Change the columns
- Denise McGettigan
The information on this page relates to using the Columns menu to specify which columns display in a financial statement. However, other actions you take will also result in a change to the columns in the grid:
Properties - If you select more properties from the Properties menu, they’ll display as additional columns.
Budgets - If the Columns > Budgets option is turned on and you select data streams from the Budgets menu, they’ll display as additional columns.
Periods - If you select a different period option from the Periods menu, the columns will change accordingly.
Custom columns - If you have permission to customize statements, you can customize the columns that are available and save column layouts for other users to apply.
Columns are a great tool to help you build your view of a financial statement. You can use the Columns menu to specify which columns display in a financial statement grid. For example, in a Profit and Loss statement, you might want to view the current financial performance only, then add columns to view more information and make comparisons.
The Columns menu is available in all financial statements except for the Trial Balance.
Learn about the defined column options
Financial | Total | Displays the Total columns when you select the Periods > All option and/or Matrix mode. To free up space in the statement and reduce the need to scroll across to view information, remove this column (clear the checkbox). For example, if you are comparing financial information for your regions and do not need to view the overall results, remove the Total columns from view. |
Budgets | Displays the budget values for the current period, for comparison purposes. The budget might come from the Budgets and Forecasts module or the Designer module. | |
Previous | Displays the results from the previous period. The date range that is applied to the Previous column is determined by the option selected in the Period menu. | |
Prior Previous | Displays the results from two periods ago. | |
Variances | Off | Removes any variance columns. |
Together | Displays the variance columns together, to the right side of the grid. | |
With each column | Displays each variance column adjacent to the comparative column. | |
Percentages | % Contribution | Available in Profit and Loss statements only - Displays the percentage contribution for each item relative to the category to which it belongs. For example, Wages 65% indicates that the wages value represents 65% of the Expenses. |
% Revenue | Available in Profit and Loss statements only - Displays each item as a percentage of revenue. For example, Wages 35% indicates that the wages expense is 35% of Revenue. This option is particularly useful when looking at items such as operating expenses, to understand what percentage of revenue they represent. This calculation excludes the 'Other revenue' category. If you have permission to manage financial statements, you can set the revenue row that is used to drive this calculation. | |
Periods | Off | Displays only the date range specified. |
Latest | Displays the latest period as well as the full date range specified. | |
All | Displays all periods within the date range. |
Add or remove a column from the grid
Click the Columns menu.
Select the defined columns you require (see the table above).
Click anywhere outside the Columns menu to update the grid and view your changes.
Suppose you are viewing a standard Profit and Loss statement and you want to compare the current performance with the budgeted performance for the most recent month and year to date.
Click the Columns menu, then:
Clear the Previous checkbox and ensure the Budgets checkbox is selected.
Select the (Variances) With each column option.
Select the (Periods) Latest option.
Click anywhere outside the Columns menu to update the grid and view your changes. The Previous columns are gone, so you can clearly compare the Current and Budget values.
Apply a custom column layout
Layouts are preset column arrangements. They are set up by the person in your organization who has permission to manage financial statements. You can toggle between different layouts and the statement grid automatically updates. When you select a layout and switch to a different version of that financial statement, the layout also applies to that statement. You can make changes to a layout by adding or removing columns but you cannot save those changes.
Click Columns > Layouts to view the list of available options, then select the layout you want to apply.
After you apply a layout, you can add the %revenue and %contribution analysis columns. Click Columns > Layouts and select the required Percentages checkboxes.
View sparklines
Sparklines are little charts that display next to each of the values in the total columns, in the Profit and Loss statements grid. They are not available for Balance Sheet and Cash Flow statements.
The addition of sparklines to the grid gives you a visual representation of your financial information, so you can quickly see trends and spot anomalies. You can hover over the data points in the sparklines to see the corresponding value and date. If you hover over a sparkline in a variance column, you will see both the variance and variance percentage.
The sparkline is a simple version of the line chart, so in effect, you can view the same data in two different formats in the grid.
Click Columns > Periods > As Sparklines to add sparklines to the grid.
If there are any NaN (not a number) values, the sparkline displays display a dotted line. If all the values are NaN, no sparkline displays. These values are common on calculated rows where division is used. You can still hover over these points in the sparkline; the NaN message displays.
Continue with your analysis
After you set up the columns the way you want them, you can:
Change the period to view the information against a different timeframe, for example, Financial Quarters.
Click the Reset button to revert to the default view.