xFP&A Blog

Browse featured stories and the latest posts on a variety of extended financial planning and analysis topics. 

FP&A

excel-based-fpa-software-a-buyers-checklist-for-2026

3 min read

Excel-Based FP&A Software: A Buyer's Checklist for 2026

The criteria that matter most are the ones that address what plain Excel cannot do on its own: centralized version control, an automated audit trail,...

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top-excel-based-fpa-tools-for-2026-how-to-compare-them

3 min read

Top Excel-Based FP&A Tools for 2026: How to Compare Them

The tools worth considering in this category share four traits: a native Excel interface rather than an Excel export or import layer, a centralized...

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Driver-Based Planning in Excel: Is FP&A Actually Possible?

3 min read

Driver-Based Planning in Excel: Is FP&A Actually Possible?

Driver-based planning is a forecasting approach where a budget or forecast is built from the underlying business activities that create it, such as...

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the-limits-of-excel-for-fpanda-how-to-fix-them

4 min read

The Limits of Excel for FP&A (and How to Fix Them)

Excel's limitations in FP&A fall into three categories: version control, performance, and auditability. Version control breaks down because Excel...

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excel-vs.-cloud-fpanda-why-you-dont-have-to-choose

4 min read

Excel vs. Cloud FP&A: Why You Don't Have to Choose

The real difference is not whether a spreadsheet is involved. It is where the data and the controls live. Excel-based FP&A keeps the Excel interface...

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What Is Excel-Based FP&A? A Complete Guide

6 min read

What Is Excel-Based FP&A? A Complete Guide

Excel-based FP&A is an approach to financial planning and analysis where Excel remains the primary interface for building budgets, forecasts, and...

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Most FP&A Teams Will Use AI to Do the Wrong Thing Faster

8 min read

Most FP&A Teams Will Use AI to Do the Wrong Thing Faster

Here is a prediction I'll stand behind: most mid-market FP&A teams will spend their AI budgets over the next two years making a broken planning...

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7 min read

Why Most AI-FP&A Demos Look Impressive, and Fall Apart in Production

I've sat through a lot of AI-FP&A demos in the last twelve months. The good ones are genuinely impressive. An agent reads a variance, generates a...

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how-does-the-solver-suite-enhance-financial-reporting-with-drill-down-capabilities

5 min read

How Does Solver Enhance Reporting With Drill-Down?

Financial reports answer what happened. Drill-down reporting answers why. That distinction matters most the moment leadership needs to act on a...

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why-is-pl-analysis-critical-for-identifying-margin-trends

8 min read

Why Is P&L Analysis Critical for Identifying Margin Trends?

Profit and loss P&L analysis is how finance leaders determine not just whether the business made money, but where margins are expanding or...

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