Planning Time and Actuals

Time settings determine which periods a planning model calculates and where observed actuals stop. Review them before you build formulas or compare scenarios.

Model Timeline

Open Model settings to configure:

• granularity
• start period
• end period
• last actual date
• relative dates
• fiscal-year display
• current-period highlighting

Supported granularities are:

• daily
• weekly
• monthly
• quarterly
• yearly

Choose the smallest granularity that the decision needs. A 13-week liquidity model needs weekly periods. An annual operating plan usually needs monthly or quarterly periods.

Set the Model Date Range

The start and end periods define the range for which the model calculates.

Before changing the range:

1. Check linked sources.
2. Check formulas with time windows.
3. Check saved views and charts.
4. Check the last actual date.
5. Save a named version before a large change.

Dates are aligned to the selected granularity. Changing from monthly to quarterly can move visible period starts to quarter boundaries.

Last Actual Date

Last actual date is the cut-off for imported data.

• Periods through the boundary are treated as actual periods.
• Periods after the boundary are forecast periods.
• Uncertainty analysis begins with the first forecast period by default.
• Forecast formulas should continue after observed actuals end.

Clear the boundary before shortening the model range when the current boundary would fall outside the new range.

The boundary is a model setting. It does not edit the underlying transaction, invoice, or accounting record.

Import and Refresh Actuals

A planning model can import or link supported actuals, including transaction-category and invoice data.

Use Import actuals when the model has no imported actuals. Use Refresh actuals or the source controls after the connected records change.

After each refresh:

1. Confirm the refresh succeeded.
2. Check the latest source refresh time.
3. Compare one known source period with the grid.
4. Confirm the last actual date.
5. Review dependent formulas and outputs.
6. Run calculation when the model is in manual mode.

A successful refresh confirms that the planning source completed. It does not prove that the upstream records are complete.

Roll Actuals Forward

Use the roll-forward control when a newly closed period should move from forecast to actual.

A careful roll-forward should:

1. Refresh every required source.
2. Verify the new actual period.
3. Save a version of the pre-close forecast when needed.
4. Move the last actual date to the new period.
5. Recalculate the model.
6. Review forecast changes after the new actuals.

The roll-forward can include linked sources and linked models. Review the listed scope before you apply it.

Relative Dates

Turn on Use relative dates when the model represents a sequence rather than a fixed calendar.

Examples include:

• Month 1 through Month 24 for a new product
• Year 1 through Year 5 for a long-range plan
• Cohort age rather than calendar month

Use Start relative dates at 0 when the model convention starts with Period 0.

Relative dates change the display. They do not change the model's underlying period order.

Fiscal Years

Turn on Use fiscal years and select the fiscal-year start month when the organization does not report on a January-to-December year.

Confirm the fiscal setting before you compare:

• annual totals
• quarterly plans
• budget and actual periods
• versions created under an earlier calendar setting

A version can be marked Not comparable when its saved time structure no longer matches the live model.

Highlight Today

Turn on Highlight today to mark the current period in the spreadsheet view. This is a visual aid only. It does not move the last actual date or refresh data.

Choose the Right Boundary

Use this rule:

• The last actual period should be the latest period whose source data is complete enough for the planning decision.
• The first forecast period should be the next period after that boundary.

Do not move the boundary forward only because the calendar changed. Move it after the source period has been reviewed.

Troubleshoot

The model has a gap between actuals and forecast

Check the last actual date and the first period where formulas begin. Confirm the source supplied every expected actual period.

Actuals overlap forecast assumptions

Check whether the assumption begins before the boundary. Move the assumption or correct the source mapping rather than overwriting actuals.

Shortening the range fails

Clear or move the last actual date first. Also check formulas, views, or exports that depend on periods outside the new range.

A roll-forward changes more than expected

Review the selected source and linked-model scope, restore the pre-roll version when necessary, and repeat the roll-forward with the correct scope.

Relative dates make a shared view confusing

Use a specific saved-view label and explain the sequence in the view description or a comment.

Related Pages

• Planning Models and Formulas
• Planning Data and Dimensions
• Planning Versions and Collaboration
• Configure Planning Time and Actuals
• Connect Planning Data and Actuals