FAQ: Archived and Locked Versions
- How can I lock the actuals overlay in a plan version?
- Use the Archive Version option, which stores the actuals overlay data in the plan. You can restate actuals without affecting the archived version.
- How do I choose between locking and archiving versions?
- In general, lock versions to prevent end users from changing the data. Archive versions to prevent administrators from changing the data through model updates.Typically, locking versions enables you to review data before finalizing it without the threat of ongoing changes to the data from team members.Archived versions store the data exactly how it appears at the time of archive, including calculations that reference rollups, actuals overlay, and links. Archiving better protects data integrity in historical versions. There are still exceptions. See Concept: Locked, Archived, and Hidden Versions.
- Is there a limit to the number of archived versions I can have?
- There's no limit for the number of archived versions you can have. However, depending on the size of the versions you have archived, you may surpass the storage limit of your instance. This prevents you from archiving more versions. To avoid reaching this limit:
- Delete versions you no longer need.
- Reduce the size of the version before archiving.
- If necessary, contact us to request an increase to your storage capacity.
- How can I reduce the size of my versions before archiving?
- Once archived, the only way to reduce the size of the version would be to unarchive it and make changes. Instead, follow these best practices to reduce the size of your versions so that you’re less likely to exceed your storage limit after archiving:
- Reduce the periods between the Left Scroll Limit and End of Plan.
- Remove any unnecessary data that exists in sheets and accounts in the version.
- Remove unnecessary links and calculated accounts or change the Override Formula setting to Data Entry.
- What must I do with existing versions that have Calculate Formula Values enabled?
- There’s no action that you must take at this time. The Calculate Formula Values functionality will remain as-is until we deprecate it in a future release, targeted for March 2026. For more information, see FAQ: Deprecation of Calculate Formula Values.
- How does the Erase Data option on sheets impact the data in an archived version?
- For modeled sheets, the Erase Data option from the Sheet Summary deletes the rows from the sheet as well as the calculated values in the modeled accounts for both locked and archived versions.For cube sheets, the Erase Data option doesn't delete the data in archived versions, but deletes the data in locked versions.
- When does archiving a version cause an immediate change to the data?
- There are a few use cases where the value of the archived version immediately changes upon archiving. We change:
- Allocated values in the actuals overlay periods can potentially change because:
- We apply the rules that are associated with the plan version to all periods, including actuals overlay periods. We no longer apply the rules from actuals.
- Source accounts in the allocation rule use the value in the actuals version to calculate the allocated value. In the archived version, we take the source value from the actuals overlay time periods, which might be different when the source account has the setting,No actuals for account (show plan data).
- When your plan version has an actuals overlay version that is a rollup of sub-versions, cube accounts with weighted average rollups on actuals overlay periods in plan versions might change if more than 1 sub-version has a value for the account.
- When the left scroll limit of actuals is before the left scroll limit of the plan version, WAT (weighted average translation) accounts might change because they no longer rely on the actuals version data prior to the left scroll limit of the plan version.
- Calculated values that have formula errors to zeros or blanks.