Using saved text strings to speed up blueprint configuration

Stephen
Stephen
in Best Practices

This is an addition and update to a existing community article using similar methods now in the latest modeling experience.

As a model builder, you have to define line item formats over and over. Using saved text strings, you can speed up the configuration of modules.

When you add a new Line Item, Anaplan sets it by default as a Number (Min Significant Digits: 4, Thousands Separator: Comma, Zero Format: Zero, etc.). You usually change it once and copy it over to other line items in the module.

Snippet tools can store format definition of generic formats (numbers, text, boolean, or no data) and by a simple shortcut, paste it in the format of the desired line items. 

Below is an example of a number format line item with two decimals, hyphens instead of zeros and currency prefix formatting. Using a browser extension to save the text string you can save many clicks updating the format.

The value stored for this Number format is :

{"minimumSignificantDigits":-1,"decimalPlaces":2,"decimalSeparator":"FULL_STOP","groupingSeparator":"COMMA","negativeNumberNotation":"MINUS_SIGN","unitsType":"CURRENCY","unitsDisplayType":"CURRENCY_SYMBOL","currencyCode":"USD","customUnits":null,"zeroFormat":"HYPHEN","comparisonIncrease":"GOOD","dataType":"NUMBER"}

If you manually set this format it looks like this:

NMX Format Text Manual.gif

Here is using the saved text snippet with this text string:

{"minimumSignificantDigits":4,"decimalPlaces":-1,"decimalSeparator":"FULL_STOP","groupingSeparator":"COMMA","negativeNumberNotation":"MINUS_SIGN","unitsType":"NONE","unitsDisplayType":"NONE","currencyCode":null,"customUnits":null,"zeroFormat":"HYPHEN","comparisonIncrease":"GOOD","dataType":"NUMBER"}            {"summaryMethod":"NONE","timeSummaryMethod":"NONE","timeSummarySameAsMainSummary":true,"ratioNumeratorIdentifier":"","ratioDenominatorIdentifier":""}

NMX Format Text.gif

This string is also following the best practice to set summary methods to None by default. See Planual 2.03-01 Turn Summary options off by default.

This simple trick can save you a lot of clicks. While we are unable to recommend specific snippet tools, your PC or Mac may include one by default, while others are easy to locate for free or low-cost, online.

 

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