Data Actions
Data actions are a flexible planning tool for making structured changes to model data, including copying data from one model to another.
You can use data actions to model sequences of copy-paste operations, allocation steps, and scripted calculations, allowing you to carry out planning and simple consolidation functions such as cash flow planning, accounts receivable planning, and carry forward operations. You can also copy data across models, for example, to bring together data from Headcount and Expense Planning models into a central Finance model. Finally, you can embed data actions within another data action, letting you reuse basic steps for different workflows.
Data actions are designed by modelers and then run by planners in stories or analytic applications, or scheduled to run in the Calendar.
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Copy step: This type of step copies data within a model based on a set of rules, filters, and aggregation settings. For example, you can use it to copy data from 2018 to 2019.
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Cross-Model Copy step: With this type of step, you can copy data from a different source planning model based on a set of filters and automatic or manual mapping between dimension members.
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Allocation step: This type of step lets you run an allocation step as part of your data action. It allocates values from a source dimension to a target dimension by driver values, or by direct assignment. For example, an allocation step can help allocate overhead costs to different departments. To learn more, see Allocation Processes, Steps, and Rules.
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Embedded Data Action step: With this step, you can run another data action as a step in your data action. For example, you can quickly reuse a common set of steps in several different data actions, or multiple times within a single data action.
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Advanced Formulas step: Each step lets you create a script of transformations and calculations to apply to the data within defined scopes of the target model. Some formulas from the Modeler are supported, as well as additional advanced formulas. You can build simple advanced formulas using the visual editor, or get full control using a script editor.
When you have finished adding steps for the data action, you can run it in a story or analytic application using a data action trigger. You can also schedule data actions in the Calendar. For details, see Creating Automatic Data Action Tasks.
You might want to quickly update a value or change a member in several different places throughout a data action, or allow a user to set their own values when they run the data action. In this case, you can use parameters for those values.
There's always a default parameter for the target version, but you can add others that represent either numbers or dimension members. To learn how, see Creating a Parameter.