Syncronize card template context selectors for Microsoft 365 extension

CalebW_77

Summary (See suggestion* for detail) - Improve user experience with user driven context selection for cards in template library, rather than going into the backend and updating each saved card for the required context.

 

Context - The release of the extension - Anaplan for Microsoft 365 allows users to import from cards in templates to a Microsoft product E.g. Excel. This will allow the user to import pictures or views to pair up or use in addition to the more detailed excel add in data.

 

Challenge - However, if something is saved as a card in the template library and set to sync on selection, then it will default to the first item in that list. This means that: 

1. If you save it as a user facing card (As most items are), it will be set to sync on selection in which case a model builder would need to go back and review every card saved historically and moving forward
2. Each time you want to import a new/different list item, the model builder would need to go back and manually change the context selector for a different list item.

Suggestions* - A user would have to be in the app to update the cards with the current approach anyway, so to minimize the amount of effort and level of technical user ability required to change the context that is imported into Microsoft apps, the below is are alternative ideas:

1. Similar to Excel Add in, allow the user to select the context from Microsoft app E.g. Excel (See Image 1 attached)
2. Synchronize the saved cards as the App already does between different pages, so that the current selection of the app is the imported view/details. This way, if the user wants the list item to stay on a selected item, the card can be changed to to not sync with page and otherwise it will export the image/data aligned with the current UX page context selectors (See Image 2 attached)

VeronicaP

Thanks Caleb, 

 

Cards can be saved as a template from the UX without syncing the context selectors so that users in AM365 can apply a different selection for those dimensions. 

 

If I understand correclty your last point, are you suggesting to sync cards to the page in AM365? Unfortunately because users can insert multiple cards in the same slide/page/sheet a sync by page level would not be possible as you would be able to do in the Excel add-in. 
If you want to change context selectors for cards from the same slide/page/sheet, you can group them by position in the document and apply a new selection for the dimensions shared. 

 

CalebW_77

Thanks Veronica,

 

I understand that it is saved as a template to allow changes to context selectors in Anaplan that does not effect the saved template, so this was 1 of the 2 suggestions.

 

The second one was the ideal state, for the user be able to update AM365 image imports through AM365 (I.e. Excel) rather than having to go back to the card and updating the saved template view. To my delight though, as seen below, this is now available in AM365, but was not before during my initial testing upon first release of this functionality. 

The only additional suggestion here is to consider where Excel Ad in and AM365 is used together. I.e Using read-write Excel Add in connection for a flexible chart of data for a particular asset, with AM365 being used to being in a relevant/supporting image. Could the selection of the asset be linked to Add in and 365 for improved user experience?

VeronicaP

The Excel add-in and AM365 can be used together on the same Excel file but for now they co-exist as separate products.