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.

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:

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:

Tips for Anaplan XL Reporting success

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.

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

…………

Author: Elizabeth Schera (@ElizabethS), Director of Product Utilization & Adoption at Anaplan.

Check out the latest Anaplan feature updates and enhancements in our February 2026 official release notes. There you'll find information on:

• User Experience
  • Board Insights Panel
  • Management Reporting on mobile
  • Custom action buttons on mobile
• Modeling experience
  • Four digit calendar
• Forecaster
  • Holiday calendars
  • UX pages trigger
  • AWS data residency expansion
• Anaplan XL (version 2602)
  • General Enhancements
    • Refresh connections and prompt for username
    • Streamlined Favorites menu
    • XL3SubmitWriteback function
  • Freeform reports
    • Native Excel formulas
    • Control the freeform refresh in the member selector
  • Performance improvements
    • Greater flexibility when refreshing connections
    • Overwrite pending writes
  • Anaplan data source

What's next?

Anaplan Data Orchestrator (ADO)

• Dataspace support for ADO UX action buttons
  Page Builders will be able to choose a dataspace when selecting Data Orchestrator actions for UX pages, making it possible to locate and add the appropriate actions during page configuration from all dataspaces and not just the default dataspace.
• Match on Name or Code for model links
  When Data Orchestrator updates a standard list or a composite hierarchy that includes standard lists it will soon be possible to match on code as well as name. Numbered lists match on code.
• Export Code or Name for module based Data Syncs
  When extracting data from a module in a model into Data Orchestrator which includes line items of type list, it will be possible to choose to output the code or name when these are standard lists. Numbered lists will output code.
• Support ADO to Snowflake writeback
  Pipelines in Anaplan Data Orchestrator enable automated data movement between Anaplan and external systems. With the Snowflake writeback capability, users will be able to write datasets & transformation views from Anaplan Data Orchestrator directly to tables in Snowflake.
• Support ADO to S3 writeback
  With the S3 writeback capability, users will soon be able to write datasets and transformation views from Anaplan Data Orchestrator directly to S3.

AI

• Advanced Explainability
  Being able to explain predictions with mathematic precision and at the data point level (SHAP).
• Bulk delete
  Allowing users to delete multiple Forecaster objects in bulk and with its dependencies.
• Backtest results write to Anaplan will be optional
  Improving run times and data writing size to Anaplan by allowing users to choose if they are interested in sending the backtest results to Anaplan
• Add Forecaster actions to UX pages
  For end users to trigger as part of their wider planning experiences.

Optimizer

• Integration with Workflow and Optimizer
  Users will be able to run Optimizer actions directly from workflows.
• Use current solution option
  When you already have a strong candidate solution, you can use it to speed up the optimization process. This can significantly accelerate the overall solving time.

Enterprise experience

• Hierarchy Chart (Data driven hierarchies with Drag and Drop)
  This update will allow users to drag and drop nodes on the hierarchy chart to update hierarchies and see the impact. This enables visual Org modeling and Account Hierarchy Management. We will soon also support a new data structure to build the hierarchy using a data list. Select a flat data list for your hierarchy and select a line item to define the parent. Using a data list offers greater flexibility to visualize and interact with multiple alternative hierarchy structures across dimensions within the Hierarchy Chart. Enabling greater what if analysis capabilities.
• End user re-order
  End user will be able to manually re-order rows and columns in a grid via a right hand panel. Enabling easy access to configure the ordering of a Grid
• Combined Grids re-order
  Page builders will be able to Re-order the Grid sections as needed in View Designer.
• Module-driven navigation actions
  Define dynamic links for navigation action buttons on UX pages by connecting them to URL formatted line items.
• Commenting configurability
  Page builders will be able to switch commenting, or just the comments summary, on or off at a page-level giving greater control over how users collaborate on specific pages and the level of commentary they can view.
• Forms accessibility enhancements
  Improvements to accessibility and usability when users add new list items using UX forms.

Workflow

• Approve/reject links in emails
  Support faster and more direct approval cycles with approve and reject buttons embedded within the emails sent to approvers. Configurable and editable by Workflow Owners this will provide even more flexibility when planning how to engage with planning stakeholders.
• Pause and resume workflow schedules
  Providing greater control for users managing the execution of business processes, and ADO sequences, with functionality to temporarily pause scheduled workflow schedules.

Enterprise Security

• CAPTCHA on Basic Authentication
  To increase account security, we will soon enable CAPTCHA for Basic Authentication. This feature is designed to block malicious, automated login attempts. No action is required as the validation will be automatic.

If you missed it…

• January 2026: Official release notes and supplemental blog and what’s next
• December 2025 release notes
• November 2025: Official release notes and supplemental notes and what's next

I need a way to route authentication credentials through LDAPS instead of LDAP.

Customers have made changes in their security departments and now require all communication to go through LDAPS.
Initially, we tried blocking the LDAP port, but unfortunately that caused ANAPLAN XL to fail.

However, this is such a critical issue for customers that the product is now being called into question and go-lives are being postponed.

I would like the option to specify two parameters in web config file one for the LDAP server and one for the port, or a combination of both.

Something like that:
<configuration>
<connectionStrings>
<add name="ADConnectionString" connectionString="LDAPS Server with Port"/>
....

Thank you and best regards,
Norbert

Is there a quick way, in Anaplan XL to divide all the results by 1000 without creating a measure for every row or every column?

To support this, we have already built a dedicated security/control module in the anaplan model that defines read/write access by department and account for each “reporting group” (e.g., IT, HR, Marketing). This module effectively centralizes which intersections (entity × department × account) each functional owner is allowed to see or edit.

The challenge is when we bring this data into AnaplanXL Add‑in reports: We want the row set in Excel (e.g., departments, cost centers, accounts) to dynamically reflect the same access rules, so that when the admin user (who have access to all Accounts, Depts, and reporting groups) use Anaplan XL's "propagate across sheets" function to generate report for each reporting group (some user don't have anaplan license and they will view the offline report). The generated excel report should only show the rows relevant to the reporting group.

Currently, we do not have a native way to directly apply these access filters from the security module to the XL Add‑in views. As a result, every user sees the full set of departments/accounts (they see the member name only, no access to the data) unless we manually create separate saved views or separate reports per role, which is difficult to maintain and does not scale.

A workaround would be to create multiple saved views in the model (one per function, such as IT‑only, Marketing‑only, HR‑only) and then build separate Excel reports off each view. However, this increases maintenance effort significantly, especially when structures or filters change, and it does not provide a truly user‑specific, security‑driven filtering experience in Excel.

How often is this impacting your users?
This impacts users every planning and review cycle, especially during budget review and adjustment periods when C‑suite and senior leaders frequently use Excel reports for analysis, validation, and discussion. During peak periods, this can be a daily issue for multiple users across functions.

Who is this impacting? (ex. model builders, solution architects, partners, admins, integration experts, business/end users, executive-level business users)

• Model builders and solution architects, who must design and maintain multiple role‑specific views or reports as a workaround.
• Administrators, who need to manage security and ensure consistency between model access and XL report visibility.
• Business/end users in functional leadership roles (e.g., HR, IT, Marketing, Finance leads) who consume Excel reports.
• Executive‑level business users (CIO, CHRO, CMO, CFO, etc.) who expect to see only their own functional scope but currently may be exposed to irrelevant or excessive detail unless separate reports are maintained.

What would your ideal solution be? How would it add value to your current experience?
The ideal solution would allow the Anaplan Excel Add‑in to natively respect and apply model‑level access filters (e.g., selective access, Dynamic Cell Access, or user‑specific filter modules) at the row level. The add‑in would automatically:

• Apply the correct filters based on the boolean line (the access control module) so that only departments/accounts within that reporting group's defined remit appear as rows.
• Reduce the need for multiple saved views and separate Excel report definitions per function.

Please include any images to help illustrate your experience.
We could illustrate this with:

• A screenshot of the security/control module showing how access is defined by reporting group (IT, HR, Marketing) against department and account.
• Screenshots showing the steps to "Propagate across sheets" using the Anaplan XL template.
• Screenshots showing Excel report where all departments and accounts are currently visible to all users.

Access Control Table

Propagate across sheets (Step 1)

Propagate across sheets (Step 2)

Report (Output) for HR Reporting Group

Report (Output) for IT Reporting Group

The current Anaplan XL add in is not available on Mac OS systems which hinders few users from leveraging its benefits.

How often is this impacting your users?

Users who want to use the Anaplan XL reporting but are using a Mac OS based system are not able to use it.

Who is this impacting? (ex. model builders, solution architects, partners, admins, integration experts, business/end users, executive-level business users)

end users and model builders

What would your ideal solution be? How would it add value to your current experience?

Make the Anaplan XL reporing add in available for the Mac OS systems.

Please include any images to help illustrate your experience.

Where are the member properties for lists defined in Anaplan XL?

In the training documentation there is an example showing a property such as “Birth Date”, which appears to be a list-item attribute. That suggests you can create custom list properties from the Anaplan list.

However, when I connect through Anaplan XL, I only see what appear to be system‑generated fields, not the properties I’ve created on my lists.

How can I retrieve fields like the list item Code, or any other predefined or custom properties, into an Anaplan XL grid?

Where exactly do these properties need to be defined in the Anaplan model for them to become available?

Thanks,

Tom

When managing multiple data interactions in Anaplan FCR, having a clear and transparent audit trail is not just a nice-to-have; it's a necessity.

The out-of-the-box drillthrough feature is a powerful tool that provides deep insight into your data's journey, allowing you to trace values back to their source.

This guide will walk you through the necessary configuration steps to enable this feature and explain how to interpret its valuable output.

Core configuration steps

To get started with drillthrough, you need to enable three key settings.

First, ensure that "Extended drillback" is activated within your consolidation model's settings.

Next, open your XL Workbook options and navigate to the Connections section.
You need to set the drillthrough type specifically to drillback.

Finally, activate “Track Data Import” flag in your Import Workflow task to capture and store Staging Table information like Source Field Values.

Once configured, the drillthrough feature becomes particularly insightful when you perform "load and overwrite" actions that include manual writeback input.

When you use drillthrough, you will be presented with a detailed comparison showing the Source Values from your staging table alongside the final information in the fact table, for Import data as well as Writeback.

This provides a clear view of data changes, offering an immediate and effective audit trail.

Some highlights — for the same data point, you will see:

• What was the source (Import or Writeback)
  
• When it was performed
  
• By which user (for Writeback)
  
• What was the source dimensionality (for Import)
• To which target it was mapped (for Import)
  
• What was the old and new amount (for Writeback)

Examples

Import

Writeback

Import + writeback

Important note on how import method impacts the audit trail: when you import data, the audit trail will be reset.

The feature's main enablement is to keep track of the old versus new values for manual writeback inputs, after data import.

Questions? Leave a comment!

In the earlier versions (XLCubed and FluenceXL), users always started directly in the folder tree, whereas now it takes quite a few more clicks to get there (at any time when I want to see another report). Our customer feels this is a step backward and isn’t particularly happy with the new behavior.

Would it be possible to consider adding an option to set “Explorer” as the default start screen or to fix the folder tree anyhow in one of the upcoming updates?

How often is this impacting your users?

Every time on web when I want to open a report, also when I close one report with "x" I get back to start position of the folder tree, not the position I opened before the last report.

Who is this impacting? (ex. model builders, solution architects, partners, admins, integration experts, business/end users, executive-level business users)

business/end users, executive-level business users

What would your ideal solution be? How would it add value to your current experience?

adding an option to set “Explorer” as the default start screen or to fix the folder tree on the left side anyhow or having it like in last FluenceXL Versions that I have a button "Explorer" on the left side.

And "Explorer" should remember the opened folder tree from before and not always get back to the beginning.

Please include any images to help illustrate your experience.

Thanks,

Tom

Check out the latest Anaplan feature updates and enhancements in our October 2025 official release notes. The information below offers supplemental information to that post.

Planning experience

• Combined Grids
  This new capability gives page builders the ability to combine multiple modules into a single, unified grid on a UX page. This functionality reduces manual effort and empowers faster decision-making by presenting related information side-by-side. For more information, check out this Community article: Combined Grids is now live!
• Custom button styling
  Page builders can now add custom images for buttons, offering greater flexibility to elevate the design and user experience of pages.
• Anaplan XL Reporting (version 2510) - Freeform reports
  Enhancements to freeform reports include more options for selecting members and navigating within a hierarchy, the ability to see the query text used to refresh a Freeform report, a confirmation message when all data cells or the first column of a freeform report are deleted to prevent unintentional data loss, and the ability to disable all formatting from the Freeform properties window.
• Anaplan XL Reporting (version 2510) - Anaplan data source
  Only updated or new values will now be sent to Anaplan, increasing efficiency with how writes are handled. Additionally, custom calculations are now supported when selective access is used.

Security & Administration

• IP allowlist enhancement
  Tenant security administrators can now import or export IP address policies using a CSV file.

What's next?

Recording available from our recent platform release event

If you missed our platform release event on October 29, watch the recording to hear about recent feature releases and how to take advantage of these in your environment. During the session, our experts covered the latest features so you can optimize your Anaplan experience. Topics covered include:

• Enhanced planning experience: See features in action that streamline the user experience and improve planning efficiency.
• Improved page management: Explore enhancements that make page management faster and easier, including UX page dependency which shows model builders which UX pages are linked to each module.
• Polaris functions: Check out functions now available in Polaris, including two Polaris-only functions.
• Anaplan Data Orchestrator: See how you can now export inventory pages and datasets to CSV.

I need help in pulling a specific view in Anaplan XL. The first grid should display attributes of various projects, while the second grid should present the monthly financial data for these projects. Thanks in advance.

Thanks
Ravi

Appreciate your help.

Thanks, Elaine

We are working with the XL fluence plug-in, but have questions on the following:

• How to write back information to Anaplan from the plug in
• How to remove the automatic refresh in a workbook
• How to create a dashboard from fluency and publish in the web 
• How to use the extra page that pop up every time we connect in the plug in 

Depuis mon dernier article sur AnaplanXL, il était temps d’en publier un nouveau, non seulement pour partager avec vous les techniques que j’ai pu découvrir, mais aussi pour présenter les récentes nouveautés. En effet, si vous avez suivi les dernières releases, vous avez sûrement remarqué que beaucoup d’entre elles concernent AnaplanXL.

1/ Une analyse des scénarios encore plus fluide grâce à la gestion double des slicers.

J’avais déjà présenté une technique utilisant les workbooks calculations pour calculer les variances dans AnaplanXL.
Cependant, j’ai découvert que la méthode des Double Slicers (une pour chaque version à comparer) + Grid calculations pour la variance est encore plus simple et plus efficace.

💡 Astuce : pensez à définir leur position en utilisant “Insert at Position” associé aux colonnes.
Sans cela, un message d’erreur peut apparaître lors de la modification des valeurs.

2/ Depuis la version 2505 (Avril 2025) - Les processus d’import et d’export Anaplan peuvent désormais être exécutés directement depuis AnaplanXL.

En complément, il est également possible d’en faire un lien URL via l'insertion d'une formule type 'XL3 Link'.

3/ Dans les propriétés de la grid, il est désormais possible d’afficher des informations dynamiques, telles que le nom du modèle, le nom du module ou la date du dernier rafraîchissement.

Pour information, le téléchargement d’AnaplanXL se fait désormais ici

Downloads | Anapedia

Nous en sommes actuellement à la version 2508. À ce jour, la mise à jour ne peut se faire que via ce lien (aucune mise à jour automatique depuis l’onglet pour l’instant).
Assurez-vous donc d’utiliser la dernière version.

Je partagerai les nouvelles fonctionnalités et mes découvertes sur AnaplanXL directement dans les commentaires de ce post.
Alors, si vous souhaitez rester informé, ajoutez ce post à vos favoris et activez les notifications pour ne rien manquer.

En vous souhaitant un excellent week-end,

Julien Froment
Platform Adoption Specialist
Anaplan

Is there any way I can replicate this in Anaplan XL Reporting?

I have 2 modules, the first one contains the numerical data on projects and region dimensions. The second one has the project property, which is the area each project is applied to. In the module view, I can nest the region, project, and filter to only projects that are in a specific area based on their property.

However, I don't know how to reproduce this in the Anaplan XL Reporting add-on. Any suggestions on how to do that? Thanks. I included pictures of sample data and structure.

With Area 1 as the selection.

Best Regards,

Vu Chau

I want to utilize the Anaplan XL - write back for the daily tasks, but I am not sure if my approach is possible (at least I can't think of a way to do it).

I have a table in an Excel sheet that contains all the calculations, and the final result is in row 10, for example. Then I create a grid that has the input line item. Is there a way that I can have the value in the input line item update automatically with a formula whenever the value in row 10 changes?

I know that the XL3Link can link these cells one-to-one, but I would need a more dynamic solution in case I need multiple lookups to find the correct value. Intermediate tables might solve the request, but I am wondering if the formula-based approach is possible? Thank you.

Best Regards,

Creating formatting themes in Anaplan XL Reporting (AXL) ensures your Grid Reports look professional, are easy to read, and match your organization’s brand standards. These tailored formats help you create visual consistency across teams and over reporting cycles.This guide covers two approaches for creating and distributing tailored formats:

• Option 1: Manual distribution to individual users
  
• Option 2: Centralized deployment by IT
  

In this article, you will find prerequisites, step-by-step instructions, pros and cons for each approach, and additional resources.

NOTE: Formatting themes in AXL apply to Grid Reports (or relational tables). They do not apply to Formula Reports, Freeform Reports, Charts, or Dashboards. For broader Excel formatting (e.g., default chart colors, company-wide palettes), refer to Microsoft support on managing Excel themes.

Target audience

Anaplan XL Reporting (XL) administrators who are responsible for creating, maintaining, or distributing branded or standardized Grid report formats to business users within their organizations.

NOTE: While creating and applying formatting themes in AXL does not require coding, it does require familiarity with Excel formatting tools, the AXL ribbon, and, in some cases, coordination with IT to update installation files. This guide is designed to help experienced users move beyond basic report formatting to implement scalable, reusable themes that support organizational branding and reporting standards.

For general AXL users who are simply consuming or interacting with their own individual reports should refer to the Additional Resources below to learn about formatting Grid reports for their use.

Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure you have:

• Anaplan XL Reporting installed locally and license applied: For help getting started in AXL, see: [Start Here] Anaplan XL Reporting
  
• Excel proficiency: You should be comfortable with formatting, copying tabs, and basic Excel navigation.
  
• Anaplan XL Reporting experience: You should know how to use the AXL ribbon, apply formatting, and refresh grids. Learn more grid formatting options in this video.
  
• Admin rights (Option 2 only): May be required to update the FormatSheet file in the Program files — some organizations require elevated permissions or IT assistance.

What are formatting themes in Anaplan XL Reporting

Formatting themes help deliver consistent reporting experiences, especially when distributing templates across departments, and are often used to reflect brand style guides or specific reporting requirements.

These tailored formatting themes control how grids appear in AXL, including fonts, colors, borders, number formats, etc,. You can apply formatting to headers, rows, columns, specific members, specific levels of the hierarchy, or slicers.

When you apply the first grid to a new workbook, AXL automatically inserts an XLCubedFormat tab. This tab's formatting is based on predefined formats stored in the FormatSheet.xlsx, part of your AXL installation.

You can customize formatting themes in two ways:

1. In the Workbook — Edit the AnaplanXLFormats tab — applies to all grids added within that workbook, but does not apply to new workbooks.
2. In the Installation Files — Edit FormatSheet.xlsx — changes become the default applied to the AnaplanXLFormats tab for any new workbook or selectable formats in the Workbook Format dropdown.

Anaplan XL Grid Formatting

Option 1: User-based distribution

How it works

An admin creates a formatted AnaplanXLFormats tab and shares it with others, who manually replace the tab in their workbooks or use the file as a template.

AnaplanXLFormats tab

Steps

1. Create the format
   : Use AXL to format a grid and configure the AnaplanXLFormats tab with your desired styles.
2. Save and share the file
   : Share the file or just the formatting tab with end users.
3. User options:
   
   1. Replace an existing tab:
      
      1. Open their AXL workbook.
         
      2. Delete the existing AnaplanXLFormats tab.
         
      3. Copy the shared tab into their workbook.
         
      4. Ensure the tab is named exactly AnaplanXLFormats.
         
      5. Refresh the grid to apply formatting.
         
   2. Use as a template
      
      1. Base new reports on the shared file as a template so formatting is applied from the start.

Pros

• No IT involvement needed.
  
• Quick to implement.
  
• Great for one-off or report-specific formatting.
  
• Allows multiple reusable templates to accommodate different formatting specific to report types.
  

Cons

• Manual process for each user.
  
• Only applies to a specific workbook.
  
• No enforced version control or standardization.
  
• Not scalable for larger teams.

Option 2: IT-managed distribution

How it works

Edit the FormatSheet.xlsx file in the AXL installation folder to embed up to 10 custom styles. These become available in the Workbook Format dropdown for every user.

Anaplan XL Workbook Format Menu

Steps

1. Locate and Open the FormatSheet
   
   1. Typical Path:
      C:\Program Files (x86)\Anaplan\Anaplan XL Reporting\FormatSheet.xlsx (or the location where Anaplan XL Reporting was installed).
      
   2. Use .xls if your organization uses an older version of Excel that does not support .xlsx file
      .
   3. Note: This file is read-only by default. Save a local copy to make changes.
2. Define styles
   
   1. StyleDefault: the default format for all new grids in AXL, reflected in the AnaplanXLFormats tab.
      
   2. Style1 - Style9: Additional selectable formats in the AXL ribbon using the Workbook Formats dropdown. Anaplan XL Format Styles tabs
3. Save and Replace
   
   1. After updating the styles, save your changes.
      
   2. Keep the file name as FormatSheet.xlsx (or .xls as appropriate).
      
   3. Replace the original file with your updated version in the same directory. (Admin rights may be required).
4. Distribute via IT
   
   1. Push the updated FormatSheet file to all existing installs.
      
   2. Include the file in the install package for new users.
      
   3. Optional: Create a version control and update policy.

Pros

• Automatic for all users.
  
• Creates a default format that applies to any new workbook (plug-and-play).
  
• Ensures consistent formatting and branded styling.
  
• Easy to access from the AXL Ribbon within the Workbook Format options.

Cons

• Requires IT coordination.
  
• Changes require redeployment.

Important caveats

• Formatting themes apply only to AXL Grid Reports or relational tables.
  
• Updates are not automatic. Redistribution is required for both methods.

Final thoughts

Start small, validate, and scale.

Option 1 is ideal for piloting formats or supporting smaller teams who need flexibility.

Once you’ve aligned on the right styling, Option 2 enables broader rollout with IT support — ensuring consistency across your organization.

Or choose a Hybrid approach. Use Option 2 to embed a core set of standardized formats for common reports, and supplement that with Option 1 to distribute file-based templates for reports that require specialized formats.

Whether you're standardizing reporting across departments or tailoring specific deliverables, formatting themes offer a low-effort, high-impact way to improve consistency, add polish, and enhance user experience across your organization's AXL reports.

Note: If you are using an older version of Anaplan XL Reporting (version 2512 or earlier), this formatting tab will be named XLCubedFormats.

……………

Author: Elizabeth Schera (@ElizabethS), Director of Product Utilization and Adoption at Anaplan.
Contributors: Anaplan's Toby Nash (@TobyN) and Jean-Christophe Cabot (@Jean-ChristopheC).

Check out the latest Anaplan feature updates and enhancements in our July 2025 official release notes. The information below offers supplemental information to that post.

Planning experience

• External URL navigation button
  Page builders can configure navigation action buttons to link to external URLs, including non-Anaplan URLs, which will open in a new browser tab. This feature can be used to drive a more connected and streamlined experience by linking to other apps, providing shortcuts to platform pages such as their Workflow task inbox, and linking to external documentation, training, or job aids.
• Image and field card settings
  Page Builders can now hide the 'maximize' and 'comment' options from the card toolbar image and field cards. This will ensure only the relevant settings are available for the cards, further streamlining the user experience.
• Freeze rows/columns persistence
  Freezing rows/columns in grids now persists after changes in context, including via hierarchy filter, sorting, filtering, and show/hides. This saves time for end users, improving their experience.
• Workflow: Newly designed right-hand panel for workflow builders
  The palette of steps that workflow builders can add to workflow templates has been redesigned, aligning it with the design of UX pages and Management Reports.
• Anaplan XL Reporting (version 2507) general enhancements
  We've added support for Anaplan workspace, model and module labels in grid titles and XL3ConnInfo function. We've also improved Member Selector by adding an option for users to set a threshold for incrementally loading members. There is also single sign-on (SSO) support for Atoti connections from Anaplan XL Web edition.
• Anaplan XL Reporting (version 2507) Writeback enhancements
  The Writeback panel is now available in GA. Support for Anaplan Breakback has been added, as well as an option for Grids and FreeForm reports On request writeback mode to write — but not retrieve — data, to ensure Excel formula retention.
  

Anaplan Intelligence

• CoPlanner: Link to relevant pages
  CoPlanner can now display up to three direct links to relevant pages in response to a user's question. These links are contextual, personalized based on access permissions. They're designed to help users explore insights, locate where key actions can be taken, and quickly access related content.
  

What's next?

Please note: The information here is subject to change right up to release go-live time. This post is not a commitment to provide any features by a certain time frame and enhancements to the product may change before release.

Modeling functionality

• Dynamic bulk copy
  This action type allows users to create a single action that applies seamlessly across multiple lists, eliminating the need for multiple individual actions. By simplifying setup and reducing redundant permutations, it streamlines the model and saves time.

Anaplan ADO

• GCS connector security
  Connect securely to GCS using public/private key authentication for safer access.
• Inbound connectors for Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) and RedShift
  Quickly bring data from SFTP and RedShift into ADO to keep your planning up to date.
• SFTP authentication
  Secure SFTP connections using public/private key authentication, enhancing data security.
• RedShift authentication
  Supports simple username and password authentication for RedShift connections.

Enterprise experience

• UX browser tab syncing
  We are adding a setting to enable UX pages to sync any context or data updates across browser pages. This includes two update types:
  • Context syncing: When a user selects items like ‘UK’ or ‘Q1’ in one tab, those selections automatically update in all other open tabs of the application.
  • Data syncing: Any changes to data, such as adjusting forecasts or adding uplifts, instantly refresh across all tabs, so users always see the latest information without needing to refresh or reselect.
• Hierarchy chart pagination
  We will be adding a setting to allow the Page Builder to enable pagination on a hierarchy chart so only the first five nodes are displayed in a branch. The user can then choose to expand out the nodes as required. This will allow greater visibility of the full hierarchy structure within a smaller screen space.

Workflow

• Add line item values into Workflow notifications
  Workflow owners will be able to include additional line item values in the notifications sent to stakeholders — this feature is great for adding additional context for recipients of the notifications about what needs to be done, thus accelerating approvals.

Recording available from our recent platform release event

If you missed our platform release event on July 30, watch the recording to hear about recent feature releases and how to take advantage of these in your environment. During the session, our experts covered the latest features so you can optimize your Anaplan experience. Topics covered include:

• Network charts: Display connection labels and reorder connections for enhanced visualization
• UX: Hide ‘Maximize’ and ‘Comments’ options on text cards and reorder Uncategorized pages
• Model management: Seamlessly update module names and notes directly in the Modules Beta experience
• ADO: Preview dataset when mapping to model or selecting for transformation view for improved accuracy and efficiency

Where insights meet action — right inside the planning platform.

A new chapter in reporting

Today’s decision-makers need more than static dashboards. They need fast, clear, and trusted insights — without relying on experts or switching tools.

At Anaplan, we’re transforming reporting into a real-time, self-service experience. Our strategy focuses on:

• Visual clarity: Clean, modern reports that communicate instantly.
  
• User empowerment: Tools that let everyone — from execs to planners — act on data directly.
  
• Enterprise connectedness: A single platform view, across models and functions.

Let’s explore how this vision comes to life through Anaplan’s native reporting experience.

Anaplan’s native reporting tools: designed for every business role

Anaplan offers a suite of reporting tools tailored to different business needs and working styles, whether you’re making strategic decisions, analyzing performance, preparing regulatory reports, or planning future scenarios.
Each tool is designed to deliver data in a clear, connected, and actionable way, supporting the distinct needs of executives, planners, and analysts alike.

These tools are built on a shared user experience framework, enabling consistent core capabilities — like filters, collaboration, or conditional formatting — across most experiences. Meanwhile, Disclosure Management complements this ecosystem by specializing in repeatable, audit-ready, narrative-driven reports, especially where formatting accuracy and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable.

Figure 1. Native Anaplan reporting tools
A consistent user experience across tools for executives, planners, and analysts — tailored to how each works.

Enhanced visual design: make data speak

Modern reporting must deliver more than just accuracy—it must deliver clarity and impact. Executives want to grasp insights at a glance. Planners need to visualize scenarios. Analysts must craft compelling data stories.

Features that deliver visual impact

Anaplan reporting delivers clarity not only through layout and structure, but through dynamic features that help highlight what matters most.

• Flexible layout and card-based design
  Easily arrange KPIs, charts, and grids to match the flow of your story or meeting. Boards support intuitive summaries, while Worksheets enable side-by-side comparisons for deeper analysis.
  
• Responsive design
  Whether viewed on desktop or mobile, Anaplan reports adapt automatically to preserve visual clarity across devices.
  
• Narrative-rich presentation
  In Management Reporting, structured pages allow precise placement of tables and narrative commentary, creating executive-ready content with visual polish. (See demo on Anaplan.com.)
  
• Visual emphasis tools
  Features like conditional formatting help draw attention to variances and trends, ensuring critical insights stand out clearly—especially in grid-based views like Worksheets.

Figure 2. Features that enhance visual clarity in Anaplan reporting

Empowering end users: insights without intermediaries

Traditional reporting often depends on technical experts to manipulate models, export data, or answer ad-hoc questions. Anaplan changes that.
With tools like My Pages, interactive grids, and in-context collaboration, every user — no matter their technical skill — can access, explore, and act on insights directly.

Here’s how we put power into the hands of each role:

• Analysts can conduct ad-hoc analysis, build outputs, and align KPIs across models—without model builder support.
  
• Executives can ask "what-if" questions, monitor KPIs, and receive alerts in real time—without waiting on others.
  
• Planners can run simulations, adjust assumptions, and explore alternatives—all within the platform.
  

This shift reduces friction, speeds up insight generation, and lets users focus on outcomes—not on system navigation.

Figure 3. Self-service tools for personalized, collaborative reporting

A connected view across the enterprise — real-time confidence

Disconnected tools lead to duplicated data, slow decisions, and fragmented insights. Anaplan is removing those silos.

Our reporting vision goes beyond single-model views. We’re creating a unified experience—powered by Anaplan models and orchestrated by ADO—where KPIs from finance, supply chain, and sales align on a single platform.

With shared master data, synchronized metadata, and mobile/web access, users gain a consistent, trusted view—regardless of model or system.

• Executives to make enterprise-wide decisions without data reconciliation.
  
• Analysts to manage insights across models and surface trends with context.
  
• Planners to simulate outcomes with real-time inputs from across the business.
  

One platform. One truth. No duplication. No delay.

Figure 4. Connected reporting in Anaplan: unified KPIs from internal models and external data

When to use what: persona-based scenarios

Every reporting tool has its sweet spot. Here’s how different personas benefit from our toolkit:

Reporting that powers the future

Reporting at Anaplan isn’t just about outputs—it’s how better decisions happen.
With a modern design, self-service tools, and a unified view of your business, every user gain clarity, confidence, and speed.

One platform. One source of truth. One step closer to better planning outcomes.

Learn more

See how Anaplan brings clarity, flexibility, and alignment to every reporting experience:

• Planning Experience page:
  Explore how planners, analysts, and decision-makers create dynamic, self-service dashboards and visual reporting experiences.
  
• Disclosure Management page:
  Learn how to build executive-ready reports with structured layouts and narrative storytelling — ideal for board and regulatory use cases.

……………

More articles from Miki:

• ADO: Moving beyond data hubs to planning-aware integration
• Connected Planning with Salesforce x Anaplan
• How Anaplan powers reliable reporting
• Comparing SAP × Anaplan integration: Why ADO is the right fit for planning scenarios

I installed anaplan xl 3 months back but now the anaplan xl lisence has been expired. I want to use anaplan xl only for training purposes. let me know how to re-apply licence key ? from where to find the licence key file?

This article is intended as a self-service guide, but the best source of information will be your Account Executive or Customer Success Business Partner. Reach out to them or request a demo to find out more.

Topics:

• What is AnaplanXL Reporting?
  
• How does Anaplan XL Reporting work?
  
• Who is it for?
  
• How do I learn to use Anaplan XL Reporting?
  
• Where to start with Anaplan XL Reporting?
  
• How do I install Anaplan XL Reporting?
  
• How is Anaplan XL Reporting licensed?
• How do I best integrate Anaplan XL Reporting with Excel?

What is Anaplan XL Reporting?

Anaplan XL Reporting is an Excel add-in that simplifies report creation, reduces manual effort, enhances security, and ensures reporting accuracy and efficiency.

Anaplan XL Reporting allows business users to leverage their existing skills to create ad-hoc and formal reports, add their own formula and perform write-back within an extended Excel environment connected to Anaplan and many other data sources.

How does Anaplan XL Reporting work?

Traditional Excel reports require the data to be stored within the workbook and then formulas are used to transform that data into a more communicative display. When updating the report, new data has to be extracted and transformed to refresh the values.

Anaplan XL allows users to build the framework of a report that is directly connected to the data source and relies on live queries updating the numbers in real time.
Users build the report once then only refresh it on an on-going basis. They can, of course, edit the report at any time.

A key aspect of Anaplan XL Reporting is that the data itself is not held in Excel but in a central database. Anaplan XL Reporting connects to a wide range of sources including Anaplan, Microsoft Analysis Services (Tabular, Multidimensional, and Azure), Power BI, SAP HANA, IBM TM1, Oracle Essbase, Atoti and Kyvos. Anaplan XL Reporting can also connect directly to relational databases.

Anaplan XL Reporting uses a combination of grids, formulas and charts as well as native Excel capabilities to give the desired look and feel to the reports.

Who is it for?

Anaplan XL Reporting can be useful to any user already comfortable with Excel, be that finance, operations, sales teams, or others. The add-in allows them to utilize the security and flexibility of the database they are connecting to within a familiar environment.

How do I learn to use Anaplan XL Reporting?

There is a range of different resources available to users to suit their needs in getting started with Anaplan XL Reporting.

We recommend using the QuickStart guide to help with installation and then moving to the tutorial videos. The Academy course will go into more depth in its examples, thus taking longer but giving more detail.

The Anapedia pages will be more useful once the training has been completed to gain insight into specific features.

1. QuickStart guide: (20 mins)
   This is a short pdf document covering the installation process and how to build the first reports with Anaplan XL. There is a section on corporate deployment at the end for wider rollouts.
   Anaplan XL Reporting Quickstart.pdf
2. Tutorial videos: (2 hours)
   These shorts videos delve into different aspects of Anaplan XL Reporting to help you get started with how to use the software.
   They are classed in a logical order, but each video stands alone so you can jump to the section that may be of interest to you.
3. Anaplan Academy course: (14 hours)
   An in-depth LMS course where the different functionalities within Anaplan XL Reporting are explained, demonstrated and then simulated for users. This is a great self-service teaching tool.
4. Anapedia:
   A wiki style breakdown of various features available within Anaplan XL Reporting. The articles explain specific capabilities. These are great if you are looking to deep dive into a more focused area.
5. Paid training package:
   Anaplan offers Anaplan XL instructor-led training. Participants will learn how to use the Anaplan XL add-in to connect, analyze, and update Anaplan data directly within Excel.
   The training provides a guided experience creating reports, integrating controls with native excel functionality, refreshing data, and writing back to models using the Excel interface.
   Training is noncancelable and nonrefundable.
   Talk to your account executive or customer success business partner to find out more.

Where to start with Anaplan XL Reporting?

To get started with Anaplan XL Reporting reach out to your Account Executive or Customer Success Business Partner to organize a call to find out how Anaplan XL can be of value to you.

How do I install Anaplan XL Reporting?

Ask your Account Executive or Customer Success Business Partner for the latest version of the Anaplan XL Reporting installer.

It can be used to install the add-in or can be run to upgrade the current installed version.
In both cases, Excel must be closed, and the user will need admin rights to run the installer. Please see the QuickStart Guide for corporate deployment.

Once installed, users will need a valid license to use the software.

How is Anaplan XL Reporting licensed?

Anaplan XL Reporting is included in certain user tiers or available to purchase separately on older pricing models.
Users will need to have an Anaplan XL Reporting license and also be licensed to access the data in Anaplan.
Speak to your Account Executive or Customer Success Business Partner for more details.

How do I best integrate Anaplan XL Reporting with Excel?

Anaplan XL integrates within your excel environment, there are a couple settings can change to improve your overall experience with the tool.

Optimize for compatibility

In Excel, go to File then Options and in the general tab, the first option is what to optimize for. Set this to compatibility.

ActiveX settings

While in the Excel settings, go to “trust center” then “trust center settings”. In the new menu, go to “ActiveX settings” and set it to “Prompt me before enabling all controls with minimal restrictions”.

Autosave

Anaplan XL relies on live queries, once a report is built, it will refresh the data as users interact with the tool. This prompts Excel to save regularly when it is not needed which in some cases may cause lag on larger reports.
This can be prevented by turning off Autosave in Anaplan XL workbooks.

Data refreshes do not need to be saved. However, if structural elements are changes (a grid selection/structure, calculations are added) then the user should remember to save once done.

…………..

Authors: Anaplan’s Toby Nash (@TobyN), Solution Consultant
.

Special thanks to: Obaid Ghani (@obaid_ghani), Sr. Director, Presales Operations & CoE and Gary Crawford (@GCrawford), Director, Product Management for their contributions.

This article lists the videos available within the Anaplan XL tutorial series.

Anaplan XL Reporting simplifies report creation, reduces manual effort, enhances security, and ensures reporting accuracy and efficiency.

These videos delve into different aspects of Anaplan XL to help you get started with how to use the software.
They are classed in a logical order, but each video stands alone so you can jump to the section that may be of interest to you.

Below you'll find a full list of each video with a description. All videos can be viewed in the full playlist here.

Numerical reporting in grids

Anaplan XL grids offer the most interactivity and security while using the tool. We strongly recommend starting with grids as a first step.

• Intro to AXL: an introduction to the Anaplan XL showing a basic grid and how it's connected to a data source.
• Grid navigation: a quick guide on grid navigation.
• User calculations: a quick tutorial on how to add simple grid level calculations in Anaplan XL.
• Dynamic selections: a guide to using dynamic selections within Anaplan XL enabling you to leverage data structures for more flexibility.
• Range selection: a guide to using Excel ranges as selections to enable using all the flexibility excel offers.
• Slicer selections: a guide to using Anaplan XL slicers to present users with dynamic selections.
• Slicer customization: a guide to the different options within the slicer menu.
• Slicer types: a guide to the different types of slicers available with Anaplan XL.
• Breakouts / number decomposition: the breakout value option allows an interesting piece of data to be further explored and broken down into component parts.
• Propagate / report bursting: propagating allows the creation of one or more worksheets based on the current worksheet, with members of one hierarchy swapped for other selections.
• Workbook calculations: this video shows how to create Anaplan XL calculations that are available throughout the workbook and can be used in multiple grids and formula reports.
• Workbook calculation wizard: a guide to using the workbook calculation wizard to create new members at the workbook level.
• Disjoint reporting: this video covers the different options available for disjoint or asymmetric reporting in Anaplan XL grids: The tuple selector and excel member sets.
• Quick ranking, filtering, sorting: A tutorial on how to rank, sort and filter members on a grid axis.
• Excel based member searching: Anaplan XL grids can be setup to allow excel based member searching. This video shows how to set that up using the advanced filtering options.
• Nested ranking: Anaplan XL Reporting allows for advanced filtering to combine multiple rankings across multiple hierarchies in a single grid.
• Grid writeback: Anaplan XL Reporting can be used to input data to Anaplan using Excel. This guide shows how to turn on and use that capability.
• Grid linking: Data in Anaplan often sits across multiple modules and models. This video shows how to build and link multiple grids connected to different data sources. This synchronizes the grids to make them behave like a single grid.
• Grid formatting: Grids are dynamically formatted by default. This guide shows you how to control that formatting. This enables users to set up reports with formatting controlled in a single centralized area.
• Dynamic named ranges: Named ranges are used in excel to make reports more dynamic and easier to manage. This video shows you how to set up dynamic named ranges that will adjust to the size of your grids, so data is accurately picked up even if your ranges grow or shrink over time.

Grid alternatives

There may be scenarios where grids are more complex to set up to achieve certain behaviors or the data sources work best with a different type of report. Anaplan XL Reporting has alternate reporting modes that may suit the requirements better.

• Formula reports: A guide to creating formula reports within Anaplan XL. These reports allow users to create data connected reports with completely customizable layout and formatting.
• Freeform reporting: Anaplan XL allows user to mix the flexibility of cell-based formula reports with the performance of grids by using freeform reports. This video looks and how to build and use freeform report.
• Relational queries: Anaplan XL allows you to build reports on relational databases. Tables are most suited for list type reports, this video looks at how to connect to a relational database, build a table and interact with it.
• Template tables: Template tables allow you to easily add predefined tables that have useful metrics and formatting built into them. These can be used directly or further customised for your specific needs.

Report management

Anaplan XL Reporting offers a range of choices in terms of making reports more interactive for end users. This section will be most useful for report builders looking to enhance users’ experience.

• Grid title placeholder and Connection information: Anaplan XL Reporting can embed model, module names as well as other useful information within grids title and within the workbook using placeholders and specific formula. This video shows how to set this up to give users more information easily.
• Report Management formula: Anaplan XL reports can be controlled through XL3Links. This video shows how to set up and use these interactive hyperlinks that allows users to navigate within reports as well as pass parameters and trigger Anaplan Processes.

Watch the videos to learn more. Questions? Leave a comment!

………

Authors: Anaplan’s Toby Nash (@TobyN), Solution Consultant; Jean-Christophe Cabot (@Jean-ChristopheC), Product Manager. Special thanks to: Obaid Ghani (@obaid_ghani), Sr. Director, Presales Operations & COE; and Gary Crawford (@GCrawford), Director, Product Management for their contributions.