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Analyze Actual Amounts Versus Budgeted Amounts

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As a part of gathering, analyzing, and sharing your company data, you view actual amounts compared to budgeted amounts for all accounts and for several periods.

To analyze budgeted amounts, you must first create general ledger (G/L) budgets. Learn more at Create G/L Budgets.

View a G/L budget

In a budget with dimensions, you can filter the entries and see specific budgets.

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature. icon, enter G/L Budgets, then choose the related link.
  2. On the G/L Budgets page, open the budget you want to view.
  3. At the top of the page, fill in the fields necessary to define what is shown. Hover over a field to read a short description.

Note

If you've selected Period in either the Show as Lines or Show as Columns field, then you must fill in the View by field. If you have not selected Period in either of those fields, enter the appropriate period in the Date Filter field.

Note

Only entries from the general ledger budget with the filter codes you enter on the Filters FastTab are included in the calculation. Budget entries without any or with other filter codes are not included. As long as the filter remains on the page, the budget only displays entries with those filter codes.

Tip

Use the Edit Budget action to modify the budget. On the budget page, choose an amount to view the underlying general ledger budget entries.

View actual and budgeted amounts for all accounts

You can view general ledger budgets and compare them with actual figures in several areas of Business Central.

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature. icon, enter Chart of Accounts, then choose the related link.
  2. On the Chart of Accounts page, choose the G/L Balance/Budget action.
  3. On the Options FastTab, fill in the fields as necessary to define what is displayed in the table.
  4. Hover over a field on the table to read a short description about the displayed amount.

Note

The filters you set on the page header will be applied to both general ledger and budget entries.

The leftmost columns contain the chart of accounts. Of the five columns on the rightmost side, the first four columns show actual and budgeted debit and credit amounts for each account. The fifth column shows the proportional relationship between the actual and the budgeted amounts on the general ledger account.

Tip

Use the View by field on the G/L Balance/Budget page to select the period length. Use the View as field to select the way the amounts will be calculated, either Net Change or Balance at Date. Choose the Previous Period or Next Period action to change the period.

To view actual and budgeted amounts for several periods

Instead of viewing the actual and budgeted amounts for all accounts within a single period, you can view a number of periods for a single account.

  1. Choose the Lightbulb that opens the Tell Me feature. icon, enter Chart of Accounts, then choose the related link.
  2. On the Chart of Accounts page, select the relevant general ledger account, then choose the G/L Account Balance/Budget action.
  3. On the Options FastTab, fill in the fields as necessary to define what is displayed in the table.
  4. On the Lines FastTab, hover over a field on the table to read a short description about the displayed amount.

See also

Financial Business Intelligence
Work with Financial Reports
Finance
Setting Up Finance
The General Ledger and the Chart of Accounts
Work with Business Central

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