True Connected planning : Formulas between models

david.savarin

As an anaplan coe and model builder, i d like to increase models interoperability and achieve the true connected planning ambition.

To achieve that i need the ability to call into formulas line items from other models.

This cannot be achieved currently and every model builder who practise import actions (who doesnt ?) To "connect models" know that they are unstable, archaic and a source of continuous incidents and headaches to maintain.

hg2905

I strongly agree with the fact that Anaplan should provide a functionality to sync the models real time.

I faced the similar issue at my previous client where they were not ready to run import actions in model 2 to import forecasted data from model 1.

Their comments were since Anaplan is a connected planning platform, they should get real time updates between the models. And, then they brought the point of how other systems can do this real time using Smart push.

Stark001

As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, Anaplan does not provide a native capability to directly call formulas or line items from other models. However, there are alternative approaches you can consider to achieve a level of connected planning and increase interoperability between models in Anaplan. Here are a few suggestions:

Use Import/Export Actions: While you mentioned that import actions can be unstable, they are still commonly used to transfer data between models. You can design import actions to transfer the necessary data from one model to another, allowing you to achieve some level of connectivity and shared information.

Integration Hub: Anaplan's Integration Hub is a powerful tool that enables data integration between Anaplan and other systems. It allows you to connect different models, as well as import and export data from external sources. By leveraging Integration Hub, you can establish data flows and synchronizations between models to enhance connectivity.

Data Hub: Anaplan's Data Hub is another feature that enables centralized data management. It provides a scalable and secure environment for managing large datasets across models. By leveraging Data Hub, you can maintain consistent and shared data across models, reducing the need for direct formula or line item calls.

Anaplan Connect: Anaplan Connect is a command-line utility that allows you to automate data integration and model updates. You can use Anaplan Connect to script the transfer of data between models, enabling connectivity and synchronization.

While these approaches may not provide direct formula or line item calls between models in Anaplan, they offer alternative methods to achieve connected planning and enhance interoperability. It's worth exploring these options and assessing how they can fit into your specific use case and requirements. Additionally, it's recommended to stay updated with the latest features and enhancements in Anaplan, as new capabilities may be introduced over time to address the need for increased model connectivity.

david.savarin

Yes, Anaplan doesnt provide this feature and most model builder will know of the other methods to connect models (and probably experimented it's good, bad and **** aspects when scaling everything up).

—> Hence the Idea to provide this new feature of having Direct formulas for models to models calc. with 2 benefits :

• Achieve a true Connected Planning at enterprise scale level. We all love how within a model, calculations and data flow from one module to the next smoothly and updates results based on upstream changes… let's do that but between models themselves
• Reduce the orchestration and maintenance burden to have to schedule, launch and maintain complex process and import actions between a growing number of models

BTW : the idea or concept isnt even new, nor would i claim to be the first to have the idea. For instance Oracle Hyperion Essbase has had the concept of Cubes partitions synching I think and probably other EPM / XPM tools too ^^

Kyle204

Not a perfect solution but I have used Anaplan Cloudworks and an AWS S3 Bucket to schedule frequent model to model syncs (15 mins - 1 hourly). Only issue is that Anaplan does not allow you to use Cloudworks for scheduling of model to model syncs without setting up a cloud storage account (AWS/Azure/Google). Its not real time/connected planning but avoids having to train users to press a button.

Note: you can setup a cloud storage account for almost nothing