Configuring Column Formats

Configuring Column Formats

IMPORTANT: Do not skip any columns when you create your Column Format. Always work from left to right (starting with Column A), and make sure that the only blank columns are to the right of your active columns.

1. In the General Ledger module, click the Design Statements supertab and then click the Column Format tab.

2. Click the arrow in the Format Name drop-down box on the Column Format tab and select the existing Column Format record you want to configure.

Example:  New Column FormatNOTE: If the Column Format does not exist, you will need to create it. Refer to Creating Column Formats for more information.

3. (Optional) In Column A, click in the Heading field and enter the text that you want to appear in the column heading. Headings are typically used when there are multiple columns. 

TIP: If you enter @per in the Heading field, the formatter will print the alphabetic abbreviation for the current period. For example, if the current period is 6, the heading will be Jun. This option is useful because it frees you from having to change the column heading for each month’s report.

4. Click the arrow in the Type drop-down box and select one of the following:

• Calc: Prints a value based on a formula that you enter in the Formula field.
• GL: Prints information from the General Ledger accounts specified in the Row Format record.
• Perc: Prints the ratio of two specified columns as a percentage.

  NOTE: A column is not considered active until you enter a Type.

5. In the Fiscal Year field, enter the fiscal year that you want to reflect in the column, relative to the year that you enter at run time. For example, enter Base in this field to reflect the same year that is entered at run time, or enter Base-1 to reflect the prior year to the one that is entered at run time.

6. In the Period field, enter the fiscal period that you want to reflect in the column. You can either enter a period that is relative to the one you enter at run time (for example, Base to reflect the period that is entered, or Base-1 to reflect the prior period to the one that is entered), or an absolute period (for example, 3 for period 3, or 6 for period 6). You can also enter a range or relative periods (for example, Base-2 to Base) or absolute periods (for example, 4 to 6 for the second quarter). 

NOTE: Period ranges (whether relative or absolute) can only be used for Current columns (not for YTD columns). 

NOTE: Rows interact differently with the column Period depending on the Row Format code. GL rows directly reflect the period indicated. FBB and BB rows reflect the balance as of the end of the previous period. FBE rows present the Fund balance as of the end of the reflected period.

7. In the Actual or Budget field, select either Actual or Budget to determine whether the financial information in the column should come from the Actual or Budget fields in the General Ledger Account record.

8. In the Current or YTD field, select Current if you want the column to reflect the value of the net activity for the selected fiscal year and period. Select YTD if you want it to reflect the total of the beginning balance and all period activity up to and including the defined period.

NOTE: YTD columns must have a single period defined in the Period field (not a range of periods).

9. (Optional) In the Fund Division, Fund Class, Fund Type, and Fund Sub-Type fields, enter a Fund code (or select it from the lookup list) or range of codes. Codes in ranges must be enclosed by quotation marks (for example, “0” to “5”). By filtering on Fund codes, you can print values from specified Fund categories in separate columns.

NOTE: These fields only apply to Consolidated Financial Statements and Exports.

10. In the Formula field, enter the formula that you want to use to calculate the values in Perc or Calc columns.

NOTE: This field does not apply to GL columns. 

NOTE: Interposed spaces in a formula are ignored.

NOTE: Referenced columns must precede the Perc or Calc column.

11. In a Perc column, enter a ratio (for example, A/B or D/C). In the first case, the resulting percentage will equal the value in Column A divided by Column B, multiplied by 100.

12. In a Calc column, enter a formula of column letters and the operators for addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), or division (/) (for example, A+B, C*D, F/A, or E-D).

13. The column formula may refer to values from more than two other columns (for example, the formula for Column D could be A+B-C). A constant, numerical value also may be used (for example, the formula for Column C could be A/B*100).

14. Click the Save button on the toolbar.

15. Repeat this process in any subsequent columns.