Deactivate Formula Scope if Versions = Not Applicable

LipChean_Soh · February 2020

Hi,

In a module blueprint, there is a field called 'Formula Scope'.

For modules where Versions = Not Applicable, using 'Formula Scope = Actual Version' or 'Formula Scope = Current Version' will nullify the calculation of any formula in a line item.

This is potentially dangerous, because:

1. If there is a formula + Formula Scope = Actual Version/ Current Version; then assuming a value is entered into this line item, this value will be lost if the model builder later realized his mistake and updated Formula Scope to 'All Versions'.

2. This is not easy to debug, because it's a specific setting in a specific module.

I'm suggesting that 'Formula Scope' is greyed out if 'Versions = Not Applicable', so that users don't even have the choice to change 'Formula Scope'.

Thanks,

LipChean

Miran · February 2020

Status changed to: New

nick_barker · February 2020

This sounds like a very sensible safeguard to include in the modelling to avoid users losing work unintentionally.

JaredDolich · February 2020

@LipChean_Soh this is a good suggestion.

In three years, I've only used formula scope on two different implementations and we rarely, if ever, changed them.

But your use-case makes absolute sense. This would be a good way to preventing a very difficult-to-audit situation from happening.

Because it only takes one error like that - and everyone would be trying to figure out how data got lost. I don't think i would have ever looked at the formula scope if we changed the versions that were applicable to the module.

One thing that I'm really proud about Anaplan is the data integrity. It's really hard to make a mistake, and even harder to make one that is hard to trace.

Good call out.