Adding plan/forecast numbers to a variable

Before getting into adding values to a variable, let's understand how to

• Link a variable to a source of actuals, and

• Importing historical data (actuals)

Linking a variable to a source of actuals

To create accurate and effective forecasts, historical data is helpful.

In Drivetrain, you can link a variable to a metric to pull in that metric's historical data.

To link a variable to a metric:

1. Hover your mouse over the desired metric and click on the vertical ellipsis (⋮) and select Source of actuals.

2. In the pop-up, select the desired metric (or) use the search bar (or) if you don't see the metric, you can click on + New metric which will take you the Metric Builder page.

In the case of a dependant variable who's value depends on other variables, its actuals are calculated from the parent variables' actuals.

Importing historical data (actuals) into a model

Pull in historical data for a metric or a variable that's linked to a data source, by following the steps below:

1. On the top section of the model page, click on Actuals till option.

2. In the Set actuals till date pop-up, you can choose from a couple of options:

   1. Last available actuals - Uses the month defined under Settings → Actuals → Imports Actuals Till (Models).

   2. Custom - Manually choose the month up to which you want to import historical data.

Adding plan or forecast values to a variable

There are a few ways to assign plan/forecast values to a variable in a model.

Click on the tabs to explore each method.

Direct input

1. Select the variable or metric.

2. Click on any time period cell, and enter the value.

You can quickly copy values to other cells by using copy (Cmd/Ctrl + C) and paste (Cmd/Ctrl + V) keyboard shortcuts.

A faster way is to select a cell you want to copy, point to the border of the selected cell until the mouse pointer becomes ₊ and drag it to the right to copy the values to the desired range of cells.

If you select a range of cells and perform the above action, Drivetrain will detect the linear progression of the range of cells selected, and fill the new cells with calculated values.

Forecast formula method

You can select the variable and use the Forecast formula section that accepts both values and a variety of forecast methods to assign or calculate values.

Refer to the Formulas section for a complete overview.

Formulas in Drivetrain

Direct & formula methods

You can use a mix of both direct input and forecast formula methods to assign values to a variable.

The numbers manually assigned to a cell (i.e, values that have been overwritten manually that were calculated by a formula) will be highlighted in yellow.

Via CSV Upload

You can quickly update plan or forecast values for a variable by uploading a CSV file. Follow the steps below to ensure a smooth import process.

1. Go to the Model and locate the variable you want to update.

2. Hover over the variable, click the vertical ellipsis (⋮), then select Import/Export → Export CSV template. Open the downloaded CSV file, make the necessary edits, and save it. (Skip this step if you already have a prepared CSV.)

3. Click Import/Export again and select Import CSV.

4. If errors are detected, they will be highlighted in a preview popup. Edit values directly in the popup to correct them.

5. Click Validate and Save to finalize the import.

Watch this video below for a walkthrough.

Common import errors

Drivetrain will flag errors if:

• File structure has changed – Columns or rows don’t match the template.

• Incorrect file format – Only CSV files are supported.

• Mismatched data types – Ensure values match the expected format.

Repeat the process for each scenario you need to update.

You can view the underlying calculations for a cell in a model by right-clicking on any cell in the model and selecting Show calculations.

This displays all line items contributing to that cell’s value, along with formulas and aggregation methods used for that time period. You can repeat this step and click on any line item to see how that value was calculated.