AFIN.NET allows you to create and manage the effective budgeting system, based only on your own Excel files. It can easy consolidate hundreds of scattered Excel files into the budget OLAP cube in one-click procedure.
 Step by step instructions how to do it by yourself - Organize your budget files
- Locate the files in static but well-parametrized locations (path and file name template, eg c:\Budgets\Year[YYYY]\DeptId[NN]\CostCenterId[NNN]\MyBudgetName.xls) - this could help you to find information.
- Prepare a folder system (if it doesn't) exist, based on template described above and secured by file-system administrator to be used only by allowed users only.
It means: When you budget you have to base on Excel files. Excel files
can not be efectively secured - the only option is to keep your
Excel-file system in the scattered Excel files. Normally, such a system would
fail from the reason of link errors but now there is no problem. This
system can be efectively managed and secured by its administrator
including access and view security for particular users and/or theirs
groups (eg. dept, company, project, etc.).
- Examine whether all the budget files are beeing properly imported into the test sheet and then into the OLAP cube
- The values should appear and be refreshed in the test sheet
- The OLAP cube should be refreshed and rebuild (if deleted) even when sample reports are open.
- All the process has to be done without any errors.
- Make all your budget files ready to be constolidated
- Examine the file-naming and sheet-naming template if it matches all your needs
- Examine your existing (or beeing created) budget files. They have to:
- have the same named sheets or ranges (there is rather not to use range names)
- have the same columns called as in the sample: 'Item', '01', '02', ...,'12'
- have the same data collection schema: in column 'Item' the proper item name from global dictionary
- have the same format (version of Excel: E2003 recommended, if E2007 - examine if administrator has the ODBC access to E2007 /.xlsx/ files)
- are basicly secured on the workbook level. It means: The users can make common mistakes - ther is better to use workbook security not to secure the information but to secure the user from his common mistakes. Password can be known or empty but there is strictly recommended to use it.
- Install (run) AFIN.NET and ensure yourself that your budgeting procedure works properly on your computer
- Run the sample: Budgeting system
- Examine the sample if it react on the custom changes of values made by you
- Examine if the sample can be moved (not copied) to your custom disc-location
- Make users to do test changes and examine the change only by your analitycal tools; say who and what has changed only seeing the pivot tables based on the refreshed budget OLAP cube
- Try to communicate your rules to the users and how they are beeing followed: eg. say that cost1 for month of February can be only greater two times from the cost1 of January. And so on - the budgeting system is not only the matter of consolidating files.
- Change the parameters to your files
- Use your names for all the sample names used in the sample files (except column names in the sheets)
- Use your custom real values
- Make a trial budgeting period
- Decide about eventual and prospective changes to the system
- Number of users - whether the UserId has proper numer of the characters
- Enjoy the simple work with hundreds of your budget files
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