Tip: Use
your browser's search or find facility to locate key words
on this page.
Notes:
Exl-Plan contains extensive online help (130+ topics) along
with a with a 90-page manual (Word or PDF format) and a series of Flash-based
tutorials (running for 19 minutes) covering setting up Excel, getting
started, the basics and using Quik-Plan. Manuals and tutorials are
included in the download files for
all versions of Exl-Plan.
This FAQ is mainly for the Micro, Lite, Pro, Super, Super
Plus, Ultra and Ultra Plus versions and
the answers may not be fully applicable to the Exl-Plan Basic
or Free versions.
Q. Is Exl-Plan available to run on a Mac?
Sorry, no. It is for Windows only.
Q. What Windows-based releases of Excel can be used with
Exl-Plan?
All versions/editions of Exl-Plan are fully compatible with all Windows-based
releases of Excel including Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 (see FAQs
for Using Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 if you are new to this release).
Important Note: Exl-Plan requires a Windows-based, desktop version
of Excel. It will not run, on account of its extensive
use of macros, with any cloud-based versions of Excel (or other
similar spreadsheet types). If using Office 365 or Office 16, Excel must be installed on a Windows PC.
Q. How do I select the right version of Exl-Plan?
Refer to a selection chart here and the range
of assumptions handled by Exl-Plan here.
Take account of the likely size (turnover) and complexity of the business.
Also, consider your level of expertise in finance and accounting. Our
best advice is to go for the simplest version which will do the job
for you. For example, if you are planning a business with annual sales
of $250k, you certainly will not need the Super version and the Basic or Micro
versions will most probably more than suffice. The beauty of Exl-Plan
is that you can download trial or free software so
you can check out more than one version or edition.
Fast
Facts
Name: Exl-Plan (nine versions and US/Can & UK/International
editions).
Function: Excel template for multi-year
income, cashflow & balance sheet
projections with Word template for business plan.
Uses: Business plans, budgets, raising finance & strategic
planning.
Q. What are the advantages of Exl-Plan over building my own financial
planner?
In a nutshell, you get a well-tested, better-built planner with more features
and facilities in a fraction of the time and cost that it would take a
very experienced spreadsheet user with financial background to develop
a planner from the ground up. For more reasons as to why Exl-Plan is better
and faster, check here.
Q. Can I trade up to a more powerful version of Exl-Plan?
Yes. Registered users of Exl-Plan can trade up to more powerful
versions of Exl-Plan at a reduced cost based on the following formula:
US$20 plus difference in price between existing and proposed version.
VAT and other sales taxes may apply. Get full details.
Q. Can I use, or try, more than one copy on my PC at the same time?
No problem. Each version & edition of Exl-Plan goes into its own sub-directory
and creates its own Program Group or menu. They all have separate online
help. This means that you can evaluate more than one version and professional
advisers etc. can operate multiple versions.
Q. Are there any industry types for which Exl-Plan would NOT be suitable?
Exl-Plan is not suitable for financial planning for banks, insurance
companies and similar financial institutions. Nor is it suitable (without
modification) for one-off major projects (e.g. shipbuilding); contractors
with complex or lengthy payment schedules (e.g. substantial construction
projects); natural resource businesses where products mature in value
with age (e.g. forestry); or industries subject to exceptional taxes
or levies on sales (e.g. fuel distribution or certain alcoholic drinks).
Leaving aside these industries, Exl-Plan should suit any business
operating within manufacturing, services or distribution. Click
thumb opposite to see portion of a typical assumptions report.
Q. Can I use Exl-Plan for a software-type or Internet-related business?
Any version of Exl-Plan will suit. The key trick is to completely ignore
Monthly Assumption Reports No. 2 & 3 relating to material and direct
costs as most software firms don't have substantial inventories or any
significant cost of sales. The exact approach to use is explained in the
online help or manual.
Q. What are the essential differences between Super, Super Plus, Ultra
& Ultra Plus? Super Plus and Ultra Plus both handle ten revenue/cost
streams instead of six for Super and Ultra. Click thumb
opposite to see multiple sales groups within a monthly assumptions report. Ultra and Ultra Plus project monthly for three years whereas
Super and Super Plus project monthly for just one year and
quarterly for the next two years. All four versions generate less detailed
projections for further years. Check here for
a more detailed description of the differences.
Q. We are an accountancy/consultancy practice and wish to use Exl-Plan
for clients. Which version?
Go for the Super, Super Plus, Ultra or Ultra
Plus
versions as these are the most flexible and powerful. Bear in mind that
you can ask Exl-Plan to suppress the printing of unused rows in its
output reports so resultant printed reports are neat and concise. You
might also wish to acquire Basic or Micro for very small, simple
businesses.
Q. We need to be able to handle at least six revenue/cost streams.
Which version? Super and Ultra each handle six revenue/cost streams and
Super Plus and Ultra Plus each handle ten streams. The following
variables can be specified for each revenue/cost stream:
Sales (by value or by units+prices)
Receivable & payable terms (up to six months credit)
Material costs and purchases for resale
Finished goods and material stock inventories
Direct labour (headcount and payroll cost/person)
Tax rates for inputs and outputs (i.e. VAT, GST etc.)
Q. We are a very substantial manufacturer with seasonal sales and
variable inventories. Which version?
Choose Super, Super Plus, Ultra or Ultra Plus
depending on the level of detail or time horizon required. Super Plus and Ultra Plus each handle ten revenue/cost streams
instead of six for Super and Ultra. Super and Super Plus project monthly for one year and quarterly
for the following two years whereas Ultra and Ultra Plus
project monthly for three years and quarterly for the following two years.
All four versions also offer, optional, projections for fourth/fifth years
(Super & Super Plus) and for sixth/seventh years (Ultra & Ultra
Plus).
Q. I'm new to business and financial planning and need to do very
basic projections. Which version?
Go for Exl-Plan Free. It's free and very straightforward to use.
Alternatively, get Exl-Plan Basic or Micro. You can always trade
up to a more powerful version at a discounted price at a later date - full
details.
Q. We need to do a lot of sensitivity analysis and scenario planning.
Which version? Super, Super Plus, Ultra and Ultra Plus have
several special facilities which can assist these tasks including:
Sensitivity-analysis tool for globally changing selling prices, volumes,
direct costs and overheads for months and quarters.
Automatically generated 'what-if' tables which display the impact
of incremental changes in sales volumes, selling prices, cost of sales
and overhead expenses on projected profitability for the first year.
DuPont-type profitability chart based on the first-year projections
which also allows a user to explore the impact of specific changes in
key variables and assumptions on overall profitability.
Tables to analyze longer term trends (five years historical plus five-years
projected) for key ratios and performance measures.
Automatically generated "what-if"
table (Super, Super Plus, Ultra & Ultra
Plus versions)
Profitability Planner to
explore high-level "what-ifs" (Super, Super
Plus, Ultra & Ultra
Plus versions)
Basic sensitivity analysis
tool (Built into all versions of Exl-Plan other
than Free and Basic)
See earlier question about the essential differences between Super,
Super Plus, Ultra and Ultra Plus.
Q. When should I use the Free version of Exl-Plan? Exl-Plan Free is ideal for high-level
projections for cashflow and profit planning. It is also an ideal introduction
to financial planning and to the entire Exl-Plan range. Exl-Plan Free is free to try and use.
Q. What is the catch with Exl-Plan Free?
There is no catch! Once downloaded,
Exl-Plan Free is fully operational
but contains a use limit which disappears as soon as it is registered
at no charge ($ 0.0). To register, send an email containing the unique
Registration Code Number* in the body of an email to <exlfree@planware.org>
and we'll send back a special Unlock Code Number. You can also register
via a form here. That's it - no strings attached
and no spam or spyware (see Privacy & Security
Statement). Exl-Plan Free contains extensive
online help as well as complete 100-page manual in PDF format.
*Displayed at the upper right corner of the FRONT worksheet
within Exl-Plan.
Q. Can I use Exl-Plan to help prepare a business plan?
The Basic, Micro, Lite, Pro, Super, Super Plus, Ultra and Ultra
Plus versions are all ideal. They make the number crunching
much easier and allow you to focus on the contents of the plan and ideas
for the development of the business. The 12-page Textual Summary Report
automatically created by Exl-Plan is, in effect, the financial section
of a business plan.
Exl-Plan also includes a Business Plan Template for
Word (48 pages - click thumb opposite to enlarge view) and a complementary Guide (supplied
as a 90+ topic Help file and as a 100+ page PDF file for printing).
For guidance on other issues to be covered in a business plan, refer
to the white papers entitled Writing
a Business Plan and Developing a Strategic
Business Plan.
Q. What are the essential differences between US/Canadian and UK/International
Editions?
The main differences between the two editions relate to spellings (labor
vs. labour etc.); terminology (stocks vs. inventory etc.); structure
of accounts (e.g. layouts of balance sheets differ*); ratio definitions;
accommodation of taxes on sales, valued added (VAT) and goods & services
(GST); and printer page sizes (European A4 vs. US Letter). Exl-Plan is
being used in over a hundred
countries with the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and South Africa predominating.
** In the US/C format, balance sheets show assets and liabilities
in two separate columns whereas balance sheets in the UK/I format are
structured as:
Net Fixed Assets + Net Current Assets - Long-term Liabilities = Shareholders'
Funds.
Q. Can I changes the currency symbol and denomination supplied with
Exl-Plan?
No problem. You specify the desired currency (£, $ etc.) and denomination
(units, thousands, millions or billions) when setting up Exl-Plan via
the menu option for *Tools/Setup | Basic Model Info .... Click
thumb opposite to see Basic Model Information dialog.
Q. Can Exl-Plan handle different taxation regimes?
Yes. Exl-Plan can handle corporation tax, payroll taxes & charges
as well as VAT, GST and other sales/input taxes. For corporation taxes,
you specify the effective tax rates after taking account of any losses
forward, capital allowances and other adjustments. Payroll taxes and social
insurance type charges are expressed as a percentage of payroll costs.
In the case of VAT, GST etc., Exl-Plan accommodates several different
tax rates for sales and inputs and lets the user specify the payment/refund
frequency. If using the UK/International edition of Exl-Plan and you need
to change the default description of the tax from VAT to, say, GST, the
procedure is to (a) unprotect all worksheets via *Protection | Unprotect
All Worksheets and then (b) search/replace VAT by GST in all worksheets.
If using the US/Canadian edition, the description can be directly changed
from within the M_T worksheet.
Q. Can Exl-Plan handle mixed currencies?
Yes - up to a point. When setting up Exl-Plan, you specify the base currencies
to be used in all assumption and output reports. However, because Exl-Plan
is operating within an Excel spreadsheet, there is unlimited scope to
use multiple currencies and to convert data to the base currency for incorporation
into Exl-Plan's reports.
Q. Can I use Exl-Plan to help generate consolidated projections
for several subsidiaries?
Yes. The best approach is to use Exl-Plan to create seperate projections
for each subsidiary and then to build a new Excel workbook and populate
it with relevant data taken from the Exl-Plan files.
The procedure, which does not require
any exceptional Excel expertise, is described in the reply to the question
"How can I consolidate Exl-Plan projections for several subsidiary
companies?" in the Frequently Asked Questions for
Users.
Q. Need more help to select the most appropriate version of Exl-Plan?
Use this Contact Form to send us
an outline of your needs. You can also download a 90-page,
Word-based version of the complete Exl-Plan Manual to suit all versions/editions
(MANUALEXL.ZIP - 160k). Alternatively:View/download it as an Acrobat file (MANUALEXL.PDF
- 490k) or view it as a web page.
Note that
Exl-Plan Basic is supplied with its own 100-page manual
(MANUAL_EXL-PLAN_BASIC.PDF -
871k) which can also be viewed online as web
pages.
Q. Where can I find a cashflow planner with roll-forward facility?
Have a look at Cashflow Plan, our range of
fully-integrated cashflow planners which generate projections for 12 months
ahead and incorporate a roll-forward facility to simplify regular updating
of projections. Details and trial-version downloads.
The following table shows the equivalent versions of Cashflow Plan and
Exl-Plan:
IMPORTANT:
If you experience loading and running problems when using
Excel 5, 7, 8, 95, 97, 2000, XP or 2003, refer to
the FAQs below. if using Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016,
you should go to FAQs
for Using Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016.
Q. Where can I get quick instructions to load and run Exl-Plan?
ThisQuick Start Guide will lead you through installing, running
and exploring Exl-Plan.
For
additional guidance, you can watch several How
to ... Tutorials covering the basics of setting up and using Exl-Plan.
Q.
I use Excel 2000, XP or 2003. When I load Exl-Plan, Excel displays
a message about enabling macros. What should I do ?
If Excel displays a message about enabling macros while Exl-Plan is loading,
you must select Enable Macros (click thumb opposite for guidance). This
is quite safe provided you secured Exl-Plan from our site or another
reliable and trustworthy site. These macros are essential to enable Exl-Plan
to work. See the tutorial Set
Up Excel
(2 min.) for more guidance.
Q. I use Excel 2000, XP or 2003. When I try to load Exl-Plan,
it displays an "Important Notice" and a message indicates that
Exl-Plan has not been properly loaded?
This message appears if Cashflow Plan's macros fail to operate. To resolve
this problem,
yYou
need to reduce the security level set within Excel from High
to Medium via Tools | Macro | Security
| Security Level (click thumbs opposite and below for guidance).
You should then close Excel, reload Excel and then reload Exl-Plan.
You will then be asked whether you want to enable macros whenever you
try to load a workbook file (like Exl-Plan) that contains macros. This
is quite safe provided you secured Exl-Plan from our site or another
reliable and trustworthy site. These macros are essential to enable
Exl-Plan to work. Note: This issue arises because Microsoft changed
the default setting of macro security from medium
to high for Excel 2000 and higher versions. See the tutorial Set
Up Excel (2 min.) for guidance.
Q. If Exl-Plan only loads its FRONT worksheet and its special menus
do not appear in Excel's menubar, what should I do? Reduce the security level set within Excel from High
to Medium via Tools | Macro | Security
| Security Level (click thumbs above and opposite for guidance).
You should then close Excel, reload Excel and then reload Exl-Plan.
You will then be asked whether you want to enable macros whenever you
try to load a workbook file (like Exl-Plan) that contains macros. Note:
This issue arises because Microsoft changed the default setting of macro
security from medium to high
for Excel 2000 and higher versions. See the tutorial Set
Up Excel (2 min.) for guidance.
Q. If Exl-Plan loads all its worksheets but its special menus do not
appear in Excel's menubar, what should I do?
If Exl-Plan loads and all its worksheets are visible but its special menus
(they all start with * to simplify identification) do not appear in Excel's
menubar, you will need to temporarily reduce the number of menus displayed
by Excel by disabling any add-ins which create special menus. To do this,
use Tools | Add-ins to open a list of available add-ins. Uncheck
the relevant add-ins, press the OK button, close and reload Excel. This
should allow Exl-Plan to load fully and display its menus. To restore
the disabled add-ins, reverse the procedure described above.
Q. What should I do when a blank screen appears during loading of
Exl-Plan and the system hangs?
This is probably due to a memory leak, caused by another application,
which has reduced the memory available to Exl-Plan. To resolve, use CTRL+ALT
+ DEL to close down Excel and Exl-Plan. Then, reboot the PC to wash out
the leak.
Q. Why does Excel fail to calculate automatically after I load Exl-Plan?
By design, Excel's autocalculate function does not work in Exl-Plan. To
update projections, click the one of the "C" buttons within Exl-Plan's
toolbar or use the calculate options within the *Tools/Setup menu. To
restore autocalculate to Excel after using Exl-Plan, close and reload
Excel.
Problems ?
If you experience a problem installing or loading Exl-Plan, feel
free to use this Contact Form. Be
sure to indicate file name; exact stage at which problem was experienced;
and precise nature of problem or text of any message.
Q. Do I need to buy the optional manual?
No. Online help has virtually identical contents
to the printed manual. Exl-Plan also includes a 90-page manual (Word or
PDF format) and a series of Flash-based tutorials (running for 19 minutes)
covering setting up Excel, getting started, the basics and using Quik-Plan.
Manuals and the tutorials are included in the download
files for all versions of Exl-Plan.
Q. If I acquire a manual for one version and subsequently trade up to
a more powerful version, do I need a new manual?
No. All versions/editions include a unversal 90-page manual (Word
or PDF format) and a series of Flash-based tutorials (running for 19
minutes) covering setting up Excel, getting started, the basics and using
Quik-Plan.
Q. What is the advantage of remotely upgrading the trial
version?
First, you get electronic delivery more quickly than if you have to wait
for an air mail delivery. Second, you save time by not having to do a
further download and re-install. Thirdly, you can start using the trial
version immediately and will not lose your work when you upgrade. To
remotely upgrade, use this service.
Q. Can I use the trial version to produce projections? Yes,
provided that the projections are done in the context of evaluating Exl-Plan
for purchase. The trial version contains limitations and restricted facilities.
These are removed when it is upgraded to the full-commercial version. Bear in
mind that Excel's automatic recalculation is always turned off in all
trial (and commercial) versions of Exl-Plan. To recalculate a model, select the
menu option *Tools/Setup | Calculate All & Check or click the button
with the "C" within the circle. To recalculate the current worksheet, select
the menu option *Tools/Setup | Calculate Sheetor click the button with
the "X" within the circle.
Q. If Exl-Plan is licensed to me as a single user, can I use it with
a desktop PC at work as well as on a notebook at home? Exl-Plan's
license restricts the use of Exl-Plan to one PC (or notebook).
The only exception is that a user may install a further copy of Exl-Plan onto a
notebook (or PC) which s/he also personally uses. This concession
does not extend under any circumstances to work colleagues or external
businesses, advisers, clients, associates etc.
Q. How do I register Exl-Plan Free? Send an email containing
Exl-Plan's unique Registration Code Number in the body of an email to
<exlfree@planware.org> and we'll
send back a special Unlock Code Number. You can also register via a form here. That's it!
Got
an Unanswered Question ?
If you can't find the answer to
a question about Exl-Plan in the FAQs above or at the FAQ
for Users, use this Contact Form
and we'll get back to you.
.
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