Making Finance Functions More Efficient with AI-Powered Chat

Finance teams are often tasked with making quick decisions, managing tight deadlines, and responding to a steady stream of data requests. Whether it’s preparing for a close, supporting an audit, or addressing vendor and customer inquiries, the demand for timely, accurate information is constant.

Yet accessing the right data often requires navigating complex source systems, understanding data structures, and relying on overburdened reporting teams. This creates bottlenecks at the very moment when speed and accuracy are most critical.

Enter AppsAnswers —a Generative AI-powered chatbot purpose-built for Oracle ERP environments and tightly integrated with our Oracle Analytics Accelerators. AppsAnswers transforms how finance professionals interact with data by enabling natural language queries that generate real-time SQL. Instead of relying on scheduled reports or navigating multiple dashboards to find key metrics, users can simply ask, “What were our top five expense categories last quarter?” and get an immediate, reliable answer—no technical skills required.

AppsAnswers leverages Oracle’s powerful Autonomous Database Select AI capabilities, which combine cutting-edge Generative AI large language models (LLMs) with Oracle SQL to create a game changing way to query your data.  With AppsAnswers, users simply type in the question they would like to ask of their data, hit Enter, and the Large Language Model (LLM) will turn that question into an SQL query that gets executed and returns the result to the user.

Practical Value for Core Finance Functions

Rather than replacing financial reporting, the chatbot complements existing tools by making commonly needed information easier to access—without building dashboards or waiting for custom reports. Here’s how it supports key Finance functions:

Accounts Payable (AP) 

Accounts Payable teams deal with frequent questions from vendors, internal stakeholders, and auditors. AppsAnswers helps streamline this by allowing users to ask targeted questions and receive immediate, reliable answers.

Common use cases:

• View outstanding payables by vendor or due date
• Identify invoices pending approval or payment
• Check payment history for specific suppliers
• Track early payment discounts and missed opportunities

This reduces the need to log into multiple modules or export data manually, and it helps AP teams respond more quickly and accurately.

Accounts Receivable (AR) 

Customer-facing teams often need quick insight into payment status, aging balances, and invoice tracking. The chatbot makes it easy to retrieve this information in real time.

Common use cases:

• Show open receivables by customer or age bucket
• Identify overdue invoices and escalation candidates
• Retrieve payment history for reconciliation
• Track cash application activity or issues

With faster visibility into AR metrics, Finance teams can improve collections efforts and better manage cash flow.

General Ledger (GL) 

GL processes are central to financial oversight, but pulling the right data at the right time can be a challenge. AppsAnswers helps users explore journal entries, balances, and trends through natural language queries.

Common use cases:

• Pull journal entry details by date, account, or amount
• Review trial balances or account summaries by period
• Compare actuals vs. budget for a specific department or account
• Spot anomalies or unexpected changes in balances

This allows controllers and Finance analysts to focus on analysis rather than data gathering, helping to speed up the close and support internal reviews or audits.

Built for Access, Not Just Speed 

AppsAnswers integrates with Oracle ERP systems and uses secure roles and permissions to ensure users see only the data they’re authorized to access. By enabling self-service access to AP, AR, and GL data, organizations can:

• Reduce dependency on IT for ad hoc reporting
• Improve response time to internal and external questions
• Maintain consistency by sourcing data directly from the ERP
• Enable more confident decision-making with current data

Conclusion

An AI-powered chatbot like AppsAnswers isn’t just about technology—it’s about enabling Finance teams to work more efficiently. By giving users direct access to the data they rely on most, it removes friction from routine processes and frees up time for higher-value work.

At Apps Associates, we combine deep experience in Oracle ERP, analytics, and Generative AI to help organizations turn innovative ideas into practical solutions. We’ve successfully implemented AI-powered chatbots—including those using Oracle Select AI—for clients across industries who need fast, reliable access to enterprise data. To learn more about how AppsAnswers can transform your Finance operations, contact us today.