Budgeting and planning in Power BI
Planning that
writes back.
accoPLANNING brings essential planning features to Power BI, without the complexity of traditional EPM tools. Keep budgeting, forecasting and reporting in one place, and write every value straight back to your own database. From $6.7 per user/month.
A spreadsheet, powered by a database
accoPLANNING works like a spreadsheet but is driven by robust planning logic and direct database connectivity, all inside Power BI.
Excel-like grid
Type, tab, copy-paste and fill just like a spreadsheet, directly in the report.
Real-time writeback
Every value is written back to SQL Server or Azure the moment you save, no export.
Advanced calculations
A rich library of methods and if-then-else logic, placed in any cell and calculated in real time, even during writeback, before you save.
Shadow writeback calc
Save calculated results back alongside the input, portable to other models, consistent, and fast even on leaf-node calcs.
Full audit log
Every input saved to the database is audited, precision and transparency across planning and master-data work.
Versioning
Reuses your existing data model and hierarchy to store versions by transaction key, decentralised planning, kept precise.
What makes accoPLANNING stand out
The capabilities planners reach for every cycle, the reason accoPLANNING replaces spreadsheets and heavyweight EPM alike.
Effective splashing
Enter a number at a parent level and accoPLANNING spreads it down the hierarchy automatically, top-down planning in one keystroke.
Edit without overwriting
Edited values aren't overwritten in the database, they're stored in a parallel table, so you keep full control over how actuals and edits are used.
Fueling AI
Every entry lands in your database as clean, structured, governed data, the trusted foundation AI needs to act on. See how AI can build the plan itself, or how comments become context your AI can use. For companies with an AI strategy, accoPLANNING turns day-to-day planning into a growing, machine-ready dataset that powers reliable forecasting, models and agents.
Flexible rolling forecast
Far more than a fixed 3+9, lock any span of actuals and plan the rest, in any split you need. Working with Power BI, the actual/forecast boundary can be automated so your rolling forecast rolls forward on its own, every period.
Drill & reporting matrix
Drill in the visual like any native Power BI matrix, use accoPLANNING as a full reporting grid as well as an input surface.
Comments & text entries
Capture values, text and date/time input, plus cell comments, the assumptions behind every number live with the data.
What will you plan?
Pick a scenario to see how accoPLANNING handles it.
Build the annual budget in the report
Plan revenue, cost and margin by account and dimension. Splash top-down targets, adjust the details, and watch the P&L recalculate live before you save it back.
- ✓ Top-down and bottom-up in one grid
- ✓ Live gross-margin and total calculations
- ✓ Comments capture every assumption
Reforecast without rebuilding
Lock the actual months and plan the rest. A 3+9 or 6+6 view mixes real figures and forecast seamlessly, so the outlook is always relevant.
- ✓ Actual months locked from input
- ✓ Any split, 3+9, 6+6, 9+3 or automated
- ✓ Versioned so you can compare outlooks
Plan projects, resources and phases
Budget projects by phase, allocate resources over time and roll it all up to the portfolio, with workflow and access control on who can edit what.
- ✓ Resource allocation across time
- ✓ Workflow and versioning built in
- ✓ Row-level access control per team
Headcount and payroll, driver-based
Plan FTEs, new hires and salary by cost center. Change a rate or a start date and payroll recalculates instantly, then writes back to the model.
- ✓ Salary drivers recalculate live
- ✓ Plan by cost center and role
- ✓ Feeds straight into the P&L plan
Enter. Calculate. Save.
Enter in the report
Type numbers straight into the accoPLANNING grid, the same Power BI report your team already uses.
Calculate instantly
Totals, margins and splashed values recompute client-side as you type, no waiting on a refresh.
Written back to your DB
One click writes every change to SQL Server or Azure, governed, versioned and fully auditable.
The tool closest to Power BI
No modeller, no third-party app, no retraining. Everything happens in Power BI, using the skills your team already has.
accoPLANNING or Fabric Planning?
Microsoft Fabric Planning is a good fit if your team is moving its planning into a separate item inside Microsoft Fabric. accoPLANNING keeps planning inside the Power BI report your users already open, on your existing semantic model, and writes to Azure SQL, Fabric or on-premise SQL Server, from $6.7 per user per month.
Budgeting and planning in Power BI: questions
Can you do budgeting and planning in Power BI?
Power BI reports are built for reading data, not for entering it at scale. Microsoft’s translytical task flows handle single actions inside Fabric. accoPLANNING adds a spreadsheet-like planning grid to your existing Power BI report and saves every budget and forecast entry to your own database.
How much does accoPLANNING cost?
Writeback users cost $15 per user per month for 1–30 users, $11 for 31–99 and $8 for 100+, or from $6.7 with a 12-month commitment. Report viewers are free, and there is a 30-day free trial on Microsoft AppSource.
Where is the planning data stored?
In your own database: Azure SQL, Microsoft Fabric or on-premise SQL Server. Nothing is stored on accoTOOL servers, and Power BI security and row-level security still apply.
Does accoPLANNING work with my existing Power BI model?
Yes. It runs as a visual in the reports you already have and works on your existing semantic model, so there is no separate planning model to build or maintain.
Should I use accoPLANNING or Microsoft Fabric Planning?
Fabric Planning is a separate planning item inside Microsoft Fabric. accoPLANNING runs inside the Power BI report your users already open, and writes to Azure SQL, Fabric or on-premise SQL Server. See the full comparison on our Fabric Planning page. accoPLANNING vs Fabric Planning.