The Version dimension in SAC Planning: Actual, Budget, Forecast

The Version dimension is what really sets SAC Planning apart from a simple reporting tool. Well understood, it lets you compare actual and forecast and manage several scenarios without duplicating the model.

Version categories

Each version carries a category: Actual (the realized data, read-only), Budget (the approved target), Forecast (the re-estimated projection), Planning (work in progress). This typology structures all your comparisons: variance to budget, forecast drift, actuals tracking.

Public and private versions

A private version is a draft visible only to its author, ideal for testing a scenario without disrupting others. A public version is shared by the whole team. The typical flow: work privately, then publish once the scenario is stable.

Compare and copy

The value of versions is side-by-side comparison within one Story: Actual vs Budget, Forecast vs prior year. You can also copy one version into another — for example seeding a Budget from the Forecast — via a Data Action, with no re-entry.

A common mistake to avoid

Do not mix several kinds of figures in a single version. Keeping Actual, Budget and Forecast in distinct versions is what makes variances readable and validation workflows possible.

Start from a ready Planning model

The catalog's Planning-category templates come with the Version dimension configured. For an annual budget or a forecast, you inherit the Actual/Budget/Forecast structure without building it.