AXL — Anaplan Community

Anaplan XL Reporting: Effective use cases and practical recommendations

AnaplanOEG — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:54:22 +0000

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

…………

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

February 2026 platform releases and what’s next

GingerAnderson — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:46:07 +0000

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?

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.

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

AXL Slicer Enhancement Request: Save Preferences with Multi-Select

xianyang — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 07:45:37 +0000

Current behavior:
When the Multi-Select Members option is enabled in the slicer settings, the user’s previous selections are not saved when reopening the workbook. As a result, users must reselect the slicer members each time they open the workbook.

However, when the Multi-Select Members option is disabled, the previously selected value remains checked and is correctly retained when the workbook is reopened.

Request:
Please enable the slicer to save and restore user preferences (previous selections) even when the Multi-Select Members option is turned on, so that users can retain their slicer selections after reopening the workbook.

Did you know about Anaplan FCR's Drillthrough feature?

WernerP — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:42:12 +0000

Author: Werner Priels is Product Manager at Anaplan, focusing on Financial Consolidation.

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!

Is there any way to block the writeback functionality for some users?

MilenaL — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 17:29:09 +0000

I have this problem: I'm creating an AXL report, which will be distributed across members of a department. I need to know if is possible to block the writeback functionality for all members except the owner of the file to avoid accidental updates of data in Anaplan's modules. Thanks!

Creating and distributing formatting themes in Anaplan XL Reporting (AXL)

AnaplanOEG — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 23:08:35 +0000

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:

In the Workbook — Edit the AnaplanXLFormats tab — applies to all grids added within that workbook, but does not apply to new workbooks.
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

Create the format
: Use AXL to format a grid and configure the AnaplanXLFormats tab with your desired styles.
Save and share the file
: Share the file or just the formatting tab with end users.
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

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.
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
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).
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).

[Start Here] Anaplan XL Reporting

TobyN — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 16:12:08 +0000

In this article, we will teach you what Anaplan XL Reporting is and what resources are available to support you as you get started with it.

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.

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
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.
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.
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.
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.

Unlocking the power of Anaplan XL reporting: A video guide to using Anaplan XL

TobyN — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 16:12:56 +0000

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!

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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.