Financial snapshot comparison
Use this function to review progress for a specific project using financial snapshot data.
A snapshot essentially captures an overview of a project on a given date. It is a real-time top-level overview of a project at a specific point in time. Each extracted snapshot is unique.
This function provides a comprehensive solution for project managers to keep track of the financial status and progress of a project relative to its budgets. You might use it to provide monthly, quarterly or half-yearly progress figures to the stakeholders.
- You can use this function to compare one time-captured financial snapshot against the current financial status of the project.
- You can use this function to compare one time-captured financial snapshot against a different time-captured financial snapshot.
The resulting financial overview comparison offers twin views, one view based on the cost structure and a second view based on the cost types. It reflects the default report specification supplied with your solution, or your customized report specification and applied structured query language (SQL) queries, with additional columns displaying the difference between the selected values as Variance columns. That is, the difference between the snapshot and the current financial status, or the difference between the two sets of snapshot data.
This function only displays Variance comparison figures for consolidated data. Detailed comparisons are not available.
Prerequisites
Refer to documentation Implementation
Screen management
The Financial snapshot comparison function contains a Home section in which you select a "snapshot header" and the comparison data.
The resulting financial overview comparison offers twin views:
- One view based on the cost structure.
- A second view based on the cost types.
Header
Presentation
You use this section to set the comparison data. You must select which "snapshot header" will form the basis of the comparison. You can then choose to compare the selected snapshot header against a different snapshot header, or against the current financial status of the project.
A snapshot header sets the parameters for a financial extraction. It is a prerequisite to running a snapshot. The snapshot header comprises the project code, the financial view to be extracted, and the unit and currency to be used each time the data extraction is requested.
You can change the results to display only quantity columns, amount columns or both time and amount columns, as required. Click the Apply action to confirm.
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Fields
The following fields are present on this tab :
Block number 2
Block number 1
| This field displays the project code to be analyzed.
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| This field identifies the financial view that is linked to an SQL query that has been extracted for the selected snapshot header. The view code has been activated in miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view. For example, for an expense view this might display view "10" or a revenue view, this might display view "20". By default, the miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view enables data tracking on selected financial views such as expenses and revenue. Table 388 therefore controls which financial overview data can be displayed.
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| This field displays the code that represents the unit of time in which labor is measured for this project, or activity. |
| This field displays the project currency. |
| Leave this check box selected to display quantity columns in the results. To only display amount columns, clear this check box. |
| Leave this check box selected to display amount columns in the results. To only display quantity columns, clear this check box. |
| Use this field to select the snapshot code to be used to provide the financial basis for the comparison. |
| This field displays the snapshot extraction date. |
| Use this field to select the snapshot code against which the figures in the Snapshot N-1 snapshot (KEYEXTN1) are to be compared. |
| This field displays the snapshot extraction date. |
| Leave this check box selected to compare the figures in the selected base snapshot (Snapshot N-1 field (KEYEXTN1)) with the current actual financial status of the project. |
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Tab Cost structure
Presentation
This section displays the complete cost structure associated with the project. The columns are produced by the interpretation of a report specification.
- The report specification is based on an expense or revenue financial view enabled for data tracking in miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view.
The columns displayed have been defined in the Financial overview structure function (GESPJS). - For the content of each column identified in the outline report structure as a Free column (Free column 1-10), the Financial overview queries (GESPJQ) function specifies exactly which data to use in it.
The resulting columns therefore reflect the defined report specification and applied structured query language (SQL) queries for each level of the cost structure for this project.
- A column heading with the suffix N-1 contains data from the base financial snapshot (Snapshot N-1 field (KEYEXTN1)).
- A column heading with the suffix N contains data from the current financial status of the project, or the selected time-captured financial snapshot (Snapshot N field (KEYEXTN)).
- A column heading with the suffix Variance contains the difference between the associated N-1and N column.
Miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view controls which financial overview data can be displayed.
Project management includes standard, or master report structures for both expense and revenue financial overviews. Delivered by default with your solution are master report structures for financial views "10" (expenses) and "20" (revenue). You can modify these master report structures, or create new report structures from scratch (for example, for a view 30) to suit your organization, your processes or your users.
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Fields
The following fields are present on this tab :
XSL
| This column displays the cost structure for this project. All levels of the cost structure are displayed as individual lines. The top, or parent level is used to group and consolidate the sub-levels. The intermediate levels provide the opportunity to consolidate the lower levels to manage costs and track budgets. The lowest levels, or the levels manually defined as "Chargeable" in the cost structure are considered to be expense items such as a product, expense note, business partner invoice, time records. Each budget line at each chargeable budget level can be assigned to a cost type. You can expand each parent line to reveal child lines in the hierarchy. |
| The heading for this column has the suffix N-1. It therefore contains data from the base financial snapshot defined in the Snapshot N-1 field (KEYEXTN1). This column is displayed if defined in the report specification in the Financial overview structure function (GESPJS) which is based on an expense or revenue financial view enabled for data tracking in miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view. This column displays figures for the specific budget code. |
| The heading for this column has the suffix N. It therefore contains data from either the current financial status of the project, or the selected time-captured financial snapshot defined in the Snapshot N field (KEYEXTN). This column is displayed if defined in the report specification in the Financial overview structure function (GESPJS) which is based on an expense or revenue financial view enabled for data tracking in miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view. This column displays figures for the specific budget code. |
| The heading for this column has the suffix Variance. It therefore contains the difference between the associated N-1and N column for the specific budget code. |
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Tab Cost type
Presentation
This section displays the cost groups and cost types associated with the project.
- To view all cost groups and cost types associated with the project, click the project level in the Cost structure section.
- To view the cost groups and individual cost types associated with a particular budget code, click the budget code in the Cost structure section.
The cost groups and cost types are refreshed dynamically to reflect the selected budget code.
As for the Cost structure section, the columns are produced by the interpretation of a report specification based on an expense or revenue financial view enabled for data tracking in miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view.
The resulting columns therefore reflect the defined report specification and applied structured query language (SQL) queries for each level of the cost groups and cost types for this project.
- A column heading with the suffix N-1 contains data from the base financial snapshot (Snapshot N-1 field (KEYEXTN1)).
- A column heading with the suffix N contains data from the current financial status of the project, or the selected time-captured financial snapshot (Snapshot N field (KEYEXTN)).
- A column heading with the suffix Variance contains the difference between the associated N-1and N column.
Miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view controls which financial overview data can be displayed.
Fields
The following fields are present on this tab :
XSL
| This column displays the cost groups and cost types for this project. All levels of the operational structure are displayed as individual lines if the project level in the Cost structure section is selected. Otherwise just the cost groups and individual cost types associated with a particular budget code are displayed if the budget code in the Cost structure section is selected. You can expand each parent line to reveal child lines in the hierarchy. |
| The heading for this column has the suffix N-1. It therefore contains data from the base financial snapshot defined in the Snapshot N-1 field (KEYEXTN1). This column is displayed if defined in the report specification in the Financial overview structure function (GESPJS) which is based on an expense or revenue financial view enabled for data tracking in miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view. |
| The heading for this column has the suffix N. It therefore contains data from either the current financial status of the project, or the selected time-captured financial snapshot defined in the Snapshot N field (KEYEXTN). This column is displayed if defined in the report specification in the Financial overview structure function (GESPJS) which is based on an expense or revenue financial view enabled for data tracking in miscellaneous table 388 - Financial view. |
| The heading for this column has the suffix Variance. It therefore contains the difference between the associated N-1and N column for the specific task level or task code. |