Tech Talks After Hours: Going out on a LIM (Line Item Modeling)

Join Teresa Kress and Tom Linton and learn about using LIM as a replacement for People Planning (PLP), Thing Planning (TLP) and even Capital Planning (CPP) implementations. They'll discuss sunset and support dates for the old register-based tools, what can (and cannot) be migrated from PLP/TLP to LIM, the benefits and features of LIM and where you can go for more information. They will also give an overview of both LIM as well as Workforce Planning Express (WPX) and how they can be used together to accelerate your time-to-value!

Going Out on a LIM: Line Item Modeling

• What Line Item Modeling Is: Line Item Modeling (LIM) is a Solution Exchange tool designed for granular, high-volume planning that doesn't belong inside the financial cube — think employee-level workforce data, project planning, SKU detail, or individual sales trips. It is the next-generation replacement for People Planning and Thing Planning, built from the ground up on the modern OneStream platform.
• Three Configurations Available Today: LIM ships in three configurations: Workforce Planning (employee/people planning), Fixed Term, and Duration Based. Fixed Term and Duration Based are the replacements for Thing Planning — the only difference between them is whether you define a start/end date or a start date plus a duration. Capital Planning is targeted for Q4 2026; the remaining register-based tools (cash planning, sales planning, reporting compliance, etc.) are on the 2027 roadmap.
• Sunset Timeline for Legacy Tools: People Planning and Thing Planning were removed from the Solution Exchange in February 2026. End-of-life support for both ends December 2027. You can run LIM and People Planning side by side in the same application during transition — they are completely independent tools.
• Key Improvements Over People Planning and Thing Planning: The old tools capped register fields at roughly 40–55; LIM supports up to 1,026 (a SQL platform limit, not a design limit). Time periods now display across columns rather than rows. Security is now built into the tool itself, independent of OneStream platform security. Formulas are written inside a dashboard interface — no XFBR strings or business rules required for the vast majority of configurations. The tool is also culture-code friendly and workflow-agnostic during the planning process.
• Multiple Instances — When and Why: You can install LIM multiple times within a single application. Common reasons include: running separate instances for annual budget versus monthly forecast (each instance holds one registered data set), supporting regional variations in payroll rules and drivers, managing dev/test versus production separately, splitting large employee populations across instances for performance, and accommodating multiple cube calendars. Each instance is fully independent — fields, formulas, drivers, and security are all separate.
• Security Model: LIM has four layers of its own security, independent of OneStream platform security. Field-level security controls which columns (e.g., salary, name) each user can see. Action/role-based security controls which menus and buttons are accessible. Entity security reads from the dimension library — if a user has entity access in OneStream, that flows through to LIM. Cell-level security allows granular read/write control on individual control list members (similar to UD security). A native OneStream administrator does NOT automatically get LIM admin rights.
• Calendar and Mid-Month Considerations: LIM assumes a January–December calendar out of the box — period 1 maps to January, period 12 to December. Customers on non-standard fiscal years (e.g., July–June) can address this via a date offset approach documented in OneStream Community. Mid-month or partial-month calculations are not available out of the box but can be handled by parsing hire dates into day/month/year fields and comparing to days in the month — a Community article walks through this approach.
• Workforce Planning Express (WPX): WPX is a separate Solution Exchange tool that accelerates LIM workforce implementations by providing 50+ pre-built formulas, predefined accounts, pre-configured drivers, and sample dashboards and reports. It works with or without CPM Express. The workflow is: install LIM first, then install and configure WPX, export a JSON configuration file from WPX, and import that JSON when setting up your first LIM workforce planning instance. WPX only connects to instance number one, so plan accordingly.
• Implementation Effort Estimates: New LIM implementations typically run 200–400 hours, roughly half the time of equivalent People Planning projects. Existing customers migrating from People Planning who do a thoughtful redesign typically run 100–200 hours. A "lift and shift" (replicating the old configuration with minimal redesign) can be done in 50–100 hours — but presenters strongly recommend against it, as it forfeits the expanded capabilities of the new platform. Formulas cannot be migrated directly; they must be rebuilt using LIM's new formula block interface.
• Customizations and Upgrade Safety: LIM upgrades replace the default workspace entirely. Any customizations must be placed in a separate, shared workspace outside the LIM workspace to survive upgrades. A OneStream Community article walks through this process step by step. Always check release notes with each LIM update — releases have been shipping roughly every two months.
• Key Takeaway: Line Item Modeling is a purpose-built, finance-user-friendly replacement for the register-based planning tools — more flexible, more secure, easier to maintain, and designed so that finance teams can own the configuration without IT involvement. For organizations still on People Planning or Thing Planning, December 2027 is the hard end-of-life date, but the new platform is ready now. Start in OneStream Community (search "LIM") for articles, enhancement ideas, and peer guidance as you plan your implementation.

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