Planning & budgeting: what users want.

• Position: Business Briefs

Access and integration capabilities, not surprisingly, scored highest among users of financial planning and budgeting systems when they were asked what criteria they use to select those systems. The data, culled over the past year by Comshare Inc. in polling its customers, show that the top five criteria are:

* 64% -- Providing easy access to budget data for all accountable managers

* 61% -- Integrating the budgeting system with the planning and forecasting system

* 60% -- Using a central database for integration of actuals for budget/forecast comparisons

* 57% -- Integrating the budget system with the general ledgers

* 55%...