How-To on OfficeConnectPro

Report on Actuals by Cost Center

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

OfficeConnect’s Financials data source supports Workday worktags — including Cost Center — as dimension filters. Adding a cost center to your report scopes all data to that organizational unit.

Steps

Open your OfficeConnect workbook and click the OfficeConnect tab.
Set up your report with company, version, time, and ledger account rows as usual. If you need to start from scratch, see Build an Actuals Trend Report.
Click an empty row or column header where you want to add the cost center filter. A common layout puts the cost center in the same header area as the company, stacked in adjacent cells.

Use Effective Date Reporting After a Reorganization

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

When your organization restructures mid-year, historical reports can show cost centers, companies, or hierarchies that no longer exist — or omit ones that didn’t exist yet. OfficeConnect’s Financials data source supports effective date reporting, which lets you select the org structure as it existed on a specific date.

Note: Effective date reporting requires configuration in Workday’s financial reporting data model. If the effective date option isn’t available in your tenant, contact your Workday Security Administrator.

Filter Reports by Company in OfficeConnect (Financials)

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

In the Financials data source, Company is the top-level org dimension — the equivalent of a legal entity or subsidiary in Workday Financial Management. Every Financials report must include at least one Company element to pull data. Here’s how to use it effectively.

Single-company report

Open your OfficeConnect workbook and click the OfficeConnect tab.
Click your column header cell (e.g., B1).
In the Reporting pane, expand Company and drag your target company into B1.

Report on Intercompany Eliminations in OfficeConnect

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

Intercompany eliminations remove transactions between entities in a consolidated group — preventing double-counting of intercompany revenue and expenses. OfficeConnect’s Financials data source surfaces these as data you can include or exclude in your reports.

How eliminations appear in OfficeConnect

When you report against a parent company (consolidated entity) in OfficeConnect, the data you see depends on your Workday Financial Management configuration:

If elimination journals are posted in Workday, they are included in consolidated totals automatically
The Exclude Elimination option (available in Financials data source reports) lets you toggle whether elimination entries are included in your totals

Note: The Exclude Elimination option is a Financials-only feature — it is not available in Adaptive Planning reports. See Adaptive Planning vs. Financials Data Source.

Multi-Currency Reporting with the Financials Data Source

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

Workday Financial Management supports multicurrency transactions — journals can be posted in a transaction currency and converted to a company (ledger) currency automatically. OfficeConnect surfaces these currency layers so you can choose which currency your report shows.

Currency options in the Financials data source

Currency type	What it shows
Transaction currency	The original currency of the posted journal (e.g., GBP for a UK invoice)
Company currency	The ledger currency of the reporting company (e.g., USD for a US parent)
Converted reporting currency	A second converted amount if alternate ledger currency is configured in Workday

Steps

Open your OfficeConnect workbook and click the OfficeConnect tab.

Variance Analysis by Journal Source in OfficeConnect

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

When a GL account balance moves unexpectedly, the first question is: what kind of journal entry caused it? Workday Financial Management categorizes journal entries by Journal Source (Manual Journal, Accounts Payable, Payroll, etc.). OfficeConnect can filter by journal source, letting you isolate the impact of each source on any account balance.

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect connected to the Financials data source
A report showing a balance or variance you want to investigate

1. Find journal source elements in the Reporting pane

Open the OfficeConnect Reporting pane. Expand Filters (or Journal Sources, depending on your OfficeConnect version). You should see a list of journal sources configured in your Workday tenant — typically including: Manual Journal, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, Fixed Assets, Intercompany, and System.
If you don’t see a journal source filter, confirm with your OfficeConnect admin that the Financials data source is configured to expose journal source dimensions.

2. Build a journal source comparison report

Set up a basic account report:

Report on Worktag Combinations in OfficeConnect

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

Workday Financial Management uses worktags to tag financial transactions — Cost Center, Fund, Program, Project, Grant, and any custom worktags your organization has defined. OfficeConnect exposes worktags as dimension filters, letting you report on specific combinations (for example, all expenses for Cost Center 1001 within Fund ABC).

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect connected to the Financials data source
Knowledge of which worktags your organization uses (ask your Workday admin if unsure)

1. Find worktag dimensions in the Reporting pane

Open the OfficeConnect Reporting pane and expand Dimensions (or Worktags). You should see your organization’s configured worktags — common ones include: Cost Center, Fund, Program, Project, Grant, Region, and custom worktags.
Each worktag has members — for example, Cost Center might list CC-1001 (Sales), CC-1002 (Marketing), etc.

2. Filter a report by a single worktag

Build a basic account report with an Actuals version and a reporting period.
To filter by a single worktag: drag a Cost Center member (for example, CC-1001) into any empty header cell. This applies a filter to all OfficeConnect formulas in the workbook — all values now reflect only transactions tagged to CC-1001.
Click Refresh. All account balances update to show only CC-1001 activity.

3. Combine multiple worktags

To filter by two worktags simultaneously — for example, CC-1001 AND Fund ABC:

Reconcile OfficeConnect Values to Workday Reports

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

OfficeConnect and Workday Report Writer pull from the same underlying Workday Financial Management data, so their figures should agree. When they don’t, the difference almost always comes down to a filter, period definition, or configuration mismatch — not a data error. This guide walks through the most common causes and how to diagnose them.

What you’ll need:

OfficeConnect connected to the Financials data source
Access to Workday Report Writer or a Workday financial report for comparison

1. Confirm you’re comparing the same period

The most common cause of discrepancies is a period definition mismatch.

Fix OfficeConnect Not Refreshing

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

Symptom

You click Refresh in the OfficeConnect ribbon and one of the following happens:

Nothing happens — the button appears to do nothing
The progress indicator appears briefly then disappears with no data change
Some cells update but others remain stale
Excel shows a spinning cursor for a long time, then refresh completes with no data change

Causes

OfficeConnect is not connected to the Adaptive Planning or Financials data source (session expired or not signed in)
The workbook has no active OfficeConnect formulas (formulas were deleted or overwritten)
A network or firewall issue is blocking the connection to Workday servers
The OfficeConnect add-in has entered an error state and needs to be reloaded
Excel’s automatic calculation is disabled

Click the OfficeConnect tab in the ribbon.
If you see a Sign In button (instead of Refresh, Submit, and other tools), you are not signed in. Click Sign In and complete authentication through the Workday SSO browser window.
Once signed in, click Refresh. If the issue was an expired session, data should now load.

Fix 2: Verify OfficeConnect formulas are intact

Click any cell that should contain OfficeConnect data. Look at the formula bar — it should show an OfficeConnect formula (typically a long string starting with =OC. or similar). If the cell contains a plain number or is blank, the formula has been overwritten.
If formulas are missing, you’ll need to rebuild the report or restore from a backup. OfficeConnect does not cache formulas separately from Excel — if they’re overwritten, they’re gone.

Fix 3: Test network connectivity

Open a browser and navigate to your Workday tenant URL. If Workday loads in the browser, basic connectivity is fine. If it doesn’t load, contact your IT team — the issue is network-level.
If you’re on a VPN, try disconnecting briefly (if policy allows) and refreshing. Some VPN configurations block or slow traffic to Workday’s cloud servers.
If you’re on a corporate network with a proxy, confirm with IT that the OfficeConnect add-in is allowed to make outbound HTTPS connections to Workday’s domains.

Fix 4: Reload the OfficeConnect add-in

Close the OfficeConnect task pane: click the X on the Reporting pane panel.
In the Excel ribbon, click the OfficeConnect tab → Show Pane (or equivalent button to re-open the pane). This reloads the add-in’s JavaScript runtime.
Sign in again if prompted, then click Refresh.

If reloading the pane doesn’t help, close Excel entirely, reopen it, and open the workbook again. Full Excel restart clears add-in state more completely than closing the pane.

Fix Authentication and Token Errors in OfficeConnect

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

Symptom

One or more of the following:

OfficeConnect shows an error message containing words like “Authentication failed”, “Token expired”, “Unauthorized”, or “401”
The sign-in browser window opens but returns an error after you authenticate
OfficeConnect repeatedly asks you to sign in even after a successful authentication
Refresh fails immediately with an authentication-related error rather than a network error

Causes

The Workday SSO session has expired and the access token needs to be refreshed
The OfficeConnect client ID or tenant configuration is incorrect or has changed
A browser cookie or cached token is corrupted, preventing new authentication from completing
The Workday tenant’s OAuth application for OfficeConnect has been disabled or its credentials rotated
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirements have changed and OfficeConnect’s browser flow isn’t handling the new MFA step

Fix 1: Sign out and sign back in

The fastest fix for most token errors is a clean sign-out and re-authentication.

Fix Slow Performance in Large Reports

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

Symptom

One or more of the following:

OfficeConnect refresh takes more than 30 seconds to complete
Excel freezes or becomes unresponsive during refresh
Refresh completes but only for part of the workbook — some cells remain stale
Performance was acceptable in the past but has degraded recently

Causes

Too many OfficeConnect formulas in the workbook — each formula is a separate server round-trip
Leaf-level accounts used instead of rollup accounts — pulling detail that isn’t needed
Broad dimension scope — formulas pulling data across all cost centers or all levels when only a subset is needed
Workday tenant performance issues during peak usage hours
Network latency (VPN, proxy, slow connection)
Excel calculation mode interfering with OfficeConnect’s refresh sequence

Fix 1: Count and reduce formulas

The number of OfficeConnect formulas is the primary driver of refresh time.

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.

Fix Data Discrepancies Between OfficeConnect and Workday

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

Symptom

One or more of the following:

An account balance in OfficeConnect doesn’t match the same account in a Workday financial report
Figures match at the rollup level but differ at individual account or cost center level
Prior-period figures differ between OfficeConnect and Workday Report Writer after a restatement or adjustment
Totals agree but the breakdown by worktag or dimension differs

Causes

Period definition mismatch — OfficeConnect and Workday Report Writer using different period boundaries (fiscal vs. calendar, month-end vs. period-end)
Account scope mismatch — different account hierarchies or groupings used in each tool
Company or ledger filter mismatch — OfficeConnect showing all companies while Report Writer is scoped to one, or vice versa
Effective date vs. posting date difference — OfficeConnect set to effective-date view while Report Writer uses posting dates
Currency conversion mismatch — different exchange rate types or conversion dates
Journal source exclusions — Workday report configured to exclude certain journal sources that OfficeConnect includes
Retroactive adjustments — a prior period was restated in Workday after OfficeConnect data was last refreshed

Fix 1: Align the period definition

This is the most common cause. Confirm both tools are using the exact same 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.

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).

How-To on OfficeConnectPro

Report on Actuals by Cost Center

Steps

Use Effective Date Reporting After a Reorganization

Filter Reports by Company in OfficeConnect (Financials)

Single-company report

Report on Intercompany Eliminations in OfficeConnect

How eliminations appear in OfficeConnect

Multi-Currency Reporting with the Financials Data Source

Currency options in the Financials data source

Steps

Variance Analysis by Journal Source in OfficeConnect

1. Find journal source elements in the Reporting pane

2. Build a journal source comparison report

Report on Worktag Combinations in OfficeConnect

1. Find worktag dimensions in the Reporting pane

2. Filter a report by a single worktag

3. Combine multiple worktags

Reconcile OfficeConnect Values to Workday Reports

1. Confirm you’re comparing the same period

Fix OfficeConnect Not Refreshing

Symptom

Causes

Fix 1: Check your sign-in status

Fix 2: Verify OfficeConnect formulas are intact

Fix 3: Test network connectivity

Fix 4: Reload the OfficeConnect add-in

Fix Authentication and Token Errors in OfficeConnect

Symptom

Causes

Fix 1: Sign out and sign back in

Fix Slow Performance in Large Reports

Symptom

Causes

Fix 1: Count and reduce formulas

Compare Two Planning Versions Side by Side

Steps

Fix Data Discrepancies Between OfficeConnect and Workday

Symptom

Causes

Fix 1: Align the period definition

Add Headcount Data to a Financial Report

Steps

Lock and Protect Reports for Distribution

How OfficeConnect cells work with protection

Set Up Scenario Comparison in OfficeConnect

Before you begin

Report in Constant Currency in OfficeConnect

How constant currency works in Adaptive Planning

Refresh Reports Automatically with Power Automate

Work with Custom Dimensions and Attributes in OfficeConnect

1. Find your custom dimensions in the Reporting pane

Optimize Performance for Large Models in OfficeConnect

1. Reduce the number of OfficeConnect formulas

Use OfficeConnect on Mac

1. Install OfficeConnect on Mac