Generate Tasks and Processes with the Calendar Wizard

Use a wizard in the SAP Analytics Cloud calendar to generate tasks and processes from a driving dimension, usually an organizational dimension.

Prerequisites

  • You need a planning model that has at least one dimension with responsible users defined in the dimension properties.

  • To let the assignees and the reviewers of the generated events view the correct set of data, make sure your administrator has set up Data Access Control for the dimension you’ll use as driving dimension. For more information, see Set Up Data Access Control.

Context

The calendar wizard lets you generate tasks and processes along a driving dimension. You will be able to select specific members in the dimension hierarchy. Members that are defined as nodes in the dimension hierarchy will generate processes, leaf members will generate tasks. The generated tasks are composite tasks that let you define assignees as well as reviewers.

You can generate the events for an existing process that is not in final status and not yet due, or you create a new parent process and its child events directly with the wizard.

By selecting specific dimension properties with assigned user names, you can specify the assignees and reviewers of the generated tasks.

Example

For example, your model may have an "Organization" dimension with users responsible for different regions or departments, and a "Product" dimension with users responsible for different groups of products. In a data collection process, composite tasks for each region will be generated, and the regional managers will be asked to enter their data as assignees of these tasks, the product managers can be set as reviewers.

Procedure

  1. Optional: If you’d like to generate events for an existing process, select an Inactive or In Progress process in the calendar that is not yet due.
  2. Choose Start of the navigation path (Create) Next navigation step  Generate Events with WizardEnd of the navigation path.

    The calendar wizard appears.

  3. If you haven’t selected an existing process, you can generate a new process with child events:

    1. Enter a name for the new process that will be used as parent process.

    2. Define the start and due dates for your generated events.

    3. If you want the events to start automatically at the selected start date, choose Activate events at start date automatically.

  4. Optional: You can add work files to the generated events by selecting Add File.
    Note

    If you use an existing process and it already has a work file, the work file will be replicated to the generated events. You can still modify the work file once the events are generated.

    To continue, select Step 2.

  5. Define the context for the generated events:

    1. Select a model that has at least one dimension with responsible users defined in the dimension properties.

    2. Select the dimension that will be used as the driving dimension for the event generation.

    3. Select the dimension members.

      The events will be generated for each selected member of the driving dimension. Members that are defined as nodes in the dimension hierarchy will generate processes, leaf members will generate tasks. The work files of each event will be filtered according to the corresponding member.

    4. Add additional common filters that will be applied to the work files of all events.

    To continue, select Step 3.
  6. Set the properties for defining assignees or reviewers.

    Depending on how your modeler has defined the dimension properties, you can assign either a single user or one team per member.

  7. Optional: If required, you can add multiple review rounds: To do so, select Add a New Round.

    You can move up or down the review rounds by clicking on the arrows.

    Note

    You can’t set the same person as assignee and reviewer, thus you can select each property only once.

    To continue, select Step 4.

  8. Define the names of the events.

    By default, the names are set up of the parent process name and the descriptions of each selected member. You can change the parent process name and choose if you’d like to use the description or the ID of the members to identify the generated child events.

  9. Optional: You can add some text in the Description, like instructions or notes you’d like to share with the assignees and reviewers.

    To continue, select Step 5.

  10. Preview the list of events.

    To change the columns of the preview table, click Select columns to configure the table.

    For more details or for a better overview, you can use the Expand/Collapse menu to expand or collapse the child event hierarchy.

  11. Optional: If you want to make changes, you can scroll up and down to go through the wizard and update your selections.
  12. If everything looks correct, select Generate.

    Your events are now being generated.

  13. Optional: Select Refresh from the menu bar.
    Tip

    Your calendar workspace will also be refreshed when you select Show More in the success message or when you click on the corresponding notification.

Results

The generated events are added to your calendar.

Note

When there are too many tasks to display in the Calendar workspace, a number appears. Select that to see the total number of events. In the Gantt workspace and in the List workspace, the hierarchy is collapsed and can be expanded.

Related Information

Example Scenario: Generate Tasks for a Monthly Forecast Using the Calendar Wizard

This example scenario shows how you can add tasks to an already existing monthly forecast process.

Context

There are three regions that are involved in the monthly forecast: EMEA, Asia Pacific, and North America.

Procedure

  1. Select the "Monthly Forecast" process (in status Inactive or In Progress), and choose Start of the navigation path (Create) Next navigation step  Generate Events with WizardEnd of the navigation path.
  2. Optional: Add the work files that are required for the generated tasks.
    Note

    If you've already added the work file to the process before, it will be automatically added in the wizard.

  3. Select the model and the associated required Driving Dimension as well as the respective members for EMEA, Asia Pacific, and North America.
    Note

    If you'd like to add additional common filters that will be applied to the work files of all generated events, you can filter the "Monthly Forecast" story to "Apparel" and "Footwear", for example.

  4. Set the properties for defining assignees or reviewers.

    If needed, you can add multiple review rounds.

  5. Optional: Add some notes or instructions as descriptions of the generated events, and keep their default names.

    The names are set up of the parent process name "Monthly Forecast" and the descriptions of each selected member.

  6. Preview the list of events, and if everything looks correct, select Generate.
  7. Optional: Select Refresh from the menu bar.
    Tip

    Your calendar workspace will also be refreshed when you select Show More in the success message or when you click on the corresponding notification.

Results

You’ve now generated the region specific tasks for your monthly forecast process.