What’s New in Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.84

What's New in Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.84
What's New in Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.84
Written by Mike Bernaiche, February 16th 2023

It is time again to discuss what is new in Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.84.  In February 2023, IBM released updates to workspace and while this isn’t a large update there are a few items of note that make an already great product even better.  As a reminder, IBM releases updates to workspace every month. 

Books and Reporting

  • Synchronization for Visualizations Improvements – in previous versions, the user interface showed dimensions instead of labels.  You now see the hierarchy synchronization option in the Synchronize feature under Visualization properties. Dimension names also display above the hierarchy names now for easy identification.
Synchronization for Visualizations Improvements
  • New Forecast Capabilities for Line Chart – Line visualization now includes 3 slots for forecast.  High bound, Low bound and Forecast.  As with current forecasting capabilities, High bound and Low bound are used to draw the envelope and Forecast indicates the forecasted values.  Additionally, you must specify a Forecast start to indicate when the forecast data starts.
New Forecast Capabilities for Line Chart
  • View Section Icons – To enable or disable section icons in the cube viewer, click View options, and then toggle section icons by clicking the check box next to Section icons.
View Section Icons

Applications and Plans

Revert Approvals in Plans – plan owners can now revert approvals in plans.  To revert a task approval:

  1. Open the plan in edit mode.
  2. Under Plan tasks, click the Submissions link on a task to open the Submissions log.
  3. Click Pending approval or completed to find the approved submission.  Submissions that require multiple approvals and were only partially approved are under Pending approval.  Submissions that were fully approved are under Completed.
  4. Click the menu next to the task for which you want to cancel an approval and select Revert approval.
  5. Select the approver group(s) from whom you want to remove approval(s) and click Revert.

Where there are multiple approvers for a task, when you revert an approval, approval is also removed from any next-in-line approvers.  In the following example, if you remove Group A's approval, Group B's is also removed.  Both Group A and Group B will need to approve the submission again.

Modeling

  • Copy Object Names from Database Tree - You can now copy name objects from the Databases tree. You can copy the object name into your clipboard by hovering your cursor over the item that you want to copy and then pressing CTRL+C (Windows) or CMD+C (Mac).  When copying the object name for a member, the value copied is the MUN (Member Unique Name).
  • Turbo Integrator Debugger - The process editor in Planning Analytics Workspace includes a debugger user interface that allows you to set line breakpoints, continue to the next breakpoint, and step over to the next line. Conditional breakpoints are also supported. You can enable the debug mode only on one process at a time.  A welcome addition!
  • Rename levels in Dimension Editor –
Rename levels in Dimension Editor
Rename levels in Dimension Editor

Depreciation Notice

In Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.84, the classic dimension editor is no longer available from the modeling workbench.  The classic dimension editor remains available on books.

All dimension creation and maintenance in the modeling workbench must now be performed in the new experience dimension editor.  The new experience dimension editor was introduced on the modeling workbench in Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.82.

Summary

Thank you for taking the time to read about what’s new in Planning Analytics 2.0.84.  To catch up on previous version you can check out these blogs here.

If you are running Planning Analytics Workspace in a Microsoft Environment, you MUST read this blog!

Docker Support – Every Planning Analytics Customer Must Read

Planning Analytics Workspace
Planning Analytics Workspace
Written by Mike Bernaiche, January 10th, 2023

If you own Planning Analytics and use Planning Analytics Workspace (PAw) on Microsoft servers, you most likely have Docker installed.  Docker is required to run PAw in windows server environments.  Recently Microsoft sold Docker to Mirantis and Docker is now called Mirantis Runtime Engine. This change has brought some potential issues for Planning Analytics clients.  Please read below for all the information you need regarding this change and potential ways to overcome this change.

Mirantis Runtime Engine

History

Previously when you installed Paw, the IBM install executable simply checked for a version of Docker and called the MS install script if Docker wasn't found. This was based on installing in a windows environment. 

Currently, if you are installing PAw for the first time you need to get the Docker install files directly from Mirantis.  This started with PAw 2.0.78, released in July 2022.

If you are running PAw in a Linux environment, Docker is not required, and this doesn’t apply to your environment.

What the Future Holds

Starting on April 30, 2023, Mirantis will assume support for Mirantis Runtime Engine (formerly Docker Engine) from Microsoft.  Mirantis will then directly provide all support, defect fixes, and security patches.  While you have a couple of months before this change takes place, you should start the planning process today.

This change impacts the ability of IBM Planning Analytics on-premises customers to download Mirantis Runtime Engine.  Mirantis Runtime Engine is required to deploy Planning Analytics Workspace on Windows Server 2016 and 2019.

Environments

Microsoft Server Environments

As mentioned above, if you are running Microsoft Server 2016 or 2019 you may want to plan for support of Docker (Mirantis Runtime Engine) through Mirantis. 

Existing customers would need to purchase if they want updated versions or support from Mirantis. Security (future vulnerabilities being identified in Docker) will likely be the motivating factor for updates.  You can find more information at the here.  In short, there will be an annual cost to keep support.  

Linux Environments

Linux environments do not require Docker or Mirantis Runtime Engine. 

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 deployments do not require Mirantis Runtime Engine as Podman is used as the container runtime.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 continues to support the version of Docker Engine that it packages with the RHEL7 extras package.

Other environments such as Ubuntu do not require Docker or Mirantis Runtime Engine. 

IBM Planning Analytics SaaS Environments

This change does not impact Planning Analytics on Cloud customers, or Red Hat OpenShift based deployments of Planning Analytics Workspace on-premises.

Solutions

  •  Take the risk and not purchase support and continue to run PAw as you have.  You would not have access to any updates or security patches, if needed.  This would be my least favorable option.
  • Contact Mirantis to purchase support if you are required to stay on Microsoft servers.
  • Consider moving your PAw deployment to a Linux based server like Red Hat or Ubuntu.
  • Consider moving your licensing to IBM PA on cloud (PA SaaS).

Lodestar solutions is here to help you through this process.  Please reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com to schedule a brief call to discuss your situation and allow us to help you will the best path forward.  We can help move Paw to Linux servers or can discuss your current licensing to see if a move to the PA cloud makes sense for you.  Whatever your situation and each client will be different, and we are here and ready to help! 

For the latest on Planning Analytics Workspace, you can check out some of our recent blog posts here.

What’s New in Planning Analytics Workspace 83

New in Planning Analytics Workspace 83
New in Planning Analytics Workspace 83
Written by Mike Bernaiche, January 26th 2023

It is a new year and IBM has released the first update to Planning Analytics, Planning Analytics Workspace 83.  This is not a huge update, but there are a few things included that I wanted to make you aware of.  Reminder that updates to Planning Analytics Workspace are cumulative. This means that if you are on version 71, for example, you can upgrade to version 83 without having to install 72 73, 74, etc.  On to the changes!

New in Books and Reporting

Set Default Background Color in Tabs – You now can set background color for all tabs in a workspace.  Any new tabs will have the default background color.  You can, however, select a different color for individual tabs.

Set Default Background Color in Tabs in PAw83

Customize Styling for Repeat Column and Row Titles – Formatting properties for repeat columns and rows are located in their own section in properties.

Customize Styling for Repeat Column and Row Titles in PAw83

New Properties in Bubble and Scatter Visualizations – several new properties were introduced in Planning Analytics Workspace 83.

  • Enable Zoom Bar - The zoom bar allows for horizontal and vertical scrolling in bubble and scatter visualizations.  You can now enable the zoom bar in bubble and scatter visualizations to scroll and focus on a smaller area of the visualization.
Enable Zoom Bar in Planning Analytics Workspace 83
  • Bubble Size Limits - You can specify bubble size limits in bubble and scatter visualizations in the Chart section under Properties.  In bubble visualizations, you can specify the minimum and maximum values for the bubble size. Bubbles for values that are below the minimum size appear as the minimum size, while bubbles for values that are above the maximum size appear as the maximum size.
Bubble Size Limits in Planning Analytics Workspace 83
  • Show Item Values and Axis Grid Lines - Two new properties, show item value grid lines and show item value grid lines, have replaced the show grid lines property in bubble and scatter visualizations.  These new properties now let you show or hide item value and axis value grid lines independently of each other.
Show Item Values and Axis Grid Lines in PAw83

New Properties in Line and Column Charts –

  • Enable Zoom Bar – This works the same way as above in the bubble and scatter charts.
  • Formatting Options for Column Value and Point Value Labels - You can format column value labels and point value labels in line and column visualizations.  Value labels can now display as values or percentages of a category or color.
Formatting Options for Column Value and Point Value Labels in PAw83
  • Alignment Position for Zero - In line and column visualizations, you can control whether the line and column sections have zero in the same position with the new Align axes zero property.
Alignment Position for Zero in PAw83
  • Change Line Width - You can now change the line width in line and column visualizations by specifying the thickness of the line.  By default, the line width is set to 2 px.
Change Line Width in PAw83

Depreciation Notice – Planning Analytics Workspace 83

Starting in Planning Analytics Workspace 84, the classic dimension editor will not be available in the modeling workbench.  All dimension creation and maintenance in the modeling workbench must be performed in the new experience dimension editor.  The new experience dimension editor was introduced on the modeling workbench in Planning Analytics Workspace version 82.

Summary

There you have it, everything new in Planning Analytics Workspace 83.  If you missed my other blogs on new features in previous versions, I’m providing links below for you to read.  Over the past year, IBM has added a ton of features and enhancements to Planning Analytics Workspace.  If you have any questions or want to discuss upgrading, please reach out at services@lodestarsolutions.com.

For a complete listing direct from IBM, please visit What's new in Planning Analytics Workspace.

Links to Blogs -

2023 Lodestar Solutions Services

2023 Lodestar Solutions Services
2023 Lodestar Solutions Services
Written by Mike Bernaiche, December 23rd, 2022

Lodestar Solutions Services team is ready to help in 2023!  I wanted to take a minute and provide details on everything Lodestar Solutions Services team offers.  Whether it is a big project or small, redesign or upgrades, we can deliver on all of your needs for Cognos and Planning Analytics.  We even provide consulting on Power BI!  Plus, with our partner network and addon products, we can help take your analytics initiatives to the next level!  Please reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com to discuss your needs and let us put a plan in place to take your analytics to the next level.

Technical Services – Installations and Upgrades

At Lodestar Solutions Services, we can handle all your installs and upgrades on:

  •  Planning Analytics
  • Cognos Analytics
  • Cognos Planning
  • Cognos Controller
  • ILMT
  • Data Connections to IBM SaaS offerings

Our technical expert has over 15 years of experience on IBM Analytics products and can perform the upgrade on their own or work with your team to guide your internal resources on a successful install or upgrade.  Over the years we have performed hundreds of installs or upgrades on IBM products and we are here to help you be successful!

We offer upgrade bundles that can save you time and money on your install or upgrade and provide extra technical support hours for those pesky issues that come up from time to time.

Planning Analytics Services

Lodestar has a vast array of Planning Analytics Consultants that can handle the smallest project to the very large and complex.  Utilizing best practices and the newest technology that Planning Analytics has to offer so we ensure all your Planning Analytics needs are exceeded.  Lately, we have been performing model redesigns to utilize some of the newer features in Planning Analytics, like virtual hierarchies.  Maybe you have outgrown your current models and it is time for enhancements.  Whatever your needs are we are here to support you and make you successful.

Our services include but are not limited to:

  •  Architecture
  • Dimension builds
  • Cube builds
  • Integration with Data
  • Model Redesign
  • Planning Analytics for Excel Reporting and Data Entry Points
  • Planning Analytics Workspace Dashboards and Entry

Cognos Analytics Services

We also have you covered on Cognos Analytics Projects.  Lodestar has several excellent consultants to meet your needs on reporting, dashboards and modeling in Cognos Analytics.  Perhaps you want to learn about some of the new features in Cognos Analytics or just need some simple reporting work, we have you covered. 

Our services include but are not limited to:

  • Framework and Data Modeling
  • Dashboard Design
  • Reporting
  • PowerPlay and Transformer
  • Explorations
  • Bursting Reports
  • Power BI Services

    Recently we started consulting on Power BI Reporting.  We have an excellent Power BI resource that can work with your team on dashboards, reporting, and data.  Reach out to us to discuss your Power BI needs and let our expert work hand in hand with you. 

    Training

    Lodestar offers several different training programs on both Cognos Analytics and Planning Analytics.  Let our certified trainers help your organization get up to speed on everything from model design to Dashboarding.  We can come onsite or deliver virtual training for your organization at a very cost-effective rate.

    Cognos Analytics

    •  Framework Manager
    • Data Modules
    • Explorations
    • Basic and Advanced Reporting
    • Dashboards
    • Administration

    Planning Analytics

    •  Complete Modeling in Workspace
    • Workspace end user set up and design
    • Planning Analytics for Excel
    • Administration

    Add on Software

    Did you know that Lodestar partners with and sells several different addon software platforms to take your Cognos or Planning Analytics to the next level?  Read below for information on each product and don’t forget to reach out to us if you are interested.  We can set up demo’s and take care of everything to get that product ordered for you!

    TM1 Connect – Do you own Planning Analytics and need to create reports in something other than Cognos Analytics?  TM1 Connect solves that problem!  You can connect your PA data to Power BI, Tableau, Qlik and pretty much any other BI tool through an ODBC connection and provide that reporting in your BI software. 

    TM1 Connect

    Digital Hive – Those of you with multiple BI/Data systems need to check out Digital Hive.  It is your single-entry point to all of your data and so much more.  We recently had a demo of this product in our client only user group and it was amazing.  Reach out to us for more info and a demo today!

    Digital Hive
    Digital Hive

    Motio – Tools for the CA administrator or power user to make your life so much easier!

                MotioPI Pro - MotioPI Pro gives Cognos Administrators tools and automations to bring even more efficiencies to your work with Cognos.  MotioPI Pro saves you time, effort, and frustrations across a world of Cognos administrative tasks.

                MotioCI - MotioCI provides Cognos authors and administrators with new capabilities including faster upgrades, change management & version control, faster deployments, automated testing, and improved cleanup.

    ReportWorq - enables you to generate and distribute personalized reports across your organization with ease.  You can develop stunning dashboards and professional reports with all the power of Microsoft Excel from IBM Planning Analytics.  When it’s time for distribution, ReportWORQ’s scalable bursting functionality is like an enterprise mail merge, generating, collating, and distributing personalized reports across your organization through Network Drives, Email, SharePoint and even Slack Channels. Yes, burst PA data!

    ControlWorq – extends Planning Analytics by providing a framework of controls that facilitates financial reporting.

    Key Benefits:

    •  Controlled, balanced, authorized, and auditable journal entries
    • Excel and web user interfaces available
    • Automated recurring and reversing journals
    • Journals can be posted individually or in a batch
    • Reconciliation reporting for inter-company balances
    • Automatic elimination of journals of inter-company balances
    • Real‐time visibility of the impact of journal entries in IBM Planning Analytics

    Summary

    As you can see Lodestar Solutions Services team has you covered.  Our consultants have many years of experience and hundreds of successful projects on our resume.  Reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com and schedule a consultation today.

    New in Planning Analytics Workspace 82

    New in Planning Analytics Workspace 82
    New in Planning Analytics Workspace 82
    Written by Mike Bernaiche, December 16th, 2022

    IBM released Planning Analytics Workspace 82 on November 17, 2022.  While this isn’t a large update compared to some of the previous updates, there are still several enhancements and changes to be discussed.  Below, I will discuss the changes and provide some helpful links to fixes and other enhancements to Planning Analytics for Excel and Planning Analytics in general.

    Books and Reporting

    New in books and reporting in Planning Analytics Workspace 82 is:

    • Automatically remove duplicate members from current set in the set editor - You can now automatically remove duplicate members from the Current set in the set editor by clicking Remove duplicated members.  This is a quick way to remove any duplicates when you are creating a dynamic or static set, especially if the set includes a large number of members.
    Automatically remove duplicate members from current set in the set editor
    • Improved error handling when a visualization has a missing mapped member - Prior to IBM Planning Analytics Workspace 82, when a visualization did not find a mapped member, an error displayed, and the application showed a blank visualization.  This error could occur if a mapped member was removed from the data because of a change in the set, zero suppression, or calculation removal, or even if the user had insufficient TM1 permissions.  In Planning Analytics Workspace 82, when a visualization cannot find a mapped member, the first member in the current set is now automatically reassigned to the field slot and the visualization displays.
    • Text fill color property added to single cell widget - To access this feature, select the single cell visualization and go to the Properties tab.  Under the General tab, click Appearance to see the Fill color options.
    Text fill color property added to single cell widget

    Applications and Plans

    Over the last few updates, applications and plans have received a ton of new features.  You can see that list here  and here.

     In this update:

    • Add attachments to applications and plans - You can now add attachments to applications and plans.  Attachments can be added to the application or plan overview, as well as to individual tasks or sections and to announcements.  Supported file types for attachments are .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, .csv, and .pptx.  To add attachments that are accessible from the application or plan overview, use the Upload files option on the application or plan Details page.
    Add attachments to applications and plans

    Modeling

    If you haven’t upgraded recently then you are now using the power of the new modeling workbench in Planning Analytics.  To read more about the modeling workbench please click here

    • New dimension editor available on workbench – There is a lot to unpack on the dimension editor and you can find all the details here.

    Depreciation Notice

    The classic dimension editor will be removed from the modeling workbench in version 84.  Version 84 will be released sometime in early 2023.

    Fixes

    IBM has a great site to track all fixes included in each component of Planning Analytics.  That link can be found here.  Simply click on the component you are looking for and you can click on each link to see what was fixed in what version. 

    Summary

    While this update wasn’t huge, there are still some useful enhancements provides in Planning Analytics Workspace 82.  If you are considering an upgrade or want a demo of the latest features, please reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com to schedule that call.  We are offering upgrade bundles that can save you money and give you peace of mind when researching an upgrade.  The next update to Planning Analytics Workspace should drop in the next couple of weeks and I will be here to provide all the details.

    What’s New in Planning Analytics Workspace Version 80 and 81

    What’s New in Planning Analytics Workspace Version 80 and 81
    What’s New in Planning Analytics Workspace Version 80 and 81
    Written by Mike Bernaiche, November 3rd 2022

    It is that time to discuss what is new in Planning Analytics Workspace version 80 and 81!  Planning Analytics Workspace (PAw) 80 was released in September and version 81 was released at the end of October.  IBM has been releasing updates roughly every 30 days and continues to enhance PAw with many new features.  Please remember, that each update includes all the other fixes and enhancements in previous updates.  If you are on version 70 and install version 81 you will get all the features, enhancements and fixes included in version 71 through 81!  I highly recommend upgrading to Planning Analytics Workspace version 80 and 81.

    PAw Version 80

    Reporting

    Member Unique Names in set editor – you are now able to see member unique names when you hover over members in the available member pane.  A member unique name is used to locate a member in the data source and includes the member name and its ancestry.

    Search the Set List in Set Editor – A new search bar lets you search a set list.

    Search the Set List in Set Editor

    Drag a View to Replace the Current Visualization - You can now drag a cube or a cube view from the data tree onto an existing visualization to replace the visualization.  The visualization updates based on the view you drop.

    Zoom Bar is Line, Area and Bar Visualizations - Use the Enable zoom bar property to add the zoom bar to your visualization.  Drag a handle on the bar to zoom and focus on an area in the visualization.  The area of focus changes as you drag the handle.

    Modeling

    New Experience Set Editor on Modeling Bench - Set editors that are opened or created from the Databases tree on the modeling workbench now use the new experience interface. Previously, the new set editor was available only through the new experience view.  Sets that were opened or created from the Databases tree used the classic interface.

    Updated Chore Editor – The chore editor has been updated to Carbon Design.

    Updated Reorder Dimensions – The reorder dimension option has been updated to Carbon Design.

    Check Feeders in an Exploration on a Modeling Workbench - If a cube contains a rule with SKIPCHECK and FEEDERS statements, you can use the Check Feeders option to check that Planning Analytics properly feeds the components of a consolidation.

    Depreciation Notices

    Chore editor removed from books, available only on workbenches as of Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.80 - Starting with Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.80, chores must be created and edited on a modeling workbench.

    Set editor in a widget to be removed from books as of Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.81 - The ability to add a set editor in a widget from the data tree in Books will be depreciated in Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.81.  Currently, when you select Edit Set from the data tree, the classic experience set editor opens in a widget.

    PAw Version 81

    Reporting

    Single Cell Widget is now Visualization Type - The single cell widget is now a visualization type and has several new capabilities.  You can create a single cell visualization and convert it to a view (exploration) or another visualization and vice versa.

    Single Cell Widget is now Visualization Type

    Align Cells and Headers - In explorations, you can align text in data cells and headers either vertically or horizontally.  You can align a row or column of data cells, align a member in row and column headers, and align based on hierarchy.

    Applications and Plans

    Use Rich Text Formatting in Plan and Application Descriptions -

    Use Rich Text Formatting in Plan and Application Descriptions

    Task Flow View in Plans – On the plan task tab you can switch between the task list view and task flow view.

    Task Flow View in Plans

    Modeling

    Updated Import Member Procedure - Import members procedure for a dimension has been updated to use Carbon Design.

    Snippets in the Process Editor - The process editor in Planning Analytics Workspace provides predefined code snippets that users can insert in the TurboIntegrator process.  To use the snippets, on the Script tab in the process editor, click the snippet icon in the toolbar, as highlighted in the following image.

    Administration

    Include Plans and Applications when copy and deploy assets with Lifecycle Management.

    Depreciation Notices

    Set editor in a widget to be removed from books as of Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.81 - The ability to add a set editor in a widget from the data tree in Books will be depreciated in Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.81. Currently, when you select Edit set from the data tree, the classic experience set editor opens in a widget.

    Summary

    Planning Analytics Workspace version 80 and 81 continues to add amazing new features and enhancements to PAw.  I believe it is very important to stay updated on the latest version.  If you want to discuss in more detail or need help with your upgrades reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com.  We have some great update packages to help you stay up to date!

    New in Planning Analytics Workspace 79

    New in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    New in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    Written by Mike Bernaiche, September 15th 2022

    On September 1, 2022, IBM released Planning Analytics Workspace 79 or 2.0.79.  There are a number of enhancements, especially within the applications and plans area in this update.  I wrote and spoke about this in a prior blog post titled, What is Coming in Applications and Plans.  Well in Planning Analytics Workspace 79, we now have a lot of what is coming.  Please read below for more details.

    Latest versions of Planning Analytics Components.  We highly recommend staying up to date on versions for all the fixes contained in the below link.

    • Planning Analytics Workspace – 2.0.79
    • Planning Analytics for Excel – 2.0.80
    • Planning Analytics TM1 Web – 2.0.79
    • Planning Analytics Server – 2.0.9.14

    For all fixes in each component of Planning Analytics please see below link.
    IBM Planning Analytics 2.0 Fix Lists

    Applications and Plans

    •  Track and report on plan progress with the new Overview Report.  You can view a plan  oriented report on the progress of your plan in Planning Analytics Workspace 79. 
    • The Overview Report contains 3 main areas:
    1. Timeline - The Timeline panel shows the status of tasks within a plan against a timeline, which can be configured to show either months or weeks.
    2. Contributions - The Contributions panel provides details for individual contributions in a plan.
    3. Plan Progress - The Plan Progress panel displays progress for all contributions and for individual tasks in a plan.
    Applications and Plans in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    Contributions in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    Plan Progess in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    • Send email reminders to contributors of a plan.  You can now send an email reminder to plan contributors from the Contributions panel of the Overview report.
    Email Reminders in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    • Set task dependencies to automate plans.  You can now automatically open a task upon completion of one or more dependent tasks.  When you create or edit a task, use the Task Dependency option on the Task Details tab to set the dependencies.
    Set Task Dependencies in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    Dependencies in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    • Set a task start and end date  
    Task Start and End Date in Workspace 79

    Cloud Enhancements

    • Planning Analytics Workspace Classic no longer available on Cloud 2.0.79 – guidance was previously given that in 2.0.79 the classic workspace was no longer available.
    • Features and Configurations Tiles – Separated into two tabs now in the administrator area to make your experience easier.
    • Configure an Inactivity Timeout on cloud – previously this was set to 60 minutes.  You are now able to set as you see fit.

    Miscellaneous Enhancements

    • Process editor only available on Workbench – Starting in Planning Analytics Workspace 79, the process editor is only available on the Workbench.
    • Use new interface to manage chores in a specific process – simplifies chore management by presenting two distinct options when you open the context menu for a process in the Databases tree: Edit related chores and remove from chores.
    • Select multiple variables in process editor - You can now select multiple variables in the process editor.  When multiple variables are selected, you can apply any option on the selected variables bar to multiple variables simultaneously.
    Multiple Variables in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    • Apply formatting to an axis in a visualization 
    Formatting in Planning Analytics Workspace 79
    • Wrap text in data cells – you can now format string values in a data cell to wrap text.
    • Chore Editor to only be available on the Workbench in Planning Analytics 81.

    Summary

    Well, there you have it!  Everything that is new in Planning Analytics Workspace 79.  Applications and Plans provides a ton of enhancements and if you are using this, you should look to upgrade as soon as possible to take advantage of these great new features.  IBM continues to update Planning Analytics bringing a ton of new functionality to make your planning experience industry best.  If you want to discuss an upgrade or see a demo of the latest and greatest, please reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com.

    Coming Soon in Planning Analytics Applications and Plans

    Coming Soon in Planning Analytics Applications and Plans
    Coming Soon in Planning Analytics Applications and Plans
    Written by Mike Bernaiche, July 29th 2022

    Recently, I had the opportunity to see what was coming in Planning Analytics Applications and Plans and received the approval to share some of what I experienced.  Actually, the first section is now available in Planning Analytics version 78 released July 13, 2022.  Those of you using Planning Analytics Applications and Plans will find these improvements much needed and exciting.  Those of you waiting for a similar experience to contributor applications in the older versions of TM1 will be excited to upgrade and have similar functionality.  Let’s get started!

    Approval and Rejections of Submissions

    Approvals and Rejections are now available in the planning process with version 78 released on July 13, 2022.  In addition, improvements to email notifications and the overall submission process make it easier to work with plans.  When you create a plan, you can now add approvers for each contribution.  These approvers can approve or reject the submissions.

    Approvals and Rejections in Plans plus Improved Email Notifications

    Also in version 78, enhancements have been made to email notifications.  Event triggered emails are now sent to relevant users in a plan when any of the following occur.

    Event triggered emails

    Examples of email notifications.

    Examples of email notifications in Planning Analytics

    You also have a new area to track submission and rejections with a logging screen.  Great for the plan admin to track progress and understand where each step of the plan is at.

    Submission Log

    Before I talk about future enhancements, please note that these are in the IBM roadmap and their release is planned for future updates.  There is no timetable for release, and I will update this blog based on their release version when available.

    Monitoring the Plan

    Plan owners will now have visibility to all information in a plan through a monitoring screen. 

    Monitoring the Plan

    Task Dependencies

    For plan owners to put in place task dependencies for automatic task to open and close based dependent tasks.

    Task Dependencies

    Plan and Unlock

    Plan owners will be able to lock and unlock contributed data allowing for a more contributor like experience in Planning Analytics Applications and Plans.  Once the plan submission is complete and approved, lock it, and ensure that data doesn’t change.

    Plan Lock and Unlock

    Schedule Plan Open and Close

    You will be able to open and close plans based on pre-set dates based on your planning cycle.  Create your schedule, set it and forget it.

    Schedule Plan Open and Close

    Detailed Instructions with Attachments

    Plan owners will be able to add detailed instructions with attachments to the plan to give guidance and detailed instructions to plan contributors.  Load your .pdfs to make the process more efficient and get rid of the back and forth on instructions.

    Detailed Instructions with Attachments

    Visual Workflow Authoring

    To give clarity into the flow of the planning process you will be able to create a visual workflow of the planning process.  Use this to make it easier for end users to understand the flow of data.

    Visual Workflow Authoring

    Summary of What's Coming Soon in Planning Analytics Applications and Plans

    As you can read there are several excellent enhancements coming to Planning Analytics Applications and Plans in the coming months.  Approval and rejection along with email enhancements are included in version 78 released on July 13, 2022.  The rest of the enhancements are coming soon, and this is a great opportunity to start planning your upgrade to utilize these great features.  We wrote a blog discussing upgrades and an exciting new bundle program for upgrades.  You can read all about it here, Solving the IBM Cognos Upgrade Challenge - Lodestar Solutions.  You can always reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com.

    I hope you find these enhancements as exciting as I do.  Some of our clients have been asking for these for many months and I’m excited for IBM to release all of the updates to Planning Analytics Applications and Plans.

    New in Planning Analytics Workspace Version 77 and 78

    New in Planning Analytics Workspace versions 77 and 78
    New in Planning Analytics Workspace versions 77 and 78
    Written by Mike Bernaiche, July 28th 2022

    It is that time again!  Providing you everything new in planning analytics workspace version 77 and 78.  As most of you know, IBM releases a new version of planning analytics workspace about once a month.  Workspace version 77 was released in June and version 78 was just released on July 13.  I will break down everything new in planning analytics workspace version 77 and 78 below.

    Version 77

    Enable Feature to Use New Experience for Explorations – a toggle switch to try out the new explorations experience is in version 77 in the administration area.  This feature will be standard in version 78 and you can find more details further down this page.

    Enable Feature to Use New Experience for Explorations

    Update Text Properties for Explorations – you can now change the text properties for columns, rows, and data cells.  Each area has their own properties so you can set individual text properties for each.  More information can be found here: Changes to text properties for explorations - IBM Documentation.

    Select the Sets that Display in Dimension Drop Down – using the new experience you can limit the number of sets that appear in a drop down.  You are able to select up to 20 sets.

    Select the Sets that Display in Dimension Drop Down

    Upload Files to Planning Analytics Database with Action Button - You can now upload a file through an action button to use in a process.  This can be helpful if you want to, for example, import data from a specific file into a view you are using.

    Upload Files to Planning Analytics Database with Action Button

    File Manager – a new tool has been added to your Planning Analytics toolbox called file manager.  File manager is only available in the workbench.  To access the file manager, click on the database in workbench and find the file manager option.  You can do the following with file manager:

    • Upload a file, or multiple files at once
    • Delete a file, or multiple files at once
    • Create folders
    • Organize uploaded files into folders
    • Delete folders
    • Download files
    • Refresh files

    Expand and Collapse Regions in the Process and Rules Editor

    Expand and Collapse Regions in the Process and Rules Editor

    View the TM1 Database Version – Admins only can view the TM1 database version in the admin area. Simply click on the database in the admin area and go to configuration and look towards the bottom of the screen.

    Auto Complete in the Search Pane – First, if you aren’t using the learning area you are missing out.  Prior to version 77 you could type in what you are looking for and PA would return tons of helpful information.  Now, with auto complete, the learn pane helps you find what you are looking for.  Have you ever googled something and noticed google is being helpful trying to auto complete what you are searching for?  Well, IBM has added that similar feature.  Simply start typing something and let IBM help you finish it.

    Auto Complete in the Search Pane

    There are a number of other items new in version 77.  Please see this link for a complete list. 
    2.0.77 - What's new, June 2, 2022 - IBM Documentation

    Version 78

    Rules Must be Created and Maintained in Modeling Workbench – Starting with Planning Analytics Workspace version 78, all rules must be created and maintained in the modeling workbench.

    New Experience View now available on Modeling Workbench – This will now apply to all existing views and new ones.  The new experience provides a more efficient and easier way to navigate experience when working with explorations and the set editor.  There is a lot to unpack with the new experience and everything can be found here: New experience view now on modeling workbench - IBM Documentation.

    Approvals and Rejections in Plans plus Improved Email Notifications – Approvals and rejections are now (finally) available in the planning process.  In addition, improvements to email notifications and the overall submission process make it easier to work with plans.  When you create a plan, you can now add approvers for each contribution.  These approvers can approve or reject the submissions.

    Approvals and Rejections in Plans plus Improved Email Notifications

    Event triggered emails are now sent to relevant users in a plan when any of the following occur.

    Event triggered emails

    You also have a new area to track submission and rejections with a logging screen.

    logging screen

    Updated Menus for rows, columns, and data cells - There is no change in how the menu options function, but the new design includes usability improvements.  Several menu options were renamed:

    •  Create calculations is now Calculation options
    • Format values is now Format
    • Conditional format is now Conditional rules

    Several menu options are now grouped so you can easily see all related options together. For example:

    •  All sorting options are now under Sort
    • Word wrapping options are under Text format
    • Show totals options are under Show totals

    Adjust Page Size in Books – You can now adjust the sizes of explorations in books with the new zoom feature.

    Adjust Page Size in Books

    Update to Planning Analytics Local Install on Windows Server 2016 - In Planning Analytics Workspace Local version 2.0.78 and later, the Docker service file is no longer bundled with the installation kit.  In previous versions, Docker is a prerequisite for installing Planning Analytics Workspace Local on Windows Server 2016.

    When you now install Planning Analytics Workspace Local on Windows Server 2016, the installation script looks for Docker and if an existing version is not found, displays an error.  To resolve the error and continue the installation process, you need to download Mirantis Container Runtime.

    Before Planning Analytics Workspace Local 2.0.78, the installation script used the Docker file that was bundled with Planning Analytics Workspace to continue installation if Docker was not found on your system.

    Enable Email Notifications in Planning Analytics Local - Planning Analytics Workspace Local now supports both SMTP and SendGrid email services.  For instructions on how to set up, please see: Enable email notifications in Planning Analytics Workspace Local - IBM Documentation.

    Depreciation Notice for Classic Experience – In August Planning Analytics Workspace 79 will be released and the classic experience will no longer be available.

    For all items in release 78 please check out 2.0.78 - What's new, July 13, 2022 - IBM Documentation.

    Summary

    As you can see Planning Analytics Workspace version 77 and 78 has brought many enhancements and improvements.  IBM continues to improve this excellent product.  I will be writing a blog in the coming weeks on everything coming to applications and plans and trust me, you will want to read it!  We are here to help you with your upgrades.  Please reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com.  Also we have upgrade bundles that can save you lots of money.  For more information check out this blog from Lodestar Solutions,  Solving the IBM Cognos Upgrade Challenge - Lodestar Solutions.

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    What’s New in Planning Analytics Workspace 75 and 76

    What's New in IBM Planning Analytics Workspace 75 and 76
    What's New in IBM Planning Analytics Workspace 75 and 76
    Written by Mike Bernaiche, May 19th 2022

    Typically, once a month, IBM updates Planning Analytics Workspace.  In April version 75 was released and the most recent version is Planning Analytics Workspace 76, released in May 2022.  Both of these updates bring some new features, enhancements and depreciation of certain items.  Please read below for the full details of both recent releases.  Please note that each update is cumulative.  Upgrading to Planning Analytics Workspace version 76 will add all features in previous versions.

    Planning Analytics Workspace 75

    • Display parents, children or leaves for selected members – the new experience set editor now allows you to show parents, children or leaves for selected members.
    planning analytics workspace 75 set editor
    • Update to predictive forecasting service – additional capabilities added for outlier and detection and correction, meaning more accurate predictive forecasting.
    • Adjust for outliers in your forecast – click adjust outliers button to adjust.
    adjust outliers in your forecast
    forecast preview
    • Cube creation – cubes can now only be created in the modeling workbench.
    • Add variable in TI process editor – up until now PA automatically created variables based on the number of columns in the data source.  You can now add more variables to the process.
    • Search and filter on hierarchies – now have an option to search and filter hierarchies.
    • Depreciation notice on editing processes – Starting with version 78 all processes must be created and edited in the modeling workbench.

    Planning Analytics Workspace 76

    • Custom theme for Planning Analytics Workspace - You can now create and upload a custom theme to reflect your corporate branding in Planning Analytics Workspace. You can use a theme to modify the colors of the application bar and the navigation bar, set the corporate name shown on the home page, and specify an image to display on the home page.
    • Send email notification when step in a plan is opened – send an email notification to user when you open a step in your plan created in Planning Analytics Workspace 76.
    Email notification in planning analytics workspace 76
    • Create control objects in Modeling Workbench – you can now create control objects for cubes, dimensions and processes in the modeling workbench.
    Create control objects in Modeling Workbench
    • Preview additional rows in the TI process editor – a button has been added to preview more rows of data when creating a TI process.
    • Sort members in new experience set editor – option to now sort available members in set editor ascending or descending.
    • Delete sets from new experience set editor – previously you could only delete sets from the data tree.  You can now delete sets from the new experience set editor.
    Experience Set Editor in Planning Analytics Workspace 76
    • Cell comments updated with new look – cell comments have been updated to review comments in an easier way.
    • Enhanced search features – you can now search by using “match all of the following” or “match any of the following”.
    • Customize the color or background of data and header cells – you can now use the extensive color pallet to customize the color of data rows or headers to provide a better look and feel for your data.  This can be found in the visualization properties under custom.
    • Updated design for data spread options – IBM is working hard to standardize the look and feel in the entire Planning Analytics Workspace experience.  In Planning Analytics Workspace 76, they have updated the spread options look and feel.
    Spread Data Options in Planning Analytics Workspace 76

    Summary

    As you can read Planning Analytics version 75 and Planning Analytics version 76 added a number of new features.  To see all of the details please check out 2.0.76 - What's new, May 5, 2022 - IBM Documentation and 2.0.75 - What's new, April 7, 2022 - IBM Documentation.

    Did you know that some versions of Planning Analytics are reaching end of life?  Read more here - IBM Planning Analytics Versions Are End of Life - Lodestar Solutions.

    To read all Lodestar blogs related to PA - Cognos TM1 Blogs by IBM Cognos Expert Consultants & Coaches (lodestarsolutions.com)

    If you have any questions or need some help upgrading, please reach out to me at services@lodestarsolutions.com.

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