Building the Planning Model

This chapter provides an overview of the planning model and discusses how to:

• Define the planning model.

• Stage scenarios and activities in a planning model.

• Use Model Manager and Scenario Manager.

• Update the scenarios and activities in a planning model.

Understanding the Planning Model

This section provides an overview of the planning model and discusses common elements used in this chapter.

A planning model is your framework to develop plans and budgets. It includes the time periods and activities that are used during your budget cycle, sources of data available to users, rules (including methods and formulas) that apply to line item budgets, and other budget options and control parameters. The planning model synthesizes all earlier defined budget parameters and establishes the beginning and end of the overall planning and budgeting cycle. Creating a model involves collecting the necessary parts by business unit.

Define and stage a planning model for activities and scenarios using the coordinator role. When you define the model, you specify data requirements such as position, asset, and line item activity data. You select data sources and the source to seed the base budgets. Finally, you stage the data and release the activities and scenarios in the model to distribute the plans and budgets to users.

Common Elements Used in This Chapter

Defining the Planning Model

This section provides overviews of how to set up the planning model and activity scenario combinations and discusses how to:

• Define planning model defaults.

• Copy existing planning models.

• Manage activities and scenarios in the planning model.

• Send email to users.

• Define dimension levels for planning centers and prepare activities and scenarios.

• Define data sources for asset activities.

• Define data sources for line item activities.

• Assign planning target scenarios and controls.

• Associate spread types with line item activities.

• Define data sources for position activities.

• Associate spread types with position activities.

• Assign planning method defaults to line item activities.

• Define views.

• Specify user view details.

• Specify row display filters.

• Specify row display options.

• Specify column display options.

• Assign email templates.

• Define currency options.

Understanding How to Set Up the Planning Model

Define the framework for the budget by performing the following tasks:

1. Define the planning model.

2. Assign an activity group to the planning model.

3. Assign a scenario group to the planning model.

4. Activity scenario combinations are created based on the groups associated with the planning model.

   For these combinations define:

   - Dimension levels or summarization for planning center and other dimensions.

   - Data sources for activities.

   - Comparison scenarios and target scenarios for line item activities.

   - Default values for line-item activity types, including account category, enforce budget and zero base budget options, method defaults, and public views.

5. Assign a security group and (optionally) a secondary security group to each activity scenario.

6. Assign email templates.

7. Define currency options for a multiple currency planning model.

8. Enter any notes about the planning model.

Understanding Activity Scenario Combinations

You can use activity scenarios to organize the timing of different plans or budgets at similar or varying times throughout your organization's budget cycle. Each activity scenario combination is like its own independent data repository. Activity scenario combinations are automatically created in your planning model when you choose an activity group and scenario group definition in your model. You can leverage some of the same setup data defined by the model, with the scenario's main attribute using the time-related data and the main attribute of the activity using the dimension-related data. The intersection of the two (activity scenario) provides multiple plans and budgets that can be related or independent. The unique activity scenario combinations control the information that you can view and modify under the umbrella of a planning model, which is defined for a business unit. You can have one or many activity scenario combinations within each planning model that you create. Each activity scenario that you define can be staged, released to end users, or placed on hold at any time you define.

Note. When using a Commitment Control planning model, ensure that the activity group you assign contains no activities allowing balance sheet planning, because it is not supported by Commitment Control.

For example, detailed revenue and expense budgets are prepared at the greatest level of detail, and the data is sent back to the general ledger system for storing and tracking. Prior to the commencement of the following year's budget, a higher-level strategic plan may be developed first, covering anywhere from one to five years. As a business process, this information is prepared and reviewed prior to creating a more detailed budget for the following year. In the following example, the first two columns indicate the activity scenario combinations. It includes three line item activities and two scenarios. Because the Strategic Two-Year Plan is associated with a different scenario (2007–2008 Plan), it may use a different element of time, such as an annual calendar. This strategic plan is prepared well before any detail plans are created, having a start date and end date of April 1 and April 30, respectively, for preparation. It is completed before the revenue and expense detail plans are prepared. Using the start and end dates with the activity scenario enables you to open up preparation of the data based on your organization's requirement for the information, or the phase or stage of the budgeting cycle that you are in. You can overlap or stagger the preparation of activity scenarios. No restrictions are placed on the start and end dates. The 2007 Budget Scenario has the two activities, revenue and expense. The start and end dates of budget preparation of these two activity scenarios are not the same, but are overlapping. The following table illustrates the use of start and end dates for activity scenario combinations in your planning model:

Use the Activity-Scenario page in your planning model to define rules and indicate the start and end dates for preparation of the activity scenarios by users.

See Defining Your Planning and Budgeting Parameters.

See Also

Establishing Activities and Activity Groups

Pages Used to Define the Planning Model

Defining Planning Model Defaults

Access the Model page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, Planning Models).

Copy Model	Click to copy the model to a new planning model or business unit
Status	Select the desired status. Values are Active (default) and Inactive. Note. You can change the status to Inactive only if no activity scenario in the model has a status of Released.
Activity Group	Select the desired activity group. Click the link next to the drop-down list box to access the Activity Group page and edit or view the selected activity group. See Establishing Activities and Activity Groups. Note. This drop-down list box is unavailable when at least one of the activities or scenarios is staged.
Scenario Group	Select the desired scenario group. Click the link next to the drop-down list box to access the Scenario Group page and edit or view the selected scenario group. See Setting Up Scenarios and Scenario Groups. Note. This drop-down list box is unavailable when at least one of the activities or scenarios is staged.
Create Activity Group	Click to create a new activity group. See Establishing Activities and Activity Groups.
Create Scenario Group	Click to create a new scenario group. See Setting Up Scenarios and Scenario Groups.
Multi-Currency	Select to enable setup of currency options for the model, which displays the Currency Options tab. Whether or not you select this option, the business unit base currency is the default currency for the model. Note. If you clear the Multi-Currency check box, the system removes any definition that you create using the Currency Options page.

Copying Existing Planning Models

Access the Copy Model page (click the Copy Model button on the Model page).

Copy an existing planning model to use as a starting point for a new planning model, open the new planning model, and then modify the parameters for the new model as needed.

Managing Activities and Scenarios in the Planning Model

Access the Activity Scenario page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, Planning Models, Activity Scenario).

Show	Select which activity scenario combinations you want to display. Values are: All Activity Scenario: Displays all valid activity and scenario combinations for the planning model. Selected Activity Scenario: Displays only the selected activity scenario combinations.
Edit/View Activity Group	Click to access the Activity Group page and edit or view the selected activity group.
Edit/View Scenario Group	Click to access the Scenario Group page and edit or view the selected scenario group.
View Scenario Manager	Click to access the Scenario Manager page and manage, update, change status, or review process results of the activity scenarios defined.
Email	Click to access the Compose Mail page and send emails to planning and budgeting users. See Sending Email to Users.

Details

Access the Details tab of the Activity Scenario page.

Based on the selected activity group and scenario group, the following table depicts all the permitted combinations of activity scenarios. The combinations allowed are driven by the budgeting type of the scenario group, each of the scenario types in the group, and the activity types allowed with each:

Line Item Defaults

Access the Line Item Defaults tab of the Activity Scenario page.

Account Category	(Optional) Enter the desired account category default for a line item activity. After you stage the activity scenario, end users can use the account category as a way to filter on data within their line item grid as a view option or for reporting.
Enforce Budget	Select to have the staging process validate dimension (ChartField) combinations or controlled budget rules for line-item activity scenarios. Any combination rows marked in error are indicated with the error icon in the line item activity grid. End users are responsible for correcting the invalid combination or deleting the row before submitting their plan or budget. Any new rows added during the preparation of the line item activity need to be valid to be saved. When the check box is not selected, the system does not enforce dimension combinations or controlled budget rules. You can disable the option after a stage, which enables users to submit budgets with invalid rows. Note. Enforce budget applies only to line item activity types. If invalid rows are created in child activities such as assets and positions, users will need to modify the dimension combinations in the child to update the parent line item with the correct and valid combinations. See Understanding the Combination Data Validation Process.
Zero Base Budget	Select to enable preparers to develop budgets without a base amount as a starting point. The system distributes to preparers a line-item activity scenario that contains all the rows from the base budget (data source) selected, except that all the budget amounts are zero. Note. After you stage the data, this check box is unavailable.
Method Group	Click to access the Planning Method Group page and view the method and driver defaults in the group. See Defining the Planning Model.
Method Defaults	Click to access the Assign Planning Method Defaults page and assign planning method defaults to line item activities by account, or account and an optional dimension. See Assigning Planning Method Defaults to Line Item Activities.
Define View	Click to access the Define View page and define the public view for line item activities. See Defining Views.

Security and Email

Access the Security and Email tab of the Activity Scenario page.

Security Group	Enter the desired security group. This field is available when you select the Select check box in the applicable activity scenario row. Note. This field is disabled when the activity scenario has been staged. You can update or add planning and budgeting users within the security group after stage, without running any further processes.
Description	Click to access the Security Group page and display details about the associated security group.
Create Security Group	Click to access the Security Group page and create a new security group.
Use EW Security	This check box is available only for line item activities that are associated with a secondary security dimension. Select to use the EW (EPM Warehouse) security definition, based on the secondary security dimension that is specified for the activity on the Activity page. If this option is selected, you cannot select a secondary security group from the drop-down list box, because the system uses a predefined secondary security group name based on the EW security definition. If you do not select this check box, then you can select a secondary security group from a list defined in Planning and Budgeting, based on the secondary security dimension that was specified for the activity on the Activity page. You can also create a secondary security group by clicking Create in the Secondary Security Group column.
Secondary Security Group	This field is active only for line item activities that are associated with a secondary security dimension. Select the desired secondary security group from the drop-down list box. Note. When you are associating an activity scenario with the secondary security group, the dimension level (Dimension Level Summarization page) must be the same as the selected secondary security group tree level.
Create Secondary Security Group	Click to access the Secondary Security Group page and create a new secondary security group in Planning and Budgeting. The following rules apply when you are associating a secondary security group with an activity scenario: The dimension on which the secondary security group is based must be the same as the secondary security dimension specified for the activity. The secondary security group must be effective as of the as of date of the activity group. If you use trees for the dimension both in the secondary security group definition and the activity group hierarchies, then they must be the same and the dimension levels must be the same as well. This is to ensure that the dimension is secured at the same level as the level at which it is budgeted. Note. If you are unable to access any line item rows that you were intended to access, check whether the preceding rule was violated.
Email Templates	Click to access the Assign Email Templates page and assign email templates to the associated activity scenario for line item types. See Using Planning and Budgeting Email Templates.

Sending Email to Users

Access the Compose Mail page (click the Email link on the Activity Scenario page).

Users designated as Planning and Budgeting users who have email addresses appear on this page. Enter email subject and text information in the Email Details section.

Defining Dimension Levels for Planning Centers and Preparing Activities and Scenarios

Access the Dimension Level Summarization page (click the Dimension Level link on the Activity Scenario page).

The system displays all dimensions selected for the activity as well as the trees defined on the Activity Group Hierarchy page.

Note. Any activities associated with the planning model require dimensions for account and the planning center dimension.

If you have staged the activity scenario, you should not change the fields on this page.

Defining Data Sources for Asset Activities

Access the Data Source page (click the Data Source link (associated with an asset activity) on the Activity Scenario page).

The Data Source page for asset-related defaults is available only when you have defined an asset activity type that is used in conjunction with a bottom-up scenario type.

Defining Data Sources for Line Item Activities

Access the Data Source page (click the Data Source link (associated with a line item activity) on the Activity Scenario page).

Select Spreads

Click to access the Spread Definition page and enter a spread ID for an activity. See Associating Spread Types with Line Item Activities.

Source

Comparison Scenarios

Target Scenario

Assigning Planning Target Scenarios and Controls

Access the Planning Targets page (click the View Targets link on the Data Source page (associated with a line item activity)).

Account	The system automatically selects this dimension and validates the account node at the planning center level. Note. Account is a required dimension with planning targets.
<planning center dimension>	The system automatically selects the dimension that you use to define the planning center. Because the dimension that you use as your planning center is required, the displayed dimension may be different. For example, if Department is your planning center, the system validates planning targets for the detail or roll-up Department dimension and the account roll-up. Dimensions available as the planning center depend on your source financial system and can include Department, Fund, Operating Unit, Product, Program, Class, Project, ChartField 1, ChartField 2, and ChartField 3. Note. You can select one additional dimension (other than fiscal year) to validate at the planning center level. If you select an additional dimension, the system validates planning targets for this dimension at the defined account roll-up, planning center level, and the other dimension level.
Fiscal Year	Select to indicate that targets are validated by each year (if you defined a multiyear budget or forecast). If you do not select this check box, the system uses the sum of all years as the planning target.
View Target Details	Click to view target values for all valid rows associated with the line-item activity scenario. The system displays the complete planning center tree and the parent and child relationship. It displays detail only for actual rows in the planning target ledger and for the summary levels displayed at the rollup for a total of the planning target amounts.
Select (allow target override)	Select to enable users to submit their budgets when the activity scenario falls outside the defined planning target tolerance range.

Associating Spread Types with Line Item Activities

Access the Spread Definition page (click the Select Spreads link on the Data Source page (associated with a line item activity)).

For the proposed line-item activity scenario, you can associate spread IDs to be used in conjunction with the amount per period (AMTPER) methods for budget preparation. When the scenario for the line item activity is a Forecast scenario type, the page is still available to allow for the AMTPER definitions.

Defining Data Sources for Position Activities

Access the Data Source page (click the Data Source link (associated with a position activity) on the Activity Scenario page).

The Data Source page for position-related defaults is available only when you have defined a position activity type that is used in conjunction with a bottom-up scenario type.

Associating Spread Types with Position Activities

Access the Spread Definition page (click the Select Spreads link on the Data Source page (associated with a position budgeting activity)).

For the proposed position activity scenario, you can associate spread IDs to be used in conjunction with the position budgeting (POSBUD) method for budget preparation.

The Position Budgeting Spread group box sets the global default for all positions in the activity scenario. This group box is available when:

• A position activity is associated with a bottom-up scenario type.

  Note. The position activity is not supported with forecast or top-down scenario types.

• The associated scenario is not using an annual calendar.

• A standard or control budget type exists, as defined by the scenario group.

  Project type budgets do not allow position budgeting.

Assigning Planning Method Defaults to Line Item Activities

Access the Assign Planning Method Defaults page (click the Method Defaults link on the Line Item Defaults tab on the Activity Scenario page).

To review and edit any of the planning method group defaults that are available for the line item activity, you can click the Method Group ID link (method group ID assigned in the activity group) in the Method Group column on the Line Items Defaults tab.

The Method Defaults link on the Line Item Defaults tab is used to assign any exceptions by account in the line item activity. Without a method default for an account, the system automatically assigns the BASBUD (base budget amount) method to every line item in a base budget and allows override for each row. Use the Assign Planning Method Defaults page to define exceptions by account, including override restrictions on methods.

Assign Methods

Override Controls

Select or clear the following check boxes to specify which method and related defaults (that you assign to each account row in the line item activity) the preparers can override using the data entry pages. Insert rows to identify exceptions to the base budget default method.

Note. If you do not change the system defaults for methods and method override controls assigned to a line item in the base budget, the system allows override of all method details.

See Also

Building Flexible Formulas for Your Model

Defining Views

Access the Define View page (click the Define View link on the Line Item Defaults tab on the Activity Scenario page).

Views defined here are public and available options when using a line item activity. Users can select these public views from the line item entry page while working on the activity.

Specifying User View Details

Access the User View Details page (click the Edit or Create link on the Define View page).

Specifying Row Display Filters

Access the Row Display Filter page (click the Edit or Create link on the Define View page, and then select the Row Display Filter tab).

Row Display Help

Click to access the Row Display Help page and review information about each page element.

Dimensions

Filter Dimension Members

Specifying Row Display Options

Access the Row Display Options page (click the Edit or Create link on the Define View page, and then select the Row Display Options tab).

Row Summary	Select to display only the node-level summary values for the dimension that you define as the first dimension level using the Row Display Filter page.
Row Detail	Select to display editable, detailed cells for all row dimensions.
Hide Zero Total Amounts for Proposed Budget/Forecast	Select to hide rows in the line item activity total amounts that equal zero. This selection applies only to the Line Item Details page; the analysis and reporting options do not recognize it.
Method Amount	Select to display the amount based on the method that is assigned to a line item row. If this option is selected, users can access method details in the line item activity. For example, if you enable override capability of the BASBUD method at the coordinator level, budget users can access the method details and modify the method to AMTPER, which enables them to enter a budget value manually for the line item.
Adjustment Amount	Select to display any incremental or mass adjustment amounts associated with the line item row. If you enable adjustments for line item activity, budget users can apply adjustments to a line item budget row.
Allocation Amount	Select to display any amount defined by the allocations activity. Users cannot edit this value.
Total Amount	Select to display the total budget amount for a line item row, which includes the method, adjustment, and allocation amounts. Users cannot edit this value.
Display Entry Currency	Select to display all entry currency values during line item preparation.
Display Statistic Rows	Select to have the system add the statistics code to the view definition and display statistical amounts by account during line item preparation. Budget users cannot view both statistical accounts and target currency amounts.
Display Target Currency	Select to display one target currency or all target currencies in line item activity defined in the model.
One	Select to view a specific target currency in the line item activity defined for the model, and then use the Row Display Filter page to select the currency code that you want to view as the single target currency value for the model.
All	Select to view all target currencies in the line item defined for the model. If you define target currency values for the view, then you cannot display statistic rows during line item preparation.

Note. If the model is not defined as a multicurrency model, the currency options are unavailable.

The system does not add statistical amounts to totals or display statistical amounts at the summary level of a node. If you select Display Entry Currency, the system does not summarize statistical amounts. To summarize statistical amounts at the node level, select a specific dimension value for statistics code. The following table shows the data that you view during line item preparation based on the filter dimension values and currency options that you specify for statistical codes:

When you use statistical accounts, if you select Display Statistic Rows, the system displays statistical accounts, but these accounts are not rolled up or summarized with currency data. If you leave the dimension value blank, when displaying currency or statistics, the system displays all values.

Use the Row Display Options page to set currency and statistics options.

Specifying Column Display Options

Access the Column Display Options page (click the Edit or Create link on the Define View page, and then select the Column Display Options tab).

Column Display Help	Click to access the Column Display Help page and review information about each check box.
Period Summary	Select to display only summary nodes for the period dimension, such as annual total and quarterly subtotals for a monthly budget. To summarize the period, the system uses the time hierarchy defined and associated with the scenario group used by the planning model.
Period Detail	Select to display only detailed, editable cells for the period dimension.
Prior Year Actuals	Select to display defined actual expenditures or revenues received for the last completed year in line items.
Year to Date Actuals	Select to display defined actual expenditures or revenues received form the beginning of the year to the present in line items.
Current Year Budget	Select to display defined budget plans approved for the current year in line item budget.
Current Year Forecast	Select to display previously defined forecast projections for the current year. Note. These four analysis bases—Prior Year Actuals, Year to Date Actuals, Current Year Budget, and Current Year Forecast—are predefined and system-delivered. Coordinators can use these as part of their models, in addition to five others they can define themselves.
History 1– 5 (optional and variable label)	The coordinator can include additional analysis bases, which when defined, are also available for selection in the user view.

Note. The system displays ledger data associated with the analysis base that you define using the Data Source page for the line-item activity scenario.

The coordinator defines analysis bases that determine historical periods included in the view. The historical information appears as annual totals in the columns.

Assigning Email Templates

Access the Assign Email Templates page (click Email Templates on the Security and Email tab on the Activity Scenario page).

Use Email	Select to send a predefined email when the associated action occurs.
Template ID	Select the predefined email template that you want the system to use when the associated action occurs. You create the predefined email text using the Email Template Definitions page. Values are: Model Stage: After the activity, scenario, and planning model is successfully staged, the system sends the specified email to all users whom you select using the Email Template Definitions page. Budget Reject: After a budget is rejected, the system sends the specified email to those users who submitted the rejected budget and to any users whom you select using the Email Template Definitions page. Budget Submit: After a budget is submitted, the system sends the specified email to users who are assigned at the next level of the planning center (approval hierarchy) as determined by the tree definition for the planning center and to users whom you select using the Email Template Definitions page for the template. Planning Target: After a budget is submitted that includes data outside the planning target tolerance definitions and if the planning target is defined as passive control, the system sends the specified email to users who are assigned at the next level of the planning center hierarchy as determined by the tree definition for the planning center and to users whom you select using the Email Template Definitions page. You use the Planning Target Tolerance and Planning Target Control pages to set up planning target definitions.
Email Templates (button)	Click to access the Email Template Definitions page that you defined when you set up planning and budgeting parameters.

See Also

Setting Up Planning Target Rules

Using Planning and Budgeting Email Templates

Defining Currency Options

Access the Currency Options page (Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, Planning Models, Currency Options).

Note. The Currency Options tab is available when you select multicurrency on the Model page.

See Using Multiple Currencies.

If you are working with a multicurrency planning model, the Currency Options grid displays the one or more rows that you define, and the three available check boxes, in which the base business unit currency definition is the default. After one activity scenario has been staged, you cannot delete any rows or change any check boxes.

Note. After you stage a model, you cannot change the values on the Currency Options page. To add or delete currencies, you cannot have a single activity or scenario staged in the planning model.

Staging Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model

This section provides overviews of:

• The steps to stage activities and scenarios in a planning model.

• The data staging process.

• Model Validator rules.

• How to view dimension exceptions after data staging.

• How to view dimension members after data staging.

This section also lists prerequisites and discusses how to:

• Stage data for scenarios and activities in a planning model.

• Run the Model Validator.

• View the results of the model validation process.

• Verify dimension exceptions after the data staging process.

• Verify model dimension values from the data staging process.

• View user access to line items and to line item details.

Understanding the Steps to Stage Activities and Scenarios in a Planning Model

When you run the complete data staging process for an activity scenario in a planning model, the system performs steps to:

1. Validate the model and locate any errors made during setup of activities and scenarios that you can correct.

2. Determine the dimension member list for all the dimensions used.

3. Map dimension values to target values on the Dimension Member Mapping page.

   Mapping occurs for both seed and historical data.

4. Generate the base version for the budgeting activity.

   Validate combinations of dimension members for any line-item activity scenario detail when enforce budgets is enabled.

   Report invalid ChartField (dimension) values.

   Report ChartField (dimension) values that are found in the source ledger for a line item activity, and not included in the planning model.

   Seed the activity scenario detail with amounts from the source aggregating the source amounts to match the level at which the budget activity is being performed.

   Reverse the sign associated with the account type amounts as defined on the Account Type Options rule for line item activities.

5. Convert seed and historical amounts to the base currency of the business unit/model when the amounts are in a currency that is not supported by the planning model.

6. Generate future currency exchange rates for the set of currencies supported within the model.

7. Copy the completed base version for the activity scenario to the master version.

8. Perform a model recalculation and then create the first working version at the preparer level.

9. Generate the worklist entries for reviewers.

Note. The system supports any additional incremental staging processes.

Understanding the Data Staging Process

Data staging uses application engine processing that places source data into tables used by your activities for the preparation of plans and budgets by users in PeopleSoft Planning and Budgeting.

General Processing Details

During the data stage process, the following rules apply:

• The system considers dimension summarization definitions that you set up using the Dimension Level Summarization page to bring lower-level dimension values to a level consistent with the tree level defined for the activity/scenario in the planning model.

  • If you are summarizing dimension values to a higher level on the tree, the account types for the monetary dimension values are ignored. That is to say, you could be adding expense accounts to revenue accounts if they both exist at the tree level to which you are aggregating.

  • If your tree contains different levels for statistical accounts, dimension summarization will also occur during stage if you have chosen to plan at a higher level. When this occurs, the aggregated amount may not be very meaningful because the processing does not consider the different units of measure for detail statistical accounts. That is to say, no validation occurs on the unit of measure or the tree level.

  • If the higher dimension value (or node) to which you are summarizing is a monetary account type, it will not include or add any statistical accounts or amounts. The same applies if the higher dimension value is a statistical account—the aggregated total will not include any monetary accounts or amounts.

• The system considers dimension mapping or conversion definitions that you set up using the Dimension Member Mapping page in the activity group to map dimension values in the planning model for all activity data.

  When staging existing in-service asset, position, and line item data, the system recognizes these mapping rules defined on the Dimension Member Mapping page in the activity group.

• The system determines valid dimension values based on the as of date in the activity group that is associated with the model.

  Data that is not staged populates the Dimension Exception Inquiry table for review by the coordinator.

• The Flip Sign setting that you determine for account types using the Account Type Options page applies to line item ledger data.

  If Flip Sign is selected, the system reverses the sign associated with the account type amounts. For example, if you store revenue account type amounts as negative values in the imported ledger, and you select Flip Sign for revenues, the system changes the amounts from negative to positive numbers within the staging table. When the system stages to the planning model, you view revenues as positive numbers.

  Note. Assets and positions staged from existing source data, such as PeopleSoft Asset Management and PeopleSoft Human Resource Management, ignore the flip sign option. This also applies to statistical account types—they ignore the flip sign option.

• For statistical account types staged to line item activities, the system does not allow a value in the currency code fields or statistical code field.

  If values are in either field, the data is not staged.

• For statistical codes staged to line item activities, the system does not allow a value in the currency code field.

  If a value is in this field, the data is not staged.

• For in-service assets with values that are missing for the dimension used as the planning center, the asset and depreciation rows are dropped and not processed during data staging.

  Only assets that have a depreciation impact on the proposed budget, as defined by the scenario, are retrieved from the source tables.

• For existing job data with values missing for the dimension used as the planning center, staging references the defaults specified using the Map HR Depts to Planning Centers page, along with the position's human resource department, to populate the planning center dimension value.

  If the information is unavailable and the dimension value is still missing, these distribution rows are dropped and not processed during data staging.

• When you are using the Enforce Budget flag on a line item activity, dimension combination edits are performed using combination edit rules and controlled budget rulesets for a control budgeting type.

• For multicurrency models, the system creates future exchange rate tables for the model, and conversion takes place on any transaction currency when the source is not defined as an entry currency using the Currency Option page in the planning model.

• The system performs a copy of the analytic calculation engine (ACE) model and formulas for line item activities, and all drag-and-drop analysis reports for all three activity types.

• The system creates the following versions: base, master, and version one.

  Version one is created last because a model recalculation is performed against the master version before copying to the working version.

• The system performs a validation for nonsubmissible planning centers prior to copying versions and model recalculation.

  The engine issues a warning if nonsubmissible planning centers exist, which indicates that no user has access to all the line items in those planning centers. You need access to all line items in a planning center to submit it. Use the User Access to Line Items page to review which users have access to which line items in those planning centers. To resolve this issue, you could perform one of these tasks:

  • Give the user access to the offending line items using the Secondary Security Group page.

  • Exclude these line items from the budget, for example by filtering out problematic dimension members in the activity group, and restaging.

  • Remove the secondary security group from the activity scenario.

    See Viewing User Access to Line Items and to Line Item Details.

• The system generates a workspace list for each activity in the scenario to enable user access to plans and budgets.

  See Using Multiple Currencies.

Run the data staging process from the Data Staging page.

Balance Sheet Planning Processing Details

The staging process picks up the starting balance, period 0, and the following conditions apply:

• If the activity is flagged to support balance sheet planning, the system creates a new row with a value of 0 for any line items that do not have a row for the starting balance in the source tables.

  This applies only to account codes that have the balance forward flag enabled, as indicated by their account type.

• If the activity is not flagged to support balance sheet planning on the Activity page, then the starting balance row is not staged, even if the account on the line item is a type that supports balance sheet planning.

• On the Data Source page, you can specify a multiplication factor that is applied to the data source as the starting value.

  This enables you to create a budget that is, for example, 10 percent greater than the previous year.

• The defaults on the Account Type Options page are referenced for the flip sign logic.

  Because an account type indicator determines these rules, the flip sign logic is global by account type. For example, data that is stored in PeopleSoft General Ledger typically has the asset and expense accounts stored as positive values, whereas the liability, equity, and revenue account types are stored as negative values (this supports the debit/credit logic of a ledger). The system flips the negative signs so that you can enter budgets as positive values.

  When the budgets are exported back to the source ledger and General Ledger staging tables, the system reverses the signs, depending on the Account Type Options rule for data stored in the ledger.

• The system includes period 0 (starting balance) for the dimension summarization at a roll-up level only if the account balance forward attribute is set at the node roll-up level.

  For example, if you prepare a top-down plan at level 2 node, and that account node does not have the balance forward indicator, any child values that are aggregated in the roll up will not include the starting balance.

Understanding Model Validator Rules

Model Validation is an application engine program that ensures that the activity scenario rules are set up accurately in the planning model prior to staging. It validates the model for activities, activity groups, related activities, scenarios, security groups, dimensions, dimension levels, calendars, default accounts, multicurrency options, and so on. The data staging process assumes that data is prepared and valid. Rather than performing exhaustive error handling throughout the staging process, this separate process validates the setup for a scenario and activities in the planing model.

The model validation process can be called from within the staging process, but users can also run model validation outside of the larger staging process to identify setup errors prior to running the data stage process to help validate setup as you go. This process can be run at any time during the model creation process, not only when it is complete. You should run the validation process any time that you make a change to a model.

Results of the model validation process are displayed on the Model Validation Report page. For a list of model validation errors, select PeopleTools, Utilities, Administration, Message Catalog and look up messages under the Message Set Number 9370, mostly in the range of message numbers 380–430.

These are some of the rules that are checked by the model validation process:

• The account dimension must be selected for every activity.

• The tree setID for the dimension must match the setID defined for the dimension table.

• The following items must be defined and valid: activity group, security group, calendar periods for scenario ranges, currency options, source scenarios, comparison scenarios, target scenario.

• The security group associated with the activity must be active and valid.

• A period map must be defined for all comparison scenarios associated with the activity and planning scenario, and a period map must be defined for all source scenarios associated with the activity and planning scenario.

• Position and asset activity types must have at least one default account defined.

• The planning center dimension between an activity and its approval includes activity must match.

• Only line item activity types can have activity relationships defined.

  Other types of activities can be referenced only within a line item activity.

• An activity must not contain more than one related position activity or more than one related asset activity.

• All the calendars associated with the individual scenarios within the scenario group must be included in the time hierarchy.

• The approval dimension hierarchy must match security group hierarchy for an activity scenario.

• The approval dimension hierarchy level must match the security group hierarchy level for an activity scenario.

• The dimension summary level for the planning center must match the level in all the related activities if the relationship is Approval Includes.

• The planning center dimension of the primary activity must exist on related activities if the relationship is Includes Data From or References Data From.

• The activity dimension hierarchies must be valid and active trees.

• The activity dimension levels must be at or higher than dimension levels of any related activity.

• The target scenario dimensions must be at or above the level of planning scenario dimensions.

• The level specified for the security group hierarchy must exist in the tree.

• Planning Center must be a selected dimension.

• Activity must exist in activity group, and scenario must exist in scenario group, associated with model.

• If you are using the Commitment Control budget type, then no activities in the activity group allow balance sheet planning.

  You must either disable the balance sheet flag on the activity, or remove the activity from the activity group.

• The target scenario calendar must have one period per year.

• The level specified for a dimension must be in the version of the hierarchy that matches the as of date of the activity group.

• The business unit for the model must be assigned to the ledger associated with the planning scenario.

Understanding How to View Dimension Exceptions After Data Staging

After you resolve any dimension exceptions, run the data staging process again. Repeat these steps until you are satisfied with the data in the staging tables that you then release by activity scenario in the planning model for access by end users.

When you run the data staging process, the system verifies and selects valid dimensions, members, and trees defined by the activity and activity group against the detail data sources for sourcing/seeding the base budget amounts. For example, if you defined a department dimension, for which your as of date is 01/01/2006 for the activity group, the system uses this information to validate each dimension value against the source data that is used as the source to seed the budget. For example, it uses this information to verify that the following conditions are met:

• If a dimension member is invalid and a row exists in the ledger/source, an Invalid Dimension appears in the Exception column.

• If ledger/source data for a dimension member is not defined by the activity, then a Missing From Dimension message appears in the Exception column.

  The following list contains the possible dimension exceptions that may appear on this report:

  - Invalid statistical account found in scenario for planning center period/fiscal year (scenario, planning center, and period/fiscal year will be indicated).

  - Invalid statistical account found in scenario for planning center budget period (scenario, planning center, and budget period will be indicated).

  - Member not defined for the dimension.

  - Missing from the dimension selection.

  - Asset crosses multiple planning centers.

  - This depreciation account is not in the dimension.

  - Member not found in the dimension hierarchy.

  - Child member account is not the same account type as parent/node account.

Use the Dimension Exception Inquiry page to view dimension exceptions that are generated during the data staging process.

Note. Even if exception rows show up in your Dimension Information grid, the may not necessarily indicate errors. For example, you may have defined the activity dimension rules to exclude the data on purpose.

See Also

Setting Up the System

Understanding How to View Dimension Members After Data Staging

The set of valid members for each dimension for the activity scenario are available using the Dimension Member Inquiry page. The Data Staging processes must check the dimension value set definition for each dimension for the scenario/activity being staged and determine the set of valid detail dimension member IDs. This list of detail dimension members will be used to seed the activity details with data from the source ledger. Additionally, the valid dimension members are stored in a table that is used for the prompt views for the dimension on the activity entry pages.

Use the Dimension Member Inquiry page to review and verify that the dimensions and members that are staged and used to select, seed, and prepare activity scenarios are those that you expect.

Prerequisites

Before staging activities and scenarios in the planning model:

• User roles must be set up properly.

  Typically, the coordinator performs the steps to set up and stage the planning model.

• Hardware capabilities must be evaluated.

  Consider evaluating your hardware capabilities before using parallel processing to run the data staging process. If you are using hardware that does not have sufficient CPU capacity and memory to run parallel processes, your processing performance will not be improved.

• Planning model setup must be reviewed and complete.

  Review your planning model setup before staging because some of your definitions will not be available to update after you stage an activity scenario in the planning model, such as selected activity dimensions, scenarios, and multicurrency options.

Pages Used to Stage Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model

Staging Data for Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model

Access the Data Staging page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Data Staging).

Business Unit, Planning Model ID, Scenario, and Activity	Select the appropriate values to define the model that you want to stage.
Staging Type	Select the desired type of staging. Values are: Partial Staging: Enables you to select the check boxes next to the specific functions that you want performed. Standard Staging: Automatically selects and performs all functions.
Process Type	Select the desired type of process. Values are: Parallel by Activity: Enables you to process the activities in parallel. Single Processing: Processes budget data to staging tables in a single processing instance.
Validate Model	Select to validate the model. See Understanding Model Validator Rules.
Load Dimensions	Select to load dimensions and members used by the scenario activities.
Load Exchange Rates	Select to load the exchange rates that will be used by the scenario for a multicurrency planning model.
Seed Activity	Uses a source scenario to seed your proposed plan or budget as a starting point. It will also generate your worklist.
Copy ACE Model	Generates the ACE model that is required for line item activities and analysis reports.
Full Model Calculation	Creates the master version and performs full model recalculation based on model, scenario, and activities selected. The first working version is created after the calculation is performed.

Running the Model Validator

Access the Model Validation page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Model Validator).

Enter the appropriate values in the Business Unit, Planning Model ID, Scenario, and optionally all or one Activity field to define the model that you want to validate.

You can run the Model Validator on its own any time. This includes during the setup of the planning model, during the staging process, or even after activities and scenarios have been released to end users. In this last case, you would run this when you have made some setup changes that might affect available activity scenarios.

See Staging Data for Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model.

Viewing the Results of the Model Validation Process

Access the Model Validation Report page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Model Validator Report).

This page displays the results of the model validation process by activity scenario. Click the planning model link to go to that planning model page.

Verifying Dimension Exceptions After the Data Staging Process

Access the Dimension Exceptions Inquiry page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, Dimension Exceptions Inquiry).

The system searches and retrieves dimension exceptions related to the type of activity—asset budgeting, line item budgeting, or position budgeting—and associated scenario.

The system reports an exception if any of the following conditions exist in the history data:

• The account is identified as a statistic account and the currency code has a value or the base currency has a value.

• The account is identified as a statistic account and the posted base amount contains a value.

• The account is not identified as a statistic account but the statistic code field has a value and the base currency has a value or the currency code has a value.

• The account is not identified as a statistic account, the statistic code field does not have a value, and the currency code is missing.

Verifying Model Dimension Values from the Data Staging Process

Access the Dimension Member Inquiry page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, Dimension Member Inquiry).

The system searches and retrieves dimension values by an activity scenario in the planning model. Each dimension list by scenario will display the valid values that are staged and available for preparation by end users. This report is a result of the activity group and dimension level summarization rules that you have defined.

Viewing User Access to Line Items and to Line Item Details

Access the User Access to Line Items page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, User Access to Line Items).

This page is read-only. It lists all the planning center versions within the selected activity scenario. It includes all levels within the planning center tree. The grid is sorted so that the nonsubmissible planning center versions appear at the top. The Status column shows whether each planning center version is submissible. The Submit Allowed? Column displays an explanation for the status. Use the Details icon in the grid at the row level to access the User Access to Line Items Details page. Use the link to navigate directly to the appropriate Secondary Security Group page.

Access the User Access to Line Items Details page (click the Details icon on the User Access to Line Items page).

This page is read-only and shows which users have access to which line items within a planning center version. Use the link to navigate directly to the appropriate Secondary Security Group page.

Using Model and Scenario Manager

This section provides an overview of Model Manger and Scenario Manager and discusses how to:

• Use Model Manager.

• Use Scenario Manager.

• Manage locks in a planning model.

• Review the process summary.

Understanding Model Manager and Scenario Manager

You can manage multiple models and multiple scenarios within each model using the Model Manager and the Scenario Manager. These pages provide a comprehensive view of your models and can help you determine which models you own, the status of each model, and whether any scenario activities within a model have errors associated with them.

Pages Used to Access Model and Scenario Manager

Using Model Manager

Access the Model Manager page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, Model Manager).

Planning Model	Click to access the Model page for the selected planning model to review and update. See Defining Planning Model Defaults.
Validator Exceptions	Displays Yes or No to indicate whether one or more errors were found within the model.
Manage Scenarios	Click to access the Scenario Manager page for a specific planning model to manage, update, perform actions, change status, or review process results of the activity scenarios defined.

Using Scenario Manager

Access the Scenario Manager page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, Scenario Manager).

Planning Model (link)	Click to access the Model page and view or edit the planning model. See Defining Planning Model Defaults.
Edit Activity Scenarios	Click to access the Activity Scenario page and modify the activity scenarios. See Managing Activities and Scenarios in the Planning Model.
Stage	Click to access the Data Staging run control page to perform the process against any activity scenario with an initiated status. See Staging Data for Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model.
Validate	Click to access the Model Validation run control page to validate the accuracy of your model setup. See Understanding Model Validator Rules.
Recalculate	Click to access the Model Recalculation run control page to perform the recalculation process on activities and scenarios. See Recalculating the Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model.
Stage Formulas	Click to stage any new or revised formulas into line item activities. When you update or add formulas, they are not available in line items until they are staged, making them available for use in conjunction with the ACE tool. Note. When you stage formulas for line item activities, you must set them to On Hold status first, select Stage Formulas, then set them back to the Released state. No locks can be on the data when you are running this Stage Formula process, and therefore setting the activity to On Hold also forces all locks to be released.
Activity	Click the desired activity name to access the Activity page.
Scenario	Click the desired link to access the Scenario page.
Status	Enter the current status of the scenario. You can select from the following values: Initiated: The scenario is in the creation or staging process and the corresponding planning centers are not available on the My Planning Workspace page. Released: The scenario has been staged and is accessible for editing. The corresponding planning centers are visible on the My Planning Workspace page. Staged and On Hold: The corresponding planning centers are not available on the My Planning Workspace page. View Only: The corresponding planning centers are visible on the My Planning Workspace page, but no editing is allowed. Note. Updating staged data is preferable to restaging, which deletes previously generated data from the tables, and effectively returns the status of the scenario to initiated.
Validator Exceptions	Displays Yes or No to indicate whether errors occurred.
Formulas Require Restaging	Displays Yes or No to indicate whether the scenario requires restaging.
Locked	Displays Yes or No to indicate whether the scenario is locked. If the scenario is locked, changes are not allowed to any attributes (and children) of the locked group.
Action	Select an action to perform on the activity scenario, and click Go. Values are: Manage Locks: Accesses the View Current Locks page to enable you to review or release locked planning centers for a scenario. Process Summary: Accesses the Process Summary page to enable you to view the various stage functions processed, last run dates, and list of formulas staged by activity scenario. Stage: Accesses the Data Staging page to enable you to import and stage data for planning model activities and scenarios. Review Access: Applies only to line item activities that have been staged (not in Initiated status). Accesses the User Access to Line Items page. See Viewing User Access to Line Items and to Line Item Details. See Staging Data for Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model. Update Stage: Accesses the Update Staged Data page to enable you to validate models and to update dimension members, exchange rates, worklist entries, and comparison scenarios. The Update Staged Data page is discussed in the "Updating the Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model" section of this chapter. See Updating Staged Data. Validate: Accesses the Model Validation page to enable you to validate components of a planning model.
Go	Click to implement the selected action.

Managing Locks in a Planning Model

Access the View Current Locks page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, View Current Locks).

Activity	Select the desired activity. Values for this field are user-defined and supplied by default from the row where you selected the action of manage locks. Change the activity to one of the other available activities in the scenario, or select all to view all planning center locks for all activities in the defined scenario.
Select All to Unlock	Click to release all locked planning center activities. Save the page to carry out the simultaneous release of all selected locked activities.
Unlock	Select to unlock an individual planning center activity. Save the page to carry out the release of all selected locked activities.

Other lock details include the planning center and user associated with the lock, status, and lock type.

Reviewing the Process Summary

Access the Process Summary page (from the Action drop-down list box on the Scenario Manager page, select Process Summary, and then click Go).

Exceptions	Click to access the Model Validation Report page and review Model Validator results for a given planning model activity scenario. See Viewing the Results of the Model Validation Process.
Run Model Validator	Click to access the Model Validation page and validate a model.
Run Staging	Click to access the Data Staging page and stage data for scenarios and activities in a planning model. See Staging Data for Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model.
Update Staged Data	Click to access the Update Staged Data page and recalculate a staged model.
Stage Formulas	Click to stage any new or revised formulas into line item activities after placing them on hold. When you update or add formulas, they are not available in line items until they are staged, making them available for use in conjunction with the ACE tool. Set the line item activities back to Released state when the formula stage is complete so that users can again access their planning center data.

Updating the Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model

This section provides overviews of:

• How to update the scenarios and activities in a planning model.

• Model validation in the update process.

• Update dimension members process.

• Update exchange rates process.

• Update worklist entries process.

• Update comparison scenario process.

• Copy ACE model process.

• Model recalculation process.

• Run combination data validation process.

• The refresh driver parameters process.

• Update budget amounts from source process.

This section also discusses how to:

• Update staged data.

• Run the Copy ACE model.

• Recalculate the scenarios and activities in a planning model.

• Run the combination data validation.

• Update driver parameters.

• Update budget amounts from source.

Understanding How to Update the Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model

After a model has been released, you should be updating only the staged data, never restaging. A complete restage is a start-over and removes everything from the previous staged/released tables, returning the status to Initiated. Coordinators should evaluate carefully before restaging, instead of updating, staged data that requires no status change. Updates to staged data can occur in any state except Released.

After successfully staging the planning model, you can update the data included in the model by running the following processes:

• Validate models (BP_STG).

• Update dimension members (BP_STG).

• Update exchange rates (BP_STG).

• Update the worklist entries for an activity scenario (BP_STG).

• Update comparison scenarios (BP_STG).

• Copy ACE models (BP_COPY_MDL).

• Recalculate models (BP_MDL_CALC).

• Run combination data validations (BP_KK_COMBO).

• Refresh driver parameters (BP_DRPRRF).

• Update budget amounts.

Understanding Model Validation in the Update Process

The Model Validation process (BP_STG) can be run at any time, including during the building of the planning model and after activity scenarios are released to end users. You would use the option here, for the Update Staged Data process, after updating a model when activity scenarios have already been released to end users. Model Validation is discussed in another section of this chapter.

See Understanding Model Validator Rules.

Understanding the Update Dimension Member Process

The Update Dimension Member process (BP_STG) updates the dimension values that are used in your activity and scenarios.

The system retrieves updated dimension values based on the rules defined in your Activity Group on the Member page. The process is primarily intended to be run after an activity scenario is released, and additional dimension members are required to complete plans and budgets. Oracle recommends that you not delete any dimension members that may have data associated with them because the update process cannot remove any corresponding history associated with the removal of the dimension member.

When you add new dimension members in your planning center tree, you will want to run this process. When updating your planning center dimension, you should run the Update Worklist Entries process in addition to the Update Dimension Members process.

Note. Tree reorganizations are not supported, and should not be made after an activity in the Activity Group page has been staged.

Follow these steps to run the Update Dimension Member process:

1. Unlock the planning center on the View Current Locks page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Setup Model, View Current Locks).

2. Run the Update Dimension Members process on the Update Staged Data page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Update Staged Data).

3. Release the activity on the Scenario Manager page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Scenario Manager).

Understanding the Update Exchange Rates Process

When you run the Update Exchange Rates process (BP_STG), the system updates the scenario with modified exchange rates for a multicurrency model. Exchange rates are stored by scenario; meaning all activities in one scenario share the same exchange rate data.

Use the Update Exchange Rates page to initiate this process.

Understanding the Update Worklist Entries Process

You can select the Update Worklist process (BP_STG) to update the table used by the My Planning Workspace page that, based on your security access, displays the available planning centers for a given model, scenario, and activity.

When you add a new planning center to the dimension tree used by the activity scenario, you will need to run this process to update the worklist (workspace) table that enables end users to access their work.

The Update Worklist and Update Dimension Member process should be used together when members are updated for the planning center dimension. During the process when new planning center members are available, the system:

• Updates the status of the planning center in conjunction with the new one added.

  For example, when you submit a planning center, the status at the reviewer level is Open. If you add a new planning center that affects the reviewer level, the system changes the budgeting status to Not Ready. This is because the new planning center has not yet been submitted, and the reviewer level cannot edit their planning center until all child planning centers have submitted.

• Creates a new base budget version that includes the new planning centers.

  Preparers of a new planning center must create their first working version; the system does not automatically create working versions.

To add a new planning center, you:

1. Modify the existing tree structure by using Tree Manager to add your new planning center to the tree.

   You can enter new detail level planning centers, or new node or roll up values. You should not reorganize the planning center tree; which is not supported for an activity scenario that has already been staged.

2. Update the Security Group page with the users who are associated with activities using the group definition.

3. Run the Update Staged Data process, selecting the functions of Update Dimension Members and Update Worklist Entries.

4. Access the Scenario Manager page and release your updated activity scenario.

   Note. Planning centers that you add after the original staging process do not contain historical data because the data did not exist as part of the original tree definition.
   
   The system does not update existing working versions with newly added planning centers.

Understanding the Update Comparison Scenario Process

When you run the Update Comparison Scenario process (BP_STG), the system updates the selected comparison scenario. The comparison scenarios that are available are those associated with your line-item activity scenario on the Data Source page in the planning model.

Run this process using the Update Staged Data page.

Note. Planning target data from a top-down scenario is not updated by this Update Comparison Scenario process. Planning target data is dynamic, referencing the data from the source budget ledger table. If you are still actively updating your top-down plan that provides targets, you will need to run the Export to General Ledger process to have access to the most current information.

Use the Update Staged Data page to initiate the Update Comparison Scenario process.

Understanding the Copy ACE Model Process

When you run the Copy ACE Model process (BP_COPY_MDL), the system regenerates the ACE (Analytic Calculation Engine) model required to use your line item activities and analysis reports.

This process is already performed when the Data Staging process occurs, and will typically not be necessary to run after your activities and scenarios have been released. The only time that running this process is necessary is when an ACE model update exists for the Planning and Budgeting application or you have created your own configuration. When you are running the Copy ACE Model process, no locks against the scenario and activities should exist, and you should place the activity scenario in On Hold status. The check box of Unlock on the run control page will perform this for you automatically when selected.

Note. You do not need to run the Copy ACE Model process for new or updated flexible formulas. Instead, you can stage your formulas from the Scenario Manager page for the planning model. But you are still required to release locks and put the line item activities on hold before running the Stage Formula process. When the process is complete, set the activities back to Released state so that end users can work with new or revised formulas.

Understanding the Model Recalculation Process

When you are working with a planning model, the system recalculates the data every time you enter a new piece of information or change a budget figure. When you make line item modifications at the lowest planning center level in the model—at the preparer level—the recalculations take place immediately. This is possible because the budget changes are isolated within the planning center.

However, when using position and asset budgeting, to make modifications that affect multiple planning centers or to generate new dimension combination rows from details into line item budgets, run the Model Recalculation process to update the model. If the dimension combination rows already exist in the line item activity when you add new positions or assets, you do not need to run the Model Recalculation process.

Additionally, when you have various data or calculation relationships between activities that affect multiple planning centers, you may need to run the Model Recalculation process to synchronize data and generate any new combination rows from the details.

The Model Recalculation process (BP_MDL_CALC) calculates and distributes data throughout the planning model. The system recalculates the data for multiple planning center versions and activities simultaneously. Recalculate the planning model at any time during the budgeting process. You can perform this process against the entire model, a specific scenario, or scenario activities. The model recalculation will unlock planning centers that are still locked when you run the process by selecting the Unlock check box option. If you do not select this check box, you may not be able to run the process if any locks are applied against the data to be recalculated.

Whether you submit a planning center or not, recalculation affects all versions by inserting new dimension combination rows into corresponding activities. The system creates these new rows that reflect the amounts budgeted in those activities. For example, when you distribute position budgeting expenses to other planning centers in the activity, the budget data does not get inserted into the other planning centers unless the amounts are in the master version. Data gets inserted into the master version when the budget is submitted; alternatively, you can copy a working version into the master if you are not ready to submit.

Note. You may also want to consider running this model recalculation process before distributing a budget to preparers to ensure that all dimension combinations are synchronized between line item activities, line item details from asset and position data, and other data relationships such as flexible formulas, particularly when you have not staged the scenario activities at the same time.

Use the Model Recalculation page to initiate the Model Recalculation process.

Understanding the Combination Data Validation Process

In Planning and Budgeting you can develop a controlled budget using Commitment Control definitions that you set up in the PeopleSoft Financial Management database. This enables you to validate budget data according to rules that you are also using in PeopleSoft General Ledger. When the rules are imported into the EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) database through ETL (extract, transform and load process), you can configure a controlled planning model to perform validation against these rules to ensure compliance before exporting budget data back to PeopleSoft General Ledger.

Combination Editing compares ChartField (dimension) combinations to the definitions and rules governing ChartField combinations that you define and import from your PeopleSoft Financial Management database. In Planning and Budgeting you can set up line-item budget activities to have combination editing performed against them to ensure that ChartField (dimension) combinations are valid. Combination editing can be enabled for standard, controlled, and project planning models. Before running data staging for your line item activities, verify that you have selected the Enforce Budget option if you want to have combinations validated during staging.

When you run the Combination Data Validation process (BP_KK_COMBO), the system uses combination edit rules to validate against line item activities that have the Enforce Budget flag enabled for the activity scenario on the Line Item Default tab in the planning model. If your planning model is a control budgeting type (as defined by the scenario group assigned to the model), the system uses the commitment control ruleset information. Any invalid combination found will be marked in error, and the end users will need to either modify or delete the row before their planning center can be submitted.

The combination edit and commitment control rules should exist in the EPM database, and would have been brought over from your source system through ETL maps. Because the Data Staging process initially performs this validation, the combination data validation process can be repeated when the rules have been updated from your source general ledger system after an activity scenario has been released to your end users. The process performs the validation against all versions and planning centers in the activity scenario for which you run the process.

Note. Validations are not performed against asset or position activity types. The validation is performed against the rows inserted into a line item activity from those detailed activities.

Note. If both commitment control and combination edit rules are imported into the EPM database, then a controlled planning model could potentially have both types of ChartField (dimension) validation performed against it. In this case, if ChartField validation processing is enabled, the system will always perform both commitment control and combination edit validation, and you cannot disable one or the other.

The following sections discuss:

• Validation setup.

• Validation processing.

• Validation error correction.

Validation Setup

Validation setup comprises the following steps:

1. Import combination edit rules, or commitment control rulesets, into the EPM database.

   Define a scenario group of budgeting type Controlled Budget Ledger when using the commitment control rulesets. (Select Planning and Budgeting, Define Parameters, Scenario Groups.)

   Combination edits are typically used in conjunction with a scenario group of budgeting type Standard Budget Ledger or Project Budget Ledger.

   See Combination Edit Records.

   See Commitment Control Records.

2. Associate the defined scenario group with a planning model.

3. Enable validation processing for line-item activity scenarios. To enable ChartField (dimension) validation for a specific line-item activity scenario, navigate to the Activity Scenario tab of the Planning Model component and select the Enforce Budget check box. You can select and clear this check box any time during the budgeting process to toggle validation processing.

   Note. Only line-item type activities can have ChartField (dimension) validation processing enabled.

Validation Processing

You can run validation either online or through a batch process.

The online ChartField (dimension) validation occurs when a user performs any of these tasks on a line-item activity scenario that has the Enforce Budget check box selected:

• Adds a new budget entry.

  Add will fail if the new entry is found to be invalid.

• Modifies the dimension member values for an existing budget entry.

  Modify will fail if the new entry is found to be invalid.

• Submits a budget.

  Submitting a budget does not actually trigger the validation process but instead interprets the validation flag for each budget entry that was marked in error by either the Staging or the Combination Data Validation Application Engine process. Any rows marked in error will cause the budget submittal to fail.

The batch validation occurs when any of the following actions occur on a line-item activity scenario that has the Enforce Budget check box selected:

• You stage the activity scenario.

  The staging process validates all the staged line item entries and updates the validation flag. Line item entries that are flagged in error must be corrected before you can submit their budgets for approval. Those found in error will appear with an error icon in line item budgets, indicated by a red X at the beginning of each line item row. Those with a green check icon are valid.

• You run the Combination Data Validation Application Engine process (BP_KK_COMBO).

  Run the process by selecting Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Combination Data Validation and creating a new run control for the line-item activity scenarios that you want to validate. As with the staging process, the combination data validation process validates all the staged line item entries and updates the validation flag. Those found in error will appear with an error icon in line item budgets, indicated by a red X at the beginning of each line item row. Those with a green check icon are valid. If the budget has already been submitted successfully to a reviewer level, the budget will remain submitted even if lines are now determined to be invalid by the process. Viewing the message log for the process will provide a count of the number of line item entries that were determined to be in error.

Note. If the combination edit or commitment control rules are changed and reimported into the EPM database after a model is staged, then you must run this process to validate the existing line item entries against the new rules, and update the validation flag.

Validation Error Correction

When working on your budget, you need to correct any line item rows marked in error before you can submit your budget for approval. Entries found in error will appear with a red X icon at the beginning of the row. To correct errors, click the icon. This will take you to the Dimension Errors page where you can perform one of the following tasks:

• Choose new dimension values that will satisfy the validation rules.

• Delete the entry.

In addition, if you determine that the validation rules themselves are in error, then you can correct them in the source system and re-import into the EPM database. When this is done, you should rerun the combination data validation process to update the line item entries based on the new rules.

Understanding the Refresh Driver Parameters Process

When you run the Refresh Driver Parameters process (BP_DRPRRF), the system updates driver parameters in the line-item activity scenarios in a planning model. Drivers will not be refreshed for those that allow override, because users can change the values themselves. You will be able to update all driver parameters that are defined by the Planning Method Group when using the Initialize All check box.

Use this process to update driver parameters that are not enabled for method and driver parameter override.

Use the Refresh Driver Parameter page to initiate this process.

Understanding the Update Budget Amounts from Source Process

The Update Budget Amounts from Source process enables budget coordinators to update in-process budget data with ongoing changes in the production (source) system to keep budgets synchronized. The system will insert new rows or update existing rows in a line item activity when new budget accounts have been added in the source system. Only budget base amounts (BP_AMT_BASE) are updated; line item rows previously created during the budgeting process are retained.

The following requirements apply to this process:

• You can run this process only for planning centers with a status of either open or rejected.

• The status for the line item activity scenario must be either on hold or staged.

• You can run this process only for base and/or working versions of the budget.

• The source ledger data must be from PeopleSoft General Ledger, or be in the same format (ledger and journal tables).

• Because this process is based on incremental load logic, the ETL servers and process scheduler servers must be set to the same time zone.

Keep the following considerations in mind regarding the Update Budget Amounts from Source process:

• Any line items that have been previously deleted, which are reintroduced by the update process, must be manually deleted.

• If the source scenario is also used as comparison scenario, you will need to run the update staged data process for the comparison scenario separately.

• Updated rows from scenarios that are used as additional sources in the model won't be considered by the Update Budgets from Source process.

• If an updated row is in a child line item activity that has an include data from relationship with a parent line item, you will need to run the model recalculation process to synchronize the data between the two activities.

• The Update Budget Amounts from Source process does not change any adjustments or allocations, so you do not need to reapply them after you run the process.

• If a line item is used as a flexible formula source and you run the Update Budgets from Source process, you must copy the updated version to the master version before you can use the line item as a flexible formula source.

Pages Used to Update the Scenarios and Activities in the Planning Model

Updating Staged Data

Access the Update Staged Data page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Update Staged Data).

Business Unit, Planning Model ID, Scenario, and Activity	Select the appropriate values to define the model, scenario, and activities that you want to update. Select the All Activities check box to process all activities for the selected scenario. Alternatively, process one activity at a time.
View Results	Click to access the Budget Update Results page, where you can review the line items that have been updated as a result of running the Update Budgets from Source process. This link appears only after the process has been run.
Scenario Manager	Click to access the Scenario Manager page and review and update the status of the activity scenario.
Staging Type	Displays the type of data being updated.
Validate Model	Select to validate the selected model. See Understanding Model Validator Rules.
Update Dimension Members	Select to update the dimension values that are used in your scenario and activities.
Update Exchange Rates	Select to update the scenario with modified exchange rates for a multicurrency model.
Update Worklist Entries	Select to update the table used by the My Planning Workspace page that displays the available planning centers for a given model, scenario, and activity.
Update Comparison Scenario	Select to update a specific comparison scenario that contains revised historical data in which you want to update to a planning model, scenario, or activity.
Comparison Scenario	Select the comparison scenario that you want to update.

Note. The process does not automatically generate new dimension combination rows in the proposed plan or budget scenario activity in line items for any of the versions that you are working with. When new comparison scenario rows are inserted into historical data during this update process, and similar dimension combinations did not exist during the original stage process, the row may not be visible in line item activities or reporting. This does not mean that the row is not stored as history for the model, but rather it is visible when a correlating row exists for the line item activity that you are updating. Preparers can add a new row in their line item activity and the correlating new historical amounts will then become visible.

Viewing Results of the Update Budgets from Source Process

Click View Results on the Update Staged Data page (or, from the main menu, select Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Budget Update Results) to access the Budget Update Results page.

This report lists the total change in the Net Change to Line Item section, and the associated detail amounts in the grid below.

If there are no changes to the line item amounts as a result of running the update process, no rows appear in the report.

Running the Copy ACE Model

Access the Copy ACE Model page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Copy ACE Model).

Business Unit, Planning Model ID, Scenario, and Activity	Select the appropriate values to define the model, scenario, and activities for which you want to run copy ACE model. Select the All Activities check box to process all activities for the selected scenario. Alternatively, process one activity at a time.
Unlock	Select to unlock all the open checkouts and keep all the activity scenario in On-Hold status while the system processes calculations. If you do not select the check box, all the activity scenario should be set manually to an On-Hold status, and all locks must be released before the process can be run.

Recalculating the Scenarios and Activities in a Planning Model

Access the Model Recalculation page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Model Recalculation).

Business Unit, Planning Model ID, Scenario, and Activity	Select the appropriate values to define the model, scenarios and activities, or both on which you want to perform model recalculation. Select the All Scenarios check box to process all scenarios in the planning model. Select the All Activities check box to process all activities for the selected scenario.
Manage Scenarios	Click to access the Scenario Manager page if you want to review locks or change the status against the activities and scenarios in the planning model.
Unlock	Select to unlock all the open checkouts and keep all the activity scenario in On-Hold status while the system processes calculations. If you do not select the check box, all the activity scenarios should be set manually to an On-Hold status, and all locks must be released before the process can be run.

Running the Combination Data Validation

Access the Combination Data Validation page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Combination Data Validation).

Business Unit, Planning Model ID, Scenario, and Activity

Select the appropriate values to define the model, scenario, and line item activities against which you want to run combination edits, commitment control validation, or both. Select the All Activities check box to process all line item activities for the selected scenario.

Updating Driver Parameters

Access the Refresh Driver Parameters page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Refresh Driver Parameters).

Business Unit, Planning Model ID, Scenario, and Activity	Select the values to define the model, scenario, and line item activities for which you want to refresh the method driver parameter values, as defined by the corresponding Planning Method Group defaults.
Initialize All	Select to refresh all line items with the current values of the drivers. If you select this check box, you overwrite any manual changes that preparers have made to the drivers. Deselect this check box to refresh only those line items where preparers are not allowed to change or override the parameters for the driver, as defined by the corresponding Assign Planning Method Default page.

For methods that use drivers, the coordinator can refresh the parameter by running the Refresh Parameter process. If the coordinator does not initialize the parameter, the driver parameter remains the same, but if the coordinator initializes the parameter, the driver parameter may be different the next time the budget is opened.

Updating Budget Amounts from Source Data

Access the Update Budgets From Source page (Planning and Budgeting, Planning and Budgeting Setup, Process Model, Update Budgets from Source).

Business Unit, Planning Model ID, Scenario, and Activity	Select the values to define the model, scenario, and line item activities for which you want to update budget amounts.
View Results	Click to view the Budget Update Results page, where you can review the line items that have been updated.
Refresh	Click to update the Planning Centers grid with a list of all of the valid planning centers associated with the specified model.

In the Planning Centers grid, check the selection flag for each planning center you want to update, and select the Budget Version from the list. Click Run to run the process.