P&L Report Help

[rjodonnell]

Any guidance on best Report Package to use to create this report outlined below? Report Writer, Frx, Crystal 9? Any sample starter reports I could modify?

We have a client with existing GP database with 3 segments who would like to have an version of the P&L that that "rolls up" the account segment to the first 2 digits. The Summary P&L only shows Category Level $$. The Detail report show $$ for every Account.

If they have folowing accounts:
000-4000-01
000-4001-01
000-4100-01


In the Detail P&L, they show up as 3 lines on the detail report.

The client would like a report that SUMS 000-4000 and 000-4001 and shows it as one line and then shows 000-4100 as another line.

Basically:

000-40*
000-41*

 

[MentatDragon]

With P&L reports your choices are:
Dump to Excell
Advanced Financial Analysis
FRx

Dump to Excel is easy to control, but hard to give to the average use and hard to replicate each period, unless you are a spreadsheet wizard.

AFA is built into Great Plains, but cumbersome to setup financials. Yet it will allow you to do what you want to do. I have a client that spent almost 40 hours setting up all of their financials (about 15 reports) and are able to perform similar roll-ups to what you describe.

FRx is the most powerful option, easier to setup and will allow you to setup masks to control the roll-up and still print detailed P&Ls it will take less time to setup and maintain and give you the most control and flexibility over the reports. They also run faster than AFA reports.

 

[barbola]

FRx is probably the best for rolling up to any part of the GL as you can mask any digit, not just a segment.

The downside? Not much support available.

Thanks!
Barb E.

 

[rjodonnell]

Thanks. I have not used AFA or FRx. It sounds like if I am going to learn something, it should be FRx. I may play with the Excel idea a bit first. I've done quite a bit of VBA and the client has an Excel guru also.

 

[barbola]

FRx stores its spec set and report layouts in Access. You need the password though. I wish I could get in there!!

Thanks!
Barb E.

 

[Itexphil]

I would suggest you go along the FRX route. It is highly versatile and well worth the initial investment in time to get it up and running. We score many brownie points by being able to produce new financial information very quickly in a fashion that is understood by all departmental managers just by tweaking existing elements of FRX reports. FRX will do what you are trying to achieve above.

I would avoid AFA.

Excel - whilst being a tool that many people well understand is not as controlled an environment as FRX - there are frightening stories detailing reliance placed on spreadsheets that subsequently were found to have fundamental flaws.

Good Luck

Phil

 

[jazgeek]

agreed, Frx is your best option... I've done similar groupings on subledger modules using crystal reports but you need a pretty high level of crystal understanding to do it.



-----------
and they wonder why they call it Great Pains!

jaz

 

[triad66]

FRx is the only way to go. What you are asking for is what the FRx Reporting Tree is designed for.

Could be done with Crystal, but a lot more effort.

FRx is very intuitive, quick learning curve. Don't waste any time on AFA.