Budgeting Best Practices

with

Presented by Rob Iversen

Who am I?

Rob Iversen

Denver, Colorado

20+ Years CPM Implementation Experience

Recovering Accountant

Who is this session for?

Audience for Budgeting Best Practices

Adept at BI360 Report Designer

Understanding of General Accounting Principals

Administrators/Designers of the Budget Process

Agenda

Goals and Objectives

General Best Practices

Budget Preparation

Excel Planning

Cloud/Web Budget

1

2

3

4

5

6 Summary & Q&A

Goals & Objectives

Goals: Gain a better understanding of some budgeting best practices with BI360.

Objectives:

Able to use general BI360 budgeting best practices

Have a budget preparation checklist to use

Understand of the differences between Excel and Web/Cloud based

budgeting with BI360.

Hide Scenario and Period parameters for

control of budget data entry.

Control

Maintenance

Easy to find hidden parameters for budget

cycle updates.

General Best Practices – Parameters

Reduce user selections. Display additional

period information using Functions.

Single Period Parameter

Quickly find named ranges used in formulas

and other Excel functionality.

Auditing

Multi-Tab Reporting

If linking through multi-tab, named ranges

are always recommended.

General Best Practices – Named Ranges

Add new modules and dimensions as

needed.

New Modules and Dimensions

Attributes

Review module and dimensional attributes

for any name changes or additions.

Budget Preparation Checklist

Model & Template

Budget Preparation Checklist

Parameters

Update the hidden Scenario and Period

parameters in all templates as required.

Update Parameters

Load any new dimensions for updated or

new data sources.

Load Dimensions

Load Data

Load budget data, such as personnel data.

Budget Preparation Checklist

Load Data

Copy Version

Use the Copy Version Rule to start a new

cycle fully populated with data.

Budget Preparation Checklist

Enter Assumptions

Add all assumptions for the new

Budget/Forecast Scenario and Year.

Enter Assumptions

Budget Preparation Checklist

• Testing

Draft –

User Acceptance Testing –

Stress and Performance –

Testing

Review if any new Roles are needed.

Security Roles

Individual Access

Add/remove users. Change security based

on new requirements and dimensions.

Budget Preparation Checklist

Security Access Management

Assign Live Reporting and/or Archive

licenses to end users. The Report Designer

license automatically includes Live

Reporting, Assignments, and

Budgeting/Workflow (if purchased).

Reporting

Data Warehouse Manager

This license will be needed by the

administrator of budget cycle.

Assignments and Workflow

Assignments are required for end users for

data entry. Workflow setup can only be

accessed by Report Designer users (if

Workflow module is purchased).

Budget Preparation Checklist

Licenses

Must assign users to templates with

discretionary parameter values.

Assignments

Workflow

Budget Preparation Checklist

Workflow and Assignments

Or optionally assign users to templates, with

approval, tracking and budget entry control.

Budget Preparation Checklist

Budgeting Best Practices

Use an “i” on any row or column to ignore

storing data.

Storage on Rows & Columns

Efficient Testing

Ignore all but one or two rows when testing

Data Settings/Storage.

Easily Determine Cells that Store

View the rows and columns that have an “i”

to determine cells that are not stored.

BI360 Excel Planning

Ignore Rows and Columns

Data storage based on an array. Each

Array/Data Setting can store to only One

module.

Array Based

Select Dimensions

Define cell references or lookup values from

a table for dimension selections.

Choose Module Attributes

Determine module attributes for storage.

BI360 Excel Planning

Data Settings

Unlock only allow those cells which should

allow user interaction in the template.

Lock Down Form

Formatting

Formatting changes can be locked down or

allow users to do things such as filtering.

What is Important

Allowing users to edit only relevant cells in

input templates. Use separate reports for

detailed and offline analysis.

BI360 Excel Planning

Protection

Set storage on every cell. Only allows

storage to one Module, same as Planning.

Cell Based Storage

Input or Calculation

Can store from direct input or calculations.

Choose Dimensions and Attributes

Choose dimensions and attributes for

storage.

Cloud & Portal Planning

Storage

Does not allow changes to non-input cells.

Allows changes to any formulas with Storage

Settings.

Protect Non-Input Cells

Alternate

BI360 Protect non-input cells turned off,

Lock all non-input/editable cells, and apply

Excel Sheet Protection with no password.

Cloud & Portal Planning

Cell Protection

Summary

Budgeting Best Practices

Parameters

Named Ranges

Excel Planning

Use “i” ignore rows/columns

Array based storage

Cloud/Web Budgeting

Cell based storage

Use built in Protect Non-Input Cells when possible

Use Excel protection as an alternate

Next Steps

Solver’s goal with

BI360 is to enable

world-class decisions

(top 1% in your

industry) for your

organization

A new eLearning experience…always there when you need it

QUESTIONS?

SOLVER ACADEMY

NEXT STEPSContact us at support@solverglobal.com or contact your BI360

partner