Microsoft Fabric Planning – An Introduction (LIVE DEMO)

Fabric Planning brings budgets, forecasts and scenarios onto the Power BI semantic model you already use for actuals, with data management and reporting in the same Plan item. This session tours the planning capabilities, PowerTable and the Intelligence sheet, creates a Plan item live, and ends with Q&A.

Key takeaways

1. Start from the semantic model, not an ETL project. Most planning tools copy ERP, CRM and HR data into their own store and then copy the plan back out for reporting. Fabric Plan reads your dimensions, hierarchies and measures straight from the semantic model, and writeback goes to Fabric SQL, which lands in OneLake. From there, shortcuts and mirroring make the data available to Snowflake or Databricks.
2. You pay for activity, not named users. Fabric Planning is sold by Microsoft and runs on your Fabric capacity, so MACC commitments can pay for it. There are three session types. Viewers read, filter and bookmark. Stakeholders enter data, approve, comment, run scenarios and write back from reading view. Planners build the models. Each session lasts 30 days, and most users end up as Stakeholders.
3. Planning methods are configured, not coded. Top-down entries spread by trend or by weights, and you can lock a cell or a whole hierarchy once it's agreed. Bottom-up changes roll up automatically. Rolling forecasts lock closed periods to actuals as each month comes in, and Extend Time lets you plan years past your source data for long-range plans.
4. Forecasting, scenarios and driver models are built in. Predict runs statistical forecasts on your historical actuals. Scenarios can be created in the middle of a meeting and copied to base once they're agreed. Optimize works like a multi-variable Goal Seek. For driver-based plans, Model Builder connects operational and financial drivers, and Tree View shows the result as a tree you can simulate on.
5. Pick the modelling method that fits the plan. The default is to pick the dimensions you need from the semantic model and plan on them. When each country plans in its own currency, Dimension Partitioning gives every country its own sheet, and InfoBridge consolidates them. Cube handles plans across many dimensions, with several views that stay in sync. Line-item planning by SKU or employee belongs in PowerTable, which rolls up live into the planning sheet.
6. Security and collaboration come with it. Semantic model row-level security and Fabric workspace security are inherited, and Microsoft Entra ID groups drive access. On top of that, you control who can write back, comment or create scenarios. Comments work at cell, row or column level with Teams notifications, and the audit log shows who changed what and when.
7. PowerTable and Intelligence complete the loop. PowerTable manages forward-looking reference data, such as 100 planned hires or a product that doesn't exist yet, with up to three levels of approval and live writes to Fabric SQL. The Intelligence sheet puts plan against actuals right away, with no writeback-and-composite-model step. It also handles financial and paginated reporting, variance commentary and IBCS-certified visuals.

FAQ

• How is this different from SAP Analytics Cloud planning?
  Both combine analytics and planning. Fabric Planning starts from the Power BI semantic model you already have and is built for self-service, with no code. SAC planning usually starts with consultant-led ETL to bring the data in.
• If I build a calculated measure for a scenario, is it kept?
  Yes. A formula measure is saved in the plan, so it's there to reuse the next time you open it, as long as you give it its own name.
• Can I report actuals against budget straight away?
  Yes. Once the budget is entered, an Intelligence sheet on the same semantic model shows the variance against actuals immediately. There's no separate reporting pipeline to build.
• We run Dynamics 365 or Business Central. What do we need?
  A Power BI semantic model over that data. Once it exists, everything shown in the session works on top of it. Many customers build their first plan themselves after training, and Power BI consultants can move into Fabric Planning work quickly. Projects tend to be smaller and much faster than six-to-twelve-month EPM implementations.
• Who sells and supports Fabric Planning?
  Microsoft. It's a Fabric workload, so Microsoft sells it, handles the account and provides support. Lumel, which builds it, helps with training and guidance.

Resources

• Capacity estimator: https://community.fabricplan.com/capacity-pricing/
• Related webinar, Billing, Pricing and Capacity Estimation (Sep 25): https://community.fabricplan.com/webinars/fabric-plan-understanding-billing-pricing-and-capacity-estimation/
• Related webinar, Best Practices and Modelling/Implementation Options (Oct 23): https://community.fabricplan.com/webinars/fabric-plan-best-practices-and-modelling-implementation-options/
• Related webinar, Introducing PowerTable for Data Management (Apr 30): https://community.fabricplan.com/webinars/fabric-planning-powertable-data-management/
• Documentation: https://community.fabricplan.com/docs/
• Ask a question: https://community.fabricplan.com/forums/