September 17th, 2020
If you are a TM1 or Planning Analytics client and you are not using Planning Analytics Workspace, it’s time to evaluate if you are using the best available tools. There are many benefits to using IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAw) as it greatly improves the end user experience, but it does so much more!
What is IBM Planning Analytics Workspace?
According to IBM’s knowledge center, “IBM Planning Analytics Workspace is a web-based interface for IBM Planning Analytics. It provides an interface to TM1® data, with ways to plan, create, and analyze your content. ... Planning Analytics Workspace opens up the world of advanced analytics to all business users.”
Translation, it is a cool front end to the TM1 platform that can also be used to build new applications and dashboards by combining cube view, web sheets, scorecard and visualizations.
As our gift to you, at the end of this blog you will find a special link to a video overview of PAw.
Deeper Dive into Planning Analytics Workspace (PAw)
IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAw) is a web-based interface for IBM Cognos TM1. It brings exciting new possibilities in terms of visualization of your TM1 data. IBM succeeded in expanding the TM1 interface options with a user-friendly and attractive experience aimed at a wide user community.
It is a view-based application which allows you to analyze data, plan and create new content. This is achieved primarily by using the built-in drag and drop tools, that come shipped with the product to build dashboards and reports. The tools themselves are visually intuitive and are easy to get started with. The created content can then be shared with others within or outside of the business.
Dashboards and reports are structured around the concept of “books”. You can think of a “book” in the same way as you do when visualizing a workbook in Excel. A “book” can have multiple sheets and each sheet can contain multiple objects.
PAw Objects and Modeling Tools Available
Objects:
- Cube views
- Single-cell widgets
- Filter controls
- Imbedded web sheets
- Pictures
- Text boxes / shapes
- Visualizations (like charts or maps)
Modeling Tools:
Reporting in PAw
As PAw strongly focuses on ad-hoc analysis and quickly generating reports/dashboards, it should suit the needs of the Business Analyst, CFO and Financial Manager quite well.
If the user need is more focused on intensive data input or capturing of large amounts of data, TM1Web/Perspectives/PAX may be a better fit. Financial controllers and planners may benefit here more by using TM1Web/Perspectives/PAX, or others that are part of the budgeting, planning, or forecasting process. Each organization’s needs are different though, so the choice should be considered.
Planning Analytics Workspace & Natural Language
Another great component of PAw is the data discovery interface with natural language processing. This helps end users find what they are looking for when they cannot remember the name of the report or cube. They just type sales and a listing of objects they may be looking for appears.
Planning Analytics Workspace and Collaboration
When you are in the budgeting cycle it is common to want to add comments or dialog about the changes you are making. So, IBM added an online chat feature. No more having to email change requests about the budget, just put them in the chat of PAw.
Planning Analytics Video Series
Recently Lodestar created a Planning Analytics video series that goes through Planning Analytics Workspace and Planning Analytics for Excel. It includes overviews, modeling tips, input and spread options, sandboxes, virtual hierarchies, an admin overview and a how to on how to promote from development to production. Stay tuned to our blog for new info and links each week.
Here is the link to the first video in this series.
This video is the first of our new, 7 part Planning Analytics series. Click here now to join our Planning Analytics mailing list and receive a link to each video as they are released.
Summary
Planning Analytics Workspace is an incredible addition to TM1 and now Planning Analytics. For years, many had to find other options like Cognos Analytics or other BI tools to report their budget and planning data from TM1. You may not inherently have PAw in your IBM entitlements. It is an add-on to Planning Analytics and Lodestar is here to help navigate those choppy waters for you. Please reach out to sales@lodestarsolutions.com and schedule your free license review. We will walk through what you own and provide a way forward to owning Planning Analytics Workspace. By reaching out for this review we will offer you a live demo of PAw and PAx and work to set you up for future success in your budgeting and planning process!