WORKDAY ADAPTIVE

PLANNING USER GUIDE

Version 4.0
(Updated September 2023)

Central Budget Office

Office of Financial Strategy & Planning (OFSP)
Brown University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT WORKDAY ADAPTIVE PLANNING .......................................................................................................................................... 2
USING ADAPTIVE PLANNING ............................................................................................................................................................... 2
Logging into Adaptive .............................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Navigating Adaptive ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Sheets .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Sheet Functionality ................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Reporting ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Report Viewer ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Multi-Select ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
BUDGET AND FORECAST PROCESS ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
Version Availability ................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Understanding and Updating Compensation Sheets ................................................................................................................. 7
General Information ............................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Faculty Salary / Staff Salary ............................................................................................................................................................. 7
Faculty / Staff Allocation ................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Pooled Compensation ......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Student Wages ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Sheet Examples ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Staff Salary Sheet .................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Staff Salary Allocation......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Understanding and Updating Expense Sheets ............................................................................................................................10
General Information ..........................................................................................................................................................................10
Other Expenses ....................................................................................................................................................................................10
Undergraduate Student Aid ...........................................................................................................................................................10
Graduate Student Aid........................................................................................................................................................................10
Understanding and Updating Revenue Sheets ...........................................................................................................................10
General Information ..........................................................................................................................................................................10
Tuition & Enrollment ........................................................................................................................................................................11
Other Revenue .....................................................................................................................................................................................11
Data/Worktag Accuracy Review .......................................................................................................................................................11
Reporting .....................................................................................................................................................................................................12
HELP & CONTACTS .......................................................................................................................................................................................12

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ABOUT WORKDAY ADAPTIVE PLANNING
Workday Adaptive Planning is the University's planning solution designed for budget planning, forecasting and
reporting. The system is integrated with Workday and allows Brown to leverage a unified process by utilizing
human resources and financials data in support of the budget and forecasting processes.

Budget Managers requiring access to perform certain functions such as entering plan data on sheets or
accessing reporting must have the appropriate role as well as Adaptive hands-on training. This guide assumes
users have access to Adaptive, completed training and are knowledgeable of the University’s financial
processes.

USING ADAPTIVE PLANNING

Logging into Adaptive
To log into Adaptive via single sign on, you must use the Adaptive link in Workday under Menu > Links to
Other Applications > Adaptive Insights:

Navigating Adaptive
From the landing page, users will see what they have access to (i.e., Sheets, Reports and Integrations). Data
in sheets and reports that users will have access to are determined by the Level (cost center/cost center
hierarchy) assigned and the Version (i.e., FY24 Budget – Approved (May 2023)). Importing data is
granted via Integrations and secured separately, which is not covered in this user guide.

Sheets
Sheets provide an interface to view, enter, and
update data (such as budget and forecasts). Our
planning model is comprised of 11 modeled
sheets that are used in the detailed planning of
budgets and forecasts. When navigating into a
sheet, user must select a version and a level. You
must select a leaf level (i.e., CC90070) to change
the data in cells.

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Sheet Functionality
The following list of actions are available within modeled sheets:

• (A) Save - Submits your changes to the database. Once you save a sheet, other users can see your
changes when they open this sheet. Other sheets that use the data are also updated.
• (B) Download - Downloads data to a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel (*xls).
o The Download option includes all hidden values and codes.
o The Printable View option excludes all hidden values and codes, and respects your current
view state.
• (C) Add Row - Adds a new record to a modeled sheet.
• (D) Delete Row - Deletes the selected row or rows.
• (E) Display Options
o Filter Rows based on available dimensions
o Hide Columns that are not required in the process
• (F) Refresh Sheet - Updates sheet with any new changes that might have been made to the data by
other users. Discards any changes that you have made before saving.
• (G) Filter - Opens a keyword field so you can enter numbers or words to display records that match
within existing filters.

Modeled sheets also contain “Right-click Actions” that allow user to Add, Copy, or Delete Row. Clear
option clears data for a selected range without deleting the lines.

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Drop-down Lists – All columns except for numeric and
freeform text columns are configured with drop-down lists of
acceptable values. Users can enter partial data in the cell and
the system will match to available values for that column. For
example, if you enter “3010”, the system will return “General
Office Supplies (3010)”.

Reporting
You can use reports to display
Workday Adaptive Planning data,
based on your report parameters.
Reports combine data from all sheets
and accounts as well as actuals. You
can only view data to which you have
access based on the Level assigned.
When you run a report in HTML
mode, the result displays in the
Report Viewer.

Report Viewer
From the Report Viewer, you can:

• Add notes to the report or line items. • Change the parameter values to see
• Download the report to Excel or PDF. For different data.
PDF, you need the Download to Excel • Click values in the report to launch the
permission. Cell Explorer.
• Drill down into dimensions for additional
details.

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Multi-Select
Multi-select allows users to view
reports by multiple parameters which
don’t necessary corelate. This may be
useful in situations where Adaptive
updates haven’t caught up with in-
process organization changes, or
simply for special use cases. Please
note that when using multi-select
while choosing report parameters,
default selections must be de-selected
before individual selections can be
made.

BUDGET AND
FORECAST PROCESS
Budgeting and forecasting are two of the University’s financial processes that take place in Adaptive Planning
during the fiscal year. These two processes are managed by the use of versions in the system. During the
planning cycle, two working versions may be available, one for current year forecast, for example FY24
Forecast (Working) and/or one for next year’s budget FY25 Budget (Working).

All other historical versions are accessible via sheets and reports as “read-only”. For example, the FY24 Budget
- Approved (May 2023) version reflects the budget that was
approved by the Brown Corporation in May 2023.

Version Availability
In the Fall, only the forecast version is available for planning.
However, in the Winter, both versions (forecast and budget)
will be open simultaneously for planning. It is important to be
to mindful when selecting the version that you will be working
on. As you navigate through the process between sheets,
ensure that the correct version continues to display on the top-
right corner of the sheet as shown below:

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Understanding and Updating Compensation Sheets
General Information
Compensation planning consists primarily of the following sheets below.

Faculty Salary / Staff Salary

Faculty and Staff Salary sheet supports planning for faculty and staff salaries at the position level. Sheet contains
position level information such as annual salary, effective start and end dates. This information is used by the
Faculty and Staff Salary Allocation sheets to calculate amounts by funding source.

• Salary lines should be updated to reflect Effective Start and End Dates based on time periods
employees will be paid during the fiscal year.
• Pay Rate - Effective should reflect FTE Base Salary for the fiscal year.
• Merit and Equity is budgeted in Pooled Compensation and moved to positions during the Forecast
period.
• New positions (approved by the Staff Vacancy Review Committee) should be added both in Salary
and Allocations sheets. (applies only to Staff)
• Remove vacant positions that will no longer be filled.
• Positions partially vacant during the fiscal year should be updated using Effective Start and End
Dates to drive budget/forecast.
• Compensation such as Non-Regular Faculty Salaries and Seasonal Staff Salaries can be entered in
Pooled Compensation as pooled amounts.
• Union positions should be updated for salary increases based on bargaining agreements.
Departments can opt to enter in Pooled Compensation as pooled if contracts are not yet finalized.

Faculty / Staff Allocation

This sheet uses data from the salary sheet to calculate annual plans based on allocation percentages entered per
funding source line.

• All positions added to the salary sheet must have at least one corresponding allocation line.
• Ensure positions are allocated at 100%.

Pooled Compensation
Pooled Compensation sheet supports planning for additional compensation needs that are not at the position
level (i.e., overtime)

• All seasonal positions should be entered on the pooled compensation sheet; either as a lump sum or
on individual lines for each position.
• Other compensation such as overtime and shift differentials should be budgeted as pooled
compensation.

Student Wages
The Student Wages sheet supports the planning of wages paid to students for on-campus employment. This
includes hourly jobs for undergraduate or graduate students as well as non-stipend, non-fellowship, lump sum
wages paid to undergraduate or graduate students.

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 • Student wage calculations should be reviewed to verify that the start and end dates, number of
students, hourly rates, and hours worked are correct.

Sheet Examples
Review important information about using the salary and allocation sheets as well as their design and
functionality. Staffing sheets are more complex and it is important to understand how they work together.

Staff Salary Sheet

• When creating new lines or updating existing, ensure you have selected the appropriate Version and
Level as shown above in red. The level must be a cost center when creating new lines.

• Required Fields - All white fields should be filled out. Some of the fields are required by the system
and users cannot save changes until those fields are filled out. See green arrow as example of a required
field which is indicated by a red asterisk (*). For additional information on Adaptive required fields,
reference the Adaptive Required Fields List in Adaptive Shared Reports.

• FTE - Effective - Enter appropriate FTE for the position, but keep in mind, it does not calculate the Pay
Rate Effective.

• Pay Rate Effective - This field should reflect the base salary for the FTE, which must be calculated
outside of the system. It is essentially an override value to ensure the correct salary is budgeted. For
example: a position with an annual full-time base salary of $100,000 working part-time at a .92 FTE
would result in a $92,000 Pay Rate Effective. ($100,000*0.92=$92,000).

○ If the field is left blank or “0” entered, the salary calculation on the allocations sheet defaults
to the Pay Rate - Current amount. Delete salary and allocation lines no longer needed in the
staffing plan.

• Effective Start Date and Effective End Date - These dates should be within the fiscal year that the
salary is being planned for. These dates in combination with the ``Pay Rate Effective” calculate the
amount displayed under “Salary - Year 1” on the corresponding allocation. Reminder: The system does
not use FTE in the calculation.

Staff Salary Allocation

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• When creating new lines or updating existing, ensure you have selected the appropriate Version and
Level as shown above in red. The level must be a cost center when creating new lines.

• Required Fields - All white fields should be filled out. Some of the fields are required by the system
and users cannot save changes until those fields are filled out. See green arrow as example of a required
field which is indicated by a red asterisk (*).

• Approval Status – This is a required field, both by the system and by the process, implemented in the
Fall 2022 forecast process. Field is required by all sheets except Faculty and Staff Salary sheets.

○ Approved (on-going): item was approved in the budget by the Brown Corporation or the
Staff Hiring Committee (if a new position). The item will likely be necessary in future years,
but subject to zero-basing its budget impact.

○ Approved (one-year): item was approved in budget by the Brown Corporation or the Staff
Hiring Committee (if a new position). The item will likely only be necessary in the fiscal year
identified.

○ Pending Approval (on-going): item was not included in the approved budget by the Brown
Corporation or has not yet been approved by the Staff Hiring Committee (if a new position).
The item will likely be necessary in future years, but subject to zero-basing its budget impact.

○ Pending Approval (one-year): item was not included in the approved budget by the Brown
Corporation or has not yet been reviewed or approved by the Staff Hiring Committee (if a new
position). The item will likely only be necessary in the fiscal year identified.

• Salary - Year 1 - Equals the “Pay Rate - Effective” from the Salary Sheet prorated based on the
effective start and effective end dates entered.

• Fringe - Year 1 - Fringe amount based on above line times the fringe rate.

• Allocation Total - Year 1 - Input field to indicate the percentage of “Salary - Year 1” that will be
charged to the specified Ledger Account and funding sources (Driver Worktag and Optional Worktags)
on the allocation line. Positions with multiple funding sources require additional allocation lines
ensuring that allocation is 100% for all lines.

• Allocated Salary - Year 1 - Total calculated salary based on allocation inputs.

• Allocated Fringe - Year 1 - Total calculated fringe based on allocation inputs.

• Allocation Check - Year 1 - This is important to ensure the position is allocated 100%.

• Over/Under - Year 1 - This field indicates if the position is over/under allocated regardless of what
department has the allocations. All positions should be 100% allocated. Shared positions with funding
sources across multiple departments can only be reported on by staff with access at levels above
departments. Contact the Budget Office with any issues on over/under allocated positions outside your
department.

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Understanding and Updating Expense Sheets
General Information
Non-compensation expense planning consists of several sheets as shown below that should be reviewed and
updated, if applicable to your department. Some sheets are designed to support driver-based planning
(Quantity x Rate ($)) to derive the annual amount as well as supporting non-driver planning through the use
of the Annual Override, if needed. If Annual Override is entered, Final Amount will calculate based on that
value.

Example:

• Driver-based in red
• Override in green

Other Expenses
The Other Expenses sheet supports planning for spend categories not supported by other sheets, primarily
Graduate Student Aid, Undergraduate Student Aid and Student Wages.

Note: Coordinate with OFSP if changes are needed to University Contributions.

Undergraduate Student Aid

The Undergraduate Student Aid sheet supports the planning of student prizes and awards granted within
the defined budget period. Hourly wages are not supported on this sheet and are defined on the Student
Wages Sheet.

Graduate Student Aid

The Graduate Student Aid Sheet supports the user to define graduate student aid including stipends, health
insurance, dental insurance and living allowances granted within the defined budget period.

Understanding and Updating Revenue Sheets

General Information
Revenue planning consists of two planning sheets as listed below that should be reviewed and updated, if
applicable to your department. Similar to expense sheets, revenue sheets are designed to support driver-based
planning (Quantity x Rate ($)) to derive the Annual Amount as well as supporting non-driver planning through
the use of the Annual Override, if needed.

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Tuition & Enrollment
This sheet supports the planning of all tuition revenue such as Undergraduate, Masters, and PhDs and should
reflect the Corporation approved rates and the most recent enrollment projections. Verify that program codes
are correct and that tuition & enrollment for any new programs are added.

Other Revenue
This sheet supports the planning of all other major revenue streams as well as fees that are part of Tuition &
Fees ledger account. All restricted revenue must equal total expenses by Driver Worktag.

Other Revenue should be reviewed and updated based on the following:

• Auxiliary revenue (based on enrollment) should be calculated using Corporation approved rates and
the most recent enrollment projections.
• Other revenue budgets should reflect known changes with assumptions or year-to-date actuals.
• Restricted revenue (i.e., endowment, contributions, sponsored funding) should be recognized when
spent regardless if the spending is from the current year payout or from a prior year’s unspent
balance. Restricted revenue must equal total restricted expenses at the Driver Worktag level.

Data/Worktag Accuracy Review

Table includes list of changes/corrections made to versions opening for the forecast/budget process (i.e.,
FY24 Budget (Working) & FY23 Forecast (Working)). Departments must review and ensure data is accurate
for submission. If you need assistance, please contact Bonny Gonzalez.

# Data/Worktag Description Changes Made by OFSP

1 Fiscal Year Dates are used in planning to drive the FY25 Budget (Working)
fiscal year in which the data will be reported. When
planning, ensure that the dates correspond to the All sheets have been reset to reflect the
Fiscal Year Dates year/version that you’re working with. new fiscal year 7/1/24 – 6/30/25
Department should review and adjust dates as needed,
particularly in staffing sheets where multiple lines may
exist in the Staff/Faculty Salary sheets for a given
position.
2 When entering data in sheets, the Driver_Worktag FY24 Forecast (Working)
must equal the Level if Driver Type = Cost Center
Level vs Level in plan lines for Endowments,
Driver_Worktag If Driver Type is not Cost Center, the Driver_Worktag Spendable Gifts and Grants that moved
Cost Center (i.e., Endowment) must belong to the Level (cost were updated to match the cost center
center) on the driver worktag. This will be in
sync with Workday.
Exception: If Endowment, Spendable Gift or Grant is
expected to move, use the Level (cost center) to which
the Driver_Worktag will be moving into.
3 Data should never be entered at a cost center No action taken
Data in Cost hierarchy level, only at cost center.
Center Hierarchy

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 4 Positions that have been closed in Workday should not Moved data to pooled compensation in
be included in staffing sheets. These will not load into both versions - FY24 Forecast
Closed Positions Workday. (Working) and FY25 Budget
(Working).
For a list of closed positions in Workday, please use
the Workday report “Position Maintenance by
Supervisory Organization”.
5 Unallocated All positions in Staff and Faculty Salary sheets must No action taken; Must be reviewed by
Positions have a corresponding allocation in the Allocations Department
sheet in order to be included in the budget/forecast.

6 Positions should not be over/under allocated or No action taken; Must be reviewed by

Over/Under budgets can be over/understated. Example of position Department
allocated allocated twice:
positions

7 Lines with inactive worktags will not load into No action taken; Must be reviewed by
Workday. Ensure data is using only active worktags Department
Using Inactive and/or accounts.
Worktags, Sales For a list of active Programs, Spend Categories and
Items and Spend Sales Items, including mapping to Ledger Accounts,
Categories please visit the Controller’s Office

For additional assistance, contact Bonny Gonzalez.

Reporting
For a list of Adaptive Planning Reports and descriptions, download “List of Adaptive Planning Reports.xlsx”
shared through Adaptive Reporting.

HELP & CONTACTS

● For support on using Adaptive, including importing functionality and reporting, please submit a
training request via Adaptive Training and Support Request Form. For technical issues, submit a
Workday Ticket with Workday Category “Adaptive Insights” and someone in our team will be in
contact.
● For support on financial processes, please contact your budget liaison via email. For a list of contacts,
see our listing under About Us on our website.

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