Adaptive-Planning on OfficeConnectPro

Build Your First OfficeConnect Report

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This tutorial walks through building a basic departmental expense report from an empty workbook to a live, refreshable OfficeConnect report. By the end you will have a working report that pulls real data from Adaptive Planning with one click.

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect installed and connected to your Workday tenant (Get Started)
An Adaptive Planning instance with at least one version of data loaded
A blank Excel workbook

Step 1 — Open the Reporting pane

Open Excel and activate OfficeConnect Open Excel. On the OfficeConnect ribbon tab, click Open Pane. The Reporting pane appears on the right side of the screen.

Sign in if prompted If the pane shows a sign-in prompt, click Sign In and complete the Workday authentication flow. See Sign In and Create a Tenant if you need help.

Step 2 — Add your first element

Click a cell in your workbook Click cell B2 — this is where the first data value will land.

Add an Account element In the Reporting pane, expand Accounts and locate the account you want (for example, Total Expenses). Double-click it or drag it to cell B2. OfficeConnect inserts a formula referencing that account.

Add a Time element Click cell B1 (the header row). In the Reporting pane, expand Time and drag the time period you want (for example, Jan 2025) into B1. Repeat for as many months as you need across columns C1, D1, and so on.

Add a Version element Click cell A2. Expand Versions in the pane and drag your target version (for example, Working Forecast) into A2.

For more detail on each element type, see Add Elements to a Report.

Create a Rolling 12-Month Report

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A rolling 12-month report always shows the current month plus the 11 preceding months — no matter when you open it. This tutorial shows how to build one using OfficeConnect’s relative time contexts so the columns update automatically on each refresh.

What you’ll need:

An existing OfficeConnect workbook or a blank one (Build Your First Report)
Your Adaptive Planning instance populated with at least 12 months of actuals or forecast data

How rolling time works in OfficeConnect

OfficeConnect supports relative time contexts — time elements that are defined as offsets from the current period rather than as fixed calendar months. When you use Current Month, Current Month -1, Current Month -2, etc., OfficeConnect resolves each offset at refresh time against the current date.

Publish a Report to PowerPoint

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This tutorial covers linking an OfficeConnect Excel report into a PowerPoint presentation. Once linked, refreshing OfficeConnect in Excel automatically updates the numbers in your slides — no copy-pasting needed.

What you’ll need:

A finished OfficeConnect Excel report with data populated (Build Your First Report)
PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 or Office 2019+)
OfficeConnect installed on the same machine

How Excel-to-PowerPoint linking works

OfficeConnect for PowerPoint creates links between named ranges or tables in your Excel workbook and shapes in your PowerPoint slides. When you click Refresh in PowerPoint, OfficeConnect re-reads the current Excel values and updates the slide content — even if you are not looking at the Excel file at the time.

Build a Budget vs. Actuals Variance Report

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A budget vs. actuals variance report puts your plan and your reality in the same view. This tutorial walks through building one in OfficeConnect with a variance column that calculates automatically in Excel.

What you’ll build: A report with monthly actuals and budget columns for each account, plus a variance column showing the difference — all refreshable from Adaptive Planning.

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect installed and connected to an Adaptive Planning tenant (Get Started)
An Adaptive Planning model with at least one Budget version and actuals loaded for the same period
Basic familiarity with adding elements (Add Elements)

Step 1 — Set up your account rows

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

Add your first account Click cell A3 — this will hold your first account label. In the Reporting pane, expand Accounts and drag Revenue (or your top-line account) into A3. OfficeConnect inserts a formula that resolves to the account name.

Add remaining account rows Click A4, A5, A6, and so on. Drag in each account you need: Cost of Goods Sold, Gross Profit, Operating Expenses, Net Income. Place each in its own row. For rollup accounts, OfficeConnect automatically aggregates child accounts.

Step 2 — Add Actuals and Budget version columns

Add an Actuals column header Click cell B1. In the Reporting pane, expand Versions and drag your Actuals version into B1. OfficeConnect labels the cell with the version name.

Add a Budget column header Click cell C1. Drag your Budget version into C1.

Add a time context Click cell B2. In the Reporting pane, expand Time and drag the period you want to report on (for example, the current month or a full year) into B2. Copy B2 into C2 — both columns share the same time context.

Step 3 — Build the data cells and variance column

Populate the first data row Click B3. OfficeConnect formulas reference the version in row 1 and the time in row 2, so B3 automatically resolves to Actuals for your chosen period. Copy B3 across to C3 — C3 resolves to Budget for the same period.

Add a variance column header Click D1 and type Variance. Click D2 and type $ (or leave it blank — this cell doesn’t need an OfficeConnect element).

Write the variance formula

Click D3 and enter:

Build a Department P&L Report in OfficeConnect

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A department P&L shows revenue, expenses, and net income for each business unit in the same workbook. OfficeConnect’s Level dimension makes this straightforward — one row set per department, all pulling live data from the same Adaptive Planning model.

What you’ll build: A P&L report with accounts as rows and departments as column groups, refreshable from Adaptive Planning.

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect connected to an Adaptive Planning tenant with Levels configured for your org structure
An Adaptive Planning model with P&L accounts (Revenue, COGS, OpEx, Net Income)

Step 1 — Set up your P&L account rows

Open Excel and activate OfficeConnect Open Excel, click the OfficeConnect tab, and sign in. The Reporting pane opens on the right.

Add your P&L account hierarchy Click cell A3. In the Reporting pane, expand Accounts and drag Revenue into A3. Continue in rows A4–A7 with: Cost of Goods Sold, Gross Profit, Operating Expenses, and Net Income. Gross Profit and Net Income are typically rollup accounts — OfficeConnect aggregates their child accounts automatically.

Step 2 — Add department (Level) columns

Add your version and time context Click B1 and drag your version (e.g., Actuals) from the Reporting pane into it. Click B2 and drag your time period (e.g., full year or current month) into it.

Add the first department Level element Click B3. In the Reporting pane, expand Levels and find your first department (e.g., Sales). Drag it into B3. OfficeConnect creates a formula that pulls data for the Actuals version, the time in B2, and the Sales level.

Copy B3 down for all account rows Copy B3 down to B4:B7. Each row picks up its own account from column A while sharing the Level in B3’s formula structure.

Add remaining departments Repeat Step 4–5 for each department, placing each in its own column (C, D, E, etc.). Add column headers in row 1 with the department name — you can type these as labels or drag the Level element into row 1 and OfficeConnect will label it automatically.

Step 3 — Add a company total column

Add a Total column In the rightmost column header row, drag your top-level Level (the parent of all departments) from the Reporting pane. This gives you a company-wide total column that rolls up all departments. Alternatively, use an Excel SUM formula across the department columns.

Step 4 — Refresh and verify

Refresh the report Click Refresh in the OfficeConnect ribbon. All department columns populate from Adaptive Planning.

Spot-check totals Confirm that each department’s Gross Profit = Revenue − COGS, and that Net Income = Gross Profit − Operating Expenses. If rollup accounts are showing unexpected values, check that the account hierarchy in your Adaptive Planning model is configured correctly.

Next steps

Add a budget or prior-year comparison column — see Budget vs. Actuals Variance
Protect the report for distribution — see Lock and Protect Reports
Publish to PowerPoint — see OfficeConnect for PowerPoint

Build a Year-over-Year Trend Report

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A year-over-year trend report shows how each month compares to the same month last year — useful for spotting seasonal patterns and measuring real growth. OfficeConnect’s time elements let you pin both years in the same report.

What you’ll build: A report with 12 months of current-year actuals alongside 12 months of prior-year actuals, plus a YoY variance row.

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect connected to an Adaptive Planning tenant with at least two full years of actuals
Familiarity with adding elements (Add Elements) and time contexts (Time and Contexts)

Step 1 — Set up current-year monthly columns

Open Excel and activate OfficeConnect Open Excel and click the OfficeConnect tab. Sign in if prompted.

Add your Actuals version Click B1. In the Reporting pane, expand Versions and drag your Actuals version into B1. This version applies to all columns that share row 1.

Add current-year monthly time elements Click B2. In the Reporting pane, expand Time → Months and find January of the current year (e.g., Jan 2026). Drag it into B2. Continue across row 2 — C2 through M2 — adding Feb 2026 through Dec 2026. You should have 12 monthly time elements across row 2.

Step 2 — Set up prior-year monthly columns

Add prior-year Actuals version Click N1. Drag your Actuals version into N1. (It’s the same version — the time elements in row 2 control which year’s data loads.)

Add prior-year monthly time elements Click N2. Drag Jan 2025 into N2. Continue across — O2 through Y2 — adding Feb 2025 through Dec 2025.

Step 3 — Add account rows

Add your primary account Click A3. In the Reporting pane, expand Accounts and drag your key account (e.g., Revenue) into A3.

Populate the data row Click B3. OfficeConnect formulas reference the version in row 1 and the time in row 2, so B3 returns Jan 2026 Actuals for Revenue. Copy B3 across to Y3 — each cell picks up the correct month and year from its column.

Add remaining account rows Copy row 3 down for each additional account. Add more accounts to column A as needed.

Step 4 — Add YoY variance

Add a variance section header In column Z row 1, type YoY Variance. Leave Z2 empty.

Add monthly variance formulas

In B4 (one row below your last account row, or in a dedicated variance row), enter:

Compare Two Planning Versions Side by Side

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Any OfficeConnect report can show multiple versions at once. Here’s how to add a second version column alongside your existing data.

Steps

Open your OfficeConnect workbook and click the OfficeConnect tab.
Click an empty column header cell (for example, C1 if your existing data is in column B).
In the Reporting pane, expand Versions and drag the second version (e.g., Forecast) into C1.
Click C2 and drag the same time element you used in B2 into C2. Both columns now share the same time period.

Add Headcount Data to a Financial Report

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

OfficeConnect doesn’t separate financial and workforce accounts — they’re all elements in your Adaptive Planning model. You can add headcount rows to any financial report by dragging the right accounts from the Reporting pane.

Steps

Open your financial report in Excel and click the OfficeConnect tab.
Click an empty row below your financial accounts — for example, A10 if your P&L ends at row 9.
In the Reporting pane, expand Accounts and look for your workforce accounts. Common names include:

Lock and Protect Reports for Distribution

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

When you share an OfficeConnect report with people who shouldn’t edit it, Excel’s sheet protection prevents accidental changes. The catch: you must leave OfficeConnect formula cells unlocked, or Refresh will fail with a “sheet is protected” error.

How OfficeConnect cells work with protection

OfficeConnect stores data in formula cells. When you click Refresh, OfficeConnect writes new values into those cells. If the sheet is protected and those cells are locked, Refresh fails. The solution: unlock the OfficeConnect cells before protecting the sheet.

Set Up Scenario Comparison in OfficeConnect

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Scenarios in Adaptive Planning are planning alternatives within a version — for example, a Base Case, Upside, and Downside within your annual Budget version. OfficeConnect can display multiple scenarios in the same report, making it easy to show a range of outcomes.

Before you begin

Scenarios must be configured in your Adaptive Planning model before they appear in OfficeConnect. If you don’t see scenarios in the Reporting pane, ask your Adaptive Planning administrator to confirm they are enabled and that you have read access.

Report in Constant Currency in OfficeConnect

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Constant currency reporting holds foreign exchange rates fixed at a baseline period so you can see underlying business performance without FX noise. In Adaptive Planning, this is done through a dedicated constant currency version. OfficeConnect surfaces that version like any other — you just need to know which one to select.

How constant currency works in Adaptive Planning

Your Adaptive Planning administrator sets up a constant currency version by configuring currency conversion rules that use a fixed rate (for example, the prior-year average rate or a budget rate). When you report against this version, all values are translated at that fixed rate regardless of the reporting period.

Enter Budget Data in Excel with OfficeConnect

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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.

Build a Formatted Executive Report for Distribution

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A raw OfficeConnect report shows the right numbers, but an executive report needs to look the part. This tutorial walks through building a formatted P&L summary with branding, clean layout, and print-ready page setup — the kind of report you can share as a PDF without touching it in PowerPoint first.

What you’ll build: A one-page executive P&L summary with a header, logo, formatted number columns, and page layout configured for PDF export.

Refresh Reports Automatically with Power Automate

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

OfficeConnect doesn’t have a built-in scheduler, but you can automate report refresh using Power Automate Desktop — Microsoft’s desktop automation tool included with Windows 10/11 and Microsoft 365. This how-to sets up a scheduled desktop flow that opens your report workbook, refreshes OfficeConnect data, saves, and closes — on any schedule you set.

What you’ll need:

Windows 10 or 11 with Power Automate Desktop installed (download from Microsoft)
Microsoft 365 subscription (Power Automate Desktop is included)
Your OfficeConnect report workbook saved to a local path or a network/SharePoint location accessible from the machine

Note: The machine running the flow must be on and signed in for the scheduled flow to run. This approach works best on a server or shared workstation that stays online. For cloud-only approaches, consider saving the refreshed file to SharePoint so downstream users always see the latest version.

Work with Custom Dimensions and Attributes in OfficeConnect

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Adaptive Planning models often include custom dimensions beyond the standard account and level hierarchy — things like Product Line, Region, Project Code, or Customer Segment. OfficeConnect exposes these as Custom Dimensions in the Reporting pane, letting you filter and report on any segment your model defines.

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect connected to an Adaptive Planning model that includes custom dimensions
Familiarity with building basic reports — see Budget vs. Actuals Variance

1. Find your custom dimensions in the Reporting pane

Open the OfficeConnect Reporting pane. Scroll down past Accounts, Versions, Time, and Levels to find the Custom Dimensions section (it may also appear as Dimensions depending on your OfficeConnect version).
Expand Custom Dimensions to see the dimensions your model administrator has defined. Each dimension has members — for example, a “Region” dimension might have members: North America, EMEA, APAC.

Note: Custom dimensions are model-specific. If you don’t see a Custom Dimensions section, your model may not have any configured. Contact your Adaptive Planning model administrator to confirm.

Optimize Performance for Large Models in OfficeConnect

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

OfficeConnect reports can slow down significantly when workbooks contain hundreds of formulas pulling from large Adaptive Planning models. Refresh times of 30–60 seconds are common in unoptimized workbooks; the techniques below typically cut that to under 10 seconds for the same data.

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect connected to an Adaptive Planning tenant
A workbook that is currently slow to refresh (more than 15 seconds)

1. Reduce the number of OfficeConnect formulas

The single biggest performance factor is formula count. Each OfficeConnect formula is a separate server call during refresh.

Use OfficeConnect on Mac

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

OfficeConnect runs on Excel for Mac (Microsoft 365 subscription required). The core reporting experience — building reports, refreshing data, and navigating the Reporting pane — works the same as Windows. A few things are different, and a handful of Windows-only features are unavailable. This guide covers what you need to know.

What you’ll need:

A Mac running macOS 12 (Monterey) or later
Microsoft 365 with Excel for Mac (version 16.54 or later)
OfficeConnect deployed by your IT admin, or access to install it from the Microsoft AppSource

1. Install OfficeConnect on Mac

Open Excel for Mac and sign in with your Microsoft 365 account.
Click the Insert tab in the menu bar, then click Add-ins (or Get Add-ins depending on your Excel version).
In the Office Add-ins dialog, search for OfficeConnect in the Store tab. If your IT admin deployed it centrally, look in the Admin Managed tab instead.
Click Add. After a moment, an OfficeConnect tab appears in the Excel ribbon.

Note: If your organization deploys OfficeConnect via a custom manifest URL, ask your IT admin for the manifest URL and install it via Insert → Add-ins → Upload My Add-in (or the equivalent in your version of Excel for Mac).