How I Built A Budget Variance Data App That Finance Teams Actually Use

As a Solutions Engineer at Sigma, I get to work with teams building data apps that actually make people’s jobs easier. One of the projects I worked on was a budget variance analysis app—something finance teams do all the time, but usually in a painfully manual way. Budget variance analysis is all about comparing expected financial spend to actual expenditures, and for most teams, it’s a tedious, spreadsheet-heavy process that can eat up 30 hours a week.

Building this app meant combining technical expertise with business context. I worked closely with people who really understand finance to figure out what an ideal budget variance process should look like. We started with a pivot table—this became the core interactive framework. Then, we layered in modals, forms, and actions to make everything more dynamic.

One of the biggest challenges? We didn’t know exactly what the final product should look like. Instead of just digitizing an old process, we had to rethink it from the ground up. Luckily, Sigma’s flexibility made it easy to iterate and refine as we went, without having to start over.

Proven results: How this app makes a difference

Before this app, finance teams had to pull data into spreadsheets, making them instantly outdated. Then, they manually updated numbers, emailed different versions back and forth, and spent too much time reconciling differences. It was inefficient, error-prone, and frustrating.

With Sigma, we built an app that connects directly to live data, eliminating the need for constant manual updates and multiple spreadsheet versions. Now, finance teams can compare budgets and actuals, adjust numbers on the fly, and snapshot different scenarios—all in one place.

Now, finance teams can compare budgets and actuals, adjust numbers on the fly, and snapshot different scenarios—all in one place.

One of the most valuable features we added was the ability to snapshot different budget scenarios and compare them side by side. It wasn’t hard to implement in Sigma, but no one had really done it before like this. Now, it’s a feature that’s proving useful in a lot of different workflows.

The finance team saw the value immediately. Instead of getting bogged down in spreadsheets, they’re now focused on real analysis. Our CFO even mentioned how much easier it is to answer her own questions in real-time, instead of chasing down information in Slack or outdated spreadsheets. Customers using Sigma for similar workflows are seeing the same benefits—moving away from spreadsheets and into a more dynamic, data-driven approach.

Wisdom for builders: Lessons learned

If you’re building your first data app in Sigma, my advice is simple: don’t overthink it. Start small and iterate. Sigma is flexible enough that you don’t need everything mapped out from the beginning—just get something working and improve as you go.

Another key lesson? Collaboration is everything. We worked closely with finance stakeholders to understand their workflows and pain points. Their input shaped the app, making sure it was actually useful instead of just technically impressive. The best data apps come from teams working together—technical and non-technical users need to be in the same conversation to create something that truly solves the problem.

Go further: Explore the Budget Variance Data App

This budget variance analysis app is a great example of what’s possible with Sigma. It shows how flexible, collaborative apps can replace outdated spreadsheet processes and let teams work with real-time data. Seeing how much time this app has saved for the finance team has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m excited to see how other teams take these ideas even further. If you’re thinking about building your own data app, dive in—you might be surprised by what you can create.