Scenario
A Scenario refers to a feature that allows users to create and analyze different business situations by simulating values according to business needs.
Lumel EPM offers the ability to
Create scenarios
Duplicate Scenarios
Simulate Scenarios bidirectionally
Compare Scenarios with automatic variance
Writeback Scenarios and so on.
Scenarios can be created in edit and read modes based on an existing series for customized analysis. They are interactive and can be edited unless they are explicitly locked. You can writeback all or specific scenarios and enable automatic writeback if required.
1. Create a scenario
You can create a new scenario by clicking the 'Create scenario' button under the 'Plan' tab of the Lumel EPM toolbar.
Clicking this option will open up a 'Create scenario' modal. This modal has a general tab and a permissions tab.
1.1. General
Under the 'General' tab, you can configure the general options and properties for scenarios. You will find the following options under this tab.
Scenario name - In this input field, you can specify the name of the scenario
Include series in scenario -This field by default has all the metrics added. You can however add or exclude the series you want in your scenario.
Period Range - When you have a date dimension in your report columns, you will be able to create different scenarios corresponding to targeted time periods. You can select the time frame from the Period Range date picker.
Create and include a forecast measure under 'Include series in scenarios' to create a scenario for a future time period range. To create a forecast, please refer here.
Period range for Scenarios under General Tab
1.2. Permission
Under the 'Permission' tab, you can configure the scenario permissions.
Permission Tab
In the Who can edit the scenario section, you can see the following two options:
i) All users within your company domain - If this option is selected, then all the users within your company domain will be able to edit the created scenario.
ii) Specific users within your company domain - Selecting this option will allow only the specified users to edit the created scenario. When this option is selected, the 'Add users' input field becomes available. You can specify the email ID of the people who can edit this scenario in this input field.
Create Scenario - Permission Tab - Add Users.
Once all the permissions and settings are configured, click 'Create' to create a scenario.
2. Configure scenario
If a new scenario is successfully created, you will see a 'Scenario' ribbon in the Lumel EPM toolbar.
Scenario Ribbon
The scenario tab has the following options to configure the scenario-related settings:
2.1. Create Scenario
'Create Scenario' option lets you create a new scenario. Clicking on this option will open up the 'Create scenario' modal. You can learn more about how to create a scenario here.
Create Scenario option
Once a scenario is created, you can create more scenarios by clicking on the + icon at the bottom of the page.
2.2. Scenario settings
Scenario Settings option lets you edit the previously configured scenario settings.
Clicking this option will open up the 'Edit scenario' modal, where you can edit the general and permission settings.
2.3 Lock Scenarios
If you want to lock your scenario, enable the 'Lock scenario' checkbox. A locked scenario cannot be edited.
Lock Scenario enabled
2.4 Input Method
Lumel EPM offers two types of input methods: simulation and distribution.
a) Simulation
If you choose the simulation input method, each cell will have a simulation slider. You can calibrate the slider to adjust the value and simulate changes. Once simulations are performed, you can track them below the toolbar.
Simulation option
b) Distribution
Using this method, you can distribute the value across descendants.
Distribution option
You can lock a particular cell or all its children by clicking the 'Lock this cell' or 'Lock all children' option. To know more about cell lock, click here.
You can also choose to edit each cell individually by double-clicking and entering the simulation values directly.
You can also use Goal Seek to target cells containing a formula or aggregation like sum, product, etc.
2.5. Bulk editing a scenario
You can also run simulations in bulk at the row and column level for a scenario you have created, allowing you to easily perform analyses like determining the impact of an x% increase in sales for a specific region or increasing the bonus for employees in a specific department by x dollars.
In a scenario, click Bulk Edit from the toolbar under the Plan tab.
In the pop-up, select the measure to be simulated and the necessary categories and sub-categories from row and column dimensions. You can add filters to specify the row or column dimensions using the Add Filter.
Under the Type dropdown, you can select whether to set, reset, or append the simulation percentage. You can then type the value in the adjacent box and click Apply.
The animation below illustrates the same, with bulk simulations performed.
Bulk Editing scenarios
2.6 Show variance
If you enable the Show Variance check box, you will see the percentage of variance to the left of the data metrics.
Show variance is enabled.
2.7 Slider settings
If you click the 'Slider settings' option, the 'Variance settings' pop-up will open up.
This modal has the following options:
a) Series - Displays the name of the series in the scenario
b) Increase is good - This toggle is enabled by default. If this is enabled, then the percentage increase will be displayed in green and the decrease in red.
If this option is disabled, then the increase in value or percentage will be displayed in red.
c) Value range - In this field, you can configure the maximum value of the range. The default is 100%.
2.8 Pivot
You can create a pivot using the pivot icon in the Scenario ribbon to view and simulate your scenarios. To know more about it, click Pivot.
In the image below, a pivot is created for the brand.
2.9 Copy to base scenario
You can conduct simulations on various scenarios to identify the most optimal option before making a decision. Any simulations on data input measures/columns in a scenario can be copied to the base scenario using the Copy to Base option.
In the scenario below, the 2026 Forecast measure is created as a new data input measure to the report.
The simulations on the 2026 Forecast in Scenario 2 will be copied to the base report when you select the Copy to Base option from the toolbar or the dots next to the Scenario 2 tab at the footer.
Copy to Base options.
On selecting Copy to Base, a dialog box opens up that contains the list of columns that will be exported.
Copy to Base pop-up
On clicking the Proceed button, the 2026 Forecast simulation in scenario 2 is copied to the same base measure.
Simulations copied to base.
Thus, the simulated values are copied to the base.
2.10 Edit/Duplicate/Delete/Hide Scenario
To edit, delete, hide, or duplicate a scenario, click on the additional options menu icon that appears when hovering over the name of the scenario and select the relevant option.
2.11 Set a default scenario
When users open scenarios in reading mode, the Base scenario is always displayed by default.
If you want a particular scenario to be loaded on initialization, choose the Make as Default option when done, the 
icon appears next to the Scenario name in the footer.
Scenario 2 will be opened by default in reading view when users navigate to scenarios. Default scenarios can be identified by the icon.
2.12 Formatting scenarios
Go to 'Format' tab in toolbar. Here you can manually format the scenarios using the cell and value formatting styles or the column styles as well as copy the style from the Base or any other existing scenarios.
Go to the 'Format' tab in the toolbar. Here, you can format the scenarios at the cell, row, or column level. You can also apply a format to the selected rows or to all the rows at the hierarchical level.
Formatting is applied at the hierarchical level.
You can even copy the style from the Base or any other existing scenarios.
To copy the style formatting from the base or any other scenarios, select the format painter and choose Copy style formatting from scenario -> Base, or select any Scenario name to copy its style.
Scenario 2 with format.
The image below shows Base with the style format copied from the Scenario 2.
2.13 Writeback
You can Writeback all your scenarios or a particular scenario by clicking the Writeback icon under Scenario tab.
To know more about Writeback, click here.
3. Create a scenario in reading view mode
To allow the users to create a scenario in reading view mode, follow the same procedure as the edit mode.
But there is one additional step: the report author needs to enable the 'Scenario' in the 'Allowed User Controls' modal from the Editing view drop-down.
Editing View Dropdown.
Scenario enabled in Allowed User Control
In the next section, we will see about Compare scenarios.
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