Introduction to Anaplan - A Beginner's Guide

1. What is Anaplan – Anaplan Tutorial for Beginners
If you’re new to business planning tools or just starting your journey in enterprise performance management, you might have come across Anaplan. But what exactly is it? And why is it gaining so much popularity among leading global companies?

In this beginner-friendly tutorial, we’ll break down what Anaplan is, how it works, and why it’s a powerful platform for connected planning.

2. What is Anaplan?
Anaplan is a cloud-based planning and modeling platform designed for businesses to plan, analyze, and forecast in real time. It helps companies connect their financial, operational, and strategic plans across departments like finance, sales, HR, supply chain, and more.

Unlike traditional spreadsheet tools like Excel, Anaplan allows multiple users to collaborate in real time, using a centralized data model with fast, dynamic calculations powered by its proprietary Hyperblock™ engine.

3. Why Use Anaplan?
Here are a few reasons why businesses use Anaplan:

• Scalability: Anaplan handles large volumes of data and complex models with ease.
• Real-time Collaboration: Changes made by one user are instantly visible to others.
• Agility: Easily adapt models and forecasts as business needs evolve.
• Connected Planning: Break down silos by linking plans across departments.
• Auditability & Control: Built-in versioning, access control, and governance.

4. Core Components of Anaplan
To understand Anaplan, here are some basic building blocks:

• Lists: The foundation of all models (think of them as dimensions like Regions, Products, Employees).
• Modules: Where your data lives—like a table made up of line items and dimensions.
• Line Items: Metrics, formulas, or calculations—like Revenue or Cost.
• Dashboards (UX Pages): Interactive views for end-users to enter or view data.
• Actions: Automations for importing, exporting, and processing data.

5. What is the Hyperblock Engine?
Anaplan’s Hyperblock engine is what makes it unique. It allows for:

• Instant recalculations across large models
• High-speed performance even with millions of cells
• Real-time collaboration across teams and geographies

6. Example Use Cases for Anaplan

• Finance: Budgeting, forecasting, profitability analysis
• Sales: Territory planning, quota setting, sales forecasting
• HR: Workforce planning, headcount and compensation modeling
• Supply Chain: Demand planning, inventory optimization