View financial information in a matrix (change column groups)
By default, the Financial Statements grid displays a Summary view of the financial information in Period column groups, as you would expect in a standard Profit and Loss statement. You can compare the overall performance for the current and previous periods in the grid. But suppose you want to analyze the information at a lower level, such as the performance of individual countries, products, customers and so on (other dimensions).
Learn about the matrix format
The ‘matrix’ format is a different way in which to view your financial information; it transforms the columns in the statement grid.
Whereas you can add levels to view the contribution of different items within the overall performance, that action adds rows to the statement grid, as illustrated in the image below.
Rather than add this comparative information in rows, you can add it in columns. The Column groups feature allows you to change the column groups in the statement grid, so you can review the performance of different items side-by-side against overall performance, as illustrated in the image below. In effect, the different format allows you to carry out a horizontal analysis of the information.
Using column groups to transform the grid into a matrix format gives you a quicker way to make comparisons and identify differences in your financial statements. It is also a great foundation for viewing and interacting with your financial information in a chart. You can easily switch between different items (dimensions and/or entities) and the chart updates accordingly.
The Column groups feature is unique to the Financial Statements module and is available at the summary level. When you filter the financial information by clicking on a dimension, you move into the Analytics module, where you have the option to compare data with Matrix mode. While the steps are different, the outcome is similar. However, as you are in Analytics module, you do not have access to the Financial Statements slide-out chart feature.
Change the column groups
Select one of these methods:
Drag a dimension into the Column groups box to instantly transform the statement grid into a matrix format.
Click the Column groups box to open the menu, then select a dimension, select the entities you want to include and click OK. This method allows you to filter the information that displays in the grid. For example, if you select the Country dimension, you have the option to view one country only, compare a selection of countries or compare all countries.
After you change the column groups, it is likely that you have more columns in the grid than before. Scroll across to view the new columns. If you have a lot of columns in the grid and want to reduce the amount of data to get a clearer view of the key information, you can:
Hide the code and/or name of the selected dimensions. By default, the code and first property are displayed in the column headers but you can remove one of these if they are surplus to requirements. This is particularly useful when the code or name is long and wraps into a new line. Click the Column groups box again and select the type of header you want.
View matrixed data in a chart
After changing the column groups, click the Chart button in the top right toolbar above the grid. The chart pane slides out from the right of the screen, displaying data for the new column groups rather than the time period. See View financial information in a chart for more information.
Revert to the default view
To go back to the default grid format with the period columns, either:
Click the X on the dimension button.
Click the Column groups box, select Time Periods and click OK.
To completely reset the data, click the Reset button.