Arcast FAQ

Arcast is a financial planning and analysis (FP&A) software used to evaluate projects and portfolios through structured cash flow modeling, tax calculations, scenario analysis, and decision trees. It helps ensure transparent and comparable financial evaluations across teams through detailed modeling and consistent reporting. Arcast is a specialized tool for financial modeling rather than a general spreadsheet software.

No, the Microsoft Excel^® spreadsheet program is not required to be able to run the Arcast^® financial planning and analysis (FP&A) software. However, you can export data from the Arcast^® software and import it into the Excel^® software and vice versa. You may also set up user-defined reports to be integrated with the Arcast^® software.

A project is a single case or asset being evaluated. Within a project you define investment, operating cost, revenue, and production profiles. Projects can exist independently or be grouped into subportfolios and a portfolio.

A portfolio is a collection of projects grouped for comparison or aggregation that allow for ranking, filtering, and consolidated reporting. To create a portfolio, you click the New Portfolio button, name your portfolio, and drag-and-drop projects into it.

Decision trees can be used for calculating and visualizing more complex scenarios involving multiple decisions and possible outcomes. In the Arcast software, the different development options are modeled using entire projects rather than single-value outcomes. When calculating a decision tree you get the optimal path and the corresponding expected NPV, production, and investment costs.

Data can be defined and entered manually directly into the user interface (UI), such as through copy+paste from external data sources. You can also use the import wizard to generate projects based on spreadsheet data. For existing projects, you can link data profiles to external spreadsheets.

The Arcast software provides standardized:

• Tables
• Cash flow profiles
• Charts
• KPI summaries

You can typically export results for presentations or reports. In addition, you can create user-defined report templates, which can be shared between users within an organization. Results are reported via dashboards as well as in detailed views. You can choose to display results in real or nominal values.

The Arcast software includes cash flow, net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), capital efficiency index (CEI), risk reward (RR), profitability index (PI), government take, and break-even. KPIs can be extended by the user through user-defined reports.

You can get financial reports in any currency in the Arcast software. Currencies are handled in a separate assumptions file in the Arcast software, where exchange rate and inflation are completely configurable by the user. Inputs can be of any currency.

Tax regimes are defined in separate spreadsheets that are executed during the calculations. The spreadsheets are open and readable by the user. Taxes are automatically consolidated across multiple projects, but you can also create ring-fenced groups of projects.

There is no limit to how many tax regimes the Arcast software can handle. You can create your own tax regimes by defining them in a new spreadsheet and import it into Arcast.

The Arcast software was designed to support a multiuser workflow. Users can contribute through their own projects, which can easily be combined and analyzed together in a portfolio to get the consolidated results.