Introduction
Microsoft’s announcement of native write-back capabilities in Power BI to Microsoft Fabric databases has created a buzz in the analytics and planning community. This new feature introduces, for the first time, a native ability to edit and input data directly within Power BI.
At the initial announcement at the Ignite conference in November 2024, Microsoft stated that they would release “a couple of new buttons and text entry fields assigned to User Data Functions” during 2025. These User Data Functions are code blocks where SQL code can be written to store data in the new Fabric SQL databases, also introduced at Ignite.
Screenshot from the Ignite demo
A preview demo was shown where a Submit button was assigned a new type of action called ‘Data Function,’ taking data from a new visual with value buttons (“Set a discount” in the picture above) and storing the 35% value to a table in an SQL database.
It’s important to note that Power BI writes the data to an SQL database, not directly to the dataset or semantic model. What’s interesting is that these new Fabric SQL databases, by default, automatically replicate data to Fabric OneLake—i.e., into Fabric semantic models. This data is stored in parquet files, offering great performance for analytical workloads such as presenting data in Power BI.
Side Note: During the Ignite conference, Aimplan announced that Aimplan now support Fabric SQL databases (read more here). We incorporate the same technology, using Fabric SQL as the transactional database, with automatic replication to the Fabric semantic model for analytical performance.
How Aimplan Sees This News
A Positive Development for Power BI
At Aimplan, we welcome the news about native write-back in Power BI as it adds some exciting new capabilities. While the initial demo looks very similar to the existing ‘What-If Parameter,’ the difference is that the data is persisted into a database. This will create new possibilities to store data from Power BI that can be used in DAX calculations. In some scenarios, it might also replace the need for using PowerApps embedded in Power BI, which today can be a bit clunky.
The initial target group for this new functionality will likely be technical SQL and Power BI developers with both Power BI and SQL skills.
We believe Microsoft may later add additional functionality, such as write-back from the matrix visual. This would be similar to how they implemented write-back from Excel pivot tables to SSAS cubes 20 years ago.
Aimplan is Much More Than Write-Back
The Aimplan mission is to help organizations reach and exceed their goals with superior planning and reporting leveraging Power BI. While write-back is an important feature, it’s just one component of a complete FP&A or CPM solution. Aimplan goes beyond enabling data entry extending Power BI to become an FP&A platform.
Aimplan is a Solution, Not Just a Write-Back Visual: Planning, budgeting, and forecasting go beyond basic write-back, particularly considering the requirements of Controllers, CFOs, and other stakeholders in an FP&A solution. Aimplan implements functionality such as scenario management, commenting, audit trails, cell-locking, access rights, and more.
Process and Status Control: To successfully enhance efficiency, you must coordinate people, processes, and technology. Aimplan’s process and status control make it possible to orchestrate workflows across the organization and gain control. This applies to planning and forecasting, as well as report delivery and sign-off.
Flexible Modeling: Aimplan can leverage existing Power BI semantic models but can also extend such models and tables with new tables or extended columns maintained by end-users. Aimplan also implements functionality for multi-dimensional top-down allocations and Power BI-generated suggested values to enable users to make smarter decisions.
Advanced Report and Planning Form Design: The Aimplan Planning and Reporting Visual implements a unique concept of Row and Column Sections with granular control of report and form design. Pivot-table-like Matrix reports are not sufficient when designing more advanced reports. This is especially true when creating reports for the office of the CFO, but it becomes even more critical when building smart planning, budgeting, and forecasting data entry forms.
No-Code SaaS Solution: Aimplan’s custom visuals, combined with the Aimplan portal and backend SaaS service, make it easy to build and manage comprehensive planning and reporting models without requiring coding expertise.
Conclusions
For straightforward data entry tasks, the new Power BI write-back functionality will be a welcome addition. However, enterprise-grade planning and reporting require much more than the ability to enter data into a Power BI report.
History has shown that while the CPM/FP&A market is closely connected to the Business Intelligence market, they are not the same. Even in the old days of Excel write-back to SSAS cubes and Microsoft PerformancePoint, Microsoft didn’t disrupt the CPM market. Instead, great CPM tools like OutlookSoft, Calumo, Insikt, and many more emerged. These tools leveraged Microsoft’s technology but extended it to support CPM/FP&A processes, empowering businesses to plan, adapt, and execute strategies effectively.
Key Takeaways
Write-Back in Power BI is a Step Forward: For small write-back applications or replacing PowerApps embedded in Power BI, Microsoft’s announcement is great news.
Aimplan Extends Power BI Beyond Write-Back: While useful for basic tasks, write-back alone isn’t enough for comprehensive enterprise planning. Aimplan is a purpose-built FP&A platform and SaaS service that delivers the functionality organizations need beyond write-back, enabling a true closed loop between planning, execution, and reporting.
The FP&A Journey Continues: The complexity of modern planning demands solutions designed to meet the nuanced needs of different industries and organizations—something Aimplan was built to do.
At Aimplan, we’re excited to see Microsoft’s innovation in write-back capabilities and look forward to helping organizations leverage the full potential of Power BI for FP&A. If you’re ready to move beyond spreadsheets and simple tools, we’re here to guide you on your journey.