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What's coming next in IBM Planning Analytics 2.0.79 SC

News


Abstract

The following updates are available in release 2.0.79 SC of Planning Analytics.

Content

Planning Analytics Workspace
The following feature notices apply to Planning Analytics Workspace.

Planning Analytics Workspace Classic on Cloud no longer available as of 2.0.79

The 'new experience' is a major update to the Planning Analytics Workspace user experience that was originally released as part of the 2.0.56 update in October 2020. The Planning Analytics Workspace new experience provides an updated look and feel, improved navigation, and better content management. It also introduces Applications and Plans, a dedicated modeling environment, and predictive forecasting capabilities.

The user experience in 2.0.55 and earlier releases is referred to as Planning Analytics Workspace Classic. Cloud environments provisioned before the 2.0.56 update could remain on Planning Analytics Workspace Classic, preview the new experience, or permanently switch to the new experience.

As previously and repeatedly announced in the monthly Planning Analytics Workspace Early Notification and in the monthly What's New topic on IBM Documentation, Planning Analytics Workspace on Cloud environments that use the Classic interface will automatically be updated to the new experience as part of the 2.0.79 update. 

This announcement does not impact Planning Analytics on-premises deployments.


Process editor available only on modeling workbenches

As previously announced, processes must be created and edited on a modeling workbench as of Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.79.
 
If you are an administrator or modeler and you attempt to open a process editor that was saved in a book prior to 2.0.79, you receive a notification that process editing must be performed on a workbench. You can click Open in workbench to immediately open the process on a new workbench.
 
Deprecation notice

Track and report on plan progress with the new plan Overview report
You can now view a plan-level overview report to help you assess the progress of your plan. 
The report appears on the new Overview tab when you are viewing plan details.
 
Plan overview report
The overview report consists of three panels: Plan progress, Contributions, and Timeline.

You can click the Configuration icon  Configuration icon to show or hide any of these panels in the Overview report. You can also click the handle next to the panel name to drag and drop a panel to a different location on the Overview report.
Plan progress panel
The Plan progress panel displays progress for all contributions and for individual tasks in a plan. 
The progress bar at the top of the panel indicates the current status for individual contributions in the plan. You can view additional details for contributions on the Contributions panel.
The table provides details on each task in the plan. You can sort on any table heading. You can also search for tasks by name or filter the table to show or hide tasks of a specified status.
Hover the pointer over a task name in the Tasks column to view the task description.  Hover over the Contributions count to view the status of individual contributions within the task.
Progress panel
Contributions panel
The Contributions panel provides details for individual contributions in a plan. Because a task can contain multiple contributions, you might see a task listed multiple times in the table.
You can sort on any table heading. You can also search for tasks by name or filter the table to show or hide tasks of a specified status.
Contributions menu
Timeline panel
The Timeline panel shows the status of tasks within a plan against a timeline, which can be configured to show either months or weeks.
Timeline panel
If a task has only a start date or only an end date defined, the date is represented by a diamond on the timeline. Hover the pointer over the diamond to view the exact start or end date.
If a task has both a start date and an end date defined, the date range is represented by a bar on the timeline. Hover the pointer over the bar to view the start and end date of the task.
Any task that is not complete and is overdue is identified by an urgent notice icon Urgent icon.

Send email reminders to contributors of open tasks
You can now send an email reminder to plan contributors from the Contributions panel of the Overview report.
When an individual contribution on the Contributions panel is in the Pending submission or Pending approval state, an email icon is active at the end of the contribution record. Click the email icon to send a reminder that action is required to members of the group identified in the Action pending column.
Email reminder
 

Set task dependencies for plan automation
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.
You can select one or multiple tasks as dependencies. If you select a single dependency, the task is automatically opened when the single dependent task is complete. If you select multiple dependencies, the task is automatically opened only when all dependent tasks are complete.
Task dependency option
When a task is configured to use dependencies, the dependencies are identified on the task details view.
Dependencies shown on task view

Set a start date for your tasks
You can now set a start date as well as an end date for a task.  Previously, only an end date could be set.
Set the start date on the Task details tab when creating or editing a task.
Task start date

Apply and retain formatting on a visualization axis

When you apply formatting to a visualization axis, the axis retains the format when you change the member on the axis or when synchronization automatically changes the member. The formats are also retained when you switch from one visualization to another or convert the visualization to an exploration and vice versa.

To apply formatting to a visualization axis:
  1. Select the visualization and click Fields.
  2. Click the menu icon for the axis that you want to format and select Format values.

    Axis menu showing Format values

  3. Choose the format that you want to apply to the axis.

You can also right-click the axis title in a visualization and click Format values to select and apply a format to the axis.


Select multiple variables in the 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. 
Multi-select of variables in the process editor

Go to a specific line in the process editor

You can now jump to a specific line in the process editor with Go to line. This capability was previously available only in the rules editor through shortcut keys (Ctrl + L or Cmd + L). Now, you can click the Go to line icon in the process editor to quickly move up and down the script. This feature is especially useful if you encounter a process error that requires you to go to a specific section and line number.

To use the Go to line feature in the process editor:
  1. On the Script tab, click the Go to line icon.

    Go to line icon on the process editor

  2. Select the section and enter the line number that you want to go to.

    Go to line dialog box

    Note: If you enter a line number that does not exist in the section, an error displays which shows you how many lines are in that section.

  3. Click Go to. The cursor moves to the start of that line.

Wrap text in data cells

You can now format string cells in explorations (or views) to wrap text. You can wrap multi-line text in data cells with or without line breaks. Previously, you could wrap text only in headers.

Note: The wrap text feature is only supported for text that is entered in a cell while using the text editor (press F2 or click the pencil icon in the cell).

To wrap text, right-click a row or column, then click Formats and select how you want to wrap text for that row or column.

Text wrap options

To unwrap text, right-click the row or column and select Unwrap text under Formats or go to Clear and click Formats.


Use the new Features and Configuration tile to administer you Planning Analytics Workspace on Cloud environment

The Features tile in Planning Analytics Administration on Cloud is renamed as Features and Configuration. When you click the Features and Configuration tile, you see two tabs: Features and Configuration.

Use the Features tab to manage how your users are exposed to new features that are subject to enablement by a Planning Analytics Workspace administrator, as described in Manage features.

Use the Configuration tab to configure various aspects of the Planning Analytics on Cloud environment. For example, you can use the Configuration tab to set an inactivity timeout for Planning Analytics for Excel and Planning Analytics Workspace users in your environment. 

The Features tile name and capabilities remain unchanged in Planning Analytics Administration Local, but the interface has been updated to provide a user experience that is consistent with the rest of Planning Analytics Workspace.


Configure an inactivity timeout for Planning Analytics on Cloud

Planning Analytics Workspace on Cloud enforces an inactivity timeout. Previously, this inactivity period was set to 60 minutes for all users and could not be configured by a Planning Analytics administrator. As of Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.79, the inactivity timeout is configurable.  

When a user is inactive for the period of time specified by the Planning Analytics Workspace administrator, the user is disconnected from the Planning Analytics database. This inactivity timeout is mandatory and is applicable to all Planning Analytics Workspace on Cloud users, as well as Planning Analytics for Excel users.

To set an inactivity timeout:

  1. Click the Administration tile on the Planning Analytics Workspace home page.
  2. Click the Features and Configuration tile.
  3. Click the Configuration tab.
  4. Click the Inactivity timeout configuration parameter.
  5. Use the Hours and Minutes controls to set an inactivity timeout period. The minimum timeout period is 30 minutes and the maximum period is 24 hours.  

For details on configuring timeouts in Planning Analytics Workspace Local, see Configuring parameters for Planning Analytics Workspace Local.


Use the new interface to manage chores involved with a specific process

Previously, when you opened the context (right-click) menu for a process in the Databases tree, you could click the Display chores involved option to open the Modify chores window. This window listed all of the chores that included the process. You could then use the Modify chores window to edit selected chores that included the process or delete the process from selected chores.
Planning Analytics Workspace 2.0.79 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.
To edit related chores that involve a specific process:
  1. Right-click the process on the Databases tree in a modeling workbench.
  2. Click Edit related chores. If the process is not included in any chores, you receive notification and can cancel the procedure. Otherwise, continue to the next step.
  3. On the Edit chores window, select the chores you want to edit. 
  4. Click Edit. Each of the chores you selected opens for editing on a separate tab on the modeling workbench.
To remove a specific process from selected chores:
  1. Right-click the process on the Databases tree in a modeling workbench.
  2. Click Remove from chores. If the process is not included in any chores, you receive notification and can cancel the procedure. Otherwise, continue to the next step.
  3. On the Remove chores window, select the chores from which you want to remove the process. 
  4. Click Remove
  5. Click Delete when prompted for confirmation of removal.

Deprecation notice - chore editor to be 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.
 
If you are an administrator or modeler and you attempt to open a book containing a chore in 2.0.80, you'll receive a notification that chore editing must be performed on a workbench. You can click Open in workbench to immediately open the chore on a new workbench.
  

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Document Information

Modified date:
03 October 2022

UID

ibm16612589