When you start modeling a P&L in Anaplan, there’s a universal temptation:
“Let’s just add one more line item, it’ll be faster!”
And yes, in the short term, it often is.
But after a few iterations, you end up with a model that works… but looks like a stew that’s been cooking too long: too many layers, hard to explain, and nobody really wants to dig into it.
Member Lists: structuring the P&L before calculating
Using a member list to structure the P&L is a simple choice: treat the income statement as a business object, not just a pile of numbers. Revenue, expenses, margins, intermediate results… they all have a logical order. Putting them in a list makes the P&L readable, understandable, and easier to evolve. The benefits are immediate: and a common language with finance teams .In short, you go from a “it works” model to one that stands the test of time, without surprises.
You might be tempted to put everything in a single line item and hope for the best.
Spoiler: it rarely ends well.
The approach: configure before calculating
Here, we don’t start by brute-force calculating, we love good recipe.
We configure first: each P&L member is assigned a calculation rule.
This builds a calculation engine per member, before even considering dependencies between lines.
Each line knows whether it should:
- sum,
- subtract,
- carry a value,
- or simply display an entered amount.
- Any calculation you need: hello, this is Anaplan.
This step is crucial: it does most of the work before previous() ever comes into play.
PREVIOUS: Top of the pop!
Previous(): Its role: chain results in the correct order in the P&L, based on the Anaplan Time dimension (month, period, date).
Without clear rules upstream, previous(à just passes along approximations.
It doesn’t calculate logic; it organizes it.
LAG(): Aligning Logic with Structure
This is where Lag() comes into play. more subtle, but essential.
Lag() does not carry the mathematical dependency.
Its role is to navigate the P&L list structure and identify the previous member to which a rule should apply. Lag() connect the structural logic to PREVIOUS(), enabling the calculation engine to function correctly.
UX. LISS: Reheat the Blanquette, Master the Filters!
On top of that, the original setup isn’t just for calculations. it’s a little UX ( salty) helper.
Thanks to a Line Item Subset (LISS), it acts like a filter, showing users only the P&L line item that actually matter in a view.
In other words, the model does all the heavy lifting behind the scenes, while keeping the screen clean and friendly for users. They get the info they need, without being buried in numbers nobody cares about.
It’s like a well-cooked stew: it looks simple on the plate, but behind it, there’s time, technique… and skill. it’s all about setting up the parameters.
Once that’s done, the calculations, dependencies, and views basically run themselves.
No magic, no extra work. Just smart configuration. As a result? A good Blanquette.
