Datarails' Workflow for Planning feature offers a streamlined approach for finance teams to manage planning tasks. It facilitates task assignment, document distribution, and progress tracking, removing the complexity of a full workflow setup. This feature is particularly beneficial for accelerating collaboration, especially during forecast or budget cycles that necessitate frequent updates.
 

This configuration is visible in both Budget and Forecast modules. If it's not present, please contact your CSM for activation.

Key Components

Tasks View

• Assign tasks to Assignees and optionally Reviewers.
• Set Due Dates to ensure deliverables meet your planning schedule.
• Use Bulk Actions to assign multiple tasks at once—same person, same deadline.

Split Function

• Split only: Generates separate files for each department or cost center without immediately assigning members.
• Split and set members: Splits files and assigns Assignees and Reviewers in one step.

Tasks Management

• View tasks on the Tasks Page with relevant details: file origin (Forecast or Budget Module), scenario/planning cycle, status, descriptions.
• Mark tasks complete, send for review, or request updates if needed.

When & Where to Use It

Benefits

• Faster coordination across teams
• Clear accountability with assignees and reviewers
• Improved transparency with due dates and statuses
• Flexibility to adjust splits and assignments at any time

How It Works (Step‑by‑Step)

• Open the budget or the forecast module.
• On the top right side of the files table, you will see a toggle button. This toggle will allow you to move between the "files view” and the “tasks view”
  
• In the tasks view, you can:
  • Assign each task an Assignee and optionally a Reviewer
  • Set a due date.
• Once assigned, you can end the task to the assignee. They will get an email with the task's details as well as a link to the tasks page, where they either download the file or edit it online. 
  
• Use bulk Actions to speed up assignments:
  
• Recipients will get an email with a link to the tasks management page. Within the tasks management page, they will get information about the tasks origin (forecast/budget, and the specific cycle). They can also download the latest version of the file, submit it back to the system, or edit it online. 
  
   
• Please note: Only tasks with assignee appear on the tasks management. 

Learn more about task management here. 

Split With Assignees 

Use Split if you need to share a template with stakeholders within your organization. For instance: In case where you need the department heads to fill in their Headcount requirements or projected expenses. Learn more about the split option 

• The split option is available from the files view only.
• When the Workflow for Planning feature is enabled, you can share the tasks with your collaborators immediately after splitting the files. Choose “Split only” to split the files without adding assignees, or Split and Set members if you want the tasks to be sent right after the files creation. 
  
  
   
• If you select a split and set member, please be aware that the recipient will get contributor access to the fileboxes they are shared with. 
  
• After the split, you will see the files on both files and tasks view. If you you want to make changes to the template and resplit it, or if you want to archive some of the files that got split, you can do it by using the “edit split” option:
  
  
   
• Please note that in the edit split modal you also have the option to refine the description of the tasks. 
  This description will be added to the email sent to the user.  
  
   

Other Options available in Tasks View

In each tasks three dots menu, they are multiple option available: 

• Go to filebox -  this option will take to the filebox version page, focused on the current cycle.
• Go to data mapper
• Edit online - this option will open the file’s latest version in Excel for web.
• Re-send - this option available only for tasks that have been sent already. It allows you to refine the description and send a new e-mail to the assignee.
• Download
  Mark complete - this option available only for tasks with assignees that has been sent already. It allows you to more the status of the tasks from pending to in review by yourself.     

Tips & Best Practices

• Define a clear naming convention for tasks and files to avoid confusion.
• Use due dates appropriately to ensure every stakeholder knows their deadlines.
• If multiple departments are involved, use “Split and set members” to reduce manual work.
• Regularly review split assignments—in fast changing cycles people or responsibilities might shift.

Related Articles

- Forecast Module – Managing Scenario Cycles
- Budget Module – Working with Budget Files
- Planning Scenarios – Clone, Lock, and Archive
- Workflow Overview

Updated November 09, 2025 16:24