Author: Steve Prendergast is the Director, Product Management at Anaplan.
In the world of enterprise planning, clarity is everything. When you're reviewing high-level data and making critical business decisions, the last thing you want is a cluttered dashboard that distracts from the core metrics.
That's why we're thrilled to highlight the brand-new Board Insights Panel, released in the February 2026 release. Designed to streamline your workspace, this feature changes the way you interact with your data and gives builders a smarter way to organize their boards — without ever losing sight of the bigger picture.
Keep the data center-stage
The Board Insights Panel introduces a dedicated, collapsible space on the right side of your Anaplan boards. Think of it as a helpful sidekick that holds all your contextual information (narratives, commentary, KPIs, and user guidance) without taking up valuable space on your primary dashboard.
Before this update, builders often had to compromise by cluttering the main workspace with text cards for navigation and instructions. Now, those supplementary elements can move off the main stage, keeping grids and charts clean and focused. When you need to analyze your main charts and grids, simply collapse the panel and let the data take center stage.
Context at your fingertips
Data without context is just numbers. The Insights Panel allows your team to dock Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), charts, and rich text narratives right next to the primary data. If you notice a sudden variance in your gross margin on the main board, you can simply pop open the Insights Panel to read the accompanying business commentary or check secondary KPIs to understand the why behind the numbers.
Intuitive navigation
Jumping between different modules and reports used to mean navigating away from your train of thought. Now, the Insights Panel houses quick navigation links, letting you move effortlessly across related areas of your planning ecosystem. Dive deep into a specific worksheet and pop right back to your high-level board with a single click.
For builders: How to configure the panel
If you're a Model Builder or Page Designer, here's how to set the Board Insights Panel up for your users.
1. Enabling the panel and adding cards
The Insights Panel only becomes visible to end-users once you add links or cards to it.
- To add a card: Open your board in designer mode. On the Additional Insights panel on the right, click the cog icon. From the Cards panel, drag and drop the desired card tile (KPI, Chart, or Text card) into the panel, then click Configure.
- To add navigation: Use the Quick Links panel, click the cog icon, and select the pages you want to link to—perfect for creating a seamless flow between related planning areas.
2. Sizing and default states
As a page builder, you control how the panel greets the user:
- Default state: Decide whether the panel is expanded or collapsed on first entry. Click the ellipsis (...) icon on the panel and select Open by default. Note that each user's browser will remember their own personal open/close preference the next time they log in.
- Resizing: Need more width for a detailed chart? Hover over the left-hand edge of the Insights Panel until the blue line appears, then click and drag. You can expand it up to half the width of the page.
3. Pro-tip: The "clean board" strategy
Take advantage of this update to do some spring cleaning. Move all your "How to use this page" text cards, secondary KPIs, and dynamic navigation buttons into the Insights Panel. Your users will appreciate the sleek, professional look of the main grid, knowing that guidance is just a single click away whenever they need it.
Ready to experience it?
The Board Insights Panel is a smarter way to govern and consume your reporting. Next time you log in, look for the arrow icon on the top right of your boards to expand the panel and discover a cleaner, more focused planning experience.
