Managing bank mandates and treasury-related data efficiently is a critical aspect of corporate treasury operations. Many companies rely on costly treasury management systems (TMS) or manually track this data in spreadsheets, which can lead to inefficiencies and compliance risks. In this article, we’ll explore how to build a low-cost, scalable treasury data repository to manage bank mandates, signatories, and critical treasury information using readily available tools like SharePoint, Power Apps, and Power Automate.
Why You Need a Treasury Data Repository?
A treasury data repository centralizes all essential treasury information in a structured and accessible format. Key benefits include:
- Improved Compliance: Ensures all bank mandates and signatory updates are well-documented.
- Enhanced Security: Restricts access to sensitive treasury data to authorized personnel.
- Operational Efficiency: Reduces manual effort in retrieving and updating treasury records.
- Audit Readiness: Keeps historical records for regulatory and internal audits.
Step 1: Choosing the Right Platform
To build an efficient and low-cost repository, consider tools that integrate seamlessly with existing workflows:
- SharePoint Online (for structured data storage) – with lower cost.
- If you don’t want SharePoint, you can opt for Dataverse.
- Power Apps (for user-friendly input forms).
- Power Automate (for automated updates and notifications)
- Power BI (for reporting and analytics)
These tools are often available within enterprise Microsoft 365 subscriptions, making them a cost-effective choice.
Step 2: Designing the SharePoint Data Structure
A well-structured SharePoint list serves as the foundation of your repository. Here’s a suggested structure:
1. Bank Accounts List
- Bank Name
- Account Number
- Currency
- Country
- Account Type (Operational, Collection, etc.)
- Linked Entity
- Status (Active, Closed)
2. Signatories & Mandates List
- Bank Account (Lookup to Bank Accounts List)
- Signatory Name
- Signatory Role (e.g., Treasurer, CFO, Legal Representative)
- Approval Limits (if applicable)
- Mandate Status (Pending, Active, Expired)
- Expiry Date
- Document Links (Signed mandate PDFs, agreements)
3. Treasury Policies & Procedures List
- Document Name
- Description
- Last Updated
- Owner
- Link to File
Step 3: Building an Interactive Frontend with Power Apps
A modern user-friendly interface built in Power Apps allows treasury teams to view, update, and search for information efficiently. Key features:
- Search & Filter: Quickly find bank accounts or mandates by account number, signatory, or status.
- Editable Forms: Allow authorized users to update signatory details directly from the app.
- Document Uploads: Attach mandate approval documents for compliance tracking.
- Role-Based Access: Restrict data access based on user roles (e.g., Treasury vs. Audit Team).
Step 4: Automating Workflows with Power Automate
Manual tracking of mandate expirations and signatory updates can lead to errors. Power Automate can streamline key processes:
- Automated Reminders: Send email notifications to treasury and legal teams when a mandate is due for renewal.
- Approval Workflows: Set up a structured approval process where new signatory changes require authorization from key stakeholders.
- Audit Logs: Maintain an automated log of all changes made to the repository for compliance tracking.
Step 5: Reporting & Dashboards with Power BI
Integrating Power BI allows for real-time visibility into treasury data:
- Mandate Expiry Tracking: Identify upcoming expirations.
- Bank Account Overview: Visualize account distributions by country, currency, or entity.
- Signatory Analytics: Track how many mandates each signatory holds.
Step 6: Step-by-Step Implementation Guide
To help you implement this solution, follow these steps:
- Set Up SharePoint Lists
- Create lists for Bank Accounts, Signatories, and Policies as outlined above.
- Define lookup relationships between lists to ensure data consistency.
- Build a Power Apps Interface
- Use Power Apps to create a user-friendly data entry and search interface.
- Customize forms with dropdowns, filters, and attachment options.
- Automate Notifications with Power Automate
- Configure flows to notify treasury teams about mandate expirations.
- Set up approval workflows for signatory changes.
- Develop Power BI Dashboards
- Create visualizations to monitor treasury data trends.
- Set up automated data refresh schedules.
- Test & Deploy
- Run user acceptance testing (UAT) with a small group.
- Refine based on feedback before full deployment.
Ease of Use
You don’t need extensive expertise to create a PowerApps or SharePoint repository. PowerApps provides built-in templates and user-friendly screens, while SharePoint functions similarly to an Excel file, making data management intuitive and straightforward.
Would you like additional customization or one-on-one guidance? Let us know in the comments!
