> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.caleido.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plan with scenarios and investments

> Create what-if scenarios and investments on top of a budget, switch them on and off on reports, edit budget items in a scenario only, and move, convert or promote scenarios.

Scenarios let you test changes to a budget without touching the budget itself. You can add, change or switch off budget items in a scenario, show it on top of the budget on any report, and later merge it into the budget or delete it.

## Scenario or investment

When you create one, you choose its type:

* **Scenario**: a what-if version of the budget. It can add, change or disable budget items without touching the budget, so it stays tied to that budget
* **Investment**: only adds new budget items on top of the budget. It never changes or disables existing ones, so you can move it to another budget

Use a scenario for questions like "what if sales drop 10 %?". Use an investment for a separate project, such as a new machine or a new location, that you may want to add to different budgets.

## Create a scenario or investment

1. Open the budget menu in the top bar and click the pencil icon next to the budget. The budget panel opens.
2. In the **Scenarios** section, click **New** and choose **Scenario** or **Investment**.
3. Enter a **Name** and click **Create**.

You can also click **New scenario** at the bottom of the budget menu, or of a table's budget selector in a workbook. This creates a scenario for the selected budget and switches it on.

## Switch scenarios on and off

A scenario only affects what you see when it is switched on.

* **Reports and pages**: open the budget menu in the top bar. Under the active budget, tick or clear the checkbox next to each scenario
* **Workbook tables**: open the table's budget selector and tick the scenarios below the budget list. Each table keeps its own selection

The budget menu shows a number badge with the count of active scenarios, and the budget selector on a table shows the active scenario names. You can switch on several scenarios at once. If two active scenarios change the same budget item, the disabled version takes precedence and Caleido shows a warning.

## Edit budget items in a scenario

With a scenario switched on, you edit budget items as usual. Caleido asks where the change belongs:

* When you change a budget item, choose **Edit in this scenario** to keep the base budget unchanged, or **Edit original** to change the budget itself
* When you delete a budget item, choose **Disable in this scenario** to switch it off in the scenario only, or **Delete from budget** to delete it everywhere
* New budget items you create are added to the scenario

### Restore a disabled budget item

In the list view, budget items disabled in the scenario are marked. To bring one back, right-click it and choose **Restore in scenario**, then confirm with **Restore in scenario**.

### See only the scenario's changes

In the list view and on the **General ledger** page, tick **Show only scenario changes** to hide everything the active scenarios do not change. The checkbox appears only when a scenario is switched on.

## Manage scenarios

In the budget panel, click the **...** menu next to a scenario (**Scenario actions**):

* **Rename**: change the name
* **Duplicate**: make a copy of the scenario and its changes
* **Move to budget** (investments only): choose the **Target budget** and click **Move to budget**. If any changes referred to items of the old budget, Caleido tells you how many were dropped
* **Convert to investment**: keeps only the budget items the scenario adds. Changes that edit or disable existing budget items are removed, and this cannot be undone
* **Convert to scenario** (investments only): turns the investment into a scenario of its current budget
* **View independently**: lets you look at the scenario on its own, without its base budget. The scenario is marked **Independent**. Choose **Stop viewing independently** to undo
* **Promote to budget**: permanently merges the scenario into its base budget. This cannot be undone
* **Delete**: deletes the scenario and its changes. The base budget is not affected

> [!WARNING]
>
> **Promote to budget** and **Convert to investment** cannot be undone. Use **Duplicate** first if you want to keep a copy.

## Related

* [Manage budgets](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/manage-budgets.md)
* [Edit budget items](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/edit-budget-items.md)
* [Create a budget from actuals](https://support.caleido.io/guides/budgeting/create-a-budget-from-actuals.md)


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