Customize calculations
- Denise McGettigan
The calculations you see on the Statement tab of the statement setup window are used to determine values in the corresponding financial statement. If you have permission to manage financial statements, you can add new calculations, edit existing calculations and delete calculations you no longer need.
Other users can identify and view your calculations in the statement. A calculation icon identifies calculated rows and when you hover over the icon, the full calculation displays.
Calculations can be basic formulas that refer to groups or other calculations in the financial statement, identifiable by the square brackets around them, as illustrated in the image below.
Calculations can also be more complex formulas that include functions, used to calculate financial ratios (such as Days in Period), refer to statistical streams, and include groups from Balance Sheets. The following examples from a Profit and Loss statement show some of these functions.
For example, suppose you want to view the gross profit margin in your Profit and Loss statement. You can achieve this by adding a calculation, as outlined below.
Add a calculation
In the Statements menu, click the name of the financial statement you want to customize.
In the statement setup window, click the Add button where you want to insert the new calculation.
Enter a name for the calculation, then enter the formula in the calculation box.
Select the required format of the calculation result. You can select from a list of default formatting options or create your own custom formatting. If you select the custom formatting option, click the three dots next to the figure and format as required.
Select the Lower is better checkbox, if you want to specify that when a value is lower than previously was, it is a better outcome. This setting applies to values in the variance column in the statements grid, where a green color signifies if a current value is better than the previous value. This simple color coding gives you a quick glimpse of how your accounts are doing.
Select the Hidden check box, if you do not want this row to display on the financial statement. This setting allows you to use the calculation in other calculations but not display it as a row on the statement itself.
Click Save.
If you are finished customizing the financial statement, click Close > Close > Yes to rebuild the database.
Edit a calculation
If you add a group or calculation, you might need to edit an existing calculation as a result. You might also want to edit calculations for other reasons.
In the statement setup window, you can change the name and formula of the existing calculations as required. You can also change the order in which the calculations display in the financial statement. The steps are similar to adding a calculation (see above for details).
On the Customize groups page there is an example of adding a new group called Revenue Online. As a result of this new group, you need edit the existing Gross Profit calculation to include the new group. Locate the Gross Profit calculation row and edit the formula, as illustrated in the following image.
Delete a calculation
You cannot delete calculations that are referenced by another line.
In the statement setup window, click the Delete button on the calculation row, then click Save. Then, if you are finished customizing the financial statement, click Close > Close > Yes to rebuild the database.