> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/budgets-and-forecasts/workforce-planning/create-a-workforce-plan/publish-a-workforce-plan.md).
# Publish a workforce plan
Publish a plan to make it available for analysis in Flex Modes and for use in Budgets & Forecasts.
Publishing creates or updates the Workforce Planning data in the Workforce database. The annual measure values in your plan are converted into daily transactions according to each measure's configured spread method.
You can publish multiple workforce plans, with each plan publishing to a separate stream within the same database. For example, a **Budget** workforce plan and a **Forecast** workforce plan each publish to their own stream.
{% hint style="success" %}
If you're rolling from a budget to a forecast and want to retain the original budget data, create a new workforce plan (or duplicate the existing one) for the forecast instead of editing and republishing the same plan.
{% endhint %}
1. Click **Publish** in the top-right corner of the plan.
2. Select the date range to publish. The range defaults to a three-year window: the previous year, the current year, and the next year. If you change these dates, the selected range becomes the default for future publishes.
3. (Optional) Clear the **Remember publish settings** checkbox if you don't want the selected date range to become the default for future publishes.
4. Click **Publish**.
5. If this is the first workforce plan published in your Phocas site, wait for publishing to complete, then give the appropriate users (including yourself) access to the new Workforce database. Read more about this below.
### What happens next
While publishing runs, a loading spinner displays instead of the **Publish** button. You can continue working in the plan while publishing runs in the background.
Changes made after publishing are not available elsewhere until you publish the plan again.
After publishing completes, the **Last published** indicator displays next to the **Publish** button.
You and other users can now use the workforce plan data elsewhere.
### The first publish
The first time you publish a workforce plan, Phocas creates the Workforce database. This process might take longer than subsequent publishes because the database is being created.
You can grant access to the database only after it has been created. This includes your own access.
See Workforce Planning access and database permissions to learn more.
### How publishing works
* Each plan publishes to its own stream in the Workforce database. The stream name matches the workforce plan name.
* Each publish deletes the existing data in that stream with the current workforce plan.
* You can't publish only part of a plan, such as a specific period, employee, or dimension entity.
### Publish performance
Publish performance depends on the volume of temporal changes in your plan, not only on the number of employees.
{% hint style="warning" %}
Avoid using a large number of effective-dated changes on a single cell to approximate a pattern, such as adding many small changes across a year to simulate seasonality. Each additional effective-dated change adds to the volume of transactions created when you publish, which can slow down publishing and analysis in Flex Modes. Use the built-in spread methods to model recurring patterns like this instead, and reserve effective-dated changes for genuine point-in-time events, such as a pay rise, transfer, or FTE change.
{% endhint %}
---
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