Scenario

Many times, you will need to create various scenarios to predict or analyze. Lumel EPM offers the ability to create new scenarios in edit and read modes based on an existing series for ad hoc analysis. Once a scenario is created, you can either simulate or perform allocations on the native measures.

Scenarios are interactive and can be edited unless they are explicitly locked. They can be created in both reading and edit mode and shared with other users. 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 'Home' 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 two options under this tab.

_{Create Scenario pop-up with General and Permission 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.

_{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. If this option is selected, the 'Add users' input field becomes available. You can specify the email id of the people who can share 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 tab}

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.

If you want to lock your scenario, enable the 'Lock scenario' checkbox. A locked scenario cannot be edited.

_{Edit Scenario pop-up}

2.3 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}

2.4. Bulk editing a scenario

You can also run simulations in bulk 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.

1. In a scenario, click Bulk Edit from the toolbar under the Plan tab.

2. 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 too.

3. Under the Type dropdown, you can select if you want to set, reset or append the simulation percentage, which can then be typed in the adjacent box and click Apply.

_{Bulk Edit pop-up}

2.5. 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.}

2.6. Slider settings

If you click the 'Slider settings' option, the 'Variance settings' pop-up will open up, which has the following:

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 vice versa happens.

c) Value range - In this field, you can configure the maximum value of the range. The default is 100%.

_{Variance Setting pop-up.}

2.7. Copy to base scenario

You may perform simulations on different scenarios before arriving at the most optimal option. Any simulations on data input measures/columns in a scenario can be updated to the base scenario using the Copy to Base option.

In the scenario below, the 2026 Forecast measure is created by adding a new measure to the report. The simulations on the 2026 Forecast in Scenario 1 will be reflected in the report after selecting the Copy to Base in the toolbar or by clicking the dots next to the Scenario 1 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}.

By clicking the Proceed button, the simulations in the scenario for the 2026 Forecast have now been updated in the report.

_{Simulations copied to base.}

2.8. 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.

_{Edit/Duplicate/Delete/Hide Scenario}

2.9 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. In the image below, Scenario 2 is set to default.

_{Default Scenario.}

2.10 Style 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 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 1 with format.}

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}