Get started

You sit down at your desk with your morning coffee. You're the new business analyst. Excited to make a good first impression, you immediately turn on your computer and open Microsoft Excel; the emails from Mom can wait. The user interface is familiar but there's a new tab. Let's get started.

Procedure

  1. Open Microsoft Excel.
  2. Click the IBM® Planning Analytics tab.
    Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel ribbon
    The Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel ribbon displays commands for starting Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel, logging on to IBM TM1 systems, setting options, opening reports that are published to an IBM TM1 server, and so on. Report-specific sections might appear here as well when you're working in them.

What to do next

It is difficult to analyze data and create reports when you have no data to analyze. Continue by adding a system with data sources to connect to.

Add a system

To get started with Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel, you need to add a system and connect to a data source. The data source is where the data you'll be importing to analyze will come from.

Procedure

  1. Click Connect.
    Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel Connect button
  2. Click New Connection .
    Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel Connect drop-down
    Unless a data source was already configured by your administrator, you need to add a data source before you can connect to one.
  3. Define the Datasource type , the Connection URL, and a Friendly name to help you easily remember what your data sources are for.
    Add/Edit Connection dialog
    If you're not sure of the Datasource type and Connection URL, ask your administrator.
  4. Click Test connection .
    This step ensures that the connection to the data source is accurate and live.
  5. Click Save .

Connect to a data source

Now that you have your connection set up, it's time to connect to a data source.

Procedure

  1. Click Connect.
    Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel Connect button
  2. Hover your cursor over the connection.
    Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel Connect drop-down with datasource
  3. Click SDataHierarchies.
    Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel Connect drop-down with datasource
  4. Log in to the data source by using your credentials.
    Planning Analytics sign in screen

Results

You are now connected to a data source and the IBM task pane is opened on the right of the screen. The IBM task pane is where your workbooks are organized and where you can find a tree for all of your views, cubes, dimensions, measures, and members.

The task pane opens when you connect to a data source in Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel. You can change the position of the IBM task pane by clicking near the top of the task pane and dragging it to another area on the screen.

IBM task pane