Set the context
Ask for the necessary parameters, such as budget period, department and version. Apply configured access rules and the allowed values for each selection.
Illustrative use case
Collect department budgets without the confusion
Managers prepare budgets in familiar Excel files. They then choose the period and department, add the file and review the data before loading it. Data Bridge guides them through these steps and sends the result to your planning system.
ExcelIBM Planning AnalyticsUBC Analytics
HOW THE WORKFLOW RUNS
ExcelIBM Planning AnalyticsUBC Analytics
01Set the context
02Collect the workbook
03Validate the submission
04Load the result
THE CHALLENGE
What slows the work down
Budget files arrive through different channels, columns change, and finance manually transfers the numbers into a model. The person who submitted a workbook may not know whether it has been processed or what needs correcting. Resubmissions introduce further uncertainty about which version should be used.
Budget controllers and department managers.A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE
Illustrative scenario: a cost-centre manager opens a “Submit department budget” button on a corporate page. They choose a period, attach the latest workbook and follow the configured wizard. Validated figures are then loaded into the designated Planning Analytics or UBC Analytics model.
HOW THE WORKFLOW RUNS
From the first step to the right action.
Collect the workbook
Request the current Excel file in the agreed template. Read its configured sheet or range without requiring the operator to open the workflow designer.
Validate the submission
Map columns to dimensions, check required values and validate budget categories. Explain a detected issue at the step where the operator can address it.
Load the result
Write the prepared dataset using the configured method. Show the actual execution state and retain a run history for the person responsible for the budget.
VALUE FOR THE TEAM
Make the work repeatable.
- Department users can perform a prepared task without learning the full data integration environment.
- Finance maintains one submission structure and a repeatable set of checks for subsequent budget rounds.
- Parameters and file collection become clear, sequential steps that explain what the operator needs to provide.
Keep control of the result.
- Check department and budget-version permissions in the relevant systems and workflow configuration.
- Agree in advance whether a new submission replaces existing data or adds values to it.
- Show success only when the write completes and make partially completed results visible to the controller.
THE WORKFLOW OUTCOME
Budget submission becomes repeatable, with defined inputs, checks and results, while spreadsheets remain part of the department’s working process.
Capabilities behind this workflowFROM IDEA TO WORKING FLOW
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