Intelligent Data Seeding with the Plan Scenario

Overview

Currently, the Plan Scenario type can only be used for a forecast. The Plan Scenario type provides an enhanced method to seed data.

Intelligent Seeding

The primary objective of Seeding is to allow you to get data and/or formulas from a source scenario. You may require different ways to seed data/formulas depending on the specific business case. The main categories of seeding that you can use are as follows:

• Cell to Cell Seeding (Overlapping periods seeding type)

• Period to Period Seeding (Plan Scenario)

Cell to Cell Seeding

Cell to Cell seeding refers to the seeding methodology where you can use the same template structure as the source scenario. This type of seeding is illustrated in the following image.

Here, the formulas defined in period 1 of 2018 in the source scenario are seeded to period 1 of 2019 in the target scenario.

Period to Period Seeding

Period to period seeding provides a setup where data and formulas are seeded based on the matching periods. In this case, formulas defined in Period 1 of 2019 in the source scenario are seeded to Period 1 of 2019 in the target Scenario. This functionality is part of the current seeding feature, which can be enabled via Plan Scenario.

Seeding Logic

When you create a new scenario with Scenario Type as Plan Scenario, the following Seeding logic occurs in the application:

• In the Seeding section, the application automatically maps the overlapping periods based on the selected source scenario.

• For periods that do not overlap, the application maps the last period as the source. You can change this to any of the open periods in the source scenario.

• The application automatically adjusts the formulas, seed formulas, and structure for overlapping periods and out periods.

• If there is any error related to the Seeding process in adjusting the formulas, the application fills the cell with data from the source. In addition, the application records a log entry for the formula that could not be adjusted. This log is provided in the form of an exception report.

  Note:

  The Seeding process does not automatically correct Excel errors caused by circular or misplaced references.

• In case of any exceptions, you can choose to correct the errors manually by replacing the formulas or you can continue with the existing values.

How to Seed Data Using the Plan Scenario

1. To seed data using the Plan scenario type, go to the Scenario List page (accessed by navigating to Maintenance > Admin > Scenario Setup).

2. Click the Add icon. The Add Scenario page is displayed.

3. In the General Information section, select Plan Scenario from the Scenario Type drop-down list

   

4. Specify the required details to create a scenario.

5. Click the Data Seeding section; the Enable Data Seeding checkbox is selected by default and is read-only.

6. From the Scenario list, select the reference scenario. All the options in the Copy field are cleared by default and you can select the required checkbox and only that data will be seeded to the target scenario.

7. The data is seeded from the reference scenario to the target scenario and the overlapping periods are mapped by default. For example, if you create a new scenario as Forecast 2019-2020 and select the source as Forecast 2018 – 2019, the application will automatically map the periods of 2019. This is because these periods are overlapping in both the source and target scenarios.

   For the out periods in the Forecast 2019-2020 scenario (periods of the financial year 2020), the application takes the last period of 2019 and maps it as the default source. You can, however, change any of the mappings and choose any specific mapping from the source scenario, if the period is an open period in the source scenario. If there are no overlapping periods, the application keeps the Source Period column as blank by default and you can then select the required dates.

   

8. If there are templates (in the reference scenario) with custom time sets, map them from the Number of Years tab to target periods in the plan scenario.

   

9. For lines without account mapping, the data for closed periods is seeded from the selected Reference scenario.

   

10. For lines with account mapping, the data for closed periods is seeded from the selected source scenario on the Closed Period Adjustment section.

    

    All formulas are automatically adjusted during the Seeding process.

Seeding Exception Report for the Plan Scenario

The application logs the cases when formulas could not be transposed and provides this information in the form of an Exception report. This report contains details such as Scenario, Entity, Template, Column and Period references, Source Value, Destination Formula, and Destination Value.

This report specifies details about the Values in Source Scenario and the replaced Value and Formula in the Target Scenario. Exception reports can be accessed from the More menu on the Scenario list screen and also from the More menu on the Templates screen.

How to Export the Seeding Exception Report for a Plan Scenario

1. Go to the Scenario List page (accessed by navigating to Maintenance > Admin > Scenario Setup), and then select a scenario from the list.
   This is applicable when the scenario type is Plan Scenario.

2. From the More list, select Seeding Exception Report.

   

   This exports the cases when formulas could not be transposed for a scenario, in the form of an exception report.