Business intelligence and business performance management software firm Applix this week is expected to debut a module for its analytics platform that allows companies to manage planning processes either over the Web or directly in Microsoft Excel.

Applix's Planning Manager is designed to act as a task and review layer on top of TM1, the company's analytics platform. Users could, for example, use Planning Manager to put together a sales forecast, distribute it to other users, and manage light workflow.

Planning Manager includes e-mail alerts for task status changes, planning templates for developing budgets, reports on plan status and role-based security.

Separately, Applix plans to announce Excel-related improvements to Version 8.3 of TM1. The software, which will be designed to make data more dynamic in Excel, is slated for availability at the end of June.

Applix director of product management Brian Barnes put pricing for Planning Manager at between $10,000 and $20,000 per server, with annual maintenance of 18 percent.