technology and project consulting

Tableau as Planning Tool

Use Tableau for your business planning

Reduce the manual effort for planning, forecasts and predictions. Use a single interface to map input and visualisation with one process step and to easily display comments on key figures. Avoid system breaks and use the Form Builder, Tableau extension developed by M2 to carry out your planning in a smart, intelligent and time-saving way.

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With Tableau and the Form Builder developed by M2, you can depict and simplify diverse and complex planning processes. Technically, this makes use of the possibility of integrating certain functions into Tableau dashboards via the Tableau Writeback Extension API.

Carry out your planning conveniently on dynamic Tableau Dashboards

With the Form Builder we have developed a tool that enables every company to independently create interactive dashboards including forecast and commenting functionality.

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Add comments to your key planning figures

In addition to the uncomplicated entry of key figures, you have the possibility of making qualitative comments on the planning and forecast values and making corresponding evaluations.

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Our customers benefit from Tableau as a planning tool

Several of our customers already use Tableau successfully as a planning tool in their company. Read two exemplary customer stories to find out how Tableau and Form Builder have been used to automate and streamline planning processes:

Forecasting mit Tableau Writeback Extension

M2 Solutions · M2 Form Builder · Tableau Writeback Extension

Our partner

Media Impact is a marketing joint venture of Axel Springer SE and the FUNKE Media Group and one of the largest cross-media advertising marketers in Germany. The title portfolio comprises more than 100 versatile media brands.

Initial situation & goal

In the commercial management area, all forecasting and planning processes are centrally controlled and consolidated. Advertising revenues are forecast on a weekly, monthly and annual basis. The regular and faulty processes could only be guaranteed with a high degree of manual effort. The aim was to develop a web service integrated into Tableau to facilitate the process of forecast submission. The departments involved were to be enabled to enter their forecasts independently and without system interruption and manual process detours - directly in the Tableau Dashboard. The central control should remain in the commercial management.

Project approach & solution

1. Requirements analysis

Kick-off workshop
Check technical compatibility
Sketching the solution

2. Concept & design of forms and Dashboards
3. Integration of the forms in Tableau Dashboards
4. User tests & design iteration
5. Going live to production

The result

Several dashboards have been developed for the specialist department to illustrate and simplify the customer's diverse forecasting processes.
From a technical point of view, the Tableau Writeback Extension API was used here to integrate certain functions into Tableau Dashboards, such as entering numbers and comments.
The solution, which has been in use for a year, is not statically limited to a single use case and can be quickly adapted to other scenarios.

More information about the M2 Form Builder can be found here.

Forecast optimisation
with the
Form Builder

M2 Solutions · M2 Form Builder · Financial Forecast Planning

Our Partner

A German life insurance company with headquarters in Munich. The company relies on over 8,000 independent insurance brokers to advise its customers.

Initial situation & goal

The customer's controlling department had the goal of improving their monthly forecast planning. They wanted to analyse and insert data into a single Tableau Dashboard by embedding an input form as a Tableau extension. The analysis of historical values was to improve the quality of the forecast inputs. In addition, switching between interfaces should be avoided. A suitable authorisation model was required as all users should only be able to enter data for their respective accounts and cost centres. The newly entered values were to be transferred to the dashboard with one click.

Project approach & solution

1. Requirements analysi

Kick-off workshop
Installation of the Form Builder within the infrastructure of Kubernetes
Database compatibility (JDBC driver)

2. Concept & design of the forms
3. Integration of the forms in Tableau
4. Introduction of the Dashboard into production
5. Maintenance and support

Project result

Global interactive dashboard on Tableau Server with embedded form to insert forcast values.
Enabling the Controlling and Business Intelligence department to create forms independently (knowledge transfer for Form Builder, SQL, Tableau)
Establishing design best practices to enhance the usability of dashboards with an implementation of a standard Tableau template.

More information about the M2 Form Builder can be found here.

As teamlead of the Technology Division and senior system architect, Dr. Wolfgang Schult looks back on many years of experience at M2 and a large number of successful customer projects.

With his broad experience in building, operating and scaling infrastructures on-premise as well as in the cloud, he and his team of consultants are at your disposal to answer your questions and solve your challenges!

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