Anaplan XL Reporting (AXL) is a powerful solution bridging the robust planning capabilities of the Anaplan platform with the familiar flexibility of Microsoft Excel. It allows you to interact with your Anaplan data dynamically, right from your desktop. To use its power effectively, it's important to understand how to use it and when other Anaplan functionality, such as the native Anaplan user experience (UX), might be a better fit. This guide will walk you through a few potential use cases for AXL and provide tips and recommendations for success.
Note: These recommendations are meant to spark ideas and provide general direction. The ideal application of AXL often depends on the specific context of your models, data, and team's objectives. Finding balance is key, as there is no single “best” approach across all situations.
Key topics covered
This article explores the core uses and practical guidance of integrating Anaplan XL Reporting into your Anaplan environment, focusing on:
- Understanding when to use Anaplan XL Reporting: A summary of the ideal use cases where AXL provides maximum value, such as ad hoc or one-off analysis, creating highly customized executive reports, and consolidating data from multiple models.
- Navigating the boundaries: A look at the scenarios where AXL is not the recommended tool, offering guidance on when to leverage the native Anaplan UX, or other solutions for tasks like ETL or managing complex workflows.
- Practical recommendations for success: A high-level look at key techniques for building and maintaining effective AXL reports, including guidance on source model optimization.
The sweet spot: When to use Anaplan XL Reporting
Anaplan XL Reporting delivers flexibility, custom formatting, and on-demand analysis. AXL could be a good fit in the following scenarios:
Use case | Description |
|---|
Ad hoc analysis | Answer those spontaneous “what if” questions. Quickly pull data from an Anaplan model into Excel to validate logic, explore scenarios, or determine the need for a new report before investing time in building a permanent dashboard in the Anaplan UX. |
Executive-ready & highly styled reporting | Leverage Excel’s capabilities to build custom reports and visualizations, from pixel-perfect executive board books and financial statements to unique layouts such as butterfly reports or integrated, cell-level waterfall charts. |
Reporting on disparate data | Create a single, consolidated report which pulls from multiple Anaplan models (for example, Finance and HR) or combines Anaplan data with external data sources. Since AXL respects user permissions, users will only see the data they are authorized to access from each source. |
Data discovery | Gain a deeper business perspective by interacting with live, governed Anaplan data in Excel. Slice and dice information, drag and drop dimensions, and combine datasets from across your organization to see your business from new angles, all while keeping your core Anaplan model clean and free of one-off exploratory reports. |
Personalized reporting | Empower teams to create their own tailored views from a single template. A marketing team, for example, could add its own custom ROI calculations in its version of a report without altering the version used by the finance team or modifying the underlying Anaplan module. |
Reusable reporting | Leverage a single master report shared by multiple users. When a user opens and refreshes it, the report dynamically displays only the data they have permission to see, streamlining distribution. For smaller-scale needs, you can also use the Propagate feature to generate a separate tab for each cost center or business unit within a single workbook. |
Areas of caution: When AXL may not be the ideal fit
While powerful, AXL is not the right solution for every task. Using it for the wrong purpose can create inefficiencies and governance challenges. We recommend careful consideration in these areas:
Not ideal for | Why it's not recommended |
|---|
ELT (Extract, Load, Transform) Processes | AXL should not be used for data transformation. Not only does this create a parallel “source of truth”, but it also adds unnecessary data and calculations to the Excel workbook, potentially impacting the performance of the AXL workbook and the source system. For data governance, we recommend that all data transformation logic happen in a data management system or a dedicated ETL tool to ensure transparency and control. |
Transactional-level or dataset reporting | Excel has inherent size limitations and struggles with large datasets; it was not designed to handle millions of rows of raw, transactional data. For this reason, AXL should not be used to pull massive datasets into a workbook for detailed review or as a data store. A better approach is to have AXL bring in summarized, dimensional data, and then leverage the pivoting, slicing, and filtering features to report on the precise level of detail needed to make decisions. |
Complex or high-volume write-backs | AXL is well-suited for light data entry, such as updating high-level assumptions or making minor adjustments. However, it should not be used for large-scale or heavily dimensionalized write-backs. This approach introduces several challenges: it can complicate the audit trail, create governance risks by relying on users to have the correct workbook template, and lacks native collaboration features. For these reasons, the Anaplan UX is the more robust, straightforward, and traceable solution for heavy data entry. |
Processes requiring workflow | AXL does not support the guided workflows, task management, and approvals which are native to the Anaplan UX. If your process requires collaboration and a clear sequence of steps with defined user hand-offs, you should build it in the Anaplan UX instead. |
Tips for Anaplan XL Reporting success
The most effective AXL reports are built on a foundation of thoughtful design in both Anaplan and Excel.
Achieving the best results from your AXL report requires thoughtful design of the source view in Anaplan or other connections, and the strategic construction of the report itself in the Excel environment. A perfect source view won't save a messy report, and the most elegant report can't fix a slow, clunky source. You need all components working well to unlock a powerful and dynamic AXL experience. The following recommendations provide a framework to help you get started.
Recommendation | Why it matters |
|---|
Start with a healthy source | AXL is a reporting tool, not a fix for model performance issues. The responsiveness of your AXL report depends heavily on the calculation speed of its source. Ensure the Anaplan model(s) or other sources are optimized before connecting them to AXL. |
Blend AXL with Excel features, wisely | The most effective reports often combine the live Anaplan grid with native Excel functionality. It may be necessary to mix and match AXL and Excel formulas and functionality to achieve your objective. However, be careful with certain volatile functions and features: we strongly recommend avoiding VBA, macros, volatile Excel formulas (OFFSET, NOW, TODAY, INFO, CELL, INDIRECT, RAND), and native Excel filters/sorting directly on AXL-connected data. These can conflict with the add-in's operations during a refresh, leading to errors or unpredictable results. Conversely, one Excel feature is your best friend: Named Ranges. Assigning a name to your AXL data improves formula readability, makes it easier to apply as a dimension filter, and is more straightforward to reference throughout your workbook. |
Prioritize lean, purpose-built | Always connect to a well-structured reporting module or view, not a large, multi-purpose calculation module. A smaller view containing only the necessary data will always perform better and be easier to manage. Keep in mind, AXL filters data in Excel locally, not in Anaplan, so it pulls in all zeros and blanks, even from Polaris models. |
Curate line items for your audience | When creating a reporting module in Anaplan for AXL, only include the line items you are comfortable with all report users viewing. While a user's security restricts the data they can see, they can still access all line items in the source module that fall within their permissions. A specific, curated module for your AXL audience is best practice to ensure users are leveraging the right information, and not any interim calculation steps accidentally. |
Keep Workbooks focused and simple | Keep each workbook intentional. Avoid putting too many grids in one file – it slows things down and makes the workbook harder to use. A simple workbook is easier to maintain and refresh. |
Leverage dimensional data; Avoid flat structures | AXL works best with dimensional data. Modules with "flattened" structures or concatenate dimensions are difficult to filter and lose the native pivoting and slicing functionality within the AXL grid. For the most effective slice-and-dice analysis, ensure your source modules are built with summarized, dimensional data. |
Acknowledge and respect Excel's constraints | It is worth restating: Excel remains a desktop application with inherent limitations. Even though Excel can technically hold a million rows, the user’s experience degrades well before the limit is reached. Working with large datasets is overwhelming, inefficient, and makes meaningful analysis difficult. To get the best insights from your data, AXL reports should focus on summarized, dimensional data sources - not massive modules or raw data dumps. |
Use clear naming conventions | Use clear, descriptive names for your reporting modules and views to make it easier for users to find in their AXL connections. Consider adding a suffix (e.g., _AXL) to the module or view name. This allows users to easily search and filter AXL-ready data directly within the add-in. |
Rely on the inherited security | AXL inherits and respects all security from Anaplan models, including Dynamic Cell Access (DCA), read/write access on versions, Selective Access on lists, and access controls on modules. Users can only see what their permissions allow. Make sure you review these permissions before providing templates to your users to ensure they have the intended access. |
Workbook governance is key | Individual local versions of workbooks give teams flexibility, but they also create risks. Without good governance, people might use old versions or outdated templates. We recommend you create and distribute one “golden template”: a master, version-controlled template so everyone works from the same source. |
By following these recommendations, you create a solid foundation for your AXL reports, ensuring they are not only powerful but also fast, intuitive, and easy to maintain.
Additional Resource:
[Start Here] Anaplan XL Reporting - Anaplan Community
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Author: Elizabeth Schera (@ElizabethS), Director of Product Utilization & Adoption at Anaplan.
