If you have a child in your home, you know this song. You’ve heard it a gazillion+1 times, and you can do the handmotions! BUT, this blog has nothing to do with Frozen. It’s all about the excel add-in.
Folks, it’s time to let…..it…..go.
I’ve been doing this EPM world for 15 years. I KNOW the excel add in. I LOVE the excel add-in. I was one of the consultants that refused to let go of the excel add-in. It literally took me being in an environment that didn’t have the add-in for me to actually let it go. Shameful, I know. But, now that I’m out of that world, I’m all about Smart View.
Here’s why…..
The add-in doesn’t let you connect to HFM, OBIEE or your Financial Reports. You can create a workbook (and I’ve seen your crazy workbooks!) with a connection pulling your HFM data, a sheet pulling from your Planning data, a sheet pulling your consolidated data from the reporting essbase datab ase, a sheet displaying the pretty little dashboards, and a sheet with P&L. ALL IN ONE WORKBOOK. Since your data changes daily (or monthly), open the workbook, refresh all the sheets, and your sheets are all updated. Ahhhhhmazing.
Another one of my favorite things about Smart View that you don’t get with the essbase add-in is that Smart View is compatible with all of your Microsoft products. For your monthly/quarterly/annual reports and decks, you can copy the data points from excel into the power point slide or the word document and incoroparete it with your financial information. Everytime you open the document or deck, refresh the sheet (just like in excel), and it pulls in the latest and greatest information. Instead of copying and pasting a bazillion times each month/quarter/year, you do it one time, and boom the data is refreshed over and over.
Look, I know change can be hard. But, the hardest part is learning the tool (which, by the way, I can teach you!). It will sersiouly change your life! Ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but it will definiltely make your financial world a little easier. I also have a few videos coming out in our #PlayitForward campaign that show you how to use Smart View with your Microsoft products.
If you need a support group for this change, I’m here for you. I’ve been there. It’s hard to let go. But it’s time. Just let it go!!!
~Summer
EPMSxSW 