Enter Budget Data in Excel with OfficeConnect

Use OfficeConnect’s data entry mode to write budget figures directly from Excel into Adaptive Planning — no need to log in to the Adaptive Planning web interface.
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OfficeConnect isn’t just for reading data from Adaptive Planning — it can write data back. This tutorial walks through setting up a data entry workbook that lets planners enter budget figures in Excel and submit them directly to an Adaptive Planning version.

What you’ll build: A data entry workbook with account rows and period columns where planners type figures and click Submit to push them into a Budget version in Adaptive Planning.

What you’ll need:

  • OfficeConnect installed and connected to an Adaptive Planning tenant (Get Started)
  • A Budget (or other input) version in Adaptive Planning configured to accept input at your level
  • Write access to the version — your Adaptive Planning role must include Input permission
🔧 IT Admin Data entry requires the target version to be open for input in Adaptive Planning. If the version is locked, planners will receive a write error. Confirm with your Adaptive Planning admin that the Budget version is in an editable state before distributing the workbook.

Step 1 — Enable data entry in the workbook

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Open Excel and activate OfficeConnect Open Excel and click the OfficeConnect tab in the ribbon. Sign in if prompted. The Reporting pane opens on the right.
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Open Workbook Properties

In the OfficeConnect ribbon, click Workbook Properties. In the dialog, find the Data Entry section and set Allow Data Entry to Yes. Click OK.

This enables the Submit button in the ribbon and allows OfficeConnect formulas to be overwritten with typed values.

Step 2 — Build the account and period structure

3
Add account rows Click cell A3. In the Reporting pane, expand Accounts and drag your first input account (for example, Salaries) into A3. Continue in A4, A5, A6 with additional accounts: Benefits, Travel, Other Operating Expenses. Each row holds one account element.
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Add a version header Click B1. In the Reporting pane, expand Versions and drag your Budget version into B1. This tells OfficeConnect that data entered in this column belongs to the Budget version.
5
Add period columns Click B2 and drag January from the Time section of the Reporting pane into it. Repeat for C2 through M2, placing February through December in each subsequent column. You should now have 12 month columns across row 2.
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Populate the data area Click B3. OfficeConnect creates a formula referencing the Budget version (B1), January (B2), and Salaries (A3). Copy B3 across to M3, then copy that range down to cover all your account rows. Each cell resolves to the existing budget figure in Adaptive Planning (if any).

Step 3 — Enter and submit data

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Refresh to load current values Click Refresh in the OfficeConnect ribbon. All cells populate with whatever figures currently exist in the Budget version for each account and month. If a cell is blank, no value exists yet for that combination.
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Type new budget figures

Click any data cell — for example, B3 (Salaries, January) — and type a number directly over the formula. OfficeConnect replaces the formula with your typed value and highlights the cell to indicate it contains a pending input.

Repeat for all cells you want to update. You can move through cells normally with Tab and Enter.

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Click Submit

When you have finished entering figures, click Submit in the OfficeConnect ribbon. OfficeConnect pushes all highlighted (pending) cells to the Budget version in Adaptive Planning.

A confirmation message appears when the submission completes. The cells restore their OfficeConnect formulas, and the values now reflect what you entered.

Step 4 — Verify the submission

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Refresh and spot-check Click Refresh again. The cells should show the figures you just submitted. If a cell reverts to a different value, the submission may have been overridden by a formula or allocation rule in Adaptive Planning — check with your model administrator.

Tips for distributing data entry workbooks

  • Lock non-input cells before sharing. Protect the sheet in Excel with a password and unlock only the data entry cells (B3:M6 in this example) so planners cannot accidentally overwrite account or period headers.
  • One version per workbook. Avoid mixing multiple input versions in the same workbook — it is easy for planners to accidentally submit to the wrong version.
  • Set a clear period. Add a note at the top of the sheet indicating which budget cycle and deadline this workbook covers.

Next steps