What's new in Economics 16.5
Release 16.5 Update 33 (version 16.5.33)
Dataflow Pivot & Aggregate links: Modified aggregation behavior for grouped variables
For the case of scalar string and scalar datetime variables in an aggregated document, the source Dataflow documents will be searched for the first non-null value to be found, and this value will be inserted in the aggregated document. (In previous versions, the value would be taken from the first-inspected grouped document, whether null or non-null.) Note that there is not a unique defined order for searching the source documents, so if the variable has different (non-null) values in different source documents then different values could be inserted into the aggregated document.
Regimes: Define the order of projects in the ringfence calculator
Added a new setting Ringfence Order at regime level and module level, which can be used to set a numeric variable that will specify the ordering of projects in a ringfence (similar to the existing 'Weighting' setting). The default setting is Default which implies no specific ordering, as per the previous behavior.
Regimes: New preset functionality for Custom Units
The functionality of Custom Units has changed. These are now defined as 'presets', and managed with a new Custom Unit Manager. Presets can be created in the Manager and then can be applied to variables from the units selector in the variables editor tools. Hence identical custom unit settings can be easily applied to multiple variables.
Regimes: Excel Economics spreadsheet models
Improved formula replacement: formulas will now be replaced in merged cells; for locked/protected cells there is improved logging of failed formula replacement in the 'Unsupported Formulas' sheet (new comments column).
Spreadsheet models now support the use of the Excel functions XLOOKUP, TAKE and CHOOSEROWS.
Release 16.5 Update 32 (version 16.5.32)
Manage Inputs workspace: Terms editor
The behaviour of the Terms editor has changed so that default terms settings are not automatically added to a project or folder without terms when the editor is opened; the user must now do an explicit Save action in order to add terms settings.
Regimes: Module editor temporary variables
A function Add All Temporary Variables As has been added in the Logic Editor context menu to perform configuration of multiple temporary variables.
Regimes: Excel Economics spreadsheet models
A new 'Mapping Files' mechanism has been added which allows for mappings to be defined in separate files while actual data and calculations can be contained in files that do not require special modification for use with Planning Space.
Regime Library workspace: Variable Edit window
The table columns in the Variable Edit window now have filter tools available.
Regime module function library
New functions for data conversion to and from text format (ConvertNumberToText, ConvertYearMonthToText, ConvertTextToNumber).
Release 16.5 Update 31 (version 16.5.31)
Dataflow Pivot & Aggregate links: Changed permissions for new entities after link creation
In previous releases, newly-created projects and folders after link creation or link refresh were applied the node permissions of Full Access for the configured 'Link Manager Workgroup'. This has been modified so that inherited permissions from the parent node will also be applied to newly-created entities (i.e., the same behavior as when nodes are created manually in a hierarchy). This automates the most typical node permissions settings that are used for linked projects and folders.
Result Set calculations: Improvements for Calculated Spreadsheets
Calculated Spreadsheets for a Result Set Run (enabled by the Preserve Calculated Spreadsheets option) are now persistent after the end of a Planning Space session, and can be accessed using a download button.
The Preserve Calculated Spreadsheets option, when it is enabled, has a new additional setting for Match source (default) or Match calculation (Debug). The latter option should be used when the spreadsheets are needed to check or debug the calculations in Planning Space (in this case the downloaded spreadsheets will be identical to those used in the calculations, and for calculation purposes these may have been modified from the original Excel source files); the former option should be used when the original files are required (in this case the Result Set calculated values will be removed, and a recalculation in an external spreadsheet application may produce values which do not match the Planning Space calculations).
The regime function 'ExecuteSpreadsheets' has two new optional parameters to control the saving of calculated spreadsheets:
- the Boolean parameter 'isSavingWorkingFile' (default 'true' if the parameter is not included) determines if data will be saved for each function call (only when the Preserve Calculated Spreadsheets option is enabled);
- the text parameter 'workingFileSavingPath' is an optional file path to specify the folder where the saved files will be stored (and an index file will not be generated); the default behavior is that the default path will be used and an index file will be generated.
Regimes: Excel Economics spreadsheet models
For calculations based on spreadsheet groups, the optional setting Start Date has been added, so that the start period for the group's calculation can be specified.
Regimes: Module Logic Editor
The context menu in the Logic Editor has two new functions (Add Variable As, Change Data Type) so that temporary regime variables can be added and have their data type set, from within the editor.
Regime module function library
New functions to get incremental project information: Functions have been added so that incremental project information can be used in regime models (IsIncrementalDisabled, GetProjectIncrementalCalculationMethod, GetProjectIncrementalGroup, GetProjectIncrementalOrder, GetProjectIncrementalTab, GetProjectIncrementalType).
New function MIRR to calculate the modified internal rate of return for periodic cash flows. Note that MIRR uses the order of the input values as the order of the cash flows; payment and income values must be in the required sequence and with the correct signs (positive values for cash received, negative values for cash paid).
The PARTNERVALUE function now accepts a Text variable as the input parameter for the partner name.
Release 16.5 Update 27 (version 16.5.27)
Regimes: Excel Economics spreadsheet models
The 'ProjectIndex' cell in OUT rows can now contain a calculated value based on inputs and internal calculations, rather than a static value. This improvement makes it possible to have simpler models with fewer placeholder sections.
Result Set calculations (Standard and Sensitivity): New option to disable folder incrementals
The Disable incrementals option can be used to disable incremental calculations for the entire Result Set; previously this could only be done by manually changing the settings of individual hierarchy folders.
Release 16.5 Update 26 (version 16.5.26)
Result Set calculations: Calculation spreadsheets
The calculation spreadsheets export has been improved so that for group-based calculations based on multiple linked spreadsheets the complete group of spreadsheet files can be exported in a runnable linked state.
Also, the regime debugging tool is now able to handle group-based spreadsheet calculations.
Release 16.5 Update 25 (version 16.5.25)
Dataflow Pivot & Aggregate links
Added an optional Inflation Date setting to the link configuration. Otherwise (as with earlier versions) the project start date will be used at the inflation date.
The Unit System and Unit Size settings have been removed from the link configuration. They are no longer required because the unit transformations between Dataflow and Economics are handled automatically.
Regimes: Excel Economics spreadsheet models
Added functionality so that multiple linked spreadsheets can be executed using a single call of the ExecuteSpreadsheet function. A spreadsheet 'group' is set up by specifying a 'group name' for each spreadsheet in the Spreadsheets configuration tab, and then the group name is used as the input to ExecuteSpreadsheet.
Regimes - Function Library: Working Interest
Added new functions to the Function Library so that Working Interest partner settings can be modified by the regime logic (SetPartnerWI, GetPartnerByIndex, GetPartnersCount).
Release 16.5 Update 24 (version 16.5.24)
Dataflow Link: 'Filter' field can be directly edited and copy/pasted
In previous versions the Filter field in the Dataflow Integration panel had to be defined and edited using a logic editor UI tool. It is now possible to directly edit the definitions as text strings, to copy existing Filter definitions as text strings, and paste the strings into other Filter fields.
Hierarchy 'Copy From': New option to include price and currency decks
The Copy From function has added options Replace Price Deck and Replace Currency Deck.
Manage Hierarchies: Column filters are persistent
The column filters in the hierarchies table are now persistent between user sessions.
Reporting: Added Real/Nominal settings for individual variable links in report templates
Individual currency variable links can now be set as 'Real' or 'Nominal' in report templates. Report runs can use the setting 'From Template' to apply these individual values, or override them as all 'Real' or all 'Nominal'.
Result Sets 'Copy' for folders
The Copy function has been extended to apply to folders in the Result Sets explorer. This means that entire nested structures of folders and Result Sets can be copied in one step.
Result Sets: Contract Terms Sensitivities are inherited through the hierarchy
Term Variables Sensitivities are now inherited from the parent node, or overridden, at every node in the calculation hierarchy, in the same way as for the Project Sensitivities and Economic Limit settings. By default, the 'Inherit terms variables from parent node' check boxes are enabled, and the setting for the top-level Corporate Rollup folder will be inherited by all other nodes.
Sensitivity Result sets: Added ability to change the decimal precision for variables in reports
In the Results tab for a generated report, the Table sub-tab has new buttons Increase Decimals and Decrease Decimals to control the decimal precision of displayed variables in the table and chart outputs.
Release 16.5 Update 22 (version 16.5.22)
Hierarchy 'Copy Settings From' function
Added an option to include the projects' Scenario Consolidation Settings in the copy operation.
Clone Hierarchy function copies hierarchy permissions
The Clone Hierarchy function has been modified to copy all of the user/workgroup permissions settings from the source hierarchy.
Security permissions for report templates
Security permissions can be applied to report templates and folders in the Report Designer in the Economics Configuration workspace.
The permissions control a user's access to use or modify the templates. A user must be granted 'Read' access to view a template in the Report Designer, and to use the template in Result Set reporting and scratchpad calculations. 'Update' access is required to modify a template or folder; 'Delete' to delete a template or folder; and 'Assign' to change security permissions.
Folder permissions are inherited. The permissions of a parent folder will be applied to new child nodes (folder or template) that are added to the folder. You can use this feature to set default permission settings which new report templates will automatically inherit.
See Report Designer.
Regime Library: Security permissions for folders
Added permissions on folders in the Regime Library workspace. The permissions of a parent folder will be applied to new child nodes (folder or Regime) that are added to the folder. You can use this feature to set a default permission setting which new Regimes will automatically inherit. See Regime Library workspace.
Result Set calculations: Unweighted ringfence mode
A new calculation mode has been added which implements a type of 'unweighted' ringfencing (the inputs to the ringfences are not risked before entering the ringfence calculation).
If the application tenant setting 'EnableUnweightedRingFenceMode' is set to True then users will have an extra option Align scenarios (unweighted) when a ringfenced calculation is selected (i.e., Ringfence is 'On').
Result Sets - Price sensitivities
Added the ability to sensitize on Price Deck prices. This can be used for Standard and Sensitivity Result Sets.
Sensitivity Result Set calculations- Project Variable Sensitivities setting
The Select Sensitivity Types dialog now includes a Search field for variable names (using sub-string matching), and a Regime field to filter for variables that are used that are used in one specific regime in the hierarchy.
Incremental groups
Added the ability to include projects with different project scenario weightings within the same incremental group (the 'Back Allocation' option must be enabled in the Incremental Settings).
Regime Library: Read-Only mode for Regimes
A 'Read-Only' mode has been added so that a user is able to view the content of a Regime when the Regime has been opened and locked by another user.
Regime module function library
Added the function GetProjectScenarioName which returns the project scenario name that is being calculated.
Added the function GetPriceScenarioName which returns the price scenario name used in the result set run that is being calculated.
Global price decks: Security permissions for folders in Price Management
Security permissions have been added to folders in the Price Management interface.
Folder permissions are inherited. The permissions of a parent folder will be applied to new child nodes (folder or Price Deck) that are added to the folder. You can use this feature to set default permission settings which new Price Decks will automatically inherit.
Unlock documents
Lock Management: The list of locked entities (project, regime, etc.) is now filtered according to the access permissions of the current user for each locked item; the user will not be able to view entities for which they are not granted 'Read' access. This means that the 'Economics/Locks' role can be safely granted to users who have restricted access to the Economics data.
See Unlock Economics documents.
Release 16.5 Update 17 (version 16.5.17)
Global price decks: Security permissions for decks and price groups
Security permissions can be applied to individual global price decks, and separate permissions can be applied to the price groups within decks. These permissions will control how price deck information can be viewed and used in Economics. See Permissions for price decks and price groups.
Dataflow integration: Revision Tag data imported to projects
Revision Tag data from linked Dataflow documents is now stored in projects, and can be processed in Result Set calculations.
Regime Library project Template: Added pseudo-variables to access the Revision Tag data from linked Dataflow documents ('Revision Tag', 'Revision Date', 'Linked to Dataflow').
Report template editor: Added pseudo-variables to access the Revision Tag data from linked Dataflow documents ('Revision Tag', 'Revision Date', 'Was Linked to Dataflow').
Dataflow link configuration change: The list of entity types shown to a user will only show entities for which the user has been granted 'Read' permission.
'Sync Error' behavior change: When a configured Revision Tag is not referenced for any Dataflow document in a synchronization then a fatal 'Sync Error' used to be triggered. This has been changed so that such events cause warnings only.
Hierarchy security
Security permissions have been added for price groups within hierarchy price decks. These are replacements for the Document-level permissions set for price decks in Update 15 and Update 16. See Deck permissions for the hierarchy Currency deck and Price deck
The Price Settings configuration for a hierarchy has been changed to handle price groups when the user does not have Read permission to access the group. Non-accessible prices are now shown as 'Restricted Access' and users will be allowed to modify mappings where they cannot access all prices (note: this is consistent with the existing behavior in Dataflow).
Manage Hierarchies 'Copy Table' action
Manage Hierarchies table: New Copy Table context menu action copies all table data to the system clipboard; it can be pasted as tabular data to an external application (e.g., a spreadsheet).
Hierarchy - Apply prices to product streams in projects
In the Price Settings dialog, the dropdown price selector has an added search box which performs substring matching (i.e., the prices shown in the list will be only those that contain the specified string of characters anywhere in the price name).
Also, due to the Price Group permissions introduced in this Update, when assigning prices to product streams (either from the hierarchy or inside a document), the dropdown selector for price streams will only show prices for which the user has 'Read' permission for the related Price Group in the hierarchy Price Deck.
Regime module spreadsheets
Added functionality to assign values to individual projects in ringfence calculations within Excel spreadsheets.
Sensitivity Result Set
The Indicator variable selector now includes the Discount Rate information taken from the configured Currency & Discounting preset.
Query Builder utility for OData API requests
Added an optional filter on the variables list when a result set is selected. If used, only variables that are used in the result set will be included.
New tree view interface for Result Set selection.
Release 16.5 Update 16 (version 16.5.16)
Working Interest information at hierarchy folder levels
Added functionality to store Working Interest information at hierarchy folder nodes, which may be inherited or overridden by projects. See Working interest shares.
Release 16.5 Update 15 (version 16.5.15)
Hierarchy security
Added instance-level permissions for hierarchy currency decks and price decks. See Deck permissions for the hierarchy Currency deck and Price deck.
Result Set security
Added permissions to folders in the Result Set Explorer. See Result Sets.
Result Set calculations: Preserve Calculated Spreadsheets option
Modified the default behavior for the 'CalculationSpreadsheetSharedFolder' application setting: if this setting is blank then the storage location will default to the tenant 'cluster shared temp folder'; temporary files will be removed as part of the automated IPS cluster shared folder clean-up task. Note that when the 'CalculationSpreadsheetSharedFolder' setting is set to a different location it will be the responsibility of IPS Administrators to ensure that temporary files are regularly cleaned up.
Manage Inputs workspace: Project Editor
The Change Currency 'Apply Exchange Rate' option is now enabled by default (to match the dominant use case).
Query Builder utility for OData API requests
Added a 'favorite' flag so that variable selections can be saved for future use. Note: the favorites data is stored in the 'local storage' of the browser program, therefore users must use the same computer and same program to access the stored data.
Release 16.5 Update 14 (version 16.5.14)
Result Set calculations
The limit on the number of runs allowed in each Result Set (256 runs) has been removed; the UI tab management control has been improved to handle large numbers of runs.
Result Set temporary calculation spreadsheets, derived from regime Excel spreadsheets, can optionally be exported for reporting purposes.
Dataflow integration
New controls in the UI to add or remove multiple scenarios in the Scenario Mapping.
'Refresh' functions for the Hierarchy and Result Set treeviews
New ‘Refresh’ button in the UI for Result Set treeview; also the ‘Refresh’ action for the Hierarchy treeview has been extended so that the entire content is refreshed; these are required for the Planning Space application to update for data changes that have been made via the Economics Calculation API.
Release 16.5 Update 13 (version 16.5.13)
Pivot and Aggregate Dataflow link - performance improvements
Performance improvements have been made to speed up data transformations when the link is configured with large numbers of Dataflow source documents.
Excel VBA macros in report templates
VBA macros can be added (or modified) in the Live Edit mode and they will be saved inside the report template.
Result Set calculations
Added the ability to run sensitivities on contract term variables.
Sensitivity Result Sets
Added functionality for the export and import of the sensitivities settings to/from a file.
Enhanced permission controls for presets
Currency and Discounting presets: Added Read permission control (previously it was locked to 'Allow').
Report Options presets: Added Read permission control (previously it was locked to 'Allow').
Release 16.5 Update 11 (version 16.5.11)
'Pivot and Aggregate' Dataflow link
Fixed an inconsistency in the behavior of the Pivot and Aggregate link compared with the default link: if the hierarchy in Economics has a regime that has not been explicitly added to the Economics configuration in the Dataflow document templates, then instead of transferring the data for the variables defined in the generic mapping (as for the default link) there were no data being transferred.
Result Set editor
Modified the UI so that ticking (or unticking) the check box for a project/folder in the hierarchy also selects it as the active node and hence displays its Sensitivities and Economic Limit settings.
Release 16.5 Update 10 (version 16.5.10)
Sensitivity Result Sets
Added functionality to include Currency sensitivities and Price sensitivities. See Sensitivity Result Set.
Dataflow integration: Inline help text
Inline help text and documentation links have been added to the UI to assist users in understanding the steps for setting up a link to Dataflow.
New 'Economics Calculation' API
This new API expands on the 'PlanningSpaceEconomics' Web API to support hierarchy-wide calculations. See the Planning Space Web API Guide.
Query Builder utility for OData API requests
The Query Builder utility helps with the construction of complex OData API request strings. The initial release implements for OData requests for Economics 'Wide' tables of result set data. See the Planning Space Web API Guide.
Release 16.5 Update 9 (version 16.5.9)
Export and import of Project Sensitivity settings in Standard Result Sets
This feature provides the ability to export and import the Sensitivity Settings from the currently-selected Run in a Standard Result Set (not a Sensitivity Result Set), to and from an Excel file. See Standard result set.
Release 16.5 Update 7 (version 16.5.7)
Dataflow integration
Added a new Dataflow link type 'Pivot and Aggregate' which provides functions for the transformation of linked Dataflow data.
Added a 'Point Forward Date' setting for Dataflow links.
Added a warning message when a user-entered variable that is not linked to Dataflow has been removed from the project template since the last time the project was saved.
Hierarchies
Currency Deck and Price Deck can be added to a hierarchy, or replaced, using a specified revision of the global deck.
The Hierarchy Explorer UI now displays extra information about Price Decks and Currency Decks (the revision number of the global deck that was originally inserted, and local modification information).
Hierarchy Permissions editor: the default selection for 'Apply changes to' has been changed to 'This node only' (instead of 'This node and all child and parent nodes').
Hierarchy import: Import can now be performed for XEFH files exported from earlier versions (16.3 SP2, 16.4) of Planning Space Economics (an automatic upgrade process is applied to the XEFH data).
Report templates are now included in hierarchy export files and users may choose whether to load or ignore the templates during hierarchy import (cf. the existing functionality for regime import).
Result Set reporting
'Fiscal Year' settings have been added so that annual calculations can be performed based on specifiable start months and year-end months for projects and regimes.
Added an option for back-allocation of results from incremental result sets to all projects within groups.
Added the ability to add new placeholder runs to Variance Multi-run reports.
Project Filter Manager: Added permissions-based security for project filters.
Added permissions-based security for Report Options Presets, and Currency and Discounting Presets.
Incremental calculations
Modified the algorithm so that the incremental subtraction step is only applied to Output variables with the Sum aggregation method.
Currency Management and Price Management
Added the option to use folders to organize the global currency decks and price decks.
Release 16.5 Update 6 (version 16.5.6)
Price Deck editing - pasting from external clipboard
There is a limitation of 256 columns for paste operations in a prices spreadsheet when the clipboard contents are copied from an external source (such as Microsoft Excel). A new Paste As Text function has been added for paste operations from external sources with more than 256 columns. See Create a new price deck.
Release 16.5 Update 2 (version 16.5.2)
Hierarchy permissions change
The hierarchy permissions behavior has been changed so that the logic is consistent: Delete actions on folders/projects require 'Delete' permission on the object (and all child objects) plus 'Update' permission for the hierarchy. (Previously, the Delete action on an object required 'Delete' permission for the hierarchy.)
Security role changes for Currency Decks and Price Decks
There is a new security role 'Economics/Hierarchy Currencies- View' so that users can be blocked from viewing the values inside the Currency Decks that they are using. To avoid confusion the existing role 'Economics/Hierarchy - Currencies' has been renamed to 'Economics/Hierarchy Currencies - Configure'.
There is a new security role 'Economics/Hierarchy Prices - View' so that users can be blocked from viewing the price values inside the Price Decks that they are using. To avoid confusion the existing role 'Economics/Hierarchy - Prices' has been renamed to 'Economics/Hierarchy Prices - Configure'.
Result Set permissions change
Added a new application tenant setting 'Enforce Current Hierarchy Permissions In Calculated Result Sets' with default True (to maintain compatibility with earlier versions). When this setting is False, any user with read access to the result set will be able to generate reports from all documents included in the result set; when set to True, the user's access to each document will be determined by the user's current document-level permissions in the calculation hierarchy.
Improved import from XML files for regimes and reports
The import functions for regimes and reports have been enhanced so that XML files created in Planning Space versions 16.4 and 16.3 SP2 can be imported.
Regime module logic editor
Added functions so that calculation results within ringfence modules can be assigned directly to individual projects instead of having to go through a weighting process.
Added a function GetPriceDeckName.
Dataflow integration
Added a search function for variable names while configuring link filters in Dataflow Integration. See Create a Dataflow link.
Sensitivity Result Sets
Added Partner information to the chart and table outputs. See Sensitivity Result Set.
Release 16.5 Update 1 (version 16.5.1)
Sensitivity Result Sets
Sensitivity Result Set functions provide sensitivity calculations with outputs in the form of tornado and spider diagrams. See Sensitivity Result Set.
Report Groups
The Report Group preset function allows for different pivoting of the reporting hierarchy. See Report Groups.
Release 16.5 (version 16.5.0)
Excel Economics spreadsheet models
This is the phase 1 release of new functionality to embed Excel spreadsheets in Economics regimes. The functionality will be improved and extended in future releases.
See Spreadsheets.
Role changes
The new security roles 'Economics/Hierarchy - Currencies' and 'Economics/Hierarchy - Prices' have been added to improve security at the instance level. The default settings are ‘Allowed’ access granted to all users (i.e., the 'Everyone' workgroup), so that backwards compatibility with Planning Space 16.4 is maintained.
The new roles are required to replace the currency or price deck in a hierarchy, to rename a deck, and to edit the deck contents.
Improvements for Result Set calculations
Price Deck is now a selectable option in Result Set calculations (therefore Multi-Run reports can include multiple price decks).
Also filters can be applied to the Calculation Hierarchy to perform project selection for setting up calculations.
See Standard result set.
New and improved functions for result set report generation and exporting
New 'Multi-run' reporting available for 'Standard' or 'Variance' type reports. Note 'variance' is the replacement name for 'incremental' reporting in version 16.4. Multi-run reporting allows separate result set runs to be combined into a single report. (See Multi-run result set report.)
New option for mixed periodicity reports. This is also available for scratchpad reports.
New functions Generate & Open and Generate & Download for report generation.
New Save As function so that single report items within result set reports can be downloaded.
The Export function for result set reports now offers the options of As Flat List where all the reports are contained in one folder, with an HTML index file included, or Keep Folder Structure which exports a ZIP file with the full folder structure copied from the internal result set structure.
See Result Set Reports.
Report Options presets
New Report Options Preset function in the Calculate & Analyze workspace to store settings for Options and Additional Net Partners in the Generate Report interface. 'Report Presets' in the Manage Inputs workspace have been renamed to Currency & Discounting Presets to avoid name confusion.
See Report Options presets, Currency and Discounting presets.
Report template editor
The sets of pseudo-variables have been expanded and their folders rearranged; new pseudo-variables for 'Price Deck', 'Reporting Currency Deck' and associated 'Comparison...' variables.
The ‘Copy Worksheet’ action now copies all of the variable links embedded in the worksheet.
Variable Alias for OData
The Edit Variables manager now includes each variable’s Alias value, which is used to reference the variable in OData API requests ('Tall' and 'Wide' data tables). The Alias value can be edited; this is useful for meaningful naming, or for shortening API request strings. See Edit variables.