Archiving scenarios removes them from active processing while preserving their data for future use. This keeps your Catalyst environment clean and responsive without permanently losing historical information.
Why archive scenarios?
As your organization uses Catalyst over time, scenarios accumulate. Last year's budget, completed forecasts, retired planning models—these all served critical purposes but may no longer need active processing.
Slower Processing
Nightly, daily, and hourly jobs take longer with each additional active scenario
Cluttered Dropdowns
Users waste time scrolling through long lists to find relevant scenarios
Complex Maintenance
More scenarios mean more configurations to manage and troubleshoot
Archiving solves these problems by moving scenario data out of active processing into dedicated archive storage. The key advantage: you can restore archived scenarios whenever needed.
Understanding your options
Archive (Recommended)
Best for: Scenarios you don't need now but might need later
Data moves to archive tables and stops processing. Significantly improves performance. Can be restored through the UI anytime.
Delete
Best for: Scenarios you're certain you'll never need again
Permanently removes scenario and all data. Maximum performance improvement. Cannot be restored by users—requires EBM support and is not guaranteed.
Hide (Visibility Toggles)
Best for: Decluttering interfaces when archiving isn't possible
Removes from Planning, Reports, and Cube dropdown lists. Data continues processing normally. Minimal performance impact but cleaner user experience.
How to archive a scenario
Step-by-Step Instructions
Navigate to the scenario
Go to Administration → Scenarios and click Edit on the scenario you want to archive
Click the Archive button
Scroll to the bottom of the scenario settings and click Archive (or Delete if you want permanent removal)
Confirm the action
A confirmation dialog will appear asking "Are you sure?" Click OK to proceed
Wait for processing
The operation enters a job queue. You'll see the change reflected after the next cube refresh completes (typically 30-60 minutes on large systems)
📋 Viewing Archived Scenarios
To see your list of archived scenarios:
- Go to Administration → Scenarios
- Check the Include Archived Scenarios checkbox at the top of the page
- The list will update to show all archived scenarios alongside active ones
🔄 Unarchiving Scenarios
To restore an archived scenario, edit it and click the Unarchive button at the bottom. The scenario will be restored to active status and resume processing with the next cube refresh.
What happens when you archive
📊 Data Relocation
All scenario data moves from active tables to dedicated archive tables
⚙️ Processing Stops
Removed from all scheduled jobs (nightly, daily, hourly)
📉 Cube Removal
No longer appears in reports, planning pages, or Excel
🔗 Dependencies Break
Formulas referencing this scenario will stop working
⚠️ Important: Once archived, there is no way to view the scenario's data in the cube or anywhere else in Catalyst until you unarchive it. The data is preserved in archive tables but is completely inaccessible for viewing or analysis while in archived status.
Who can archive scenarios
- Any user with Edit permissions on the Scenario Management page
- Client Admins always have this capability
Scenarios that cannot be archived
Some scenarios serve critical system functions and are protected from archiving:
Actuals Scenarios
Core financial data that feeds calculations throughout your system. Can be archived through EBM backend support (billable).
Pro Forma Scenarios
GAAP adjustments and forward-looking projections used in strategic planning. Can be archived through EBM backend support (billable).
Scenarios with Active Dependencies
Any scenario referenced by other active scenarios, calculations, or reports. Must resolve dependencies first.
Smartload Integration Scenarios
Scenarios tied directly to automated data pipelines. Use visibility toggles as a workaround.
Alternative: Deleting scenarios
Deletion permanently removes scenarios from Catalyst. Use this only when you're absolutely certain you'll never need the scenario or its data again.
What Happens When You Delete
- Complete removal: Scenario and all data permanently deleted from all database tables
- Maximum performance gain: Provides the greatest improvement to processing times
- No user restoration: Only EBM can potentially restore from backup (significant effort, not guaranteed)
Deletion has the same restrictions as archiving—actuals, pro forma, and scenarios with dependencies cannot be deleted without first resolving those dependencies or obtaining backend support.
Alternative: Hiding scenarios
When you can't archive or delete a scenario due to dependencies, visibility toggles provide a workaround that declutters user interfaces without affecting data processing.
The Three Visibility Settings
What actually happens when you hide
- Data continues processing: The scenario is fully exploded and processed exactly as before
- Minimal performance impact: Hiding from the cube saves only a few minutes during final cube loading
- Cleaner interfaces: Users no longer see the scenario in dropdown lists
- Dependencies preserved: Other scenarios can still reference the hidden scenario's data
Best practice: When archiving is blocked, deselect all three visibility toggles and change refresh frequency to Daily instead of Hourly for maximum cleanup benefit.
How archiving differs from locking
📦 Archiving Scenarios
- Controls whether scenarios exist in active processing
- Affects entire scenarios across all periods
- Impacts system performance and data availability
- Used for cleanup and optimization
- Significantly improves processing performance
🔒 Locking Periods
- Controls who can edit data in specific time periods
- Period-specific within active scenarios
- Prevents accidental changes to finalized data
- Used for data governance and workflow control
- Does NOT improve processing performance
Performance note: You'll experience significant processing improvements from archiving scenarios, but you will NOT see performance improvements from locking periods or locking entire scenarios. Locking is purely for data governance and preventing edits—it doesn't affect how Catalyst processes data.
Example: You might archive your entire "2022 Budget" scenario because it's no longer relevant. Separately, in your active "2024 Budget" scenario, you might lock January–March to prevent changes while keeping April–December open.
Learn more: How to Lock Scenarios and Periods in Catalyst
Troubleshooting: Can't archive?
When archiving is blocked, it's almost always because the scenario has dependencies. The system prevents archiving to protect data integrity and avoid broken references.
Common Dependency Types & Resolutions
| Dependency | Why Blocked | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Other Active Scenarios | Would break calculations | Edit dependent scenario to remove reference |
| Archived Scenarios | System maintains dependency tracking | Unarchive, then delete the dependent |
| Actuals/Pro Forma | Foundation for calculations | Contact EBM for backend archival |
| Smartload Integrations | Would disrupt automated workflows | Use visibility toggle workaround |
How to Resolve Archived Scenario Dependencies
- Identify the dependency: Contact EBM Support to identify which archived scenarios reference your target
- Unarchive the dependent: Temporarily restore it to active status
- Delete the dependent: Permanently remove it from the system
- Archive your target: Now free of dependencies, it can be archived
Note: Archiving and deleting trigger cube rebuilds. Schedule during off-peak hours. Large systems may take 30-60 minutes.
Visibility Toggle Workaround (When Archiving Is Impossible)
- Go to Administration → Scenarios and edit the problematic scenario
- Deselect: Show in Cube, Show in Planning, Show in Reports
- Change Refresh Frequency from Hourly to Daily
- Save changes
This "soft archive" removes the scenario from user interfaces while preserving dependencies.
Quick Reference
| Feature | Archive | Delete | Hide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data retained? | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Users can restore? | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Improves processing? | ✅ Significant | ✅ Maximum | ❌ Minimal |
| Declutters UI? | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Breaks dependencies? | ❌ Yes | ❌ Yes | ✅ No |
Additional Information
Data Integration Behavior
- Archived scenarios: Stop receiving data from ERP or other sources. Act as frozen snapshots. When unarchived, automated data flows resume.
- Deleted scenarios: No longer receive any data. Cannot be reconnected to data flows without full restoration by EBM.
- Hidden scenarios: Continue receiving all data updates normally. Visibility settings don't affect data integration processes.
Locked periods: If your integration attempts to load data for locked periods, Catalyst receives the data but won't push it to the scenario or cube. The data is held until the period is unlocked. Learn more
Future Enhancements in Development
EBM is actively developing several improvements to scenario management:
Self-Service Archiving for Actuals/Pro Forma
Currently requires backend support. Self-service capability planned for future release.
Scenario Freezing Feature
Will allow you to "lock down" scenarios to prevent processing (improving performance) while still allowing data to be viewed in the cube and Catalyst. This provides the performance benefits of archiving without losing access to historical data for analysis.
Enhanced Dependency Management
Improved visualization and resolution workflows to simplify identifying and resolving dependencies before archiving.
Key takeaway: Archiving is the recommended approach for removing scenarios from active use—it provides significant performance improvements while preserving data for future restoration. Use deletion only when you're absolutely certain you'll never need the scenario again. When dependencies prevent archiving, visibility toggles offer a practical workaround that declutters interfaces without breaking system functionality.
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