Introduction to Lists
As you learned in The Building Blocks of Anaplan, lists are a key part of the Central Library in an Anaplan model. Along with Time and Versions, lists provide the dimensions that give meaning to the data you include in a model.
Lists are critical in Anaplan because they help define the structure of the model. A single list can be used by multiple modules within the model, and updates to the list will immediately flow through to all modules which use it. (Modules are addressed in the lessons in the Engine section of this course.)
Each list is composed of related items that you will use for planning, such as departments in an organization, products manufactured by a company, or territories in a sales network. These related items are referred to in this course as “members” of their respective list. It is important to remember that list members:
- belong to a list (not to the module the list is used in).
- can be used in any module in the model.
- can be referenced in a formula.
Lists can be related to one another in a hierarchy, with the members of one list serving as "parents" to the "child" members of another list.
The remaining lessons of the Central Library section of this course are devoted to explaining and building the lists that will be used in the Engine and UX parts of the model.
The steps for creating lists are included on the Basic Steps to Building a Model resource; if you haven't already done so, download it now (see attachment below), so you can refer to it later if needed.
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