Component Formats
Settings > Budgeting > Component Formats
Formats define the specific screen layout used for budgeting on a component or detailed basis. They control whether components are required for budget entry and/ or permissions for which users may access component details. Because Component Formats are year-specific, each format that should be in use must be assigned to the appropriate account range and Budget Year within the Component Format Assignments screen for it to be active and available for use during that budget cycle.
Main Menu Options
New: Click New, then the Template button to insert one of the standard formats as a beginning point. Changes can then be made to customize the format.
Edit: Opens the highlighted format for editing.
Delete: Deletes the highlighted format.
Global Copy: Allows copying all selected formats to a new year. Clicking Global Copy will display the current year's formats; simply enter the "To Year" and click OK to create the copies for the upcoming budget cycle.
Clone: Duplicates the selected existing format to serve as a baseline for a new, unique format within the same effective year. This is the most efficient method for creating departmental variations of a standard layout without manual reconfiguration.
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 run it after hours when users are not active in the system.
- Type: The Type dropdown should be used to specify which budget type for the selected year should be recomputed.
- Year: Specify the year of the Budget type being recomputed.
- Extra Account Filter: 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.
- Set default values for column (monthly formats only): When the box is checked, the system will update the default value for a single data column. By not selecting the checkbox, the system will update all default values for all periods.
Monthly Formats:
Annual Formats:
Audit: Audit Trail of changes made to the selected Component Format
Reports: Click the caret to access printing and Excel export options for the Component Formats screen
Column Headers
Format ID: The numeric identifier assigned to the format.
Name: The descriptive label used to identify the format. (Note: The combination of the Format ID, Name, and Year ensures the format is unique within the system)
Year: The specific Budget Year associated with the format
Entry: The data entry type defined for the format, Monthly or Annually.
In Use: If checked, the format is currently mapped to an account range for the specified Budget Year within Component Format Assignments.
Format Creation/Edit
Template: Click this link to search and select from predefined budgeting templates.
Recommendation: When creating a new format, it is best practice to select a template or clone an existing format and customize it to save time and ensure consistency.
Format ID
- New Formats: The system automatically assigns a numeric ID upon creation.
- Editing Formats: The Format ID is locked (greyed out).
- Saving Changes: When saving an edited format, you have two options:
- Save for Selected Year: Overwrites the existing version of the format for that specific year.
- Save as New: Generates a brand-new Format ID and creates a separate Component Format record for that specific year, leaving the original unchanged.
Year: This field is read-only (greyed out). The value is automatically determined by the year previously selected on the main Component Formats screen.
Name: The descriptive title of the format.
Click Settings
Security:
Minimum budget entry permission required to view Components: This setting determines the baseline access level required to open component details. Only users who hold at least the selected permission level within Budget Entry can view the component detail screens for accounts using this format.
Restrict Component access to users with budget entry authorization: When checked, only users for whom the account meets their Budget Entry tab selections in Account/Object Restrictions may access the component detail. (e.g., A branch exec is set to browse all accounts in multiple branches, but can enter budgets for only their branch. The user needs to see the monthly budget amount for all accounts, but may not access the component detail for any accounts other than those for which they have permission to enter budgets.)
Options:
Require Component Entry: This option deactivates monthly budget formula tools and requires that the component screen be accessed to enter budget details. If set to Force, it prevents all monthly entries. If set to Force upon save it confirms entry has been made only through components when the user clicks Save.
Non-component Budget Entry column: When budget amounts are entered at the monthly level, the system creates an individual component detail line with the amount entered into the format column indicated. This ensures component detail and monthly budget amounts stay in sync.
Prompt to default the prior year’s components: When checked, when no components exist, the system will prompt the user for whether they want to copy components from a prior budget year as initial budget component detail.
- From budget type: Indicates the budget type from which component detail should be copied.
- Copy comments from prior year: This will copy the comments from the Budget comment section of the previous year.
Component Entry Method:
- Monthly: If component details are to be entered monthly, use a monthly format. The months are listed vertically on the component entry screen.
- Annually: Use an annual format if component details are to be entered as a single yearly amount only. Amounts are entered as single annual line items and are distributed across months according to the Distribute to months settings.
Include monthly totals (monthly formats only): If checked, this option includes a total for each month's row.
Redistribute using default distribution (annual formats only): Redistributes the prior year's budget components according to the current budget format distribution method.
Include merit increase (annual formats only): If checked, the component screen will display the Merit Increase icon. See merit increase for additional setup.
Monthly Distribution (annual formats only): This option controls how the annual amount entered is distributed across months.
- Equal: Distributes the annual amount evenly across all 12 months.
- Last year: Distributes the annual amount according to the budget distribution for the last budget year.
- Custom: Distributes the annual amount according to the percent or number entered through the Distributions icon.
- Distribution Adjustment Column (annual formats only): When annual amounts are entered, and monthly distributions are changed, reducing the annual amount, the column indicated will be used for the applied adjustment amount.
- Allow Change in Distribution: This enables the user to manually adjust the annual distribution. Conversely, if left unchecked, the system will enforce the default distribution.
- Force distributions to match annual amount: While annual components are initially distributed according to the distribution method, they may be modified. This option requires the distributions to equal the overall budget amount entered.
Pre-load dft values for all rows: When unchecked, the system will only load default values for newly added component lines.
Hide prior month forecasts for actual/forecast: When viewing component details for Actual/Forecast, this option, when checked, will hide all months for closed periods. If unchecked, all months will display with closed periods grayed out for entry.
Default Number of Component Rows: Sets the default number of component rows displayed when a user brings up the components screen for the first time.
- All Months: The number of component lines entered here is applied uniformly across the entire year.
- Per Month: Allows for a different number of component rows to be set on a month-by-month basis.
- Disable Component row add/delete: selecting this prevents users from adding or removing component rows.
- Enable Individual Month Component Row Add/Delete: If unchecked, component lines may not be added or deleted for any individual month. Selected component lines must instead be added or deleted for all months.
Columns
New: Add a new row. Each row represents a new sequential column to be displayed in the component screen.
Delete: Deletes the highlighted grid row.
Clear All: Deletes all rows in the grid.
Move Up/Down: Reorders the rows. Moving a row up will move its associated column to the left in the component screen display. Moving a row down will move its associated column to the right in the component screen display.
Conditional Values: Allows for a column’s data to be auto-determined based on information entered into a separate selection column.
- Specify the Selection Column, the column containing the data that will be used to determine the default value(s)
- In the grid, specify
- The Selection Column Value is the value used to determine the default value.
- The Return Value is the default value to be used when the Selection Column Value is present in the Selection Column.
Default Value Query: Allows for default values to be defined according to the database query.
Dropdown Values: Grid entry of values to be displayed for selection from a dropdown in the highlighted column
Dropdown Values Query: Allows for dropdown values to be defined according to the database query.
Reports: Click the caret to access printing and Excel export options for the Budget Format grid
Column Grid
Note: Each row entered represents a successive column in the component screen displayed to the user for entry
Header: The description to display for the data column.
Type: Click on the dropdown arrow and select a data slot that will house the information to be entered in this column.
- Budget: The field used to store the overall entered or calculated budget.
- Number: Allows up to 40 number columns for use in calculating the budget.
- Text: Allows up to 15 text columns for descriptions, comments, or dropdown selections.
- Checkbox: Allows up to 20 checkboxes, which are typically used in conjunction with budget allocations.
Default Value: The default value used for new component detail lines. A single value may be used, or the search icon may be used to specify separate values for each month.
Formula: Budget and number columns may be calculated by the formula entered.
- All formulas must begin with an equals (=) sign.
- To reference another column in the same row, use “N” plus the data slot number (i.e., N2 - refers to Number 2).
- To reference another column in the prior row of the same month, use “P” plus the data slot number (i.e., P2 - refers to Number 2 in the prior row).
- To reference another column in the same row in a prior month, use “R” plus the data slot number (i.e., R2 - refers to Number 2 in the prior month’s relative row).
- Key any whole number or decimal to specify a fixed number.
- Use the standard operators (+ - * /)
- Parentheses are supported but not layered within each other.
- Formulas are calculated from left to right and do not follow the order of operations (i.e., =N1*(N2+N3)*0.01
Format: Determines how numbers and budget columns are displayed to the user.
Drop-down Values: Text displayed for use selection via dropdown.
- Text values may be manually entered into the column, separated by commas
- Text values may also be entered by clicking Dropdown Values (see above)
Width: Specify the width of the column in pixels. If Auto is chosen, the column will be auto-sized to fit only the column header, not the column data.
Read Only: If checked, the column will not allow manual entry.
Total: If checked, the column will have a total calculated for each month and annually.
Hide: If checked, the column will be hidden.
Frozen: If checked, the component screen will always display all columns to the left of and including the highlighted column when scrolling to the right.
Copy From Last Year: If checked, when the user copies components from a prior year, the highlighted column’s value will be copied. Columns that contain default values that change from year to year are not typically checked.
Apply Merit Increase (annual formats only): If checked, the highlighted column amount will be subject to the format’s specified merit increase.
Important: Any format changes made that involve calculations are not automatically applied to components in existence prior to the format change. Changes to default values require the Recompute Components for the format process to be completed.
If changing a default value:
- Edit the component format to update the default value.
- Access the main Component Formats screen, highlight the desired format, and click Recompute Components for Format.
- See Recompute Components for Format for process instructions.
Click here for a list of considerations and suggestions when setting up initial budget formats.