Creating customized report themes

IBM® Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel uses Excel styles to format reports. It's why you see a consistent visual theme when you create your reports. With some modifications, you or your organization can create and deliver unique and customized themes in your reports.

Getting started

The Excel styles that are used by Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel are generated and stored in an external file. Get started by accessing the styles.

  1. Navigate to your Planning Analytics styles directory: C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local\Cognos\Office Connection\Styles
  2. Open Styles_CAFE.xlsx.
    Note: Ensure that Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel is not loaded.
  3. Open Microsoft Excel.
  4. From the Home tab, in the Styles section, click More.
    More button
    The Microsoft Excel Styles window is opened and you are presented with all of the available styles.
    Excel styles window

Customizing a style

You can customize styles for your columns, rows, and measures.

  1. Open the Microsoft Excel Styles window.
  2. Right-click the style that you want to customize. For more information on which Excel styles to customize, see Microsoft Excel styles for Exploration Views, List views, and Quick Reports
  3. Click Modify....
    Modify
  4. Click Format.
    Style window
  5. Click the Fill tab.
  6. Click Fill Effects....
  7. Define the colors and shading styles that you want for your columns, rows, or measures.
    Fill effects
  8. Click OK on all of the opened dialog boxes.
  9. Save your Styles_CAFE.xlxs file.
  10. Restart Microsoft Excel.
  11. Start Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel.
  12. Create a new Exploration View, List view, or Quick Report to view your custom style.