Merge Plan Dialog

Use the Merge Plan dialog to merge a plan with the current open plan.

Merging a Client Plan with the Current Plan

1. From the Planner’s File menu, click Merge Client File. The Merge Plan dialog opens.
2. In the list of plans on the Merge Plan dialog, choose a plan to be merged with the current open plan.
3. Click Merge.

About Merging Plans

The Merge Client File command on the File menu allows you to combine the information saved in a file with the information in the currently open analysis. This feature helps bridge users incorporate yearly tax data into a single multi-year historical planning file. This help article utilizes the following terminology:

The analysis open before the merge is the open analysis. The file that contains the data you want to merge into the open analysis is called the merge file. After the merge, the resultant file is the merged analysis. Files are merged in this manner: the program combines the open analysis with the merge file to produce the merged analysis, the analysis that is open after completing the merge. You may want to save the merged analysis with a different name to distinguish it from the open analysis.

When utilizing this command, we recommend opening the historical file first, then merge the single-year, single-case bridge data into it.

If the merge file contains a year that is also part of the open analysis, you are prompted to either overwrite the overlapping year(s) or add the merge data as a new case(s) to the merged analysis.

If the merge file contains a year which is not part of the open analysis, the program automatically extends the range of years covered by the merged analysis.

The program allows for replicating data from existing cases into any new cases as well as replicating existing years into new years. The merge processes all worksheet data, including custom worksheets, individual activities and securities (these are discussed in detail below). Any linked information or state specification information is ignored in the merge file. Link information or state specification information is retained from the open analysis.

Custom worksheets

If the open analysis and merge file have custom worksheets, all custom worksheet rows from both analyses are incorporated into the merged analysis:

If both the open analysis and merge file have a custom worksheet attached to the same row, the custom worksheet in the merged analysis will contain the custom worksheet rows from both analyses. The total row at the bottom of the custom worksheet in the merged analysis will have the combined total from both of the analyses.

If either the open analysis or merge file has a custom worksheet attached to a particular worksheet row but the other analysis does not, the custom worksheet will be attached to that same row in the merged analysis. However, if the analysis which did not have the custom worksheet has data in the row to which the custom worksheet is attached (the parent row), the program will create an extra row in the custom worksheet of the merged analysis with the row description “Merged Amount”.

Individual Activities & Securities

Individual Activities from the merge file are “matched” against the Individual Activities in the open analysis. Two activities match if their description and attributes as specified on the Individual Activities screen agree (i.e. Passive or MAPRRA, Active Real Estate etc.). If an activity from the merge file does not match an existing activity in the open analysis it is added as a new activity.

Securities from the Security Transaction Analyzer follow the same approach as above.

Merge Conflicts & Merge Conflict Log

Data will not be merged if the worksheet row specified in the merge file has an active built-in worksheet from the same row in the open analysis. Data will also not be merged if the row specified in the merge file would activate a worksheet in the open file and subsequently overwrite entries on access rows to this worksheet. The Merge Conflict Log can be reopened at any time from the Help menu and allows copy-and-paste capabilities, to assist you with finalizing the merge.

The program produces a Merge Conflict Log (accessible from the Help menu) that lists the data from the merge file that could not be merged. Data for the most recent merge is listed at the end of the log.