Community events and experiences are designed to offer you the latest and greatest: from relaxed conversational sessions dedicated to product deep dive sessions with Anaplan experts. We’re always looking for new, creative ways to engage with and celebrate, our vast, knowledgeable ecosystem.

Whether you are just beginning your journey with Anaplan or have been with us since day one – we look forward to providing you with as many focused, intentional and educational experiences, as possible.

Stay up-to-date with events here, and also check out our special Quarterly Release event series section.

Experiences

Creating more opportunities for you to connect, learn and grow virtually and in-person.

Past Experiences: Recordings

Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) June 2023
Role-based professional development to support your Anaplan journey.
Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) November 2022
Role-based professional development to support your Anaplan journey.
Spotlight Series
Technical sessions & discussions on the latest model building topics.
Anaplan Live!
Valuable insights from top Anaplan experts and thought leaders.
Digital CPX & Anaplan Live! June 2021
Global event designed with model builders, end users, & learners in mind.

Event News & Updates

Register for our January 28 platform release webinar!
Anaplan's next quarterly platform release webinar will be held January 28, 2025 at 8 a.m. Pacific Time. During this session, we will explore our latest platform releases and discover how to streamline your workflows and achieve new levels of efficiency. Our expert-led session will equip you with a practical guide and live demonstrations to help you get the most out of new features and innovations. Get your questions answered live during Q&A. Topics covered will include: * Tailored access to available functions based on model engine * User experience enhancements — see below for details Features to be demo'd: * Engine-specific content in Anapedia integration * Role-based page access * Network charts * Axis label formatting * Row/column formatting * Filter across line items * Expand/collapse in cells with list pickers Can't make it? Register for the event and a recording will be sent to all who register. A recap and recording will also be posted on Community. Register here.
Event recording available! Model design best practices
If you missed our event yesterday, November Challenge Recap: Model design best practices, a recording is now available. Last month, we invited the Anaplan Community to share their best advice for model design. In this recap event, speakers Rob Marshall (@rob_marshall) and Adam Trainer (@AdamT), both from Anaplan’s Operational Excellence Group, share the answers received along with their experience. This includes how to plan successful model layouts, steps to take, do’s and don’ts, and what to consider to ensure minimal redesign throughout the project to allow for flexibility and scalability to expand in the future. Watch the recording https://play.vidyard.com/RTzEBkRNEAbyvsA369BoYr Resources mentioned during the event * Share your model design best practices – November 2024 Community Challenge * Planual * PLANS and DISCO * Anaplan learning certifications * The Anaplan Way * Community forums * OEG Best Practice: Data Hubs: Purpose and peak performance * OEG Best Practice: The model design process Questions? Leave a comment!
Event recording available! Polaris use cases & best practices
If you missed our event yesterday, Polaris Use Cases and Best Practices, a recording is now available. In this event, Rob Marshall (@rob_marshall) from Anaplan, John Dorma (@johndorma) from Twelve Consulting, and Harshita Mysore Shankar (@HarshitaMysoreShankar) from Adobe discuss Polaris, how it differs from Classic, use cases, do’s and don’ts, challenges, and learnings. “Awesome session, it will be a real game changer.” – Event attendee Event recording https://play.vidyard.com/YAjniGJ8TAmC4XyHVgXSCj Resources mentioned during the event * Calculation Function Differences between Polaris and the Classic Engine * Dimensional index total check (Excel document) DIT Checker.xlsx If this topic interests you, we also hosted an event in October focused on Polaris implementation, with Jonathan Goldsmith, CoE Leader from NVIDIA, and Stephen Rituper, Head of the Operational Excellence Group at Anaplan. You can view that recording here. Questions about Polaris? Leave a comment!
Event recording available! Modeling tips and tricks
Last month we hosted a challenge inviting Community members to share their thoughts on modeling best practices — over 30 tips were shared! Yesterday, we held an event highlighting that guidance every model builder should know. Jason Blinn (@jasonblinn), Principal Solution Architect and Employee Community Boss at Anaplan, and Alexandru Pavel (@alexpavel), Solution Architect at Keyrus and Anaplan Community Boss, hosted a lively discussion on organization, documentation, performance, testing, and more. Watch the recording https://play.vidyard.com/3BUnYpFUq6xJtfPAHf87FZ?%E2%80%9D%20width= Timestamps: * Welcome and introductions — 0:00 * Challenge overview — 4:16 * Organization and documentation — 6:24 * Naming conventions — 8:30 * Model building — 12:59 * Using "admin only" — 15:28 * "Check security" role — 17:44 * Performance — 19:45 * Use system modules — 21:08 * Saved views — 24:51 * Testing and validation — 27:56 * Revision tags — 30:12 * Q&A 32:34 A PDF of the presentation is available here: September Challenge Recap Webinar Oct2024.pdf Resources mentioned during the event * Keyboard shortcuts * Best practices for technical documentation of a model * Noted! Using model notes in Anaplan * Four tips on Anaplan model documentation * Planual 2.04-02 Filtering on views * Calculate once and reference | Model Optimization Team series * Calculate with the fewest cell | Model Optimization Team series * Did You Know? Model building hacks Are there any tips we missed? Leave a comment! ….. Don’t miss these upcoming events: * Quarterly customer platform release webinar on October 30 * Polaris use cases and best practices on November 13
Recording now available! October 30 quarterly platform release event
If you missed our October 30 platform release event, the recording is now available! In this webinar, we highlight the most recent feature releases and how to take advantage of these in your environment. Our expert-led session demonstrates new features and innovations, provides a technical deep-dive and “how-to”, followed by a question and answer session with the audience. During this session, our experts covered: * Workflow enhancements * Enhanced formatting options * Page access update * Separation of duties * Hierarchy charts * and more! https://play.vidyard.com/vp6XQapb5HNYpjhc4L6rzD Q&A We encourage you to watch the recording — tons of questions were answered live! Here are a few that were answered during the event: * Workflow:* Does a step two approver who got it from a “skipped process” know that’s what happened vs a regular approval? * Managing users in administration:* Can this control be managed by workspace or is it only on a user by user basis? * Will this new user security restrict WS Admins from removing others from having WS Admin access? * Conditional formatting:* Is there a way to strip out that HTML tagging from exports only with a toggle? * Does raw HTML text show on exports from UI? * Will the rich text be rendered in exported PDF documents? * Hierarchy charts:* Can you make adjustments to the actual hierarchy cards that update the underlying data below or is it only one way? * If you have selective access enabled, is your hierarchy card be in the same format? Or you will see blank location. * And here are a few of the useful questions asked and answered in the chat:* Q: If you're a WA Admin w/o User Admin access, can you still update security settings in the model?* A: Yes, the User Admin role only limits the addition and removal of users. WSA still maintain all other security and data admin capabilities. * Q: Can a hierarchical workflow keep go over a second task even if not all the person from the first step of the hierarchy haven’t completed their task?* A: All the users for a form from the first step would need to complete their task before it goes to the next step in the hierarchy. But this is by parent/child relationships, so if all the children of ‘Parent A’ have completed their step then Parent A can complete, they don’t have to wait for the children of ‘Parent B’ to also complete their tasks. * Q: Workflow: How do I show or enter to a boolean line item, if the Task has been Started > I can only seem to get to work if someone hits Task - Complete. which theoretically it isn’t complete... once task step 2 is complete, I want to indicate A. Task started and B. Task complete ( ie Data entered?)* A: The workflow admin gets a notification that the task has been started but that can’t write to a boolean. Depending on the order of your tasks, you could write a formula to lookup the other step’s completion boolean and mark the next step as “started” once the previous is complete. But that would be model building rather than using native workflow features. * Q: Can you lock it down by workspace or by specific models (or is this just by Tenant)?* A: The setting for managing users is tenant wide. * Q: If you’re a WS Admin without User Admin access, can you still update security settings in the model?* A: Yes, the User Admin role only limits the addition and removal of users. WSA sill maintain all other security and data admin capabilities. * Q: On user admin — I guess you could have it so that the initial setup is done by a non-Anaplan user (i.e. wider access teams) and then have the micro detail done by Anaplan teams.* A: That’s correct. * Q: When is the user admin role type going into effect?* A: User admin role is live now. The controls will only be effective if the Tenant Admin has toggled on Users and Roles in Settings. If you missed our recent release updates: * July* Release notes * Supplemental blog * August* Release notes * Supplemental blog * September* Release notes * Supplemental blog Follow along for future events! Stay up to date with all platform release announcements by subscribing to the platform release page on the Anaplan Community, and all platform events by subscribing to the events page. Look for the “bell” icon on the page to subscribe. Community feedback survey Attention Community users — we would love your feedback on how you use Community! Help us by answering five quick questions here. Questions? Leave a comment!
Event recording available! Implementing with Polaris
If you missed our event yesterday, Implementing with Polaris, a recording is now available. In this event, Jonathan Goldsmith (@E2EJonathan), CoE Leader from NVIDIA, and Stephen Rituper (@Stephen), Head of the Operational Excellence Group at Anaplan, hosted a dynamic discussion exploring their experience in implementing Polaris. Learn valuable insights, best practices, and key takeaways to enhance your capabilities. https://play.vidyard.com/pTvwoDTWfnPARF5Q65x1Ze? Timestamps: * Introductions: 0:52 * Polaris at NVIDIA (implantation, learnings, and more!): 1:52 * Q&A: 29:34 Don’t miss these additional upcoming ACE Spotlight events: * Community Challenge recap on modeling tips and tricks on October 23 * Quarterly customer platform release webinar on October 30 * Polaris use cases and best practices on November 13
Calling all Anaplan Users and Model Builders in Sydney & Melbourne!
Join us for the inaugural Anaplan Collaborative Circle (ACC) event, tailored specifically for Model Builders and Anaplan Users within our Customer and Partner community in both Sydney and Melbourne this October Why join the ACC? - Connect with fellow Sydney-based Model Builders and Anaplan users - Build a sense of belonging and collaboration within the community - Share, discuss, and exchange best practices - Learn about each other's challenges and Connected Planning journeys Event Details Name: Anaplan Sydney & Melbourne ACC Launch: Networking & Drinks Session Date: October 24th Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM Location: - Sydney: 64 York Street, Sydney (14th floor) - Melbourne: 550 Bourke Street, 10, Melbourne, VIC 3000 Don't miss out on this opportunity to grow your network and gain valuable insights from your peers. Click here to RSVP for this event: For Sydney: https://forms.office.com/r/K3N95j3Ga9 For Melbourne: https://forms.office.com/r/PqxhPdEZ42 Looking forward to your participation!
Oct 30 Platform Release Webinar registration now open!
Anaplan's next quarterly platform release webinar will be held October 30, 2024 at 8 a.m. Pacific Time. During this session, we will explore our latest platform releases and discover how to streamline your workflows and achieve new levels of efficiency. Our expert-led session will equip you with a practical guide and live demonstrations to help you get the most out of new features and innovations. Get your questions answered live during Q&A. Topics covered will include: * New modules inventory improvements * Workflow enhancements Can't make it? Register for the event and a recording will be sent to all who register. A recap and recording will also be posted on Community. Register here. ….. Don't miss these other ACE Spotlight Community events: * Implementing with Polaris on October 16 In this event, Jonathan Goldsmith from NVIDIA will guide a dynamic discussion exploring experience with implementing Polaris. Learn valuable insights, best practices, and key takeaways from his journey to enhance capabilities using Polaris. * Community Challenge Recap on October 23 In September, Anaplan Community members will share their favorite modeling opportunities in our Anaplan Community Challenge. In this event, we will talk through those best practices and share top guidance that all modelers should know. * Polaris Use Cases and Best Practices on November 13 Rob Marshall from Anaplan, John Dorma from Twelve Consulting, and Harshita Mysore Shankar from Adobe sit down to have an educational discussion on Polaris, how it differs from Classic, use cases, do’s and don’ts, challenges, and learnings.
Recording available! Change Management for CoE Leaders and Implementers
If you missed our event yesterday, Change Management for Anaplan CoE Leaders and Implementers, a recording is now available. Often overlooked and underappreciated, effective change management is the single greatest contributor to the success of realizing the benefits of a project. An Anaplan project does not end with the handover of cleverly built tools to practitioners; it’s crucial to ensure that those practitioners can effectively use the tools and reap the benefits. Topics and timestamps: * Change management considerations (1:42) * Establishing a change management mindset (3:12) * Assessing appetite and aptitude for change (5:29) * Navigating risks (15:15) * Q&A (24:38) https://play.vidyard.com/qnKkEffg7X156r12A5xFQU? A PDF of the presentation is attached, below. ACE_ChangeManagementSept2024_DistributionVersion.pdf Speaker James Snyder (@jasnyder1973), Practice Director at Allitix James Snyder has over 20 years of professional experience spanning several Fortune 500 companies and functional roles. He is an innovative leader focused on developing solutions to capitalize on known opportunities, identify unknown opportunities, eliminate waste, and deliver value to the enterprise. James is adept at delivering solutions that optimize/evolve business process, drive transparency, leverage available assets and resources, as well as maintain data hygiene. He is also an Anaplan Certified Master Anaplanner and Certified Solution Architect. James was joined by Kyle Welling (@kyle_welling_1), Director, OEG at Anaplan for the session and audience Q&A. Don't miss these upcoming ACE Spotlight events! * Implementing with Polaris on October 16 * Community Challenge Recap (modeling tips and tricks) on October 23 * Polaris Use Cases and Best Practices on November 13
Build a game in Anaplan! Recording from the Builder Challenge event
Our August Community Challenge invited people to share creative or useful Anaplan models they've built, and WOW — the Community delivered! We recently hosted an event to walk through a few of the unique and fun model builds — a recording is available below. Tune in to see four fun model builds: * Kirill Kuznetsov (@KirillKuznetsov), Anaplan Solution Architect from Planingo, kicks things off with a demonstration of his incredible game of Battleship he built in Anaplan * Seyma Tas (@seymatas1), Anaplan Product Owner from Caliber Collision, dives into how she built the classic Rock, Paper, Scissors * Murat Akkas (@muratakkas), Solution Architect from Wipro, shares his fan-favorite Cows & Bulls game * And our host Noah Jackson (@NoahJ), Principal Solution Architect at Anaplan, closes out the session with his build of the game of Blackjack https://play.vidyard.com/xp8B1tgX3hXgmVM7cwhix7 Chapter timestamps: * Battleship: 3:39 * Rock, Paper, Scissors: 17:05 * Cows and Bulls: 30:58 * Blackjack: 42:13 Articles/resources mentioned during the event: * Did You Know: Tips for using assets in Anaplan * Build a random number generator in Anaplan * Past fun ‘How I Built It’ tutorials:* Optimizer for Work and Play * Popular Word Game * Fantasy Football Draft * Solving world’s hardest Sudoku with Anaplan Optimizer While those four individuals created incredibly fun games, there are many more to see too — both fun and useful ideas that we couldn’t fit into the hour-long event. Be sure to check out the Challenge blog post, and read about: * March Madness predictor by @TimothyThomas * “Anaplanwich” dynamic sandwich builder by @JaredDolich * Uploading transactional row files in Anaplan by @alexpavel * Working day calendar by @Hyunju Kim * Project calendar creator with dynamic what-if scenario modeling by @Agandhi * 15 Puzzle challenge by @Amaya * Two builds from @Alessio_Pagliano — a tracker for the Anaplan call / POC tracker and a model size estimator * Arithmetic progression and determining the end term of a sequence by @Dikshant * Cricbuzz App for help setting up an online cricket tournament by @PulkitChawla Seyma Tas, one of our presenters, had an excellent suggestion during the live event…. Before or after a project kickoff, challenge your team to work together to build a game! It can be a really fun team-building activity. Did you miss the Challenge and have something to share? Leave a comment and show it off! Also, don’t forget to check out our current challenge – share your modeling tips and tricks here! .
Don’t miss these upcoming events!
We have several exciting events coming up — opportunities to learn and have a little fun! Check out what's on the calendar and be sure to RSVP. If you are unable to attend live, be sure to sign up anyway as a recording will be sent out after each event (and also posted in Community). ACE Spotlight: "Builder Community Challenge" Recap on September 17 Our August Community Challenge invited people to share creative or useful Anaplan models they've built, and it's time to showcase a few of our favorites! Join us September 17 as Anaplan Principal Solution Architect (and Community Boss) Noah Jackson (@NoahJ), along with special guests, walk through 3–4 of the unique and fun model builds. Hint: battleship in Anaplan! Grab your favorite beverage and let's have a little fun in our day exploring how innovative the Anaplan Community can be! Register here. Charting the Course: Change Management for Anaplan CoE Leaders and Implementers on September 24 Often overlooked and underappreciated, effective change management is the single greatest contributor to the success of realizing the benefits of a project. An Anaplan project does not end with the handover of cleverly built tools to practitioners; it's crucial to ensure that those practitioners can effectively use the tools and reap the benefits. In this discussion, James Snyder (@jasnyder1973) from Allitix and Kyle Welling (@kyle_welling_1) from Anaplan will cover how to establish a change management mindset, assessing appetite and aptitude for change, setting realistic goals, and navigating the process. Register here. Modeling tips and tricks: September Challenge recap on October 23 Later this month, Community members will be invited to lend their expertise by sharing their favorite modeling tips and tricks in our September Challenge (keep an eye out for this announcement next week!). In this session, we'll talk through best practices in modeling and share the top tips shared in the challenge. Register here. Quarterly platform release webinar on October 30 Our expert-led session will equip you with a practical guide and live demonstrations to help you get the most out of new features and innovations. Get your questions answered during the live Q&A, and be equipped to take advantage of everything the new releases have to offer. Registration is not yet open; but please save-the-date and subscribe to our event series category to be alerted when registration opens. Click the “follow” bell to subscribe. Polaris use cases and best practices on November 13 Join Rob Marshall (@rob_marshall) from Anaplan, John Dorma (@johndorma) from Twelve Consulting, and Harshita Mysore Shankar (@HarshitaMysoreShankar) from Adobe for a discussion about Polaris. We will talk about how it's different from Classic, various use cases, what not to do, challenges, and lessons learned. The session will be followed by an audience Q&A. Register here. We hope to see you there!
July 30th Quarterly Platform Release Webinar Registration Now Open!
Hey everyone, Our second installment of our quarterly platform release webinar series is scheduled for July 30th at 8am PT and registration is now open! Our expert-led session will equip you with a practical guide and live demonstrations to help you get the most out of new features and innovations. Get your questions answered during the live QA, and be equipped to take advantage of everything the new releases have to offer! Topics covered will include: * New modules inventory improvements * Workflow enhancements * more Register today! https://info.anaplan.com/resources_webinars_gen_fy25_q2_jul_glob_gen_wbnr_quarterly-customer-platform-release.html All the best, Eric
Recording now available! April 30 quarterly customer platform release event
If you missed our April 30 platform release event, the recording is now available! In this webinar, we highlight the most recent feature releases and how to take advantage of these in your environment. Our Operational Excellence Group (OEG) goes through a demonstration of the most recent platform features, provides a technical deep-dive and “how-to”, followed by a question and answer session with the audience. During this session, our experts covered: * Workflow enhancements * Management reporting updates * User experiences https://play.vidyard.com/U8KdrGvQdR3MZwjGRhE3HL Resources shared during the event Helpful links shared during the presentation: * More information on using dynamic text in a card: https://help.anaplan.com/manage-text-cards-4de76302-1d96-4cd3-a107-77970643049a#5voma9ltek-use-dynamic-text-on-a-text-card * Updated: Summary Calculations with the User List * For a sneak peek at what’s coming next in product releases, check out these two resources: https://product.anaplan.com/ https://community.anaplan.com/categories/latest-platform-releases * For future events like this, click the “follow” bell here (once logged in to Community): https://community.anaplan.com/categories/quarterly-event-series * The best way to add commentary to formulas is via the Notes field: https://help.anaplan.com/add-notes-to-an-object-36523604-cbbc-4075-a47b-69f75d7caa2e Also, if your formula is long and complex enough to require “code comments”, then there is a good chance it should be broken up or refactored per Planual best practices. Planual: https://community.anaplan.com/categories/planual Q&A We encourage you to watch the recording — tons of questions were answered live! Here are a few that were answered in the chat: Q: Can you pass any parameters, arguments, or values with the navigation? Such as routing to another page but filter on a business unit? A: For conditional navigation, the list property driver can be in any data format with any formula/logic required. Conditional navigation is intended to route users to different destination pages rather than the same dashboard with different filters applied. There are other methods that can be used to establish page filters based on list context, user context, etc. For example, custom filters can be set up for each page context selector. Q: For conditional navigation, does it have to be formatted as the list itself or could multiple lists use a navigation list as the format? E.G. a team list that determines navigation pages. A: For conditional navigation, the list property does not need to be formatted as the list itself. Any data format can be used. For example, a team list or other list attribute could certainly be used to drive the conditional navigation. Q: Can you remind us who has access to Workflow? A: Workflow is available for all customers with the entitlement. Q: Does the system easily link the user login to this list? And its subset? As is, can it auto detect my login and connect it to the user dimension? That was something the fake user list couldn’t do. A: Yes. Q: Can we create a new user from UX? Like creation of new item in list? A: While there is not a specific "Insert User" capability, there may be ways to accomplish something similar. Check out this link: [Start Here] User Access Management - Part 1: Get Started. Q: How does the view of users with limited access and WSA/full access vary? A: We would need a bit more detail to clarify, but I'll try my best to answer for some different scenarios! (1) What an end user can see (in terms of which pages, which data elements, etc) will be based on their model role ( https://help.anaplan.com/model-roles-30783e17-b789-4005-b87a-ff15cd3c9044 ). (2) There is a setting with the module blueprint which allows you to determine whether or not end users can see the full list of Users or whether it is limited to WSAs only: https://help.anaplan.com/users-list-f3333ecf-a1cc-43d8-af03-ec65c5cdd428 . Q: Re: cascaded slides… How do you create the master? Can we show that? A: The master is created like any other slide. Stephen demoed live how you add linked slides to an existing slide. Here is some detail on Anapedia as well: https://help.anaplan.com/manage-cascade-slides-ddc50700-5b0b-4897-9db3-90905db1a868 Q: How do cascaded slides look when exported to PDF? A: They look just like a non-cascaded slide, i.e. you will see all cascaded slides in their own slide. Q: Will the master slide need to be excluded every time the report is exported as PDF? A: There is also a new capability to “hide slide”, so you can hide the master slide, which will exclude it from the end user view as well as the exported PDF. No need to manually adjust the export settings every time. Follow along for future events! Stay up to date with all platform release announcements by subscribing to the platform release page on the Anaplan Community, and all platform events by subscribing to the events page. Look for the “bell” icon on the page to subscribe. Questions? Leave a comment!
New Webcast Series for model builders and end users
Hey everyone, I'm pleased to announce we are starting a new webinar series, dedicated to helping model builders and end users be equipped and enabled to configure and deploy the newest platform releases! A number of people will be presenting from our Operations Excellence Group, among others, to provide a "how-to" and deep dive demonstration of the new features, along with a Live Q&A session to provide support and answers. When: 4/30 8am PDT / 11am EDT I highly recommend registering for the event, even if you can't make it live (I know the time may be tough). Why? We are expecting a big audience for this event and may schedule additional live Q&A sessions, which will ONLY be available for those who register for the 4/30 webinar. Blog (registration link is embedded in the blog): https://community.anaplan.com/discussion/157952/april-30-event-quarterly-customer-platform-release We look forward to connecting with you! Best, Eric
Anaplan Modellers Forum - 6th March
Please join us for the Anaplan Modellers Forum on Wednesday 6th March! This in-person event will focus on reviewing and improving your Anaplan models within your current environment. You can sign up for this event here.
Recording available! Implementing Polaris: A deep dive on best practices
If you missed our event on December 5, the recording is now available! In this event — Implementing Polaris: A deep dive on best practices — Philipp Erkinger (@PhilippErkinger) and Niko Vilkko (@nvilkko) from Bedford Consulting are joined by Stephen Rituper (@Stephen) and Dennis Lemoine (@DennisL) from Anaplan to discuss the basics of Polaris, use cases, where to focus your time on, and how to think differently versus Classic when approaching a Polaris implementation. In the recording they cover: * Welcome and introductions * Understanding the basics of Polaris * Use cases for Polaris * How to think differently vs Classic when approaching a Polaris implementation project * A walk through the lessons learned along with a technical deep-dive into best practices * Audience questions Check it out below and leave a comment with questions! https://play.vidyard.com/oE2futu3nYAejzAFhmaMEc
Polaris - Best Practices Event
For those who are interested in learning the best practices of Polaris, here is the link. Get yourself registered. Event on 5th Dec 2023. https://events.anaplan.com/ACEImplementingPolaris Thanks, Misbah
Seeking Insights on seasonal forecasting within Anaplan: Share Your Experiences and Best Practices!
Hello Anaplan Community, I hope this message finds you well! As we approach the holiday season, I am eager to learn more about how companies in our community are leveraging Anaplan for holiday forecasting. This is a crucial aspect of planning for many businesses, and I believe there's a wealth of knowledge and diverse experiences within our community. My company is currently discussing how we can improve our methods for forecasting trends, seasons, and holidays, and I believe this to be a common issue among companies with large assortments of articles, such as ours. If your organization utilizes Anaplan for holiday forecasting, I would love to hear about your approach. What specific challenges do you face during the holiday season, and how does Anaplan help you overcome them? Are there any unique features or models that you've found particularly effective? Furthermore, I'm interested in uncovering any best practices that our community members have identified for holiday forecasting with Anaplan. Whether it's related to data integration, collaboration among teams, or refining forecasting models, your insights could be incredibly valuable to others facing similar challenges. Looking forward to hearing your experiences and best practices!
Upcoming Virtual Polaris Event on December 5th!
Hi everyone, Exciting news! We will be hosting an Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) event on December 5th (8:00am PDT/11:00am EDT) around the topic of implementing Polaris and a deep dive on best practices. Community Boss @PhilippErkinger and his colleague Niko Vilkko from Bedford Consulting will also be joined by Anaplan’s Stephen Rituper and Dennis Lemoine to discuss the basics of Polaris, use cases, where to focus your time, and how to think differently versus Classic when approaching a Polaris implementation. @PhilippErkinger and Niko will provide a walk-through of lessons they've learned as early adopters, and they will open up the session to questions and discussion. Full details on the event including the agenda, as well as registration can be found here: https://events.anaplan.com/ACEImplementingPolaris If you are managing a user group, or know of customers who would benefit from attending the Polaris Event on December 5th, please share this registration URL with them: Please let me know how we can support you in "getting the word out" for this community-led event! Best, Eric
Modeling at Natural Dimensionality in Polaris
Discover the transformative power of Polaris in this session led by Dave Harding, Principal Product Manager at Anaplan. Explore how Polaris enables the modeling of large-scale business problems with natural dimensionality, revolutionizing the way we approach complexity. Learn how Polaris simplifies models, enhances their power, improves user experience, and streamlines management. Speaker: Dave Harding, Principal Product Manager, Anaplan Recorded: June 6, 2023 at the Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) event in San Diego, CA https://play.vidyard.com/iDm6bmWB6kmRXKctNaaucG?
Here’s what you missed at ACE!
What an amazing experience we all had in San Diego a few weeks back! Always incredible and inspiring to see so many familiar and NEW faces in-person. From dynamic keynotes to impactful breakout sessions, there was a little something for everyone at the Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) and Connect. A huge congrats to both Anne-Charlotte Vidal, our Center of Excellence Leader of the Year, and Adam Cookson, our Certified Master Anaplanner of the Year. We were able to honor and celebrate them in-person. You can read the announcements and interviews with them here: * Announcing the 2023 Center of Excellence Leader of the Year! * Announcing the 2023 Certified Master Anaplanner of the Year! ACE breakout sessions are now available to watch! * Developing extensible Data Hubs to scale with your use cases Marcus Trott, Business System Analyst at Google introduces us to how Google has optimized their Finance Data Hub to allow for faster releases, less development, and fewer processes. Google's Anaplan solution has enabled more than a dozen production models to be supported by a single Finance data hub that is easily managed with dynamic parameter-based views. * Center of Excellence showcase: Navigating the Anaplan landscape for sustainable success Join Will Lederer, Solutions Architect: FP&A, Business Technology Director from Okta, for a session and discussion on how to make your Center of Excellence as effective as possible. Will’s presentation highlights the following: embracing new features, sustainability, scalability, data governance and strengthening business partnership. * Modeling at Natural Dimensionality in Polaris Discover the transformative power of Polaris in this session led by Dave Harding, Principal Product Manager at Anaplan. Explore how Polaris enables the modeling of large-scale business problems with natural dimensionality, revolutionizing the way we approach complexity. Learn how Polaris simplifies models, enhances their power, improves user experience, and streamlines management. * Connected Planning journey with Mattel Get ready to turn data-driven insights into insights-driven action with speaker Angshuman Das, Key Senior Manager from Mattel. Hear how this leading global toy company leverages seamless, Connected Reporting tools and enriched analyses to move from data and insights to actions and outcomes quickly and confidently. * The Value of Anaplan This dynamic panel discussion, with speakers from American Airlines, Cisco, and Databricks, showcases the value of Anaplan. They share their success stories and envision the future of their companies with Anaplan so you can gain insights and ideas from real-world experiences to take back to and inspire your organization. * My path to Google: a blended customer and partner journey Where do you want your Anaplan journey to take you? Hear how Zeke Johansson, Business Systems – FP&A Engineering at Google navigated various roles during seven years in the Anaplan ecosystem and lessons to support your own career path. Additionally, the Anaplan Connect sessions from San Diego are now available to watch here. As always, the Community team is committed to providing events that educate, inspire, and connect. Stay tuned for more opportunities — both virtual and in-person — with a community focus!
Developing extensible Data Hubs to scale with your use cases
An introduction to how Google has optimized their Finance Data Hub to allow for faster releases, less development, and fewer processes. Google's Anaplan solution has enabled more than a dozen production models to be supported by a single Finance data hub that is easily managed with dynamic parameter-based views. Speaker: Marcus Trott @MarcusTrott, Business System Analyst, Google Recorded: June 6, 2023 at the Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) event in San Diego, CA https://play.vidyard.com/VkkmbM8167o2NySvrqXuBi?
Center of Excellence showcase: Navigating the Anaplan landscape for sustainable success
Join Will Lederer, Solutions Architect: FP&A, Business Technology Director from Okta, for a session and discussion on how to make your Center of Excellence as effective as possible. Will’s presentation highlights the following: embracing new features, sustainability, scalability, data governance and strengthening business partnership. Speakers: * Will Lederer, Solutions Architect: FP&A, Business Technology Director, Okta * Mariam Azeez, Principal Engagement Manager, Customer Centers of Excellence at Anaplan Recorded: June 6, 2023 at the Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) event in San Diego, CA https://play.vidyard.com/fhQNCXiZ1MKhw2p9bJiN1G?
Connected Planning journey with Mattel
Get ready to turn data-driven insights into insights-driven action. Hear how Mattel — a leading global toy company — is leveraging seamless, Connected Reporting tools and enriched analyses to move from data and insights to actions and outcomes quickly and confidently. Speakers: * Angshuman Das, Key Senior Manager, Enterprise Architecture of Supply Chain and Finance Domain, Mattel * Dennis Lemoine, Principal Community Experiences Program Manager, Anaplan Recorded: June 6, 2023 at the Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) event in San Diego, CA https://play.vidyard.com/HeZHsddABB5Yqg4vDZ8maw?
The value of Anaplan
This dynamic panel discussion showcases the value of Anaplan. Hear from three customers as they share their success stories and envision the future of their companies with Anaplan. Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights and ideas from real-world experiences to take back to and inspire your organization. Speakers: * Akash Vinayak, Senior Manager, Customer Analysis and Data Science, American Airlines * Cody Stipcic, Global CoE Lead, Sales Planning, Cisco * Steve Marzo, Senior Finance Manager, Databricks * Dennis Lemoine, Principal Community Experiences Program Manager, Anaplan Recorded: June 6, 2023 at the Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) event in San Diego, CA https://play.vidyard.com/jakX3Sac14k6ypvAggPfVX?
My path to Google: a blended customer and partner journey
Where do you want your Anaplan journey to take you? Hear how one Googler navigated various roles during seven years in the Anaplan ecosystem and lessons to support your own career path. Speaker: Zeke Johansson @zeke.johansson, Business Systems – FP&A Engineering, Google Recorded: June 6, 2023 at the Anaplan Community Experience (ACE) event in San Diego, CA https://play.vidyard.com/7s7QnEkKimeFCLKyhA5DXm?
[Pre Work] COE Maturity: Arendelle Analytics Case Study
Maturing Your Anaplan CoE - Handouts and Activities.pdf Pre-Work: Read the following Case Study and post below in the comments your response to the following question: As Anna WarmHeart, what would be your recommended strategy and mandate for the Anaplan CoE at Arendelle Analytics? —Establishing the Anaplan Center of Excellence (CoE) at Arendelle Analytics: A Case Study Note: This case study is based on a fictional company Arendelle Analytics, and a fictional character, Anna WarmHeart. However, it closely resembles the experiences and challenges faced by many of our CoE’s. The purpose of this case study is to provide insights and best practices for organizations looking to establish or scale their own Anaplan CoE. Abstract: This case study explores the challenges faced by Arendelle Analytics, a leader in software design and engineering, due to the absence of a formalized Anaplan Center of Excellence (CoE). The lack of a CoE led to difficulties in project prioritization, stakeholder management, knowledge retention, and team scalability. Arendelle Analytics successfully addressed these challenges by establishing a structured CoE, implementing a project intake process, developing model building standards, and adopting a comprehensive staffing strategy. The case study highlights the importance of a formalized CoE in managing growing demand for Anaplan projects and offers valuable insights for other organizations looking to establish or scale their own Anaplan CoE. Background: In 2019, Arendelle Analytics became a customer of Anaplan, and its finance organization began exploring the platform's potential. The team noticed the limitations of traditional planning techniques and recognized that Anaplan could support Arendelle Analytics' “Future of Finance” initiatives to create engaging new career paths and build a top-notch finance team. As the tool gained traction, the number of use cases skyrocketed, sparking excitement throughout the company. Challenges: Between 2019 and 2023, external partners developed numerous models but left behind scant documentation, resulting in maintenance becoming both challenging and costly. As external partners departed, they took their expertise with them, leaving the Arendelle Analytics team to navigate the complex models without proper guidance. This knowledge gap jeopardized the long-term sustainability and success of Anaplan's implementation at Arendelle Analytics. During this period of growth and exploration, the organization grappled with a lack of defined project intake and prioritization processes. Work was often allocated to the most vocal stakeholders instead of prioritizing projects based on impact and value. Consequently, finding the right balance between maintenance and new projects became increasingly difficult, leading to inefficiencies and frustration among team members. As Anaplan projects continued to accumulate, effective workload management became a significant challenge. With no clear process in place for task monitoring and capacity optimization, miscommunication and inadequate stakeholder alignment ensued, resulting in missed opportunities and unmet expectations. Moreover, knowledge transfer and retention within the team emerged as a critical issue. Recognizing these mounting challenges, Elsa ColdFusion, the Vice President of Finance Transformation, decided to take action and sponsor the formal creation of an Anaplan Center of Excellence (CoE). In 2022, Elsa hired Anna WarmHeart to lead the CoE with a mandate to "connect, optimize, and automate." Current State of Arendelle Analytics' CoE: Use cases: Four live use cases, all in the Finance organization: * Revenue Planning * Opex Planning * Long Range Planning * Workforce Planning Users: ~350 across all use cases Integrations: Automated using MuleSoft Existing model builders: ~2 model builders: one certified MB, and one who has only done L1. Anna is a Certified Master Anaplanner (CMA), but doesn’t have the capacity to be a full time Solution Architect (SA). Arendelle Analytics had a partner who was acting as SA but their contract ended shortly after Anna started in her new role. Defect/enhancement process: The team currently uses something they call the “Big Anaplan List”, which is an Excel file they use to track enhancements. Anna has mostly been maintaining this on her own. Performance/best practices approach: Arendelle Analytics leverages Anaplan Hypercare and has a budget set aside for Model Optimizations and Concurrency Testing. There are no modeling standards currently set internally.
Upcoming Live Virtual Event Series! ** Rescheduled to July 11th and July 13th**
Hi everyone, We're very excited to announce a series of live forums for ESG - Sustainability group members! The purpose is to share our knowledge and experience, and to stimulate creative thinking and problem solving in this increasingly important area of planning. This is a new and rapidly growing topic so there are no right or wrong answers! Just endless opportunities to learn and develop our skills. To get us started we have planned two sessions: 1 - The 101 of Sustainability for Business Planners 2 - Advanced Sustainability Planning and ESG Use Cases We have created two groups based on time zones, and each group will have a session for each topic, so nobody misses out. Group 1: (APAC, ANZ, Western USA) Session 1 - The 101 of Sustainability for Business Planners 8.00 AM (SGT) / 11.00 AM (AEST) / 5.00 PM (PST) Tuesday 11th July Session 2 - Advanced Sustainability Planning and ESG Use Cases. Date TBA Group 2: (Eastern USA, EU and India) Session 1 - The 101 of Sustainability for Business Planners 8:00 AM (EST) / 2:00 PM (CET) / 6:30 PM (IST) Thursday 13th July Session 2 - Advanced Sustainability Planning and ESG Use Cases Date TBA We have two wonderful group leaders - @KBeltz (Group 1) and @TimothyK (Group 2) - so please reach out to them or @schlachter1 with any questions. Official event registration links will be available soon, but in the meantime please put the dates in your diary so you keep the time free. More info below for Session 1. We look forward to "seeing" you there!

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