Model Architecture

The 4 IFP models, how they connect, and key architectural decisions

Module 1Platform Foundations20 min

📖 Tell The 4-Model Architecture How Admin, FP, HC, and CE work together and where data flows between them.

👁 Show Model Tour Facilitator opens the Anaplan workspace and shows each of the 4 models — their key modules and how they are structured.

✅ Do Identify Data Flows Look at the FIN – Import from HC Model and FIN – Import from CapEx Model actions in the FP model. What do they do and when should they run?

The Four Models

IFP v2.0 back-end — model structure and connections

Model	Role	Key Contents
Admin	Central hub — master data & mappings	Source lists, planning hierarchies, source-to-planning mapping pages
Financial Planning (FP)	Core planning hub	Revenue/COGS, OpEx, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Top-Down, Reporting
Headcount (HC)	Workforce planning spoke	Job library, pay bands, HC planning inputs, cost calculations
Capital Expense (CE)	CapEx planning spoke	Asset purchases, depreciation, disposals, net fixed asset roll-forward

Data Flow Between Models

Admin → All Spokes (via ADO): Planning hierarchies (Entity, Dept, IS/BS accounts) pushed to FP, HC, CE
HC → FP: Workforce costs imported via FIN – Import from HC Model action in FP Admin
CE → FP: CapEx depreciation and asset values imported via FIN – Import from CapEx Model action in FP Admin
FP → Reporting: All P&L, BS, and CF data consolidated in FP's Reporting & Analysis module

🚨 Cross-Model Import Reminder

After making changes in HC or CE models, you MUST run the cross-model import action in FP Admin. Changes do NOT flow automatically. This is the most common cause of 'missing data' issues — always check this first.

Architectural Decisions

Decision	Rationale
Native Versions	Enables switchover dates, CURRENTVERSION() functions, formula scope, and bulk copy actions
No subsets for planning	Maximizes Polaris model performance
ADO links replace import actions	Greater data control, eliminates data hub memory overhead in workspace
Entity-level only for CapEx/BS	Performance optimization — operational dimensions not needed for these modules

Dimensions

Required (all modules)

Time · Account · Version · Entity

Optional (configurable per implementation)

Dimension	Used In	Configurable Name?
Department	Revenue/COGS, OpEx, HC, Top-Down	Yes — e.g., 'Cost Center', 'Division'
Geography	Revenue/COGS, OpEx, Top-Down	Yes — e.g., 'Region', 'Location'
Product	Revenue/COGS, Top-Down	Yes — e.g., 'SKU', 'Service'
Customer	Revenue/COGS, Top-Down	Yes — e.g., 'Client', 'Buyer'
Functional Area	OpEx, Top-Down	Yes — e.g., 'Workstream'
Vendor	OpEx	Yes — e.g., 'Supplier'

⚠ 8-Dimension Hard Limit

IFP v2.0 supports a maximum of 8 dimensions. Customers requiring more than 8 need a bespoke model build as an extension. Always validate dimension count during the requirements phase.

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