Many organisations rely on Power BI for analytics but still manage planning and forecasting in disconnected spreadsheets. As AI and integrated planning tools evolve, a new approach is emerging where budgeting, forecasting, and decision-making happen directly inside the BI environment. This shift transforms FP&A from static reporting to dynamic, data-driven planning.

In this edition of Meet the Minds Behind the Models, we introduce Jonas Häggström, FP&A expert at KOKAI. Discover how collaboration, Power BI, and Microsoft Fabric help transform financial data into insights that drive better business decisions.

Are semantic models about to become your organisation’s most valuable AI asset?

At Fabric February in Oslo, one message became clear. AI in Power BI is moving beyond chat experiences and into the core of the semantic layer. With emerging MCP capabilities, AI agents can now understand model structures, generate and validate DAX, and operate within governed security frameworks.

This is not just a feature update. It is a strategic shift.

The real opportunity lies in building AI-ready semantic models that turn architecture, governance and model quality into competitive advantage.

The world is changing fast.
Working life is undergoing a major transformation. And it is happening quickly.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 points clearly to one thing:
Data, analytics, technology and financial understanding are no longer nice to have. They are absolutely essential.

Fabric February 2026 absolutely delivered. KOKAI was proud to be a Fabric February Fantastic Friend, and we did not come quietly. We had people front and center on the ground floor by the KOKAI stand, and others sprinting between auditoriums trying to absorb as much Fabric knowledge as humanly possible. Mission very much accomplished.

How finance and project teams gain control inside Power BI

Projects are where strategy meets reality. Yet many organisations still manage project planning, forecasting, and reporting across disconnected tools and spreadsheets. Budgets live in one file, forecasts in another, and project status reports are assembled manually at the last minute.

Traditional budgeting is struggling to keep up with today’s pace of change. Annual budgets become outdated quickly, forecasts require heavy manual effort, and variance analysis often explains the past rather than guiding future decisions.

We have just closed the strongest year in KOKAI’s history. Solid financial performance, strong organic growth and increasing demand for our expertise have given us an exceptionally strong starting point. We have achieved this in a period marked by geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty and rapid technological change. Precisely for that reason, we now enter the next phase with sharper focus, clear direction and high ambitions.

Vi har lagt bak oss det beste året i KOKAIs historie. Solid økonomi, sterk organisk vekst og økende etterspørsel etter vår kompetanse har gitt oss et svært godt utgangspunkt. Dette har vi oppnådd i en tid preget av geopolitisk uro, økonomisk usikkerhet og raske teknologiske skifter. Nettopp derfor går vi nå inn i neste fase med skjerpet fokus, tydelig retning og høye ambisjoner.

For years, FP&A has been defined by a familiar set of principles. Forecasting. Budgeting. Reporting. Analysis. The fundamentals remain the same today. Yet the way modern organisations execute on these fundamentals is changing faster than ever. And at KOKAI, we realised something this summer of 2025 that shifted our entire perspective.

𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹. 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟱𝘁𝗵.

𝗡𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗡𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗡𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀.

Most organisations still plan in fragments. Finance works in one system. Sales in another. Operations somewhere else. Projects in spreadsheets. The result is slow reporting. disconnected decisions. and too much time spent reconciling numbers instead of improving them.

We’re excited to announce the launch of our very own YouTube channel. There we’ll share expert knowledge, practical guides and real-life examples within FP&A, Business Intelligence, reporting — and the Microsoft stack like Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Aimplan and Bizview.

At KOKAI, we often talk about technology – Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Aimplan, and Bizview. But what truly makes us unique is the culture we build around these tools.

Guess what... Espen P. Kringstad is jetting off to FabCon Europe 2025 in Vienna from September 15–18—and we could not be more pumped! It’s taking place at the 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗮

At KOKAI, we love seeing what happens when people, ideas, and the right technology come together.

Autumn is in full swing. We are already in the second week after closing off the first half of the year – which we wrapped up with both a cut-off and an inspiring kick-off in Split, Croatia.

𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

“Which values do you feel we possess, and which are most important for building a great company culture?”

At KOKAI, we’re not just modernising Financial Planning & Analysis. We’re helping finance teams work smarter — combining deep expertise with a modern tech stack: Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Aimplan, and Bizview (by insightsoftware).

From record‑breaking growth and an expanding cross‑border team to game‑changing product roll‑outs and thought‑leadership, KOKAI has packed Spring and Summer 2025 with momentum. This article gathers the highlights, celebrates our people, and offers a glimpse of what’s just around the corner for the KOKAI family.