What Is Excel Bi-Directional Sync?
Excel Bi-Directional Sync is Go Fig’s two-way data synchronization between Microsoft Excel and your connected business systems. Unlike one-way exports that quickly become stale, bi-directional sync:
- Pulls live data from ERPs, databases, and other sources into your spreadsheets
- Pushes approved changes from Excel back to your systems of record
- Preserves your existing formulas, formatting, and workbook structure
Your team continues working in Excel, the tool they know best, while data flows automatically in both directions.
How Does Bi-Directional Sync Work?
Pull: Data Into Excel
Scheduled Updates Configure how often data refreshes:
- Real-time (on every change)
- Hourly
- Daily (e.g., 6am before work starts)
- On-demand (manual trigger)
Smart Updates Go Fig only updates source data cells, your formulas, charts, and formatting remain untouched. If cell A1 contains live revenue data, it updates. If cell B1 contains a formula referencing A1, the formula stays intact and recalculates automatically.
Range Mapping Define which Excel ranges map to which data sources:
- A1:D100 → Trial balance from NetSuite
- F1:H50 → AR aging from QuickBooks
- J1:L200 → Budget data from the planning spreadsheet
Push: Changes Back to Source
Write-Back Scenarios
- Update budget figures in Excel, sync back to planning system
- Adjust accrual amounts, push to the ERP
- Approve journal entries in Excel, post to general ledger
- Update forecasts, sync to the FP&A database
Approval Workflows Configure who can push changes:
- Direct sync for trusted users
- Approval required before sync
- Audit logging for all changes
Conflict Resolution If source data changed while you were editing:
- Go Fig alerts you to the conflict
- Shows both versions
- Lets you choose which to keep
Bi-Directional Sync Use Cases
Budget Management
Pull: Actuals from ERP update automatically in your budget workbook Push: Updated budget figures sync back to the planning system
Your budget template stays current with actuals while budget changes flow back to the system of record.
Journal Entry Preparation
Pull: Trial balance and supporting details flow into your JE template Push: Approved journal entries post directly to the ERP
No more re-keying entries, prepare in Excel, sync to post.
Forecast Updates
Pull: Historical data and current month actuals update automatically Push: Revised forecasts sync to your FP&A system for consolidation
Forecasting stays in Excel where models live; updates flow to reporting.
Data Correction
Pull: Customer or vendor data into Excel for review Push: Corrected records sync back to CRM or ERP
Clean master data without navigating complex system interfaces.
Preserving Your Excel Investment
Your team has spent years building sophisticated Excel models. Bi-directional sync preserves that investment:
Formulas Stay Intact Complex calculations, nested IFs, array formulas, all preserved. Only source data cells update.
Formatting Preserved Conditional formatting, number formats, cell styles, unchanged by sync.
Structure Maintained Named ranges, pivot tables, charts, all work seamlessly with synced data.
VBA Compatible Macros and VBA code continue to function normally.
Sync vs. Export/Import
| Aspect | Manual Export/Import | Bi-Directional Sync |
|---|---|---|
| Data freshness | Stale immediately | Always current |
| Manual effort | Every update cycle | Set up once |
| Error risk | High (copy-paste) | Eliminated |
| Two-way updates | Re-key into system | Automatic sync |
| Formula preservation | Must rebuild | Automatic |
| Audit trail | Often missing | Full logging |
Security and Controls
Role-Based Permissions Control who can pull data and who can push changes.
Audit Logging Every sync is logged: who, what, when, and what changed.
Data Validation Push operations validate data before syncing (e.g., balanced journal entries).
Encryption Data encrypted in transit between Excel and Go Fig.
Getting Started
Bi-directional sync is available on all Go Fig plans. Setup involves:
- Install the Go Fig Excel Add-in
- Connect your workbook to Go Fig
- Map Excel ranges to data sources
- Configure sync schedule and permissions
- Start working with live, synced data
Most customers have their first workbook synced within an hour of setup.