Scenarios are the foundation of financial planning in Catalyst — they organize your data into meaningful time-based classifications like Actuals, Budgets, and Forecasts. This guide covers what scenarios are, the full set of scenario types and how each behaves, how to create them, and best practices for managing them effectively — including the four-tier refresh frequency system that drives processing performance. For details on monitoring and refreshing scenarios on demand, see the System Status Page guide.
What is a Scenario?
A scenario in Catalyst is a period-based classification that organizes financial and profitability data within predefined 12-month time intervals. Think of scenarios as different lenses through which you can view and analyze your business data — each representing a unique perspective on performance.
Scenarios let you separate historical performance (Actuals) from forward-looking projections (Budgets and Forecasts), and they can also be derived from one another to produce variances, rolling views, and year-to-date roll-ups. This makes it easy to compare expectations against results and track progress toward financial goals.
Historical Tracking
Capture actual performance data and use it as the baseline for variance analysis.
Goal Setting
Define budgets and targets that lock in once finalized to anchor performance accountability.
Forecasting
Project future outcomes and update them as conditions change for proactive decision-making.
Scenario Types
When you create a scenario you assign it a Scenario Type. The type determines how Catalyst treats the data — whether you enter values directly, or whether Catalyst builds the scenario from one or more existing scenarios. The available types fall into two groups.
Hold data directly — either loaded from your financial systems or entered through Planning. They stand on their own and are what other scenarios are built from.
Actuals · Actuals Proforma · Budget · Forecast
Calculated from other scenarios. You point them at a base (and sometimes a related scenario or period) and Catalyst generates the output automatically.
Dependent · Variance · TTM · YTD
Source Scenario Types
These types hold their own data. They are the building blocks of your model and the starting point for any derived scenario.
Derived Scenario Types
Derived types don't hold their own entered data — Catalyst calculates them from scenarios you already have. When you choose one of these types, additional fields appear on the creation form so you can tell Catalyst what to build from (a Base Scenario, and depending on the type, a Related Scenario or a Base Period).
Configuration tip. The Scenario Type you pick controls which fields appear on the form. Source types show only the standard settings; derived types reveal a Base Scenario selector, and then either a Related Scenario (Variance), a Base Period (TTM and YTD), or Independent Overrides (Dependent). The quick reference below summarizes what each type asks for.
Type Configuration Reference
Use this table to see at a glance what Catalyst needs from you for each type, and whether the scenario holds its own data or is calculated.
Heads up. Derived scenarios depend on their base. If you archive, delete, or stop refreshing a base scenario, the Variance, Dependent, TTM, or YTD scenarios built on it will be affected. Confirm what's pointing at a scenario before you retire it.
💡 Quick Check: Scenario Types
You want a scenario that automatically shows the difference between Actuals and Budget. Which scenario type should you create?
Creating a New Scenario
Creating scenarios in Catalyst is straightforward, but be thoughtful about when and why you create new ones. Each active scenario increases processing time during scheduled data refreshes — though the new refresh frequency tiers give you fine-grained control over which scenarios add load to which jobs (covered below).
Performance consideration. Be conservative when adding new scenarios. Even with the four-tier frequency system, every scenario consumes resources during whatever scheduled job it belongs to. Only create scenarios that serve a distinct analytical purpose.
Step-by-Step Creation Process
Navigate to Manage Scenarios
Go to Administration → Scenario under Site Management to access the Manage Scenario screen.
Click "Add Scenario"
Select the Add Scenario button at the bottom right of the page to open the scenario configuration form.
Configure Scenario Details
Enter all required information including descriptions, type, fiscal year, availability settings, and refresh frequency (see the configuration table below). If you choose a derived type, fill in the Base Scenario and any additional fields it reveals.
Save and wait
Click Save to create the scenario. The system takes approximately 5 minutes to build the scenario before it becomes available in planning screens.
Scenario Configuration Options
When creating a new scenario, you'll configure the following settings:
Processing note. If the new scenario is made available in Cubes and Reports, a full reprocess of the data will be required before it appears in Catalyst. Plan accordingly if you need the scenario available by a specific time.
Scenario Refresh Frequency Tiers
Every scenario is assigned one of four refresh frequencies. This setting determines when the scenario rebuilds during scheduled jobs and is the single biggest performance lever in Catalyst administration.
Optimization recommendation. Move as many scenarios as possible to Weekly or Don't Schedule. Every scenario in the Hourly tier slows down hourly refreshes for everyone; every scenario in Daily extends the overnight job window. The fewer scenarios in Hourly and Daily, the faster all scheduled jobs complete.
Managing Existing Scenarios
Once scenarios are created, you'll manage them throughout their lifecycle — adjusting settings, locking periods, demoting them to lower-frequency tiers, and eventually archiving completed scenarios.
Accessing Scenario Management
- Navigate to Administration in the main menu
- Select Scenario under Site Management
- Click on the scenario you want to manage
Scenario Management Options
The scenario management screen provides access to all configuration and control options:
Lock Periods
Control editing access within Planning screens. Administrators can lock specific periods or the entire year to prevent changes after budget cycles close. Periods can be reopened if adjustments are needed.
Actuals Thru Period
Link specific periods to actual financial data. When Actuals update during those linked months, your planning scenario automatically syncs. Linked periods cannot be edited during planning.
Scenario Source Periods
Set up connections to copy data from other scenarios during initial configuration. This creates a one-time snapshot — changes in the source scenario after setup won't automatically flow through.
Refresh Frequency
Adjust how often Catalyst refreshes the scenario during scheduled jobs (Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Don't Schedule). Demoting older scenarios to lower-frequency tiers is the most effective way to improve overall system performance without removing data access.
Archive Scenario
Archive scenarios that are no longer needed for active analysis. Archived scenarios are stored for reference but don't consume processing resources. For scenarios you still want to access occasionally but don't need refreshed automatically, consider setting frequency to Don't Schedule instead.
Associations
Create variance calculations between scenarios for use in Volume Planning. Select an association type, choose the scenario to compare against, and Catalyst calculates the differences automatically.
🎯 Scenario: Budget Cycle Complete
Your organization has just completed the FY26 budget cycle. Leadership wants to ensure no one accidentally modifies the finalized budget numbers, and you also want to reduce its impact on overnight processing. What's the best approach?
Advanced Scenario Features
Scenario Source Periods
When you create a Budget, Forecast, or Dependent scenario, a Source Periods section expands at the bottom of the form. It lets you seed the new scenario with data pulled from an existing scenario, period by period — so you don't have to start every budget or forecast from a blank slate. Choosing source periods is optional; skip it if you plan to populate every period yourself.
For each period, you pick which scenario to copy from. A common pattern is to pull the early months from Actuals and the remaining months from a prior Budget or Forecast, giving you a realistic starting point that you then refine in Planning.
The most important thing to know. Source periods are a one-time capture, taken the moment the scenario is created. The link is not dynamic — if you later change the source scenario, those changes will not flow into the scenario you built from it. Make sure the source is finalized before you create the new scenario.
Because of that one-time behavior, the order of operations matters. Follow this sequence to avoid surprises:
Finalize the source scenario first
Make every change you need in the source scenario before you create the new one. Whatever it contains at creation time is exactly what gets copied.
Assign a source per period
In the Source Periods section, choose which scenario each period copies from. Leave a period unset if you intend to enter its data manually.
Save and refine
Catalyst captures the data once. From here, adjust the new scenario in Planning — the copied values are now its own and won't be overwritten by the source.
Need a live link instead? If you want a scenario that continuously stays in sync with another, source periods aren't the right tool — use a Dependent scenario, or link periods to live Actuals with Actuals Thru Period. See Actuals Thru and Dependent Scenarios and the dedicated Scenario Source Periods guide for the full walkthrough.
The "Fixed" Column Option
When assigning existing scenarios to source periods during scenario creation, you'll see a "Fixed" column option for each period.
What "Fixed" does. Selecting Fixed converts profitability data into end-result calculations by pulling Fixed Rates instead of percentage-based rates (like % of Gross Sales). This removes any rate planning rates loaded into the system, providing a more precise calculation methodology.
Practical Example: Locking During Budget Cycles
Consider a scenario where you need to prevent edits after a budget cutoff date:
Lock through Period 12
The entire fiscal year becomes locked and adjustments are restricted.
Submit for leadership review
The locked scenario can be reviewed without risk of accidental changes.
Reopen if needed
After review, specific periods can be unlocked if adjustments are required.
Best Practices
✓ Do this
- Create scenarios only when they serve a distinct purpose
- Match the type to the job — use derived types (Variance, TTM, YTD) instead of building roll-ups by hand
- Use clear, consistent naming conventions
- Lock scenarios after budget cycles close
- Demote scenarios down the frequency ladder as they age (Hourly → Daily → Weekly → Don't Schedule)
- Archive scenarios that are truly no longer needed
- Document scenario purposes for your team
✗ Avoid this
- Creating duplicate scenarios for minor variations
- Retiring a base scenario without checking what's derived from it
- Leaving finalized budgets unlocked
- Keeping old scenarios on Hourly refresh indefinitely
- Expecting source period links to auto-update
- Deleting scenarios when locking or archiving would preserve audit trail
- Forgetting to save after making changes
🎓 Knowledge Check
Test your understanding of Catalyst scenarios
1. You have a scenario that's no longer actively used but you still want to keep it accessible for reference. What's the best refresh frequency setting?
Related Resources
Scenarios are essential for organizing and analyzing financial data in Catalyst. By understanding the available types — source types like Actuals, Actuals Proforma, Budget, and Forecast, and derived types like Dependent, Variance, TTM, and YTD — and using the four-tier refresh frequency system strategically, you can structure your data to support meaningful analysis without sacrificing system performance. Be conservative when creating new scenarios, lock completed budgets, demote aging scenarios down the frequency ladder, and archive scenarios that are truly no longer needed.
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