DataFusion is a TM1 connector developed by Octane. It was borne out of the frustration clients were facing extracting data out of their IBM Planning Analytics application into other enterprise Reporting tools like Power BI, Tableau and Qlik. Typically this was set up as a manual task that required an IT or Finance person to drop a csv and upload into Reporting tools. This created a number of issues. Firstly it required the operator to ensure that the correct slab of data has been captured and uploaded. It also created a risk as end users would have to rely on operator to perform this task on as regular basis as required. This created a single person dependency and if he or she is on leave the data may not get refreshed as teams scramble to find out how to do this task.

The other issue with this approach was a lack of consistency. Being manual the end users would not have a clear idea of when the data from Planning analytics was uploaded. There also was a constant reconciliation issue as numbers would move in Planning Analytics TM1 and would not be reflected in the Reporting tools in a timely manner.

Enter Data Fusion – This is a Planning Analytics TM1 connector Octane has developed to solve this problem. This allows your Planning Analytics TM1 to connect to all major Reporting tools (Power BI, Tableau and Qlik). Datafusion comes with an easy to navigate admin portal to allow admin to set up the data block amongst frequency of data flow to reporting tools. End users can be given access to load data on an ad hoc basis if required. Datafusion uses TM1 security for data access.

Datafusion not only brings in the updated Data but also metadata so if you have a new element like a store/division or region in you Planning Analytics TM1 it will flow through to your reporting tool automatically.

Data Accessibility

Quick and direct data accessibility from all major reporting tools. Ensure your reporting tools across enterprise are reporting on the most up to date data and everyone is using the same numbers for reporting

Automation

Set up the connector once and it runs automatically. All processes are automated and requires no human intervention for scheduled runs.

Efficiency

Reduces the turnaround time of the data refresh process by direct and automated process. Also eliminate all your reconciliation issues with varying numbers between Planning Analytics TM1 and your Power BI’s, Tableau and Qlik.

User friendly design

Easy to use interface and quick setup. Fully supported by Octanes Support teams.

Data Flexibility

Flexible enough to extract any new records with new elements built. Bring in data and metadata and have it displayed in your reports automatically

Eliminate Data issue

There is zero manual handling of data and almost fool proof for your data reconciliations and traceability of data in your Reports.

If you are using Planning Analytics TM1 and taking data out using csv or any other manual method then you should contact us for a demo to see how DataFusion can automate this process for you.

DataFusion

TM1 vs Power BI: When to Use Each

29 April 2026 9:30:00 AM

17 min

If you are comparing TM1 and Power BI, you are asking the wrong question.

These are not competing products. They solve fundamentally different problems. TM1 is a planning engine, and Power BI is a visualisation platform. Comparing them is like comparing an engine to a dashboard: one produces the power, and the other displays the information.

The real question is: when do you use each, and how do you connect them?

The Core Difference in One Sentence

TM1 writes data. Power BI reads data.

That is the entire architectural divide in eight words.

IBM Planning Analytics (TM1) is a database where finance teams build budgets, run forecasts, and model scenarios. Users actively put data into TM1 (assumptions, targets, adjustments), and the engine calculates everything downstream in real time.

Microsoft Power BI is the opposite motion. Analysts pull data out of systems and present it through dashboards and reports. Users consume data in Power BI; they explore it, but they do not typically change it.

Once you understand this distinction, everything else falls into place.

Feature Comparison

Capability	IBM TM1 (Planning Analytics)	Microsoft Power BI
Primary Function	Planning, budgeting, forecasting, modelling	Reporting, visualisation, dashboarding
Data Direction	Read + Write (bidirectional)	Read-only (native)
Engine Type	In-memory OLAP database	Analytical / visualisation engine
Data Modelling	Multidimensional cubes, rules, TI scripting	Tabular models, DAX, Power Query
Excel Integration	Native bidirectional (PAfE)	Export/embed only
User Input	Core feature (data entry, allocations, approvals)	Not native (requires third-party add-ons)
Scenario Modelling	Sandboxes, versions, real-time what-if	Limited without writeback tools
Licensing	Enterprise subscription	Per-user subscription (Pro/Premium)
Ease of Use	Moderate (requires TM1 expertise)	High (self-service, drag-and-drop)
Best For	Finance teams managing complex plans	Organisation-wide data consumption

When to Use TM1

TM1 is the right choice when your team needs to create, manage, and calculate financial data, not just look at it.

Budgeting and Forecasting

This is TM1's home turf. Multi-entity budgets, rolling forecasts, and driver-based planning models are its strengths. Finance users input their assumptions, and TM1 calculates the downstream impact across every cost centre, region, and business unit in real time.

We have seen teams try to build budgeting workflows inside Power BI using SharePoint lists and Power Automate. It works for about three months until someone needs a version comparison, a conditional allocation, or an approval workflow that does not break when someone edits the wrong row. That is when the call comes in.

Power BI has no native mechanism for users to input budget data, define calculation rules, or run scenario models. It was never designed to.

Financial Consolidation

Multi-entity consolidation with intercompany eliminations, currency translation, and minority interest adjustments is core TM1 territory. If your organisation operates across legal entities (subsidiaries, joint ventures, regional holding companies), TM1 handles the consolidation hierarchy natively. Data aggregates from leaf-level entities upward through the legal structure automatically.

Cost Allocation

Distributing shared costs (IT overhead, corporate services, facility expenses) across departments based on calculated drivers is the kind of multi-step, cascading logic that TM1's rule engine was built for. Try replicating that in DAX and you will understand why TM1 developers exist.

What-If Analysis

TM1's sandbox feature lets analysts create personal "what-if" scenarios without touching the base data. Best case, worst case, and management case all run simultaneously with instant comparison. It is the feature that finance teams never know they need until they have it, and then they cannot live without it.

When to Use Power BI

Power BI is the right choice when your organisation needs to see, explore, and share data across every department, not just finance.

Executive Dashboards

This is where Power BI genuinely excels and TM1 does not pretend to compete. Power BI transforms raw data from ERP systems, CRM platforms, databases, and spreadsheets into interactive visual dashboards that look professional and update in real time. The drag-and-drop interface means non-technical users can build their own views. Furthermore, the Microsoft 365 integration (embedding dashboards in Teams, SharePoint, and email) is seamless in a way that no other BI tool has managed to match.

If your CEO needs a single screen showing revenue, pipeline, headcount, and customer satisfaction, Power BI is the tool.

Self-Service Reporting

Business users across every department (sales, marketing, operations, HR) can build their own reports in Power BI without waiting for an analyst to queue it up. The DAX formula language is surprisingly deep, and Power Query handles data transformation well enough that most business analysts can be self-sufficient within a few weeks.

TM1 can produce reports, but it is designed for the finance team. Power BI is designed for everyone else.

Organisation-Wide Distribution

Power BI Pro starts at approximately $10/user/month. That makes it commercially viable to give hundreds or thousands of people access to live dashboards. TM1's licensing model is built for the smaller, specialised teams who actively build and manage planning models, typically 10 to 50 users. If you need 500 people looking at data, Power BI wins on cost alone.

Cross-Source Analysis

Power BI natively connects to over 150 data sources. Pulling data from SAP, Salesforce, Oracle, SQL databases, and flat files into a single visual layer is one of its strongest capabilities. For organisations with fragmented data landscapes (which is most organisations), this alone justifies the investment.

The Real Answer: Use Both

In most mature enterprise environments, TM1 and Power BI are not competing. They are running in sequence:

Source Systems → TM1 (Planning + Modelling) → Power BI (Visualisation + Distribution)

TM1 handles the heavy lifting: complex financial calculations, budget collection, forecast modelling, and scenario analysis. It is the engine room where 15 finance professionals build and maintain the models that drive the business.

Power BI handles the presentation: transforming TM1's output into polished dashboards for the 200 executives, managers, and analysts who need to see the results but never need to touch the model.

This architecture gives you:

The modelling depth and writeback capability of TM1
The visual accessibility and distribution reach of Power BI
A single governed source of truth for all planning data

The question becomes: how do you actually connect them?

The Integration Challenge

Connecting TM1 to Power BI has historically been harder than it should be.

TM1 stores data in multidimensional cubes, while Power BI expects flat, tabular data. The traditional approach (exporting CSVs from TM1, moving files to a staging folder, importing them into Power BI) is manual, fragile, and destroys the real-time value of both platforms. Version mismatches, stale data, and reconciliation headaches are common. We have seen finance teams burn entire afternoons on this every reporting cycle.

Common Integration Approaches

Method	Pros	Cons
CSV/Excel Export	Simple, no setup	Manual, error-prone, no real-time
TM1py (Python API)	Flexible, customisable	Requires developer skills, ongoing maintenance
ODBC/SQL Staging	Standardised, widely understood	Adds complexity, latency, and another database to manage
DataFusion Connector	Real-time, low-code, no staging DB	Purpose-built for TM1

Why We Built DataFusion

We built the DataFusion connector because we kept seeing the same pattern across client engagements: a finance team with a perfectly functioning TM1 model, and a leadership team that could not see any of it because the Power BI connection was held together with CSV exports and a prayer.

DataFusion connects directly to TM1 cubes via the REST API, extracts multidimensional data, and serves it to Power BI in real time. There is no intermediate database, no custom ETL scripts, and no TM1 development skills required.

How it works:

DataFusion connects to your TM1 server via the REST API.
You select the cube and the data you need through a visual interface.
DataFusion extracts and flattens the data for Power BI consumption.
Power BI connects to DataFusion as a standard data source.
Dashboards update automatically as TM1 data changes.

The result: your finance team works in TM1, and your executives see the results in Power BI. No one exports a CSV ever again.

Decision Framework

Your Priority	Use This
Building budgets and forecasts	TM1
Visualising financial results	Power BI
Users inputting data	TM1
Organisation-wide reporting	Power BI
Complex allocation models	TM1
Combining data from 10+ sources	Power BI
Scenario modelling and what-if	TM1
Self-service analytics	Power BI
Both planning AND visualisation	TM1 + Power BI + DataFusion

See It Working

If your organisation runs TM1 and Power BI (or is considering both), we can show you how DataFusion bridges them in real time. No staging databases, no CSV exports, and no custom code.

Start your 60-day free trial now!

Octane Software Solutions is an IBM Finance & AI Partner with 90,000+ hours of TM1 experience across 100+ enterprise projects.

DataFusion Dynamic Arrays IBM

Drill Down Using Slicer in Power BI

28 August 2019 2:37:52 PM

4 min

This article shows how to drill down to the next level in a visualization within Microsoft Power BI, when a filter is applied using a Slicer.

This could be applied even if multiple selections are made within the slicer.

For example – We have a car with 3 model series (L Series, S Series, T Series) in the slicer. Business requires to show the values at this level when no selection is made. Once a selection is made, the visual should show the next level in the hierarchy.

Visualisation without any filter selected (Shows the top level):

Visualisation with single filter selected (Shows the next level for S Series):

Visualisation with multiple filters selected (Shows the next level for S Series & T Series):

In order to achieve the above in Power BI, follow the below steps,

Step 1: We have a ‘Model’ hierarchy setup in Power BI. The hierarchy was imported in Power BI using Octane connector from TM1. You could use any other hierarchy setup.

Lowest level is ‘model’ column with unique model names.

Step 2: Create another table ‘Model Levels’ (used in this example) with 3columns from the above hierarchy in Step 1; 1st column being the Parent 2 & Parent 1; 2nd Column if Parent 2 then value is ‘L2’ else ‘L1’; and 3rd column being the lowest level model names.

Step 3: Create a relationship between ‘Model’ & ‘Model Levels’ table with the lowest level model names. Select ‘Both’ in Cross Filter direction while creating the relationship.

Step 4: Create a measure ‘Sales_By_Model’ which calculates the actual value depending on the filter selections. If its selected, It drills to the next level, else, shows the top level.

Step 5: Create a slicer using Parent 2 from the original ‘Model’ hierarchy table.

Step 6: Create a visualisation using the Model Name (Parent 2 or Parent 1) from ‘Model Levels’ table created in Step 2 and for values, use the measure created in Step 4.

6 Reasons why you should get DataFusion - a TM1 connector