Create plans

The process of creating a base plan begins with the Application Wizard. Use the Application Wizard to create a plan from one of the samples or from an empty shell. Samples are fully built plans. If you select the shell option, the resulting plan has only the initial top plan object along with the period dimension setup as specified. The shell plan has default settings for the units and scenarios. These settings can be adjusted as needed by the administrator. The Application Wizard must be run from the CPM Server computer.

After the base plan is set up, you can customize the plan by adding units, scenarios, and variables.

Then you move to building the plan. You specify the object types and properties for the plan. The object types vary depending on methodology. You can use the default object types or create new types specific to your methodology. You can set the properties to be included with a plan object and rename the properties as desired.

Keep these points in mind:

• If you make changes to the database structure you must process the cube. If any Strategy Management users were connected during the structure change, the changes are picked up at the next page refresh.
• Make frequent backups of your plans in Analysis Services as you would do with any valuable data. The more frequently the cube is being altered, the more frequent the backups should be. During periods such as building out a new plan, at least daily backups are recommended.