Anaplan Tips
& Tricks
This document outlines some of the tricks to use (for users)
and configure (for model builders) Anaplan application effectively. Look
for Underlined and Italic text throughout the document for helpful tips.
1. Know the application: For users,
first thing is to know the application and here's a quick introduction to how
Anaplan looks like:
1.1. Landing page of Anaplan: The models are represented in the tiles - this view can be easily changed by clicking three parallel horizontal lines on top right of screenshot. Chose a view which best suits you.
The list
view:
1.2.
The models are auto arranged based on when
user visited the model but there could be some models which are required to be
visited less often but are critical - The models can marked as favorite
and filtered easily for quick access:
Filtering as quick as marking the
models favorite - Just click on the star on the header row to show only
favorite models:
2. 2. Know
the model: The model for end users comprises of set of dashboards which
can be accessed from the left pane. The pane can be closed and opened using the
horizontal arrows. If, you are planning to work for a longer period on
one dashboard, it is better to close the pane to have a wider view of the
dashboard.
V
3. 3, Know
the dashboard: Dashboards are the interface designed in Anaplan for the
user interaction. A dashboard will consist of grids and charts, input and
calculated numbers/values, action buttons etc. Any cell that has a blue
colored text is editable and black colored text is read only.
3.3.1. A good
model builder will make sure to include the instructions on the dashboard.
Instructions, if written correctly can help users to take appropriate action on
the dashboard. Usually, instructions will be in light blue colored box.
3.3.2. Synchronization:
Synchronization is a powerful feature in Anaplan. The dimensions are available
in Anaplan as dropdowns (or in Anaplan language page selectors) - As name
indicates, the drop down impacts the whole page, if synchronization is set
across grids and charts. Drop down is not the only way for
synchronizations to work. Users can also select a value in the rows and if the
same dimension is in page selector in another grid, the grids will synchronize.
3.3.3. Drill
Down: Drill down is another useful feature in Anaplan. Drilling down is very
simple. Right click on a cell à
Select Drill down option and it will show up the calculations. Users can
keep drilling down to any number of calculation levels. Quicker way is instead
of right click, users can press F8 after selecting cell.
3.3.4. Understanding
the formulas - After drilling down, it is important to understand the formulas
- Anaplan formulas are usually easy to understand. If the line item which
is being referred in a formula belongs to another module, the line item
structure would be <Module Name>.<Line Item Name>.
