11. Writeback

Lumel EPM allows you to export and save your planning tables to destinations of different types, including file destinations, data warehouses, and data lake storage.

Unlike other BI tools, Lumel EPM does not require IT overhead in terms of database setup and defining the structure of writeback tables in advance. Instead, it supports dynamic database configuration and table creation at run time and performs semi-structured, on-the-fly writebacks to more than one destination at a time.

1. Overview

To access writeback options and start writeback, click on the Writeback tab.

It has the following sections:

Actions: This section has options to execute writeback and configure auto-writeback.

Destination: This section is about adding and managing writeback destinations.

Data: In this section, you can customize data-related options for writeback For example, the 'Type' option allows you to specify how you want your data to be written back into the table--long, wide, and so on.

Logs - Every writeback event is logged with detailed information relevant to each writeback. Navigate to the writeback logs chapter to learn more.

Settings - Configure writeback-related settings. Navigate to the writeback settings to learn more.

2. Add Destination

The first step is to add a writeback destination where you want to export your data table.

Lumel EPM supports quick writeback setup and execution for several types of data destinations. Configuring the writeback destination(s) is straightforward and involves a similar procedure for all destinations.

Click on Add Destination to add a new writeback destination.

A list of destinations will be displayed for users to select from under the 'New Connection' tab.

To learn how to configure each destination in the above list, navigate to this page.

3. Steps to Writeback - Overview

Let us walk through the entire writeback workflow in an overview.

STEP 1: Navigate to the Writeback tab and then click on Add Destination.

STEP 2: Add and configure writeback destinations from the Destinations tab. Learn more about configuring destinations.

Let's configure a OneDrive destination for demonstration purposes.

1. Click on OneDrive and then click Next.

1. Configure the OneDrive destination by specifying the file path where your writeback table will be saved and the preferred file name for the writeback file.

File Path: Click on Browse to choose the required folder.

Writeback File Name: You can use the default file name or click Insert Variable to add a variable, such as date, time, or date and time, to your file name based on the time of writeback.

1. Click on Next. In the 'Configure Column' window, you can adjust the number of decimal digits for writeback columns. By default, numerical writeback columns support a 2-digit decimal precision.

1. Click Finish. The OneDrive destination is successfully configured.

STEP 3: You can optionally walk through all of the writeback settings and make changes as required. Commonly used writeback options are available directly on the toolbar.

After configuring writeback settings, close the side panel.

STEP 4: Writeback. Click on Writeback to writeback your data table. A notification window will display the progress and status of the writeback.

Your first writeback is now done successfully to the OneDrive destination. You can click on the highlighted link to view your written-back data. Click on View log if you wish to view the writeback logs.

Writeback file:

Note:

• After performing an initial writeback, you may need to add or remove visual parameters as you build your report. Any table structure changes required in the destination due to adding or removing visual parameters will be displayed in a notification window. You can choose whether to drop the existing table and recreate it with the new structure before writing back.

• For some destinations, such as Snowflake, Lumel EPM automatically creates staging tables by default to writeback data in chunks when the number of rows being written back surpasses a threshold. If they are not configured automatically, you must enable a temporary staging table in the destination configuration in the admin console by clicking the link displayed. Writeback will not work unless the staging table option is enabled.

4. Writeback Settings - Optional

Lumel EPM empowers users to finely customize the writeback-related settings with just a few clicks. Basic settings are available on-the-go on the toolbar, while more options are available under General and Security settings. You can refer to the Settings section for more details.

Quick Writeback Settings

Writeback Type:

Choose the writeback type from the Type menu. You can choose how the data should be written back—Long, Wide, Long with Changes and Wide with Changes. These options are explained in detail under General settings.

Filter:

You can select specific data to writeback instead of writing back the entire table. These options are available under the Filter menu.

Column Rename:

Using this option, you can rename the writeback table columns.

Click on General to open the settings panel for writeback.

General Settings

In the general tab, set the writeback type, and optionally add filters and permissions. Learn more about General writeback options.

Data Settings

In the data tab, determine the scenarios and series to be written back and enable automatic writeback if applicable. Learn more about Data settings for writeback.

Destination Settings

Configure writeback destinations from the Destinations tab. Learn more about configuring destinations.

Advanced Settings

In the advanced tab, you can prevent writing back if a specific column that should not be empty contains null values. You can also rename native fields and specify a different column name to be written back. Learn more about advanced writeback settings.

5. Logs

Click the 'View Logs' button to navigate to the writeback log console and view details like the milestones, payload size, duration of the writeback, etc. Learn more about writeback logs.