Filtering Actuals based on selected Version in UX

paultucker

I have (simplified):

Actuals Module - dimensioned by Time only

Forecast Module - dimensioned by Time and (let's call it) Version List (not the native Version - just a normal list)

Settings Module - dimensioned by Version List, which has a line item called "Forecast Start Month" (format: Time/Month)

System Module: dimensioned by Time only, with a line item called "Forecast Month?" (format: Boolean) which is true if the time period is equal to or greater than the Forecast Start Month in the Settings Module.

Lets say that Version1 begins on Jan25 and Version2 begins on Apr25

I put two grids on a UX page - actuals (Rows: Line Items, Columns: Time) and Forecast (Rows, Line Items, Columns: Time, Context Selector: Version List).

What I want to do is to filter the Actuals module depending on the context. So if the user selects Version1, show from Jan25 in the Forecast Grid (this is easy obviously) and to Dec24 in the Actuals Grid (this is what I'm struggling with) - similarly, if the user selects Version2, show from Apr25 in the Forecast Grid (this is easy obviously) and to Mar25 in the Actuals Grid.

If I try to filter the Actuals module by the System module, it asks me to specify a Version List item - but I want this to be dynamic based on the page selection

I'm aware that there are various workarounds e.g. I can create a "dummy" page selector as a module and base the filters off that - but is there something painfully obvious that I'm missing?

AjayM

Hi @paultucker ,

Although the actuals module doesn't need version dimension, the filtering module (SYS module) would need versions dimension as well, because:
Each version can have its own forecast start month as per settings module. Hence this selection can be respected for filtering, only if the SYS module has version dimension also.

In order to apply this filter on actuals module where you don't have version dimension, there are two options.
1. Create a reporting actuals module, dimension it by both versions and time, so that you can apply filter similar to that of forecast module.
2. To avoid this unnecessary sizing of actuals module, you may create a drop-down filter (lineitem formatted by version list), and use that as the basis for filtering rule (your SYS module will just need time dimension, but the filtering rule will be based on version selected in this new lineitem). In this case, even for the forecast module, instead of exposing version as context selector, you would hide it in rows, filter it based on drop-down filter. You can then use the filter from sys module on both actuals and forecast grids.

Cheers!

paultucker

Thanks - you're right about my System module, and it is as you say in my model - I just described it inaccurately.

Otherwise - thanks for the workarounds - just seems odd to me that Anaplan requires such for what seems to me to be a fairly simple requirement.

AjayM

Well the requirement here is to show different months (for both actuals and forecast) based on version. And hence the filtering rule should somehow include both those dimensions.

paultucker

Thanks for your comments

LilyLiuAnaplan

thanks for sharing the thoughts!

@AjayM option 2 drop down would likely need to be user filters, so conscious about sizing and performance impacts