Share your boards, reports, and worksheets best practices — May 2025 Community Challenge

becky.leung · 2025-05-13T18:55:47+00:00

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We’re kicking off a new Best Practices Challenge this month! Each Challenge highlights a specific topic where Community members can share their expertise, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. This time, we're focusing on the topic around boards, reports, and worksheets.

Below are some prompts to spark your creativity as you share your best practices. Use them as inspiration, or feel free to take your own approach!

When designing your UX apps, what factors determine your mix of page types?
For each page type, share your best practices for designing a user-friendly, fit for purpose experience that will be highly adopted.
Share your app design tips for how you facilitate user journeys for different end user roles or personas (e.g. planner vs. executive vs. analyst).
Share your best practices for choosing visualizations on boards and reports (e.g. charts, images, conditional formatting, etc.).
Share your tips and best practices for navigation and user guidance / instruction.

This Challenge is a great opportunity for you to share your insights with the Community and learn from other Anaplan professionals! We look forward to hearing Community members' perspectives.

How to participate

The Best Practices Challenge around model design kicks off today, May 13, and concludes on May 30.
Share your best practices related to boards, reports, and worksheets in Anaplan on this post. Whether it’s a detailed write-up, a short tip, or even a video, we welcome all formats! Be sure to check out some prompts shared in this post to help guide your response.
Check out tips shared by your fellow Community members.

What's in it for you?

Recognition: Showcase your model design expertise and stand out as a Community thought leader!
Learn: Check out contributions from newer and seasoned professionals in the Anaplan ecosystem.
Earn a Badge: As a thank you for your participation, everyone who shares their best practices will receive an exclusive Community Challenge badge. It’s a fun way to show off your contribution!
Earn a shout-out in our upcoming event: on June 25, we’ll be hosting an event discussing boards, reports, and worksheets best practices in our upcoming ACE Spotlight: Community Challenge Recap event. Participants' responses will be highlighted at this event.

Participate Today

This is a great opportunity to exchange insights, tips, and innovative ideas with fellow Anaplan professionals. Join the boards, reports, worksheets Best Practices Challenge to contribute your expertise and learn from others in the Community!

Comments

SIVAPRASADPERAM

Hi All, Here are some best practices for Anaplan boards, reports, and worksheets :

Boards

Board is easy to navigate with clear labels and logical grouping of information. Users appreciate when they can quickly find what they need. Incorporate interactive charts and KPI cards that allow users to drill down into details. This makes the data more engaging and actionable. Allow users to customize their view, such as filtering data or selecting different time periods. This flexibility helps users tailor the board to their specific needs.

Reports

Use reports for detailed design reports to highlight key metrics and insights without overwhelming users with too much information. Use visual aids like graphs and charts to make data easier to digest. Maintain a consistent format across reports to help users quickly understand and compare different sets of data. Reports are formatted for both digital and print use

Worksheets

Use worksheets for detailed data entry and editing straightforward with clear instructions and intuitive layouts. Users should feel confident in their ability to input and manipulate data . Use the Insights Panel to provide additional context and quick links to related data, helping users understand the bigger picture. Implement robust filtering and sorting options to help users navigate large datasets efficiently.

namdevgurme

Board - The board displays different types of data against each other so end users can do a comparative analysis. The page builder creates each type of data display using various types of Cards. The cards are all positioned on the page to create a board.

They should be used for things like...

KPI review
Graphical, visual reporting
Viewing data
Reviewing related data from multiple modules
Call-outs of specific metrics
Landing dashboards

They should not be used for ....

Reviewing large data sets
Editing large data sets
Inputting multiple rows of data

Worksheet - Worksheets are a type of page that displays data in an interactive grid, with an Insights panel to provide context.

Grid - The main component of a worksheet is the primary grid. Use a module view or design custom view to choose the data for the primary grid. You can configure context selectors, sort, filter, pivot, and more to change which data users have access to.

Users of a worksheet can use context selectors to change the dimension displayed. If you enable the functions, they can also use sort, filter, and pivot to focus on certain aspects of the data.

The Insights panel - to the right of the primary grid, provides a space for you to contextualize the data on a worksheet and add navigation. The Insights panel only displays on a worksheet for users if you add cards or links to it.

They should be used for things like...

Entering or editing data within a module
Reviewing large, detailed, data sets
Filtering large data sets
Running actions on data sets

They should Not be used for ...

Reporting

Reports -

Use for high-level summaries and Presentations.
Choose the page type that aligns with your specific business objectives, such as executive summaries, variance reporting, or documentation.

Prajjwal88

Hello Everyone,

Here are some best practices I follow while working with Anaplan boards, reports, and worksheets:

Sketch Before Building
Start with a rough layout or wireframe to visualize the UX page structure and ensure alignment with user requirements.
Utilize 'My Pages' for Prototyping
Use the 'My Pages' feature to experiment with different layouts and functionalities privately before publishing them for all users.
Select Appropriate Page Types Based on Objectives
- Boards: Ideal for KPI reviews, graphical reporting, and landing pages.
- Worksheets: Best suited for entering or editing large datasets and detailed data reviews.
- Reports: Suitable for high-level summaries and professional presentations.
  Choose the page type that aligns with your specific business objectives, such as executive summaries, variance reporting, or documentation.
Leverage 'Save Card as Template'
Use this feature to reuse card configurations across different pages, ensuring consistency and saving time.
Organize with Clear Naming Conventions and Structure
Implement meaningful naming conventions, Give suitable Titles across all Pages and categorize segments to effectively divide multiple business requirements, Use of Landing Page to give overviews and links. Utilize the drag-and-drop feature to arrange elements logically.

By following these practices, you can create user-friendly and purpose-driven UX pages that enhance user adoption and satisfaction.

Looking forward to learning from others' experiences and insights!

Dikshant

General UX Principles

When designing NUX, always aim for a clean, minimal UI that reduces clicks and streamlines user actions. For example, if a user needs to approve employee forecasts, design it so they scroll less, check fewer boxes, and click fewer buttons to complete the task.

Good UI isn’t just about aesthetics—it's about delivering an efficient, intuitive experience tailored for end users. It goes beyond Anaplan best practices and focuses on making the system user-friendly, flexible, and process-optimized.

Here are some key principles I follow to achieve that in UX design.

Grid & Layout Design

Add titles to every grid.
Use solid header colors for better readability.
Apply conditional formatting to editable fields to guide users. As shown in the Example (#fffacd) color code for editable fields.
Keep label height to 2 lines if headers are short.
Maintain consistent column widths.

Formatting & Usability

Adjust font size and row height based on data volume.
Use the "Format" option to visually separate line item or time periods, like quarters or fiscal years.
Disable sync to page/hierarchy filters if unnecessary to avoid cluttering contexts.

Create landing pages to organize related pages for smoother navigation.

Page Types & Usage

Boards: Best for input dashboards and functionality-heavy pages — flexible layout.
Worksheets: Ideal for reviewing data with minimal interaction — utilize Additional Insights for KPIs, Filters and Charts.
Reports: Use for leadership-facing decks — polished, presentation-style summaries.

lokesh1156

Hello Everyone,

Here I'm sharing the Purpose, Use Case and Features of Anaplan Worksheet, Board and Management Reports.

Worksheet:

Purpose: It is best for displaying large volumes of data for analysis and editing.

Use Case: Ideal for entering or editing data, reviewing large, detailed datasets, filtering data and running actions on data sets.

Features: Includes an insights panel for additional context and quick links.

Board:

Purpose: Used for data visualization and editing in a polished way.

Use Case: Suitable for KPI review, graphical reporting, viewing related data from multiple modules and creating landing pages.

Features: Can include various card types like text, image, chart, KPI, action, map, or grid cards.

Management Reports:

Purpose: Designed for static layouts with focused visuals and standardized information.

Use Case: Managers can grab attention, highlight key information and present professional reports.

Features: Pixel-perfect visuals, narrative elements and high-level summaries.

Anithareddy5

Hello Everyone,

Select appropriate page type based on the business requirements
Board: Boards focus on Visualization and high-level reporting to provide a quick overview of key metrics and KPI'S. Uses various card types(Text, Image, Chart, KPI, Action, Hierarchy, Grid) to present data.

Worksheet: Worksheets are ideal for large scale data entry and detailed analysis. Insights Panel provides additional context and quick links to related data

Reports: Reports are used to present focused visualizations and relevant data for decision making. Useful for variance analysis on granular areas, such as regions or products.

Create a landing page to give an overview and link to other important pages
Use clear and meaningful names for pages so users know what each one is for
Add titles and descriptions to explain the purpose of each page or card
Apply conditional formatting to editable fields to guide users to input and highlight important data
use "Save Card as Template" feature, which helps in reusing card configurations for consistency
Use chart and KPI cards for visual impact and to highlight key metrics and trends.
Apply filters and selectors to allow users to customize their view

kamalakar1144

Hi all,

Here are I am Sharing about the purpose, uses, Example Use Case of Anaplan's board, Worksheet and Report.

Board:

it's a flexible, highly visual page designed to combine different types of information in a dashboard format. it's intended to help users monitor KPI's, explore summaries and take guided actions. Uses various card types (Text, Image, Chart, KPI, Action, Hierarchy, Grid) for data presentation.

Best Used For:

1) Executives and senior management.

2) Quick snapshots of business performance.

3) Combining data from multiple modules or models.

Example Use Cases:

A Sales Performance Dashboard with KPIs, regional charts, and a sales rep leaderboard.
An HR Overview showing headcount by department, attrition trends, and a link to hiring plans.

Worksheet:

It is an optimized for working with large datasets and detailed data entry or analysis. Unlike boards, worksheets focus primarily on one main interactive grid, supplemented by supporting insights.

Best Used For:

1) Planners, analysts, and data contributors.

2) Input tasks like forecasts, budgets, and operational plans.

3) Use cases requiring frequent data manipulation.

Example Use Cases:

1. A Demand Planning Worksheet with editable rows for each product by month.

2. A Headcount Plan where HR can enter hires/terminations by department.

Report:

A Report in Anaplan UX is a slide-based, presentation-ready page used to tell a story with data. It's ideal for meetings or distributing professional reports to stakeholders.

Best Used For:

1) Presenting to board members, VPs, and external partners.

2) Summarizing key findings from a planning cycle.

3) Telling a narrative story using multiple data views.

Example Use Cases:

1. A Monthly Executive Review with slides for financials, headcount, and goals.

2. An Investor Deck showing quarterly performance highlights.

iWonder

Here are a few tips for navigation and user guidance / instruction:

Use the pre-existing navigation and filtering capabilities in the UX. Trying to create custom navigation links or custom filters adds clutter in a page and can be time-consuming to maintain.
Only show filters that are required, and show them in multiple areas to be flexible for how users like to filter (i.e. in card vs. up top right).
Add simple instructions for users when needed. If users need detailed instructions, set it up in elsewhere and add a link for users to access as needed.
Many users find it useful to see the module name in the card description.
Consider having both a number and title for sections and pages, and order them in a way that makes sense and gives an efficient user experience. Numbering them makes it super easy to reference in conversations/meetings/emails/chats.
- Example:
  - 1 Reporting
    - 1.1 Report A
    - 1.2 Report B
  - 2 Analysis
    - 2.1 Analysis A
    - 2.2 Analysis B
Only show what is relevant to each role by applying Restrict Access in the Page Settings.

Poojalakshmi

Hello Everyone,

Here are some best practices for Anaplan boards, reports, and worksheets :

Choosing Page Types:

I use Boards for leadership — quick visuals, KPIs, and charts that tell a story.
Worksheets are best for planners who need detailed grids and inputs.
Reports help when polished, printable summaries are needed for meetings.

Best Practices by Page:

Boards: Keep it visual and clean — charts, KPIs, and smart grouping.
Worksheets: Make it easy to input data with filters and insight panels.
Reports: Simple, clear layouts with consistent styling for print-readiness.

Designing for Different Roles:

Executives: High-level KPIs and clear visuals.
Planners: Editable grids with guidance and context.
Analysts: Flexibility to pivot, filter, and drill down.

Visual Tips:

Use conditional formatting to highlight issues or variances.
Choose the right charts — trends, comparisons, or splits.
Add helpful text and dynamic greetings for a friendly touch.

Navigation & Guidance:

Name pages clearly, based on roles or steps.
Add short instructions at the top of each page.
Use hints and tooltips for user support during entry.

devrathahuja

Hi Everyone,
Here are some best practices & tips while working with UX pages-

Type of pages:
1.Choose worksheet when the focus is on 1 grid. Choose board when multiple grids are to be shown.

2.Use management report pages for slide decks & variance comparison reports. One can leverage the native variance calculation functionalities of the report.

Ease of use:
1.Create a homepage/landing page & club all the relevant sections for the app in that for easy navigation of the entire app.

2.Follow a top-down & left-right approach for an UX page when placing objects as users are more likely to view the information that is in the top left first going right & then downwards with the bottom right boxes being the last information one would notice. Align it with the planning flow.

3.Show the right level of context selectors on the page. Selectors that apply to all/most of the page should be shown on the page. Selectors that apply to 1/2 cards only should be shown just on that card.

4.Use Conditional formatting to clearly highlight the input cells.

5.Add links to the next page & previous page at the end of the dashboard if the planner is supposed to go through a series of steps.

Other general tips:
1.Design the pages for different roles - Dashboards for planners to focus on planning inputs screen available as soon as they open the page vs Dashboards for high level executives to show data comparisons, charts, etc.

2.Use dynamic text in titles for better clarity where needed. For report pages, one can also overlay these text on other cards.

3.Use the same naming conventions across all pages to avoid confusion.

Hope this helps! Looking forward to learning more from all the tips on this thread! :)

Kanishq17

Hello

In general across my experience with building and managing UX pages , PFA best practices

Landing Pages

In general , a main landing page is ideally created which contains link to all pages and a brief description about each page , this helps for users to access pages easily with ideas for each page.

2. Page overview

New UX boards enable users to interact effectively and is fast in processing filters , so each page should have an overview of the page , what it highlights mainly with use of 'Instructions' text card

3. Filter grids

We shall publish grids with user filters as line items so that users can select options (say time periods) and the filter updates all grids simultaneously

4. Setting role access

New UX the underlying model role access settings for read/write for grid elements published , however in the backend at a higher level , an app developer can manage the write/read for each page role

5. Use of caption and grid formatting

Provide headings to each grid and use formatting to highlight line items/format

6. Custom grids

Use of custom grid instead of fixed model view enables for dynamic selection of line items/levels of dimensions/ apply CF and pivots.

7. Save template

For cases when a grid has to be used multiple times in the same page or across pages , we can use 'Save card as template' and then directly publish to the pages of faster publishing.

8. Use Proper Naming conventions

Group pages related to each other into a functional area and use proper naming convention for title like 1.0 , 1,1.. and so on .

9. Sync Scroll

This feature enables for simultaneous navigation of related/similar grids across or downwards.

TinaL12

Use linked icons rather than a title display link.

Examples:

Use the company logo or the project logo and link it to a homepage for easy navigation.
Add a gear wheel and link to display filters where users can edit their time display or scenario selection to reflect across all of the pages.

References: https://circumicons.com/blog/the-psychology-of-icons-why-they-are-so-effective

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