Article Summary
This article provides a complete, step-by-step guide to understanding scenario types in Planful. It explains the purpose and behavior of each system-defined and user-defined scenario type, covers key features like Actuals integration, Projection Start Date, and data seeding, and helps administrators efficiently set up scenarios for planning, forecasting, or reporting while ensuring proper data usage and governance.
Actual scenario not forwarding
The Actual Scenario cannot be forwarded. It is a system-defined scenario that is automatically available to all users. While it can be used as a source for creating new scenarios, seeding data, or comparisons, it cannot be edited, deleted, or manually forwarded.
Actual Vs Budget
The Actual scenario data can be used while creating new scenarios as a source, for seeding data, or comparisons whereas the Budget scenario is designed for budgeting purposes and cannot incorporate actual data. The Budget Scenario can be seeded from a previous scenario. This scenario offers the option to show historical data to guide through budget inputs.
Convert budget to forecast
You cannot convert the Budget scenario to Forecast. However, you can create a new scenario and manually seed or copy data from the existing one.
Scenario Planning
Scenarios are placeholders for a group of data such as budget, plan, or forecast that cover a specific, predetermined period. Scenarios will determine the columns (time horizon) in templates and house the data in the cube for reporting.
Four main types of scenarios can be created in Planful:
Budget - This scenario is designed for budgeting purposes and cannot incorporate actual data. The Budget Scenario can be seeded from a previous scenario or created as a Zero-based scenario. This scenario offers the option to show historical data to guide through budget inputs.
Forecast - The Forecast Scenario is used for creating forecasts, where the projection start date can be set, and actuals are incorporated. The Projection start date period requires an entry in the Projection Start Date when the forecast begins. Months from the start of the fiscal year up to the selected Projection Start Date are considered closed periods, and data for these periods can be populated from the Actual scenario or a previous scenario.
Plan - The Plan Scenario serves both budget and forecast purposes. This scenario allows Data Seeding and can incorporate Actuals. Similar to a forecast scenario, the Plan Scenario also has a Projection Start Date. The periods of the fiscal year before the Projection Start Date are considered closed periods, and data can be populated from the Actual scenario or a previous scenario.
Preloaded Budget - The Preloaded Budget scenario is used for historic budget data generated outside of Planful that needs to be imported for reporting purposes. Data loaded into this scenario cannot be modified with a template and remains in a read-only state.
Note
Once a Scenario is created, you cannot change its type from one to another. For example, a Budget scenario cannot be converted to a Forecast.
In addition to the above types, Planful also offers two system-defined scenarios
Operating Actuals
Actual - The Actual scenario data can be used while creating new scenarios as a source, for seeding data, or comparisons. Users cannot delete or edit the Actual scenario, as it is a system-defined scenario.
Default - The Default scenario is the common scenario that serves as a placeholder for newly added templates, which can then be mapped to other scenarios. It cannot be edited or deleted, as it is a system-defined scenario.
Operating Actuals
Actual - The Actual scenario data can be used while creating new scenarios as a source, for seeding data, or comparisons. Users cannot delete or edit the Actual scenario, as it is a system-defined scenario.