Ability to Automatically Add Members When Writing Data Back From Dynamic Planning to Structured Planning, Consolidation, and Reporting

This feature is available upon request. Please contact Planful Support to enable.

Automatically add dimension members to hierarchies when writing back data from Dynamic Planning to Structured Planning, Reporting, and Consolidation. For example, you add new vendors in Dynamic Planning via an External Source Model. Then you send the data from Dynamic Planning to Structured Planning, Consolidation, and Reporting via a Model Map executed via a Calculation (in the Dynamic Planning module) and a Data Load Rule (in the Structured Planning module). Or, you add products in Dynamic Planning and write the additional products back to Structured Planning.

In Practice: Append Missing Dimension Members in a Model Map - Step 1

Enabling Write Back With Automatic Member Addition in Maps requires that you select Yes for the Append Missing Dimension Members option available only for Model Maps that are linked to the HACPM_Financial model. Follow the steps below.

1. In SpotlightXL, navigate to Model > Map.

2. Select the HACPM_Financial Model and the Map you created to write data back to Structure Planning. Verify the Map contains the Write Back Id for the Data Load Rule.

3. For Append Missing Dimension Members , select Yes as shown below.

   

4. Save.

In Practice: Run the Calculation for the HACPM_Finanical Model - Step 2

The Calculation must include the Map where Append Missing Dimension Members is set to Yes.

1. In SpotlightXL navigate to Model > Calculation.

2. Select the HACPM_Financial Model and the Map you’ve created to write data back to Structured Planning as shown in the image below.

3. Click Run.

   

4. Verify the Calculation completed successfully as shown below.

   

In Practice: Verifying the Dimension Members Were Appended in Structured Planning - Step 3

You will receive a detailed email indicating the segment updates to Structure Planning. Here is an example:

It is a Best Practice to login to Structured Planning to verify the additional segments/dimensions added to the hierarchy via Hierarchy Management or the Planning Control Panel. New members added to Dynamic Planning and written back to Structured Planning are added to the DI-AutoCreated rollup shown below.

In Practice: Adding Appended Dimension Members to a Dynamic Report - Step 4

1. In Reports, access a Dynamic Report.

2. In this case, product members were added from Dynamic Planning to Structured Planning. Click the Product Dimension Member (in this case it is on the row axis).

3. Locate the DI-AutoCreated members in the hierarchy.

4. Select them to include in the Dynamic Report and Save.

   In the image below, the newly added members are used in a Dynamic Report on the Row axis.

   

Dynamic Planning: Set Up a Calculation to Run the Map

Now you must execute the write-back with a calculation.

In Practice: Model > Calculation

1. The Model is HACPM_Financial.

2. The Name lets you give this Calculation a name so you can re-use it.

3. Set Run in Background to Yes.

4. Under Type , specify Map . Under Name , specify the name of the Map that you created in the previous section.

5. Then click Save.

   

6. Click Run.

   

You can view the status of the calculation by selecting Manage > Application Administration > Request Status.

Validating Data Changes in Structured Planning, Consolidation, and Reporting Applications

In Structured Planning, Consolidation, or Reporting applications, create a Dynamic Report to verify that the data has been written correctly.

For example, here is a Dynamic Report that shows the values written from the View above.

Dynamic Planning: Using Attributes as Filters for Write-back to PCR

You can use attributes in Maps to fine tune which data should be written back to PCR. The attributes act as a filter to select the data intersections to be written back. Instead of writing back a whole hierarchy for a particular dimension, you can write back only those members of the hierarchy that have a particular attribute. The match criteria of Common is assumed when attributes are in the map.

Example 1: Write-back without Attributes

The following map shows how data is written back without attributes; this is the traditional method. All members of the Road Bikes hierarchy in 2014 with data for account 4010 are written back. As a reminder, the map is of type Data, the transfer type is Leaf, and the Write Back ID is the name of the data load rules file in PCR.

Here is the calculation that runs the map.

Here is the view (Analyze > Data) of the data in Dynamic Planning.

Here is the view of the data in PCR before and after the calculation is run.

Example 2: Write-back with Attributes

Consider the following attributes on the Time and Product dimensions of the model DW.

Time contains an attribute called Seasons. Each month rolls up to a quarter and is mapped to a season.

Product contains an attribute called Material. Each bicycle part rolls up to its parent and is mapped to a type of material.

Here is a map with attributes added. Because the attribute is associated with a particular dimension, that dimension does not need to be explicitly identified as a Source Dimension. All members of the Bicycles hierarchy with Material attribute Steel, with data for account 4010 in the months of 2014 with Season attribute Winter, are written back. For data to be written back, it must have both the Steel product attribute AND the Winter time attribute. As a reminder, the map is of type Data, the transfer type is Leaf, and the Write Back ID is the name of the data load rules file in PCR

Here is the calculation that runs the map.

Here is the view of the data in Dynamic Planning. Green boxes show the dimension filters selected in the map. Red boxes show the attribute filters selected in the map. Yellow boxes show the data that should be written back to PCR.

Here is the view of the data in PCR before and after the calculation is run.

Example 3: Write-back with Multiple Attributes

Using the same attributes on the Time and Product dimensions as in Example 2, here is a map with multiple attributes per dimension added. Because the attribute is associated with a particular dimension, that dimension does not need to be explicitly identified as a Source Dimension. All members of the Bicycles hierarchy with Materials attribute Steel OR Leather, with data for account 4010 in the months of 2014 with Season attribute Winter OR Spring, are written back. For data to be written back, it must have the Steel or Leather product attribute AND the Winter or Spring time attribute. As a reminder, the map is of type Data, the transfer type is Leaf, and the Write Back ID is the name of the data load rules file in PCR.

Here is the calculation that runs the map.

Here is the view of the data in Dynamic Planning. Green boxes show the dimension filters selected in the map. Red boxes show the attribute filters selected in the map. Yellow boxes show the data that should be written back to PCR.

Here is the view of the data in PCR before and after the calculation is run.