Defines a screen format for budgeting on a component or detailed basis, as well as control settings for the way budgeting is to be done. Each format to be used is then assigned to an account range in budget format account ranges.

If entering budget and/or forecast as monthly amounts on the Actuals/Budget screen (without detail components), budget formats are not required.

New: Click New > Template button to insert one of the standard formats as a beginning point. Changes can then be made to customize the format.

• Template: Lets you choose a number of predefined templates for accomplishing budgeting for various types of accounts. When adding a new format, choose a template (or copy an existing format) and then customize it to suite your needs.

Copy: Allows you to copy an existing (highlighted) format to a new name. Change the name (Format ID) of the new format, make appropriate changes, and click Save.

Recompute Components for Format

This process recomputes component lines for accounts to which the selected Format is applied. It should be used when Format default values are changed after users have entered budget figures. As it may impact many accounts it is recommended to be run after hours when users are not active in the system.

If the Format is used for (All) budget types the “Type” dropdown should be used to specify which budget type for the selected year should be recomputed. If the Format is specifically applied to a single budget type the “Type” dropdown will not be visible.

If only specific accounts should be computed, identify them using the “Extra Account Filter”. If no filters are added the system will recompute all accounts assigned the selected Format.

For monthly formats, by checking “Set default values for column”, the system allows you to limit to one column or by not selecting the checkbox the system will update all default values.   

Format ID: A name to identify this format. If different formats are used for budgeting vs. forecast, the format ID must be exactly the same on both formats. Format Account Ranges designates one name for a range of accounts, regardless of the budget type. The year should not be included in the name.

Budget type: If you wish to apply the format to a specific budget type you can do so. For example:

• If the budget type is All, the component screen will apply to both budget and forecast entry. 
• If you want to enter your budget components annually, but want to do forecasting monthly, you should have two budget formats with the same name--one for the budget type and one for the forecast type. 
• If you wish to enter components in budget, but not allow components in forecast, set the budget format/s to type Budget. In this case, where you have a Budget format but no Forecast format, when entering forecast, the components button is grayed out (not available), because the format does not exist, and forecast entry must be done at the monthly level. 
• If you wish to force components in budgeting but not force components in forecast, you should have two budget formats, one set on budget type for budget and the force components set to force; and the other format set on budget type for forecast and the force components set to none. This will allow components for forecast, but it will not force components.

Effective year: The year the format will take effect. Formats are not required to be set every year, as they stay in place until a format with a new effective year kicks in. When adding a format with a new effective year, do not delete the old format, so you can view budget detail history for prior years in the format it was entered.

In Use: Formats listed under Format Account Ranges will be checked. Checked items will display first and then unchecked, both lists are in alphabetical order by Format ID.

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Settings Button

Enter components:

• Monthly: Use a monthly format if you wish to enter component details for each month. The months are listed vertically on the component entry screen. You can have as many lines in each month, as you wish. Settings below control if additional lines can be added, etc. 
• Annually: Use an annual format if you wish to enter the annual amount only. You can have as many lines for budgeting as you wish. In this mode a distributions tab also appears where you can determine how you want to distribute the annual amount (by pay period, equally, by dollars, or by percent). 

Browse access level: Use this if you need to allow certain users to view the monthly budgets, but not the components. Typically this is used for securing payroll salary information. The browse access level here directly relates to the User > user menu permission > General Ledger > Budget Entry. For example, set this to a level of 10 or higher; anyone who has a Budget Entry permission set to a 10 or higher can view the components for accounts using this format. Anyone with Budget Entry permission of lower than 10 cannot access the component screen. Note: user account restrictions (Budget Entry tab) may be set to limit budget entry to selected accounts.

Require modify level to browse: Checking this will require a user to have the entry/modify level permission in their account restrictions to even browse the components screen. 

• Example: A branch exec is set to browse all accounts in multiple branches but can do entry to only his branch. You want him to be able to see the monthly budget amount for payroll but not see the detail component screen for any branch except his own. By checking the box “Require modify level to browse” on each payroll budget format, a user can access the detailed component screen on accounts where his user account restrictions are set to allow entry.

Force component entry: If you wish to force users to enter components then set this to “Force”.  “Force upon save”, which forces users to have components, but not until they finally click the save button.

Include monthly totals: This only applies only to monthly component entry. Check this if you have multiple or the potential for multiple component rows and you wish to see a total row for each month.

Distribute to months: This only applies only to annual component entry. Choose whether you want to default to equally distribute the monthly budgets or custom distribute based on a number, such as number of pays each month, or percentages.

Prompt to default the prior year’s components: In the case that the user goes into an account’s component screen for the first time this year, and components don’t yet exist, this will allow the user to copy in the prior year’s components as a starting point for this year’s budget entry.   

From budget year: If defaulting the prior year’s components is checked, do you want to copy the prior year’s budget or forecast? If you did forecasting last year, you probably want to default this from the forecast, so the most recent numbers are applied.

Redistribute using default distribution: This only applies to annual component entry. Once the prior year’s components are defaulted it redistributes the months based on the default distribution. This is useful when budgeting bimonthly salaries and you have a third pay period that differs every year.

Force distributions to match annual amount: This only applies to annual component entry. If checked this does not allow the annual amount on the distributions tab to be different from the annual amount on the annual tab.

Hide prior month forecasts for actual/forecast: Checking this will hide all prior months when you bring up the components screen from the Actual/Forecast column. If this box is unchecked, the forecast for all months of the year, including past months, can be seen. The reason you might want to do this is to avoid users getting confused that the annual total does not match the forecast total because the annual total on the components screen is the total of forecast for all months, while the annual total on the Actuals/Budgets screen is a combination of actual and forecast.

Include merit increase: Applies only to an annual format. See merit increase.

Default number of components: Sets the default number of component rows displayed when a user brings up the components screen for the first time. 

Force number of components: Check this to not allow any adding or deleting component rows, but instead force the default number of components. This also disables the Clear All button on the budget entry screen. If this boxed is unchecked, users can add additional component rows on the budget entry screen.

Column for budget placement when no components exist: In the case that budget amounts have been entered, but not at the component level (no component exist) then this designates what column to place the budget amounts in if the user does go into components. The budgets will be placed in the first row of each period. If (none) is specified then the budget amounts will not be defaulted in the components. The column specified must have the data slot of a number or the budget.

Column for monthly distribution budget adjustment: Applies to annual budgeting only. In the case that budget amounts have been entered and the distribution is manually changed so that the annual total has changed, this determines what column to place the difference in as a column to adjust the annual budget on the annual tab. This is typically an extra column that is marked as Read Only, but it can also be the budget column itself.

Budget Format Columns (main screen) Specifies the layout of this format.  

The first row on the format represents the first column on the detail components screen; second row on the format is the second column on the entry screen, etc.

Add a new row: (or edit an existing row).  

Header: The description to display for this row. The description will word wrap if it is too big to fit in one line, depending on the column width. You can force it to word wrap by using the | character (Shift + back slash on the keyboard).

Type: Click on the dropdown arrow and select a data slot for the computer to hold the information to be entered in this column.  

• Budget: This is the main budget. Whatever number ends up in this column will be the budget. You can formulate budgets by specifying a formula. The budget column is required.
• Number: Allows up to 35 number columns for use in calculating the budget.
• Text: Allows up to 15 text columns for you to specify your own descriptions or comments. If you are doing annual budgeting then Text 1 is used as the header for each line item on the distribution tab.
• Checkbox: Allows up to 20 checkboxes. These are only useful for conditional budget allocations.

Length: The maximum length of characters that can be keyed.

Decimals: The number of decimals for number columns. The number here should match the number format you select.

Format: Determines how numbers and budget columns are displayed. Some of the common formats are listed in the drop down. Be sure the number of decimal places matches the number of decimals set in the Decimals column. See formatting for more information. 

• It is recommended that Settings > Budgeting > Budget Options be set to round to $.01 for the most accurate budget calculations. The format (screen display) can be set for numbers to display with decimal positions or not, as you wish.

Dft Value: This is the default value for this column, which is applied to any new rows added in component entry. This can be a single value or you can click the search icon to specify a separate value for each month. For example: if this is a biweekly payroll salaries format, you could default the number of pay periods in each month.

Width: Specify the width of the column in pixels. If you choose “Auto” then the column will be auto-sized to fit only the column header, not the column data.

Read Only: If checked, this disallows entry into this column.

Formula: You can formulate budgets and number columns by specifying a formula here. This works very similar to an Excel formula. The templates contain some good examples. Below are the specifications.

• All formulas must begin with an equals sign.
• To reference another column in the same row, use “N” plus the data slot number you want to refer to (i.e. N2 - refers to Number 2).
• To reference another column in the prior row, use “P” plus the data slot number you want to refer to (i.e. P2 - refers to Number 2 in the prior row).
• To reference another column in the prior month’s relative row, use “R” plus the data slot number you want to refer to (i.e. R2 - refers to Number 2 in the prior month’s relative row).
• You cannot reference another formulated column that is after (to the right) of the current column.
• Key any whole number or decimal to specify a fixed number.
• Use the standard operators (+ - * /)
• Parentheses are supported, but not layered within each other.
• There is no order of operations. Everything is calculated from left to right. Parentheses are the only thing that dictate order.
• Example: =N1*(N2+N3)*0.01

Drop-down Values: Specify any text you want displayed as an optional selection in a drop-down column. If any are specified it will act as a drop-down where you are forced to choose a value rather than key anything like a normal Text column. This is useful for things like designating a health plan in order to calculate a health benefits allocation.

Total: If checked includes a total row at the end of every month and annually.

Hide: If checked this column will be hidden.

Frozen: Check any columns you want to lock in place when you scroll to the right on a template with a lot of columns. Columns to freeze must be selected in order with no columns skipped in between.

Copy Next Year: If checked, this column can be copied forward from the prior year. When entering the budget for a selected account for the new year, the user is asked if he wants to copy components from the prior year. Any checked columns will be copied in from the prior year. You would not want to check this box on any row that has a default value set, so the new default value will be copied into the appropriate column on the budget entry screen (instead of copying the number from the prior year).

Apply Merit Increase: (only on annual formats) If checked then the merit increase calculation will be applied to this column.

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Warning

If budgets components have already been entered then changing the columns on the format could create problems with formulas. Only if you change something on an individual row will the formulas recompute for that row. Therefore, if you change anything on the format that is a number or formula you need to use extreme caution. Adding a new number column that is defaulted to zero won’t hurt anything, nor is adding a text column, but if you change any number columns you will have to recompute every account in order to get the correct results. You can do this by either changing something on an individual row or clicking the Recompute button.

Change the merit increase after components have been entered:

This is always a problem with merit increases. Since everything is computed as you enter components, there is no easy way to change it globally. Just changing the merit increase on the budget format is not going to change it for components already entered. Here’s what you must do:

If using an annual budget format:

• Edit the budget format and change the merit increase to the new one.
• Go into the budget components for each salary account and click the Recompute button at the top.
• Save your changes.
• Do this for each salary account.

If using a monthly budget format:

• Edit the budget format and make sure the Hide and Read Only columns are unchecked for the Merit temporarily.
• Go into the budget components for each salary account and manually change the Merit cells to the new merit increase.
• You can use the “Copy to other months” button to copy only that column down to the rest of the months if that is quicker than a copy/paste.
• Save your changes
• Do this for each salary account. Once finished you can change the budget format back to the way it was, if it changed.

Click here to view a few budget format examples

Click here for a list of considerations-suggestions when setting up initial budget formats.