Financial statistics displayed on a tablet during analysis

For CFOs, controllers and finance teams

Financial dashboards and reporting for CFOs and controllers

Datalab automates your financial reporting and connects accounting, budgets and operational data. Your team sees how actuals and budget develop and where variances arise. We connect to your existing systems and Excel models, and record how the figures are calculated and checked.

Discuss your reporting process View finance cases

Where finance teams get stuck

Most finance departments do not lack knowledge or effort. The problem usually sits in the number of sources, manual work and differences in interpretation.

Datalab Studio for Finance

A managed data foundation for financial steering

Datalab Studio connects financial sources such as accounting, payroll, invoicing, budgets and consolidations with operational sources such as ERP, CRM, webshop, stock, planning, production, service or custom software. Finance no longer has to keep collecting, checking and remodelling exports.

We understand finance practice. Datalab works for CFOs, controllers, accountancy firms and organisations where margin, cash flow, working capital, revenue, costs and forecast reliability directly guide decisions. We know where Excel is strong, but also when the process becomes too fragile.

The solution is modular. You can start with one reporting process, one dashboard, one data model or one forecasting question and expand later to more sources, teams and applications.

Finance

Combine financial sources reliably

Accounting, payroll, invoicing, budgets, bank data, cost centres, project administration and consolidation come together in one controlled foundation.

Operations

Operational data alongside financial figures

ERP, CRM, stock, webshop, planning, service and custom software show what drives financial performance.

Excel

Less manual work and fewer fragile spreadsheets

Excel remains useful for analysis, but no longer has to be the vulnerable backbone of reporting, definitions and data connections.

Steering

Dashboards, forecasting and analyses finance understands

From monthly reporting and margin analysis to cash flow, working capital, scenarios and early signals.

Applications

Where Datalab Studio strengthens finance

Finance only gains control when financial and operational data are available in context.

1 Reporting

Monthly reporting without endless copying and checking

Many controllers still spend too much time on exports, reconciliations and manual spreadsheet work. Datalab automates the data foundation behind reporting, so figures are available sooner and remain traceable.

Concretely: a monthly report shows actuals, budget and variances, with one level of detail at which you investigate a variance. The reference date, sources used and the reconciliation with the administration are visible. The manual step that disappears: merging periodic exports and reapplying the same calculations over and over.

2 Margin

Margin, costs and revenue in relation to operations

Financial figures rarely explain themselves. To truly understand margin, channel performance, stock, projects or service costs, finance needs to include data from operations, sales and planning.

Datalab connects those sources so CFOs and controllers see not only what happened, but why it happened.

3 Forecast

Better forecasting and scenarios on reliable data

Datalab supports forecasting at three levels. We put actuals, budget and forecast visibly side by side, with versions, reference date and ownership. We build predictive models on your historical figures, pipeline, stock, capacity and seasonal patterns. And where desired, we also support the input and approval of plans and scenarios.

Assumptions remain explicit, so finance can adjust course faster and the forecast conversation is about substance - not about which version is leading.

4 Collaboration

Finance, operations and management work from the same truth

Debates about definitions cost a lot of energy. What counts as revenue? Which costs belong to which margin? Which forecast version is leading?

With reusable data models, documentation and clear ownership, one foundation emerges that finance, operations and management can trust.

Case study

Finance data in practice

Anna + Nina shows how administration and operations come together: finance steers from the same current foundation as operations and the back office. Datalab unlocked the sources and built the data warehouse on which the reporting and analyses run.

Retail finance Anna + Nina: accounting, webshop and stock in one data warehouse

Fashion retailer Anna + Nina brings Exact Online, Shopify, analytics and stock sources together, so finance, operations and the back office steer from the same current foundation for sales, margin, stock and channel performance.

"Data is vital for every retailer."

- Fenna Krist, Anna + Nina

Collaboration model

Three ways to make finance data more reliable

Datalab connects to the capacity you already have. Some finance teams mainly want a technical data foundation. Others need help making reports, KPIs and analyses substantively sharper.

Optie #1

From finance question to daily steering

Datalab guides the full programme: sharpen the question, unlock sources, build data models, realise dashboards, take users along and continue developing. You assess definitions and results.

Also suitable without your own data team
From monthly reporting to forecasting and management conversations

Data warehouse setup Dashboards & BI Data strategy & consulting

Optie #2

Build finance dashboards and analyses together

We build together with controllers, finance managers, BI specialists and key users. This creates results quickly, while knowledge about sources, definitions and use grows in your organisation.

Practical when Excel overload or fragmented reporting slows finance down
Suitable when finance and BI need to strengthen each other

Financial data consultant Power BI consultancy Analytics & AI

Optie #3

Data platform for your own finance or BI team

We deliver the data warehouse, source connections, data models, permissions and quality checks, with documentation and handover. Your own finance, BI or IT team continues building on top of it.

For organisations with their own BI or data capacity
Strong foundation for reporting, Power BI and Excel analysis

Data warehouse setup DBT & data modelling Dashboards & BI

Partner

CFO and controller expertise when needed

Sometimes finance data is mainly a technical question: sources need to come together reliably and your own CFO, controller or BI team can continue from there. In that case we keep the project technical and compact.

If that capacity is missing, or your team is already stretched, we can work together with BPO - De Administratie. Datalab provides the data platform, data models and, where needed, BI or analytics support; BPO helps as a part-time CFO/controller with KPIs, sharp definitions, reporting, budget control and the financial interpretation of the figures. The result is not just a working platform, but management information that leadership can actually act on.

In cooperation with BPO - De Administratie

Read about our cooperation with BPO

How do we start with finance data?

We start from a concrete reporting or steering question and build from there towards a data foundation that can grow.

Clarify reporting pain and finance questions

We determine where the most manual work, fragility or interpretation difference sits: monthly reporting, margin, cash flow, forecasting, budgets, projects or operational steering.

Resultaat: a concrete finance scope.

Inventory financial and operational sources

We look at accounting, payroll, invoicing, ERP, CRM, webshop, stock, planning, Excel files and custom software. We also assess APIs, exports and data quality.

Resultaat: visibility of feasibility and connections.

Build the data model and definitions

We define how revenue, margin, costs, forecast versions, budgets, customers, products and cost centres are calculated and reused.

Resultaat: one reusable financial truth.

Put dashboards, analyses and routines into use

We deliver reports, dashboards, datasets or forecasts that fit how finance, operations and management make decisions. After that, the solution grows with you: your team builds on the foundation or Datalab keeps building and guiding.

Resultaat: less manual work and better management information.

Discuss your reporting process

Frequently asked questions

Questions about financial reporting, dashboards and forecasting

Practical answers for CFOs, controllers and finance teams that want to improve their reporting and analysis process.

How do we automate our monthly financial reporting?

We start from your current report - often an Excel model - and record which sources, definitions and calculations sit behind it. Then we connect accounting, budgets and operational sources in a data model and build the report as a dashboard or dataset. The manual steps (merging exports, recalculating, checking) disappear; the reconciliation with the administration remains verifiable.

Is this a finance package or a data platform?

Datalab Studio is a data platform, not a standard finance package. We connect existing systems and build reliable data models, dashboards, reports, analyses and forecasting on top of them. This means it fits your own finance process and operational sources.

Can you work with our existing Excel models?

Yes. We often start with existing Excel reports to understand definitions, calculations and data flows. Then we remove fragile manual steps from the process and make sure Excel is only used where it adds value.

What exactly do you do around forecasting?

Three things, depending on your needs: put actuals, budget and forecast visibly side by side (with versions, reference date and ownership), build predictive models on your historical data, and support the input and approval of plans and scenarios. Where relevant, we record how account structures, entities, currencies and corrections are processed.

Which financial sources can you connect?

We connect accounting, payroll, invoicing, CRM, ERP, bank, project and budget sources, among others. Think of Exact, AFAS, Nmbrs, Twinfield, Visma and many custom sources. Where standard connectors are missing, we assess API, database, export or custom connector options. View all sources in the source catalogue.

Can operational sources also be included?

Yes. For CFOs and controllers this is often essential. Margin, revenue, stock, service costs, production, planning and sales pipeline only become understandable when operational data sits alongside financial data.

What determines the price and the first delivery?

Three factors weigh heaviest: the availability and quality of the sources, the clarity of definitions and calculations, and the effort finance itself can contribute for review and acceptance. Datalab works with a fixed amount that includes connectors, platform, dashboards and management; licences (such as Power BI) and consumption costs are separate. Lead time depends on these factors and is discussed up front per situation.

When is BPO - De Administratie relevant?

BPO is relevant when the question needs CFO, controller or finance-content guidance alongside technology. Datalab can also be engaged fully independently; if you have your own controller, we build the data foundation and reporting while interpretation stays with your team. The division of roles is described on the cooperation with BPO page.

Which services connect to this?

For the technical foundation, this often connects to Data warehouse setup, Dashboards & BI and Analytics & AI. For temporary expertise, financial data consultancy, Power BI consultancy and DBT & data modelling are relevant.

Make your financial reporting more reliable and less manual

Which periodic report needs to become more reliable? In a no-obligation conversation we scope that first application and determine which sources, definitions and effort it needs.

Discuss your reporting process