Frequently Asked Questions

I. General
What applications are included with PowerExcel Teams?
PowerExcel Team Plans include a P&L Forecasting Model that may be modified for specific needs.
II. PowerExcel Starter Team
What is the PowerExcel Starter Team?
The PowerExcel Starter Team provides customers with the ability to explore and try out PowerExcel Teams Services free of charge.

The Starter Team is an always free offer that allows customers to use the product for free up to specified limits.

Short-term trials of upgraded versions of the product are available for free for a period of time. Reach out to our sales team if that is of interest to you.

When does the Free Usage of PowerExcel Starter Team expire?
PowerExcel Starter Team is always free if a customer remains within the limits of the Starter Team Services, and will continue to be free subject to the Terms and Conditions.
What do I need to do to qualify for the PowerExcel Starter Team?
The PowerExcel Starter Team is available to all types of customers. If you are linked to an Organization, free use of the service can be applied to only one account within the organization.

You will be charged standard rates for use of PowerExcel Teams Services if we determine that you are not eligible to use the service for free or have exceeded the limits of the service.

What training, support and professional services can help me to use my PowerExcel Team setup?
There is a 45 minute PowerExcel web training session included. You may attend the training session as many times as you like (scheduling is subject to availability), and you can ask your questions during the Q&A portion of the training.

There are no other support or professional services included.  That said, assuming you want to take your solution further, you are welcome to contact us to discuss how we might help you to reach your business needs.

III. Using PowerExcel
Can the PowerExcel model be customized to work with my business data?
The PowerExcel model—known as the P&L Forecasting Model—has been designed to reflect the complexities of many, if not most organizations.

That said, Yes!, this model can be customized to reflect your business in all kinds of ways: use your own nomenclature; create new Accounts and roll-ups (what we call Hierarchies), add Departments; add Forecasting scenarios, and so on. As well, you can update your Actual and Plan versions through input of data virtually anytime. You thereby ensure having the latest data for Teams to collaborate on, around the clock and around the world.

Three among limitless examples:

  • Change your [Month] periods to a non-calendar quarterly reporting system
  • Customize roll-ups of entity (company) or department reporting units
  • Add 30- and 60-day forecasts for plan scenarios
Will we have access to this model to make changes as our business changes?
Same as above: if you add a new entity, or new product, you can control, through Excel, any of the particulars of the model.

The model provides for the following Dimensions: Month-Year data (numerical measures, like dollar figures); Version (Actual, Forecast, etc.)—for Planning scenarios; Entity (e.g., companies); Product-Service; Department; Month-Year; Account. Virtually any of these dimensions can be adjusted, including with unique roll-ups.

Furthermore, PARIS Technologies can work with you if you have any additional required model features that must reflect the way your business works.

What is "write-back" and how does it help my team during our planning, budgeting or forecasting process?
Write-back is one of the main features of PowerExcel. It enables users to type or bulk-paste numbers in Excel and then save it in the model instantaneously.

Saving data into the model using write-back does the following things automatically:

  • makes the number visible to other users
  • calculates roll-ups and any formulas defined in the model
  • updates all connected workbooks

Write-back into the P&L Forecasting Model is enabled for all PowerExcel Teams users. Write-back is most useful for budgeting/forecasting/performance management application(s) because it eliminates the need to email copies of spreadsheets for the purpose of consolidating. And as you probably know all too well, this can happen several times in one forecasting period.

In sum, PowerExcel solves the endless problem of budget and forecast planning with Excel, through use of a Cloud-based performance-optimized model that centralizes plan models for your organization.

Who creates the centralized model that PowerExcel reaches?
Both you and PARIS! The P&L Forecasting Model is based on a robust data set—it incorporates the “dimensional” logic (Accounts, Time, Products – Services, Departments, Entities, etc.) that are the basis of standard ERP systems. It has been transformed into a highly efficient “cube” model for fast analysis, reporting—and with PARIS’s own expertise—planning capabilities. Indeed, the model is based on PARIS’s 25 years of providing software solutions of this kind.

Past that, the model is yours to customize!—all per questions responded to above.

Are other front ends available, along with Excel?
PowerExcel—as the name implies—has been created for the fastest access possible by Excel users: within 10 minutes of install you should be able to reach the P&L Forecasting Model to gauge its use for your business. (And we think you will like it…a lot!)

That said: with some assistance from PARIS Technologies, you can certainly connect other front ends that, like Excel, will work dynamically with the data—Power BI, Tableau, etc.

We encourage you to reach us about this topic, because a strength of the underlying modeling technology that we employ is to address customers’ diverse needs.

Will PowerExcel work with data other than Financials as a reporting/analytics/planning tool?
Yes! Think of PowerExcel as a platform that can be used to model any kind of data.

But note that if you are using the P&L Forecasting Model (which comes with PowerExcel Team Plans), it really is all about your critical business financials. However, while the Dimensions in this model have fixed names, you have the ability to rename, add, or delete Members of a Dimension. This opens up the model to various kinds of data that you want to use.

PARIS Technologies specializes in delivering all kinds of Planning, Analytics and Reporting Information Systems—it is our company acronym. Please reach us to discuss this exciting topic.

IV. Licensing
How is PowerExcel licensed?
PowerExcel is licensed per device.
How many users can reach and work on a PowerExcel model?
PowerExcel Team Plans are very scalable and can be configured based on the needs of your team.
Is a standalone version available?
PowerExcel is a solution built for collaborative work.

However, if you are interested in a standalone version of a planning/analytics/reporting solution, PARIS Technologies has other options to consider—feel free to reach us for more information.

V. Technology
To install PowerExcel, what version of Excel is required? Are there any other technical requirements?
Microsoft Excel version 2016 or above is required; also .Net Framework 3.5 must be installed—that’s it. For any other related information please visit our website concerning Requirements, Download and Installation.
What is the PowerExcel Cloud Server?
The PowerExcel Cloud Server is the application that allows you to work as a team, all around the world.

The PowerExcel add-in for Excel is your way of accessing the functionalities of the PowerExcel Cloud Server.