Use the Configure Planned vs. Actual Parameters screen to configure parameters specific to the Planned vs. Actual template. With this template, you can build queries that calculate the values of a measure defined as actual and a measure defined as planned, illustrating the difference between actual and expected results.
This template can address business questions such as the following:
How do my actual costs compare to the planned costs?
Results to business queries such as these can be key in optimizing sales. For example, if your result is far greater than your plan for a specific product, this could indicate a lost opportunity or insufficient supply for the demand.
The main controls of this screen are listed in the following table:
Control |
Value |
Description |
---|---|---|
Calculate Planned versus Actual defined by |
Measures |
Use this value if you actually have measures defined as Planned and Actual in your data service. The measures might have names such as the below:
The controls displayed on this screen differ based on which value is selected in this control. |
Planned vs. Actual Indicators |
Use this value if you have members (not measures) that indicate planned and actual values. This type of configuration is typically found in data services based on SAP BI systems. The controls displayed on this screen differ based on which value is selected in this control. |
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Dimension |
Lists all dimensions in the cube on which the query is based. Select the dimension that contains the hierarchy to display in the Hierarchy field. |
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Hierarchy |
Lists all hierarchies in the currently selected dimension. Select the hierarchy that contains the level to display in the Level field. |
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Level |
Lists all levels in the currently selected hierarchy. Select the level that contains the members for which to evaluate planned vs. actual results. These are the members that will appear on the rows in the result. |
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Planned versus Actual defined by = Measures only: |
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Plan measure |
Lists all measures in the cube on which the query is based. Select the planned measure. |
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Actual measure |
Lists all measures in the cube on which the query is based. Select the actual measure. |
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Planned versus Actual defined by = Planned vs. Actual Indicators only: |
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Measure for comparison |
Lists all measures in the cube on which the query is based. Select the measure for which you want to compare planned vs. actual values. For example, Profit. |
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Planned / Actual dimension |
Lists all dimensions in the cube on which the query is based. Select the dimension that contains the hierarchy to display in the Planned / Actual hierarchy field. |
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Planned / Actual hierarchy |
Lists all hierarchies in the currently selected planned / actual dimension. Select the hierarchy that contains the level to display in the Planned / Actual level field. |
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Planned / Actual level |
Lists all levels in the currently selected planned / actual hierarchy. Select the level that contains the members to display in the Planned indicator and Actual indicator fields. |
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Planned indicator |
Lists all members in the currently selected planned / actual level. Select the member that indicates the planned value. |
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Actual indicator |
Lists all members in the currently selected planned / actual level. Select the member that indicates the actual value. |
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Either Planned versus Actual Option: |
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Plan version |
If checked, allows you to specify a plan version using the controls below. This option is typically only valid for data services based on SAP BI systems. |
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Version dimension |
Lists all dimensions in the cube on which the query is based. Select the dimension that contains the hierarchy to display in the Version hierarchy field. |
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Version hierarchy |
Lists all hierarchies in the currently selected version dimension. Select the hierarchy that contains the level to display in the Version level field. |
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Version level |
Lists all levels in the currently selected version hierarchy. Select the level that contains the members to display in the Version field. |
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Version |
Lists all members in the currently selected version level. Select the member that indicates plan version. For example, this might be a numeric value such as "001" or "003." |
You want to use planned and actual indicators to compare values in your accounts. To create this query, you might configure the values on this screen in the following manner:
Calculate Planned versus Actual defined by = Measures
Dimension = Product
Hierarchy = Product
Level = Product Name
Plan measure = Units Ordered
Actual measure = Units Shipped
Plan version = unchecked (leave section blank)
The result of this query might be a table such as the following:
Product |
Plan |
Actual |
---|---|---|
Good Imported Beer |
275 |
275 |
Portsmouth Light Beer |
121 |
78 |
Walrus Light Beer |
211 |
188 |
Good Chardonnay Wine |
422 |
242 |