Column types—Financial Report Writer

There are multiple types of columns you can choose when creating financial reports.

Subscription

Company

Regional availability

All regions

User type Business
Permissions Reports: List, View, Add, Edit, Delete

Each column type provides data pulled from your company. Use the following table to determine the type of column to select, based on the information you want to see.

Account

Account name

 Shows the account name only.

Account number

 Shows the account number only.

Account number and name

 Shows both the account name and account number.
Account attribute

Account

 Select an attribute of the account, such as Account type or Class.

Statistical account

 Select an attribute of the account, such as Department or Employee.
Actual

Actual

 Shows the actual amounts for the selected period.
Computation

Computation on actual

 Computation on actual, which is taking the value Column 2 and performing a calculation. The calculation being referenced is defined on the Computations tab (divide by # of customers).

Computation on budget

 Takes the value of the column and performs a calculation defined on the Computations tab.

Summary on columns

 Determines the average of 2 previous columns.
Period comparison

Period variance

 Shows the difference between 2 periods, expressed as a percentage.

Period variance (normalized)

 Variance is the difference between 2 things. For period variance, it’s the difference between 2 defined periods, expressed as a percentage. Normalized adjusts how the difference is displayed: as a positive vs. a negative number.

Period difference

 Shows the difference between 2 defined reporting periods.

Period difference (normalized)

 The difference between 2 defined reporting periods, where the difference as it appears in the report has been normalized to adjust whether it’s displayed as a positive or negative number based on whether the condition is generally considered good or not.
Budget

Actual minus budget difference

 Shows the result of the actual amount minus the budget amount.

Budget minus actual difference

 Shows the result of the budget amount minus the actual amount.

Budget variance (normalized)

 Variance is the difference between 2 things. For budget variance, it’s the difference between 2 budgets, shown as a percentage. Normalized adjusts how the difference is displayed: as a positive vs. a negative number.

Actual minus budget difference (normalized)

 The normalized difference of the actual amount minus the budget amount.

Budget minus actual difference (normalized)

 The normalized difference of the budget amount minus the actual amount.

The normalized option from the parent account group determines whether an amount is shown as a positive or negative number:

  • When budget revenue exceeds actual revenue, the normalized difference is shown as a negative number.
  • When budget expenses exceed actual expenses, the normalized difference is shown as a positive number.

Budget ratio

 The ratio of the budget compared to the actual.
Budget forecast

Remaining budget

 Shows the amount of the budget remaining after the actual amount is deducted.

Forecast: Prorated

Calculates a mid-period budget forecast by adding the actual amount so far (up to the As of Date) and a prorated budget for the remainder of the period.

The prorated budget amount is calculated as follows:

(budget for the period ÷ number of days in the period) × days remaining in the period

Forecast: Full Period

 Assumes that the budget amount is entered on the first day of the reporting period. It doesn’t gather any actuals for the current month. Instead, it shows historical actuals through the last full prior budgeted period, then the budget for current and future periods. The Financial Report Writer uses the first of the month for months that are set up to be used for budgeting.
Percentage of amount

Percent on actual

 Shows a percentage of the actual amount, based on the period or default selection.

Percent on budget

 Shows a percentage of the budget amount.
Vertical divider

Spacer

 Add visual space between columns of numbers. The column is 1/4 the width of a regular column. Use 1 column or add multiple columns for more space. For example, you might use 2 divider columns for a half-column width spacer or 4 dividers to create a full column width.

The “normalized” option

Normalize helps show whether different variances are mathematically favorable vs. unfavorable when the result can be misleading because the difference is shown as positive or negative in an unexpected way.

For example, suppose a revenue amount with a credit normal balance is larger than the prior amount for a period. Even though it might appear as a negative in a report, it’s actually a good condition.

If an expense amount, which is normal balance of debit, exceeds the prior period that isn’t good.

Thus, the normalized variance adjusts the sign to show the difference as a positive.

How is this done? When normalized is applied, Intacct uses the account group normal balance type instead of the account group type.