Systems and methods provide a tabular interface for validating and analyzing a benefits plan. The tabular interface illustrates how various parts of a benefits plan may be configured or must be configured, and shows the relationships between those elements. One embodiment allows benefits plan administrators to easily and quickly understand the different elements that need to be created, which elements are mandatory, and where these elements should be linked together. Thus, a starting point provided to users to analyze what elements should be created to meet plan requirements, and how these elements should be configured without intimate knowledge of the interfaces to use and navigate details within a benefits configuration application.