Use case:

In a Headcount planning scenario, while planning FTEs against a vacant job position in planning input table, HR user adds a new row in the planning table, using ‘Add Member’. User selects ‘Vacancy 1’ in the Employee column from master data. User needs a place holder in the same row to add a Job Description of the vacant position.

This information can be captured in a data-point comment column. However, data-point comment feature in SAC has some restrictions like follows:

1. Comments cannot be copied from one public version into another public version through a data action.
2. Secondly, data-point comment is only visible at the level of story / page filter selection it is added at. So, if the filter selection is removed or changed, the comment is no longer visible in the comment cell.
3. Additionally, commenting does not work when a user selects a dimension member property by using a story / page filter on dimension property.

Solution:

Here is the step-by-step process to resolve this issue:

1. Add a local Dimension, of type Generic, called ‘Ref Job Description’ in the Workforce model with Month and Year set as properties of the dimension.
2. Populate the dimension with default value of # (Unassigned) and save the model.
3. Add the dimension in the Input table structure in the planning story.
4. Right-click a member from Employee column in the table and then select Add Member
5. An empty new line appears.
6. Add existing but unbooked Vacancy member ID ex. 999001 in Employee column in the new line.
7. Add the Job Description free text in the Ref Job Description dimension column. Since the text does not already exist in Ref Job Description master data, you will get the following message:
8. Enter the text in Description. ID is auto populated. Add Input Month and Input Year in Properties.
9. Click on Apply so that the Job Description data gets updated to the master data of the dimension.

This dimension maintains job description text of the vacant position along with the month and year when it was added. These properties help maintain the data in the dimension. The older data that is no longer needed can be manually deleted from the Job Description dimension.

Conclusion:

1. Planning User no long needs to maintain the job description in the data point comments column.
2. The information can be viewed at any level of story / page filter selection and can be copied from one public version to another using data action.
3. Also, there is no restriction on filtering the table with story / page level filter on a dimension property.