Power ON FAQ

Welcome to Climber’s FAQ page for Power ON by insightsoftware! Here we have collected the most common questions we receive about the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) solution Power ON. We cover topics such as functionality, pricing, and integration with Microsoft Power BI. Whether you are new to Power ON or an experienced user, we hope this FAQ can help you gain a better understanding of the tool and how it can help you transform Power BI into a full-cycle planning, budgeting and forecasting platform.

1. What is Power ON and how does it work with Microsoft Power BI?

Power ON by insightsoftware transforms Microsoft Power BI into a complete planning and budgeting platform. It adds Excel-like write-back capabilities directly to your Power BI dashboards, so you can update data, create budgets, and collaborate with your team without leaving Power BI or switching to Excel.

2. Why do I need Power ON if I already have Power BI?

While Power BI is excellent for data visualisation and reporting, it doesn’t have native planning or write-back capabilities. Power ON fills this gap by adding real-time data entry, budgeting, forecasting, and collaborative planning features directly into your
existing Power BI environment.

3. How is Power ON different from using Excel for planning?

Power ON gives you the familiar Excel-like interface you’re used to, but everything happens inside Power BI with your live data. No more exporting to Excel, making changes, and importing back. Your planning data stays connected to your source systems and updates in real-time.

4. What types of planning can I do with Power ON?

You can handle all your FP&A needs including annual operating budgets, rolling forecasts, what-if scenario modeling, departmental spend tracking, and multi-version budget comparisons. It supports both top-down and bottom-up budgeting approaches with full version control.

5. How long does it take to implement Power ON?

Power ON is designed for rapid deployment since it integrates natively with your existing Power BI data models. Most implementations can be completed quickly without disrupting your current reporting setup, giving you immediate ROI on your Power BI investment.

6. Do I need special training to use Power ON?

If your team already uses Excel and Power BI, they’ll feel right at home with Power ON. The interface is designed to be familiar and intuitive, which reduces training time and increases user adoption across your organisation.

7. Can multiple people collaborate on the same budget or forecast?

Yes, Power ON includes built-in collaboration features. Team members can add commentary, create different scenarios, track KPI performance, and work together on budgets and forecasts all within the same Power BI environment.

8. Is Power ON secure and does it maintain audit trails?

Absolutely. Power ON maintains enterprise-grade security and governance standards. It includes full version control and audit trails, so you can track all changes, maintain multiple plan versions, and ensure compliance with your organisation’s requirements.

9. What happens to my data when I make changes in Power ON?

When you update data in Power ON, those changes can be pushed back directly to your source systems in real-time. This ensures your planning data stays synchronised with your operational systems without manual data transfers.

10. Who typically uses Power ON?

Power ON is ideal for Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) teams, but it’s designed to be used by anyone who needs to do planning and budgeting. Finance teams, department managers, and business analysts all benefit from having planning capabilities directly in their Power BI dashboards.