Creating a Blank Model

You can create and design a new model with no data, and then import data later.

Procedure

  1. From the () Main Menu, select Start of the navigation path Create Next navigation step  ModelEnd of the navigation path.
  2. Select Start with a blank model.
  3. Enter a name and description (optional) for the model.
  4. Select to set up some of the model's preferences.
    1. Planning features are enabled by default, but if you want to create an analytics model, select Planning & Time Range, and then switch Planning Capabilities off.
      For information about planning and analytics models, see Planning Models and Analytic Models.
    2. For a planning model, select Planning & Time Range, and then choose From and To dates to define the timeline for the data.
    3. If your business fiscal year isn't the same as the calendar year, select Fiscal Time, switch Fiscal Year on, and then select the other parameters as follows:
      • Choose the starting month of your fiscal year.
      • Choose whether you denote your fiscal year by the calendar year when it starts, or the calendar year when it ends.
      • Choose whether to display fiscal periods or calendar months in stories. For example, quarterly reports cover a fiscal period of three months, while annual reports cover a fiscal period of one year.

      Model data in stories, including tables, charts, value driver trees, input controls, and filters, will display fiscal years instead of calendar years.

    4. Enable any other features you need, such as data auditing or locking, data access control, or currency conversion.
      Note that some settings cannot be changed after you've saved the model. For more information, see Model Preferences.
    5. Select OK to save the model's settings.
  5. For an analytics model, the Date dimension is optional. You can remove the Date dimension by selecting it, and then clicking the Delete icon: .
  6. If you want to change the default settings for the Date dimension, you can do that now.
    Select the Date dimension, and then in the Dimension Settings panel, review these settings:
    1. Set the granularity of the model's timeline – that is, the time period that your data will be based on: year, quarter, month, or day.
    2. Choose the default date hierarchy.
      New story tiles will display this hierarchy by default.
  7. All models need an account dimension. Add one to your model by selecting , and then either Add New Dimension to create a new one from scratch, or Add Existing Dimensions to add an account from a list of existing dimensions.
    If you create a new account dimension, you can define it as a public dimension, if you want it to be reusable in other models.
  8. Optionally, you can add an organization dimension and also other generic dimensions to your model.
    See About Dimensions for details of all dimension types.
  9. Save your model.
    Choose which folder you want to save the model to.
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