We’re excited to introduce brand-new courses designed to elevate your IBM Planning Analytics development skills! The Arc Path is the latest addition to our Developer Course Pathway, offering 28 hours of fresh, immersive content to help you master:

✔️Developer Fundamentals – Establish a strong foundation in IBM Planning Analytics and Arc.
✔️Advanced Rules – Learn to build complex rules for optimised planning models.
✔️Advanced TurboIntegrator – Automate and streamline data processes efficiently.
✔️Administrator – Manage robust, scalable, and secure TM1 environments.

With 12 months of post-training insights, you’ll continue to refine your skills and stay ahead of industry advancements.

📖 Be among the first to explore these new courses.

🚀 Enrol today and start your journey!

Enhance your IBM Planning Analytics skills with our expertly designed half-day online training sessions. These courses are structured to integrate seamlessly into your schedule, allowing you to gain valuable insights without disrupting your workflow.

📅 Flexible Half-Day Sessions: View the Full Training Schedule
🔗 Register Today: Secure Your Spot
🔍 Explore Our Courses: Course Details
💡 Comprehensive Learning Options: Educational Offerings

📃Upcoming Sessions

Value of IBM Planning Analytics / TM1
Gain a deeper understanding of the benefits and flexibility of TM1 in optimizing business functions across your organization.
📍 April 03 – 9:00 AM (AEDT) I 8:00 AM (GMT)

End User (Planning Analytics for Excel)
Master the use of PAfE, an Excel add-in that enables seamless interaction with TM1 data, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and accuracy in reporting.
📍 April 07 – 8:00 AM (GMT)
📍 April 08 – 9:00 AM (AEDT)

End User (Planning Analtyics Workspace)
Learn key end-user features of PAW, including data exploration, manipulation, importing, and dashboard creation.
📍 April 08 – 8:00 AM (GMT)
📍 April 09 – 9:00 AM (AEDT)

Exploration and Quick Report
Discover how to leverage the Exploration View and Quick Reports in PAfE to efficiently analyze TM1 data and build flexible, Excel-enhanced reports.
📍 April 09 – 8:00 AM (GMT)
📍 April 10 – 9:00 AM (AEDT)

Custom Report/Slice
Learn to create fully customized reports with advanced formatting, graphs, and action buttons using Custom Report (PAfE) or Slice (Perspectives).
📍 April 10 – 8:00 AM (GMT)
📍 April 11 – 9:00 AM (AEDT)

Dynamic Report/Active Forms
Develop expertise in Dynamic Reports (PAfE) and Active Forms (Perspectives), allowing for expandable and interactive report views.
📍 April 14 – 8:00 AM (GMT)
📍 April 15 – 9:00 AM (AEDT)

MDX Fundamentals
Understand how to read and write Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) to enhance data queries and report-building within IBM Planning Analytics.
📍 April 15 – 8:00 AM (GMT)
📍 April 16 – 9:00 AM (AEDT)

Universal Report
Explore the functionality of Universal Reports, which dynamically execute formulas and queries for efficient data analysis.
📍 April 17 – 8:00 AM (GMT)
📍 April 29 – 9:00 AM (AEDT)

👉 Advance your skills and take control of your TM1 journey. Register Now

Great development starts with strong foundations!

Our Post-Training Insights are designed to help you stay ahead of challenges and refine your TM1 expertise long after your course ends. This growing knowledge base ensures you get the most out of IBM Planning Analytics (TM1).

🚀 New Insight Added to the Developer Fundamentals (PAW) Course
Naming conventions in TM1 go beyond consistency—they prevent errors and unexpected issues. This update explores essential rules for naming objects, elements, and attributes to keep your models structured and error-free.

📖 Exclusive for course and Power User members: Element and Attribute Naming.

Join industry leaders, IBM experts, and the TM1 community for an unmatched opportunity to learn, connect, and advance your skills.

🌟 What’s in Store?
✅ Exclusive sessions led by top IBM & TM1 experts
✅ Cutting-edge insights and real-world success stories
✅ Valuable networking opportunities with professionals from around the globe
✅ TM1 Championship Qualifiers – where top talent competes for glory!

📍 Which City Will You Join Us In?
Click the links below to learn more about each event and register:
🔹 London – April 24
🔹 Benelux – May 8
🔹 Sydney – May 14
🔹 Melbourne – May 20
🔹 Paris – May 22

💡 Spots are filling fast! Don’t miss your chance to be part of this exclusive TM1 & Planning Analytics experience.

🔥 P.S. The TM1 Championship will take place at our London, Sydney, and Melbourne events. Are you ready to compete?

📅 Want to Explore More Events?
Visit the Cubewise Global Events Calendar to find all upcoming in-person and online training sessions, conferences, and webinars happening worldwide!

Over 1,000 participants from around the world joined the Cubewise and IBM team to explore the latest innovations in IBM Planning Analytics. Here’s a quick recap of the sessions, now available as recordings:

Day 1: IBM Planning Analytics in a Multi-Cloud Universe

We kicked off Cubewise Innovation Week 2025 by covering key topics such as IBM Planning Analytics as a Service, IBM Planning Analytics Cloud, getting to the cloud, and TM1 Server v12. We also discussed how to choose the right IBM Planning Analytics deployment for your organization in 2025.

Day 2: Visual Excellence and Elite User Experiences with IBM Planning Analytics

On Day 2, we explored how to transform an IBM Planning Analytics-based application into a powerful data visualization platform. We also discussed the key differences in user needs from a Business Intelligence and Forecasting perspective, comparing IBM Planning Analytics, IBM Cognos Analytics, Microsoft Power BI, and Tableau.

Day 3: IBM Planning Analytics in an AI-enabled Universe

On Day 3, we delved into IBM Planning Analytics’ role in an AI-driven world. We explored predictive analytics, decision optimization, AI agents, and Generative AI, and how these tools are revolutionizing planning, budgeting, and reporting processes. We also discussed the growing importance of Python and TM1py in enabling advanced analytics and AI-powered planning.

Day 4: High-tech Performance Tuning and Testing for IBM Planning Analytics Applications

Day 4 focused on performance tuning, system optimization, automated testing, and error logging—key aspects for IBM Planning Analytics administrators and developers. We explored advanced techniques and best practices for delivering high-performance, functional, and stable applications, with a focus on the latest v11 and v12 techniques for 2025.

Day 5: Atmosphere Global Launch & Advanced Data Integrations & Processing with IBM Planning Analytics

On the final day, we explored highly performant and scalable data integrations and processing within IBM Planning Analytics. We discussed balancing prebuilt connectors with custom TI scripts to enhance your IBM Planning Analytics ecosystem.

We’re thrilled to announce the global launch of Cubewise Atmosphere, the premier solution for integrating IBM Planning Analytics (TM1) with your business platforms. After successful regional launches in the United States, Atmosphere is now available worldwide!

Key Benefits:

• Reduced Risk & Enhanced Security: Built-in encryption and compliance features
• Faster Time to Value: Prebuilt SaaS and expert support
• Cost Optimization: Scalable with minimal infrastructure

Modules Available:

• ERP, CRM, HRIS, and Data Warehouse Integrations
• Seamless synchronization with spreadsheets and file storage systems

Why Atmosphere?

• Address data quality, scalability, and compatibility challenges
• Enjoy real-time usage tracking and enterprise-grade security

For more details and to explore all features, check out the full blog here

For more information and to get started with Atmosphere, click the Contact Us button or reach out to your Cubewise local contact.

In an effort to showcase our profound passion for IBM Planning Analytics/TM1, we asked Cubewisers about their ‘lightbulb moment’ experiences.

Meet Robin, a Cubewise Consultant based in Seattle. With a strong background in finance, Robin has accumulated significant experience as a TM1 developer and software architect. For her, building models in TM1 has always been an enjoyable challenge. She is dedicated to developing sophisticated yet user-friendly models, focusing on seamless integration and connectivity within the TM1 environment.

Speed up alert creation with predefined templates—no manual setup required!

🔹 Create: Click New, enter details, and Save.
🔹 Migrate: Export/Import templates between servers.
🔹 Generate Alerts: Select a template, set preferences, and deploy.

➡️ Learn more.

This series tackles the biggest challenges in FP&A, cutting through distractions and offering real solutions.

Hard Problem #1: Integrated Business Planning

A connected, real-time planning model across Finance, Sales, HR, Supply Chain, and beyond.

Integrated Business Planning (IBP) brings all business functions together in a single model. It enables instant updates—when sales forecasts change, the impact is visible across workforce planning, cash flow, and P&L.

Despite IBP being a top priority for CFOs, many organizations struggle to implement it. The complexity of modeling long-term projects, workforce planning, and financial forecasting requires more than basic planning tools.

Why is it hard?

• Multiple stakeholders and concurrent users require seamless collaboration.
• Non-functional databases struggle with real-time recalculations.
• Large-scale data integration (payroll, sales, GL) is challenging.
• Traditional tools hit performance limits—TM1, with its functional database design, has been solving IBP for 40+ years.

✅ Learn More: How TM1 Enables True Integrated Business Planning

Hard Problem #2: What-If Analysis & Scenario Modelling

Beyond static forecasting—testing real-world scenarios at scale.

Most planning tools fail at dynamic What-If and Scenario Modelling. Real-world decision-making requires more than changing a few numbers in a forecast. Organizations need the flexibility to model big shifts:

• A cyclone disrupts production—what’s the financial impact?
• A new contract is won—how does it affect supply chain and hiring?
• What happens if we open 20 new locations next year?

Why is it hard?

• Scenario planning isn’t just tweaking numbers—it involves structural changes (adding/removing stores, products, employees).
• Many systems require full data duplication, making scenario testing slow and costly.
• TM1’s sandboxing feature allows instant scenario testing within the full IBP model, without disrupting existing data.

✅ Learn More: Advanced Scenario Planning with TM1

Hard Problem #3: Excel Hell & Power BI Purgatory

Managing, not eradicating, spreadsheets for FP&A success.

Excel is powerful but unregulated, leading to errors, inefficiencies, and data silos. BI tools promise an escape, but often, dashboards become nothing more than a staging layer before data ends up back in Excel.

Why does Excel Hell persist?

• True FP&A requires working with data (adjusting, reconciling, exploring), not just looking at it in dashboards.
• Most tools restrict flexibility—forcing users back into spreadsheets for real analysis.
• TM1 was designed to manage spreadsheets, not replace them. It acts as a controlled, enterprise-grade spreadsheet management system—combining flexibility with structure.

✅ Learn More: Why TM1 is the Ultimate FP&A Engine

When working in Excel with IBM Planning Analytics (TM1), efficient data aggregation is key to dynamic reporting. Here are five powerful methods using the DBRW function in Slice:

1. Natural Consolidations – Use TM1’s built-in hierarchical roll-ups for automatic aggregation.
2. Subset References – Leverage dynamic subsets for flexible, data-driven reports.
3. Virtual Consolidations – Aggregate non-hierarchical elements on the fly.
4. Virtual Expressions – Perform advanced calculations and custom roll-ups.
5. Cell Range References – Use Excel cell references for dynamic, ad hoc aggregation.

Master these techniques with Slice and optimize your TM1 reporting. Learn more here.

Slice supports TM1’s DBS and DBSW functions for sending data to your Planning Analytics cube. DBSW is faster than DBS, making it the recommended choice.

• Default Behavior – Use the DBS Send button in the Slice ribbon to activate DBS/DBSW functions. The Refresh Sheet button updates DBR/DBRW functions without sending data.
• Changing Default for All Users – From v4.6.1, developers can enable automatic DBS/DBSW execution on Refresh or Rebuild by adding a SLICEDBSSEND named range in Excel (value set to 1).
• Per User Settings – Users can enable DBS Send Data on Recalc in Slice Options for automatic data submission.

Optimize your TM1 workflow with Slice. Learn more here.

With Arc v4.6.1, administrators can now set default user preferences and enforce specific settings.

• Default Preferences – Set user defaults by creating or updating defaults.json in the user-preferences folder.
• Locked Preferences – Prevent changes by adding settings to overrides.json. Users attempting to modify locked settings will receive a notification.
• Customization – Export user preferences from Arc’s User Preferences dialog to configure a more comprehensive setup.

If no files are present, Arc functions as before. Learn more here.

A financial health check is essential for long-term success, just like a routine physical exam. Modern FP&A tools help you track financial performance, detect risks early, and drive strategic growth.

Key Steps to a Stronger Financial Outlook

🔹 Establish Your Financial Baseline – Benchmark performance using integrated historical data.
🔹 Analyse Cash Flow & Liquidity – Ensure financial stability with real-time forecasting.
🔹 Review Budgeting & Forecast Accuracy – Identify variances and improve projections with scenario planning.
🔹 Evaluate Profitability & Performance Ratios – Monitor key financial indicators for efficiency.
🔹 Conduct Scenario Planning & Risk Assessment – Prepare for market shifts with proactive modeling.
🔹 Monitor KPIs in Real-Time – Gain instant insights to stay agile and responsive.
🔹 Optimise Cost Management – Identify inefficiencies and improve resource allocation.
🔹 Align Strategy with Financial Performance – Ensure financial metrics support long-term goals.

📊 Get the Full Guide & Take Control of 2025 → Learn More

Big data is transforming financial planning and analysis (FP&A), helping businesses move from static reports to dynamic, real-time insights. With advanced analytics, finance teams can improve forecasting, identify trends, and optimize costs.

However, managing vast amounts of data comes with challenges—cleaning, integrating, and ensuring accuracy is critical. Without proper data management, insights can be misleading.

AI and predictive analytics are reshaping FP&A, allowing businesses to anticipate market shifts and make data-driven decisions. But human expertise remains essential in turning raw data into strategic action.

Want to dive deeper? Read the full blog here.

Traditional financial metrics no longer capture the full picture. By leveraging alternative data—such as social media trends, satellite imagery, and web analytics—FP&A teams can gain deeper insights and make more agile decisions.

Real-World Impact:
A retailer struggling with demand forecasting could enhance predictions by integrating alternative data. Social media sentiment and foot traffic analysis can help adjust inventory and marketing strategies proactively.

Key Enablers:

• AI & Automation: Identifies hidden patterns in vast datasets.
• Seamless Integration: Merging traditional and alternative data for holistic insights.
• Real-Time Analytics: Enabling faster, data-driven decisions.

Challenges & Best Practices:
Data quality, integration complexity, and skill gaps remain obstacles. FP&A teams can start small, invest in infrastructure, and collaborate with experts to maximize value.

The Future of FP&A:
Alternative data is reshaping financial planning. Organizations that embrace it will gain a competitive edge, enhancing resilience and strategic foresight.

Read the full blog here.

Discover the exciting updates in IBM Planning Analytics Workspace (PAW) version 2.0.101 / 2.1.8, released on February 18, 2025. This upgrade includes advanced AI capabilities, enhanced automation, and improved reporting tools.

IBM Planning Analytics for Excel version 2.0.10.1 (2.1.8) features enhanced member display for Sets in Excel, a redesign of Action Buttons to offer flexible options for initiating processes, navigation, or AI jobs, and an ability to trigger watsonx AI to enhance user workflows.