Written by Mike Bernaiche, April 4th, 2023

In March 2023, IBM released Planning Analytics Workspace 85.  Updates to Planning Analytics Workspace are cumulative.  If you are currently on version 76, you only need to upgrade to 85 and you will have all the new content from version 77 to 84 included.  I provided a list of blogs below that lay out all the new enhancements in recent previous versions. 

Ok, let’s get to everything new in Planning Analytics Workspace 85.

Books and Reporting

Set Editor Usability Improvements – These improvements will make working with the set editor easier and more user friendly.  These changes do not introduce new functionality. Rather, some options on the set editor have been moved or made more intuitive.

• Available Members Option - now appears immediately adjacent to the Available Members label, rather than beneath the label.
• Current Set - menu now appears above the current set, rather than on the header.
• Available Members Search Bar - always visible and you no longer need to click a Search icon to reveal the search bar.

Plans and Applications

Improved Approval Process for Plan Submissions - Plan owners and approvers can now approve or reject a submission from multiple contributors in one go.

When approving or rejecting a submission, you can select the contributor(s) whose submission you want to approve or reject.  You can also click Select All to apply your action to all the contributors for that submission.

Save Task Flows in Plans as PDF - You can now save your plan's task flow as a PDF file. In the task flow view on the Plan tasks tab, click the Export icon to save the task flow as a PDF.

Modeling

Modeling in Planning Analytics Workspace 85 sees the most enhancements in this update.

Reopen Recently Opened Objects from Any Database - You can now reopen recently opened objects from any database.  The recent list contains the last twenty objects that were opened, with the most recent at the top.  To remove an object from the recent list, click on the x next to the object name.

Workbench Preferences – There is now a preferences icon always visible in the Workbench.  By default, all sections are collapsed, but retain their previous state when the user opens or closes the Preferences panel.  Opening and closing Preferences also refreshes the selected values.

You can set the following preferences:

Database tree

• Display members.
• 
  

Dimension Editor

• Compact header.
• Show value bar.
• Show dimension editing warning.
• Page size.

Cube viewer

• Show hierarchy name. 
• Show context information.
• Show icons.
• Show section header.

Process editor

• Font
• Font size.
• Enable line wrapping.
• Lock generated statements.

Rules editor

• Font
• Font size.
• Enable line wrapping.

Process Editor Preferences – You can now set a toggle to lock or unlock generated statements in the process editor.  When the Lock generated statements option is enabled, users cannot edit the process script between the #****Begin generated statements and #****End generated statements lines.

Lock Dimensions in Planning Analytics Workspace - A user must have either Admin or Lock privilege for a dimension to lock the dimension.

When a user locks a dimension, only those users who have Admin rights for that dimension can modify the dimension. Even the user who locks the dimension cannot modify it, unless they have Admin rights for that dimension.

When a dimension is locked, options are disabled for these actions:

•  Add members to any of the hierarchies in the dimension.
• Remove members from any of the hierarchies in the dimension.
• Create a hierarchy in the dimension.
• Delete a hierarchy in the dimension.

Users can create, delete, or update subsets under any locked dimension.

To lock a dimension, right-click the dimension on the Databases tree in either a book or a modeling workbench, then click Lock dimension.  A lock icon appears on the dimension name indicating that the dimension is locked.

Create Formulas when Importing via .CSV - When you use the Import data or Import members options to import from a .csv file into a workbench, you can define formulas to manipulate the source data.

New Location Data Source Option via TI - You can now specify a local or network location for a TurboIntegrator process data source.

Summary

Lots of great stuff in this update, especially in the Modeling area.  Definitely worth checking out in my opinion.  For a detailed list of everything new from IBM check out this link. 

For Lodestar blogs on all new items in recent updates to Planning Analytics Workspace 85 check out the below link.  If you are on an older version of Planning Analytics you should really consider upgrading.  We offer great programs to help you upgrade at a reasonable cost.  Reach out to us at services@lodestarsolutions.com.

What's New in Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.84

What's New in Planning Analytics Workspace 83

What's New in Planning Analytics Workspace 82

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

New in Planning Analytics Workspace 79

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.

• 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.

• 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.

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 –

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.

What's New in Planning Analytics Workspace 83

What's New in Planning Analytics Workspace 82

What's New in Planning Analytics Workspace 80 and 81

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

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.

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

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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

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 -

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

IBM Planning Analytics2.0 Fix Lists

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.

• 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.

• 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 a task start and end date  

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.

• Apply formatting to an axis in a visualization 

• 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.