What if every client could get dashboards that really wow them, along with budgets that actually make sense, and reports that tell a story — all without extra spreadsheet chaos?And the best part: clients will want to pay for it, because they can see the value themselves.From what I’ve seen, the desire to deliver real insight is huge — the missing piece is the tool that actually makes it possible without straining resources. That’s where Solver comes in.

Clients can finally engage with their own data — safely. You can give them a login just for their entity, let them explore reports, or even enter and tweak their own budgets, while staying fully in control. Clients love seeing their numbers update live and reflecting their decisions. They immediately appreciate the value — and that’s something they’ll happily pay for. They love dashboards that tell a story.

In this example, clients enter their anticipated Fixed Asset purchases and sales in a simple format. Fixed Asset, Accumulated Depreciation, Depreciation and Gain/Loss are then automatically updated in the General Ledger if desired.

 

Budgeting in Xero works for basics, but it is very limited. Solver makes them meaningful. Whether it’s driver-based budgets, multiple “what-if” scenarios, rolling forecasts, daily budgets or cash flow and balance sheet projections, everything ties straight into professional reports. Clients suddenly get it — they see how the numbers tell a story, and they recognize the benefit. The options are endless.

Solver also automates reporting in a way that feels magical. When numbers change in Xero, dashboards refresh, narrative reports update, and clients always see the most current information. Month-end reporting is faster, cleaner, and visually compelling. Clients aren’t just receiving numbers on a page; they’re getting insight that helps them make real decisions. That’s tangible value.

Narrative reporting in action. commentary updates automatically to give the viewer the opportunity to better understand their data.

If your practice uses a consistent chart of accounts across clients, Solver multiplies efficiency. Build one model, roll it out across dozens of clients, tweak as needed, and publish reports with a single click. It’s scalable advisory without scaling your workload, and clients get polished, professional outputs they immediately recognize as worthwhile.

 

Licensing is straightforward. There’s a base investment to get started, and then each additional user ranges from $15–$100 per month, depending on the license type. Spread that investment across your client portfolio and the economics work. Practices can add a professional margin while clients receive dashboards, budgeting tools, and reports that genuinely improve their business. They see the benefit — and happily pay for it.

The result? Advisory that actually sticks. Insight clients can act on, scalable templates that save time, and reporting that isn’t just functional but impressive. Practices get efficiency, repeatability, and a new way to demonstrate value — and clients get clarity, confidence, and results they can see.

For a taste of the different ways Solver can be used, check out my LinkedIn articles for more detail. If you’d like to explore how it could work for your clients, I’d love to hear from you.

The Power of Integration

One of the standout features of Power BI is its ability to connect to the Solver Cloud Data Warehouse. This integration allows users to leverage the robust data management capabilities of Solver while harnessing the visualisation power of Power BI. However, the approach to reporting can greatly influence the effectiveness of your insights, particularly in addressing common reporting issues.

Common Challenges with Power BI Reporting

Over the years, we’ve seen many companies attempt to create traditional tabular reports—essentially columns and rows for detailed financial reporting—using Power BI. Unfortunately, this often leads to large, inflexible reports that are hard-coded and cumbersome to update. These challenges can slow down decision-making and limit the responsiveness of businesses in a fast-paced environment.

The Solver Advantage

In contrast, Solver Cloud offers a sophisticated Report Designer tool that simplifies this process. With features designed to control columns—typically representing periods of the fiscal year—Solver allows for dynamic reporting that adjusts based on the run date. For example, if a report includes Year-to-Date (YTD) actual data alongside forecast data for remaining periods, changing the run date to March would display three columns of actual data (January, February, and March) and nine columns of forecast data (April to December).

If the run date is updated to May, the report automatically adjusts to show five columns of actual data and seven columns of forecast data. This dynamic capability eliminates the need for manual updates that are often required in Power BI, making Solver a more efficient choice for financial reporting and reducing the risk of errors associated with outdated data.

The Power of Nested Groups

Another significant advantage of Solver’s Report Designer is the use of Nested Groups, applicable to both rows and columns. A few years ago, we assisted a client who was using BI360, the predecessor to Solver Cloud. They had a report with an overwhelming 26 hard-coded columns and 330 rows. By implementing Nested Expanding Groups, we were able to condense this report into just three columns and six rows. This dramatically improved rendering time from 21 minutes to a mere 22 seconds, demonstrating how Solver can solve the problem of slow report generation and improve operational efficiency.

In contrast, Power BI lacks this principle of Nested Groups, necessitating hard-coded reports that can be cumbersome and time-consuming to maintain, leading to inefficiencies in the reporting process.

Visualisation Strengths of Power BI

While Solver excels in dynamic reporting and efficiency, Power BI shines in its ability to provide visually compelling, at-a-glance graphical outputs. This makes it an excellent tool for presentations and quick insights, allowing users to visualise data trends and patterns effectively. The ability to quickly interpret data through visuals can drive faster decision-making, addressing the need for agility in today’s business landscape.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while both Solver Cloud and Microsoft Power BI offer exceptional capabilities, they serve different needs in the reporting landscape. By understanding the strengths of each platform, businesses can leverage their unique functionalities to enhance their reporting processes, making informed decisions faster and more efficiently.

Whether you’re looking for dynamic reporting with Solver or engaging visualisations with Power BI, integrating both tools can lead to powerful outcomes for your data strategy, ultimately solving the overarching problems of inefficiency, inflexibility, and slow decision-making in financial reporting.

Contact us today, to start your automated financial reporting journey!