Dynamic Planning Model Task in Excel

Overview

The Model task in Excel lets you manage all aspects of your models, such as creating models, setting the type of model, adding dimensions, changing aggregation values, creating model formulas, copying models, updating dimensions, and loading data.

Note:

In the Web version of Spotlight, you use the Model Manager to create, view, and maintain models. See Using Model Manager.

Available SubTasks

When the Model task is selected, several subtasks become available. You can display multiple tabs for a model subtask. You can have one tab open for each Model Subtask unless you open a second Excel instance. Instructions on how to open another Excel instance are provided here.

Model Subtasks include all subtasks available when the Model task is selected, as shown below.

The image below shows 3 Model subtasks each open in a seperate tab.

In Practice: How to Display Multiple Tabs for A Model Subtask

This example uses the Map Subtask.

Navigate to Model > Map.

Click to add a new sheet.

Navigate to Model > Calculation.

Now, you can toggle between the tabs to view each map selected on each.

In Practice: How to Enable Multiple Tabs for A Model Subtask

The ability to have multiple tabs for a model subtask is not enabled by default. Follow the steps below to enable this functionality.

Navigate to Manage > Application Administration > Application Settings.

Scroll down to the Model Property portion of the screen.

For Enabled SpotlightXL Multi-Tab, select Yes as the Default Value as shown below.

Subtasks Described

Each subtask is described below with a link to more detailed information.

Task	Description
Setup	Define the structure of a model including type of model and dimension types (key, value).
Dimension	Define a model’s dimensions, dimension members, and member properties.
Attribute	Set up Attributes, which are characteristics associated with dimensions and are most commonly used to create alternative roll-ups for analysis and reporting. Dimension Security supports attributes in views and reports.
Map	Create, edit or delete a map, which transfers metadata and data from one model to another or within a model. This includes model data from within the Structured Planning, Consolidation, or Reporting applications to Dynamic Planning, one model to another model, within a single model, and Dynamic Planning back to the Planful Structured Planning, Consolidation, or Reporting applications.
Scope	Define filters for a model’s dimension members. Defining a scope for each model improves performance and scalability by automatically refreshing and clearing temporary dimension member data (like statistical accounts for example) while executing the Calculation to ensure accurate reports.
Formula	Create, delete, and edit formulas for the model.
Calculation	Define the execution order for formulas, maps, and aggregations. Run the calculation.
Data	A convenient way to copy and paste data to enhance a model. This data is generally not data from the Planful Structured Planning, Consolidation, or Reporting applications because that data can be mapped. This data is likely to come from a source external to Planful.
Import / Export Data	Import and export Model data in text and csv formats.
External Source Model With data source integration, you can import data from an external source (such as Salesforce.com) to Dynamic Planning. Data can be imported from an Excel file, a CSV file, or a TXT file using copy and paste (Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V) actions. There are three subtasks under the External Source Model subtask. See Using External Source Models. For details on Data Types, Expressions, and Formulas, see External Source Model Field Types, Expressions, and Formulas.
Source Model	Define the structure of the Source Model in the order of the fields in the external data source, and optionally clear the Source Model.
Source Map	Define a map, which will connect the Source Model to the Master Model.
Source Data	Load the external data into the Source Model.
External Data Source Model (Legacy) With data source integration, you can import data from an external source (such as Salesforce.com) to Dynamic Planning. Data can be imported from an Excel file, a CSV file, or a TXT file using copy and paste (Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V) actions. There are three subtasks under the External Source Model subtask.
Source Model	Define the structure of the Source Model in the order of the fields in the external data source, and optionally generate or clear the Source Model.
Source Map	Define a map, which will connect the Source Model to the Master Model.
Source Data	Load the external data into the Source Model.
Model Administration
Validation	Validate a selected model and get information on invalid objects.
Lookup	Lookups enable you to customize dimension member labels for display within a model or an analysis.
Substitution Variables	Define substitution variables for use within a selected mode. Substitution variables are model-specific. There is no limit to the number of substitution variables you can define per model.
Data Locking	Specify data in one or more models that should be locked. Locked data cannot be modified by user inputs or other operations. Dimension members and member intersections are used to define which data is locked.

Task

Description

Setup

Define the structure of a model including type of model and dimension types (key, value).

Dimension

Define a model’s dimensions, dimension members, and member properties.

Attribute

Set up Attributes, which are characteristics associated with dimensions and are most commonly used to create alternative roll-ups for analysis and reporting. Dimension Security supports attributes in views and reports.

Map

Create, edit or delete a map, which transfers metadata and data from one model to another or within a model. This includes model data from within the Structured Planning, Consolidation, or Reporting applications to Dynamic Planning, one model to another model, within a single model, and Dynamic Planning back to the Planful Structured Planning, Consolidation, or Reporting applications.

Scope

Define filters for a model’s dimension members. Defining a scope for each model improves performance and scalability by automatically refreshing and clearing temporary dimension member data (like statistical accounts for example) while executing the Calculation to ensure accurate reports.

Formula

Create, delete, and edit formulas for the model.

Calculation

Define the execution order for formulas, maps, and aggregations. Run the calculation.

Data

A convenient way to copy and paste data to enhance a model. This data is generally not data from the Planful Structured Planning, Consolidation, or Reporting applications because that data can be mapped. This data is likely to come from a source external to Planful.

Import / Export Data

Import and export Model data in text and csv formats.

External Source Model

With data source integration, you can import data from an external source (such as Salesforce.com) to Dynamic Planning. Data can be imported from an Excel file, a CSV file, or a TXT file using copy and paste (Ctrl+C or Ctrl+V) actions. There are three subtasks under the External Source Model subtask.

See Using External Source Models.

For details on Data Types, Expressions, and Formulas, see External Source Model Field Types, Expressions, and Formulas.

Source Model

Define the structure of the Source Model in the order of the fields in the external data source, and optionally clear the Source Model.

Source Map

Define a map, which will connect the Source Model to the Master Model.

Source Data

Load the external data into the Source Model.

External Data Source Model (Legacy)

Source Model

Define the structure of the Source Model in the order of the fields in the external data source, and optionally generate or clear the Source Model.

Source Map

Define a map, which will connect the Source Model to the Master Model.

Source Data

Load the external data into the Source Model.

Model Administration

Validation

Validate a selected model and get information on invalid objects.

Lookup

Lookups enable you to customize dimension member labels for display within a model or an analysis.

Substitution Variables

Define substitution variables for use within a selected mode. Substitution variables are model-specific. There is no limit to the number of substitution variables you can define per model.

Data Locking

Specify data in one or more models that should be locked. Locked data cannot be modified by user inputs or other operations. Dimension members and member intersections are used to define which data is locked.

Dynamic Planning Model Task in Excel

Overview

Available SubTasks

Subtasks Described

What's Next