# Planning sheets

The Planning sheets component of Plan (preview) enables organizations to implement structured, collaborative, and data-driven planning processes within their enterprise data environment. A Planning sheet is a structured workspace in Plan that allows users to enter, update, and analyze planning data across defined business dimensions such as time, department, account, or product. Planning sheets provide a controlled environment for budgeting, forecasting, and scenario analysis while ensuring that planning data follows organizational rules and governance policies. The platform is designed for business users and features a no-code, self-service architecture.

#### Why use Planning sheets? <a href="#why-use-planning-sheets" id="why-use-planning-sheets"></a>

Use Planning sheets to deliver **strategic business value** by helping your organization do the following:

* Improve forecast accuracy through data-driven planning
* Accelerate planning cycles with streamlined workflows
* Align cross-functional teams on shared plans and targets
* Maintain controlled governance and approval processes
* Reduce risks associated with manual spreadsheets

Planning sheets also provide **measurable operational outcomes**, including:

* Shortened budget and planning cycles
* Increased reliability of forecasts
* Reduced effort required for data reconciliation
* Improved auditability and compliance of planning processes.

#### **Where to use Planning sheets**

Plans are used in several areas of the platform:

* **Budgeting**: Define annual or quarterly budgets.
* **Forecasting**: Update projections based on current performance.
* **Financial planning**: Model revenue, expenses, and profitability.
* **Operational planning**: Plan metrics such as sales targets or headcount.
* **Reporting and analysis**: Compare plan data with actual results in dashboards and reports.

#### Key capabilities <a href="#key-capabilities" id="key-capabilities"></a>

The following table lists the core capabilities of Planning sheets.

| Capability                          | Description                                                                                                              | Key features                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Data exploration and analysis**   | Enables users to interactively explore planning data to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies.                        | - Filtering and sorting data - Top N ranking - Hierarchy navigation - Grouping rows and columns - Adjustable column widths and layouts                                                                                                         |
| **Planning and forecasting**        | Supports enterprise planning workflows including budgeting, forecasting, and scenario analysis.                          | - Budget creation - Forecast management - Scenario analysis - What-if simulations - Rolling forecasts - Version management and snapshots                                                                                                       |
| **Business logic and calculations** | Allows users to define formulas, calculations, and custom logic directly in planning sheets.                             | - Insert data input rows - Add template rows across hierarchy levels - Create formula rows using Excel-style expressions - Insert manual input columns - Create calculated columns and measures - Apply quick formulas for common calculations |
| **Data integration (InfoBridge)**   | Integrates data from multiple sources to support unified planning and analytics workflows.                               | - Data consolidation from multiple sources - Data transformations (merge, append, pivot, group) - Real-time data integration - Data mapping between planning sheets                                                                            |
| **Collaboration and comments**      | Enables team collaboration and review directly within the planning interface.                                            | - Notes and annotations - Comment threads - `@mentions`- Email notifications - Comment digests                                                                                                                                                 |
| **Write-back and data storage**     | Allows planning inputs to be written back to external systems for persistence and integration.                           | - Multiple destination support - Write-back logs and monitoring - Secure data persistence - Integration with enterprise data platforms                                                                                                         |
| **Approval workflows**              | Provides governance for planning cycles through structured approval processes.                                           | - Define approval flows - Assign approvers - Review and approve planning changes - Request adjustments                                                                                                                                         |
| **Model editor**                    | Defines and manages the structure of a planning model by configuring dimensions, measures, hierarchies, and calculations | - Map model components to data sources - Validate model configuration before deployment - Maintain centralized governance of the planning model - Define hierarchies for roll-ups and drill-down analysis                                      |
| **Cube**                            | Organizes and stores planning data in a multidimensional data structure.                                                 | - Analyze data across multiple dimensions - Aggregate data across hierarchy levels - Process large volumes of planning data efficiently                                                                                                        |