Rules

Use the Simulation process when the following occurs:

• Change to Allocation Mappings
• Changes in Segment Hierarchies
• Change in Reference Templates
• Change in Spreads
• Change in Scenario Seed/Seed Scenario Changes
• Completion of sub-line formula adjustments as part of the Seeding process (when using a Plan Scenario type)

The changes made to the templates are permanent. If a template is marked "Complete" or "Forwarded", the Simulation engine will override these settings.

• After changing an existing template - when a template has been set up, deployed, and used for planning, and then changes are made to that template’s design / set up. The Simulation Engine will save each template’s data based on the new structure without having to open and save each template individually. For example, an Admin user changes a formula in a Calculation row of an existing template and needs the new formula results stored in the database.
• After seeding a new scenario - when seeding data from one scenario to another scenario, as soon as a template is opened the seeded data is pulled into the template but it will not be available for reporting until the template is saved. Once the template has been saved the seeded data will be available for reporting.
• After changing the value of a Global Field - when a template has rows driven by Global Fields, changes to those values need to be “processed” at the individual template level. The Simulation Engine will save each template’s data based on the updated Global Field values without having to open and save each template individually.
• Large HR batches - when processing a large amount of employees an alternative solution would be to schedule a Simulation Engine process
• Template drivers – when you have templates that drive other templates, using the Simulation Engine may be useful in pushing updates from one group of templates to others.
• Plan Scenario - to trigger the Intelligent Seeding functionality. Admin users must schedule a simulation engine process to ensure all the data is transposed properly. In addition, Admin users must select the Enable Subline Processing setting and then run a simulation process. This is to ensure that the process runs for Main lines and Sublines together when the process is run for the first time.

To add a new Simulation Engine Process, follow the steps below:

1. Access the Simulation Engine Process List page by navigating to Maintenance > Rules > Simulation Engine. All current processes are displayed by scenario.
2. Select a scenario from the Scenario drop-down for which you want to process templates and click the Add icon.
3. Enter a Process Code.
4. Enter a Process Name.
5. Select the Planning Area from the drop-down where the templates are located.
6. For Persistent Processing, if you select Yes, Simulation Engine will process to completion even when a failure is encountered for a particular template, scenario and entity combination. Navigate to Job Manager (Maintenance > Administration > Cloud Scheduler > Job Manager) to view process details and the process status. 
7. For Automatic Cube Refresh, select Yes to process the reporting cube automatically once Simulation processing completes. Available for Operational Planning and Revenue Planning.
8. Click Save.

Now that the process is created, you need to add template - entity combinations that you want processed. To set up the Template - Entity combinations to process, follow the steps below:

1. Access the Simulation Engine Process List page by navigating to Maintenance > Rules > Simulation Engine. All current processes are displayed. 
2. Select a scenario from the Scenario drop-down and a process from the list.
3. Click Setup.
4. Select the desired template from the Template drop-down you want to process. The entity hierarchy is displayed in the left pane.
5. Select the desired entities and click the forward arrow. You can select additional templates and map template-entity combinations.
6. Optionally, click Entity Report to view all entities associated with the process by name, template name, and template type.
7. Click Save.

We recommend that you use Cloud Scheduler to run all Simulation Engine processes. If you schedule the process to run via the Simulation Engine page, scheduled Simulation Engine jobs may not run in order due to server availability.

To schedule a Simulation Engine Process:

1. Navigate to Maintenance > Administration > Cloud Scheduler.
2. Go to the Process Flow page and click Add.
3. Enter a code and name to identify the Cloud Scheduler process on the General Information tab.
4. Go to the Tasks tab.
5. Click Add Task to add a task.
6. For Task Type, select Simulation Engine.
7. Select the Scenario for which the user wants to schedule to run the Simulation Engine Process. The Task Name is auto-filled based on the selected Scenario.
8. For Process, all Simulation Engine processes associated with the selected scenario are displayed. Select the desired process.
9. Click Save.
10. Go to the Scheduler tab to schedule the start day, time, and frequency in which the process will run.

One way to save time is to create all processes for the default scenario and then map them to other scenarios. To do so:

1. Access the Simulation Engine Process List page by navigating to Maintenance > Rules > Simulation Engine. All current processes are displayed. Select the scenario you want to copy processes to.
2. Click More, and select Copy From Default Scenario. The Process List page appears.
3. Select the processes you want to copy on the Process List dialog box.
4. Click Copy.

The simulation engine only processes the entity/template combinations defined. It is possible to map parent-level Budget Entities to the process. In this case, new Budget Entities of that parent will be included. For the Simulation Engine to process a Budget Entity / Template combination that combination must be a valid mapped combination at the template level.

If you manually go to those entity templates you cannot make any changes without sending the entity back and marking the template “not complete”. Even reference accounts are not updated unless you mark the template “Not complete”.

1. Navigate to Maintenance > Administration > User & Role Management and select the Navigation Role tab.

2. Select the role in the list and then click on Navigation Access.

3. Expand the hierarchy until you see the Cloud Scheduler link under Maintenance, Administration.

4. Check the box for Cloud Scheduler and then click Save.

5. Refresh the Planful application window or re-login in to the application to view the new option.

There is no limit to the number of template-entity combinations you can process in a single scheduled Simulation process for all template types.

Generating a high number of template-entity combinations in a single schedule may not be as effective as creating several individual Simulation processes when it comes to the overall turnaround of the process and eventual completion.

If the data is spread across multiple entity/template combinations, the Simulation Engine can be used to automatically save the template for specific scenarios & for selected budget entities.

To do this, navigate to Maintenance > Rules > Simulation Engine and create a new process for the relevant entity/template combinations. Run the process and then process the reporting cube for the selected scenario. With these steps completed, the data will be available in reports.

No, saving the template in this mode will only save the structure. To write the data to the mappings you have created, you will need to save the template while in Input mode in the Planning Control Panel or run a Simulation Engine process for the template, scenario, and entity combination(s).

• Process Log – the Process Log is available for Processes run locally

• Notifications – can be setup to provide email alerts for both successful and failed scheduled processes. By default, the user creating the process is notified, but other users can be added.