Workspace capacity constraints are major issue for most Anaplan model designs. So, what can we do to minimise or mitigate the issue?

Here are a few design ideas we have implemented while working to redesign, redevelop and rebuild several large enterprise wide FP&A models for some of our global clients.

➡ Time settings - limit these to only cover the immediate and relevant time periods required for active planning.

➡ Archive - lock down data which is no longer required for live planning in an archive process. Encode all relevant dimensions into a dedicated list or series of lists and store data in isolated modules which are locked away from the live process but which can be retrieved later if required. This can be achieved for both inputs and outputs data sets.

➡ Consolidate live forecasts - Use the natural dimensionality where possible using only the relevant dimensions required for each process. Resist the temptation to create a master consolidation where locally consolidated data is forced to map into unnatural dimensions. Instead map each local consolidation into the report directly mapping into default list items where required if the source doesn't contain the relevant dimension.

➡ Subsets - where the inclusion of certain parts of a list in a process can be driven by a calculation use subsets to break up larger lists into specialist smaller lists to be used in specific forecasting processes. By only using what we need we keep the modelling relevant to the process at hand which keeps our models efficient.

➡ Combination lists - use combination lists but limit the combination to those dimensions which are less likely to change over time. As new combinations are required actions are then needed to update the lists. This reduced the dynamism of the model significantly and should be minimised. Create checks to ensure model admins are alerted to the creation of new combinations by comparing the existing combination list with the new requirements.

➡ Workflow - utilise the new Workflow functionality to direct users to action their assigned tasks and combine user tasks with machine tasks to automate model actions and processes. Use these machine tasks to automatically run combination list update actions to ensure all new list combinations are created and the new user input data fully flows through to the model consolidation. If possible admins will no longer be required to run these actions and the data will updated as soon as users confirm their actions as complete.