In today’s data-driven world, controllers and financial analysts are faced with the challenge of not only managing huge amounts of data, but also basing well-founded decisions on it in the shortest possible time. This is precisely where IBM comes in with an innovative combination of Planning Analytics and Generative AI – revolutionizing the day-to-day work of controllers.
Complex data, made understandable
Traditional tabular presentations – as helpful as they are – can quickly become confusing. It often remains unclear how a certain value comes about or what correlations exist between individual key figures. IBM Planning Analytics addresses this problem and, with the Planning Analytics Assistant, offers a solution that makes data accessible in a completely new, intuitive way – with the support of Gen AI.
“Explain Cell”: How cell logic becomes transparent
How does a certain value come about? The Planning Analytics Assistant allows users to get an explanation by clicking on a cell – without any in-depth technical knowledge. With the “Explain Cell” function, the tool shows the origin of the value (lineage), the dimensions involved and the underlying logic. Whether consolidation, rule or calculation – everything is broken down clearly in natural language.
The explanation can be copied, commented on or pasted directly into the cell. This creates a comprehensible audit trail – ideal for teams, reviews and decision-making processes.
Recognize correlations: Impact analysis at the touch of a button
One of the greatest strengths of Gen AI in IBM Planning Analytics is impact analysis. Here, relationships between attributes are visualized – in the form of a scatter plot that shows linear and non-linear correlations. Particularly revealing: the upper right quadrant, which identifies the biggest influencing factors.
One example: An analysis showed that travel costs correlate strongly with the number of employees – an important indication for future budget planning.
Detecting anomalies made easy
Outlier detection is another area where AI comes into its own. Planning Analytics automatically recognizes anomalies and outliers – for example, unusually high office expenditure in certain months such as May or October. This automatic identification enables controllers to react more quickly to irregularities and make well-founded queries.
Reports at the touch of a button: Exploration Analysis Reports
All findings can be documented with the Exploration Analysis Report. This is particularly helpful if the database changes over time. In this way, every analysis remains comprehensible and transparent – even in retrospect.
Dialogue with AI: natural, direct, understandable
A real highlight is the natural voice dialog with the Assistant. Whether via chat or interface: Users can ask simple questions and receive precise, context-related answers. This makes data analysis accessible even to less tech-savvy users – a real benefit for collaboration in finance and controlling teams.
Fazit: Gen AI + Planning Analytics = Smarteres Controlling
With the combination of Generative AI and Planning Analytics, IBM is enabling completely new access to company data. Information is not only made visible, but also understandable, contextualized and explainable. For controllers, this means less manual research and more focus on analysis and strategy.
Anyone who wants to position themselves for the future can hardly avoid this new form of data analysis. Contact us now for a live demo!
