

You will receive email notifications only for the selected actions. By default, all check boxes are selected.

How to 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.