Building a Budget

Configuration Process Adding a new Budget Importing Budgets Using the Import Excel option Using the Import Data option FAQ & Diagnostic Tips

A budget is a projected estimate of revenue and expenses over a specified period of time (normally a year). It is a yardstick that actual performance can be measured against. These budgets, maintained via Accounting > Maintenance > Budgets, are organized by Fiscal Years and can contain multiple accounts. Each account added to a Fiscal Year budget displays a yearly budget, as well as the totals for individual periods in that year. Once created, Budgets are available for display in any DEACOM Financial Statement. Additionally, Budgets may be imported into DEACOM by users with the appropriate access to modify budgets. The security setting "Accounting – edit budgets" controls which users may change budgets in this area.

Configuration

• Chart of Accounts must be established in Accounting > Maintenance > Chart of Accounts.
• Fiscal Years must be established in Accounting > Maintenance > Fiscal Years.

Process

Adding a new Budget

1. Navigate to Accounting > Maintenance > Budgets.
2. Choose a year and click "Modify".
3. Choose the method to enter the Budget:
   • Trial Balance – this imports the Trial Balance by month. Select a Fiscal Year from the "Fiscal Year" field then click "Save". Note that unused columns are renamed "-".
   • Copy Year – allows the user to choose which Year's budget to copy and imports that year’s information.
   • Add – manually add the Account and the Budget then click "Apply".
   • Import from Excel – allows the user to select a file saved on the computer and import the details to DEACOM. Base Accounts and the Monthly Budget are needed. This method is the most common. More information on importing can be found further down on this page.
4. Click "Save".
5. If a line needs to be changed; highlight the line and click "Modify" and change the amounts.
6. If a line needs to be deleted; highlight the line and click "Delete".
7. If a percentage increase is desired; click the "Percentage Increase" button and
   1. Enter the increase percent
   2. Select “Apply to”- All accounts, Range of Accounts (then enter from- to range), or Specified Account
8. Click "Save" and "Exit".

Note: The Budgets can be easily exported to Excel.

Importing Budgets

Budgets may be imported into DEACOM by using the Tools > Import Data transaction or via a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet by using the "Import Excel" button in the Edit Budgets form. Prior to using either import option, a basic overview of the Budgets table in DEACOM is necessary. The DEACOM Budget table stores the Chart of Account number and ID for which a Budget amount is entered. A total of thirteen periods ("bu_peramt1" thru "bu_peramt13") are available to this table. The periods were designed to represent the total months for a fiscal year. Fiscal years are most commonly defined as twelve months. The thirteen period is available for special situations in which companies wish to post transactions for a specific fiscal year but outside the normal twelve month period.

Note: Budgets in DEACOM were designed to be entered in monthly periods. Budget amounts can be grouped/summed as desired using options in the Financial Statement Layout design area including the use of period reports.

Using the Import Excel option

The "Import Excel" button in the Edit Budgets form can be used to enter Budget amounts via a properly formatted Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Microsoft Excel versions 5.0/95, 97-2003, 2007, and 2010 are supported when using the classic versions of DEACOM. When using a spreadsheet to import a budget in DEACOM, only the modern Excel format (XLSX) is supported. Also, the DEACOM software no longer requires Excel to be installed on the web server, provided that the spreadsheet imports will be performed with the modern Excel format. A properly formatted spreadsheet is as follows:

ch_account	bu_peramt1	bu_paramt2	bu_peramt3	bu_peramt4	bu_peramt5	bu_peramt6	bu_peramt7	bu_peramt8	bu_peramt9	bu_peramt10	bu_peramt11	bu_peramt12
4000-0	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000
4000-1	1200	0	1400	1600	1800	0	0	2400	3600	0	0	0

1. The first row of the spreadsheet must contain a header row identifying the field in the Budget table where the value or amount will be inserted.
2. Subsequent rows must contain the DEACOM Chart of Account Number (ch_account) and at least the first period's Budget amount (bu_peramt1).
3. The typical spreadsheet will contain the ch_account value together with the Budget amounts for each of the fiscal year periods/months (bu_peramt1 thru bu_peramt12).
4. Cells should be set to "General" or "Text" via the Format Cells option in the spreadsheet.
5. Once the spreadsheet has been imported, any required changes can be handled by selecting the appropriate line on the Budget and clicking the "Modify" button.
6. Once all changes have been made, click the "Save" button to complete the process.

Using the Import Data option

The Import Data feature provides knowledgeable users with the ability to add records to DEACOM tables. This function should be used with caution, and with the assistance of DEACOM support, as the imported records are checked only against database constraints and may not be compatible with data created and maintained by the main application. This function cannot update existing records, only add new records. The Import Data transaction is accessed via Tools > Import Data. The security setting "Tools -- run import data form" controls access to this area. If using a source type of "Excel spreadsheet" the process is different than the one described in the "Import Excel Option" section above.

1. First, the user must identify the budget ID number. To do this, navigate to Accounting > Maintenance > Budgets.
2. In the Budgets form, click the "Show Fields" button on the toolbar and record the "pe_id" number for the Budget year that should be used. When finished, the Budgets form can be closed.
3. Format the spreadsheet as indicated below:

ch_id	bu_paramt1	bu_paramt2	bu_paramt3	bu_paramt4	bu_paramt5	bu_paramt6	bu_paramt7	bu_paramt8	bu_paramt9	bu_paramt10	bu_paramt11	bu_paramt12
213	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000	1000
305	1200	0	1400	1600	1800	0	0	2400	3600	0	0	0

The first row of the spreadsheet must contain the DEACOM Chart of Account ID Number (ch_id) and at least the first period's budget amount (bu_peramt1). The typical spreadsheet will contain the ch_account ID number together with the budget amounts for each of the fiscal year periods/months (bu_peramt1 thru bu_peramt12). Cells should be set to "General" or "Text" via the Format Cells option in the spreadsheet.

The DEACOM Chart of Account ID Number can be obtained by navigating to Accounting > Maintenance > Chart of Accounts and clicking the "Show Fields" button on the toolbar. To make things easier for budget creation, the Account ID number (ch_id) can be added to the Chart of Account grid by using the "Modify Layout" button on the toolbar.

Note: The "ch_id" field will be mapped to the "bu_chid" field when using the "Excel spreadsheet" option as the Source Type. Also, the budget ID number will need to be inserted into the "bu_peid" expression field in the Import Data form.

A note on blank rows: the import will generate an error if it encounters a blank row. If there are blank rows in the middle of the spreadsheet, delete them and try the import again. The import will read all rows currently defined as being populated, and some of the last rows may be blank. If the import generates an error for the first empty row at the end of your spreadsheet data, it is because the spreadsheet believes that the row is part of the spreadsheet but the row is empty. Starting with that first blank row, highlight and delete a few pages of blank rows so that the spreadsheet's definition of the last row matches the last row with data. Do not use the "Delete" key on the keyboard for this, as that just clears the contents. Instead, right-click and use the "Delete" option on the resulting menu.

FAQ & Diagnostic Tips

I am getting an error message when trying to import my Budget.

Check the format of your import spreadsheet. The spreadsheet cannot include blank rows or total rows. Delete the last few blank rows to make sure there is nothing in them.

Can I enter or import a Budget number for a range of accounts?

You cannot import a budget number for a range. You can put the budget in one account or across the range depending on how your reports are setup.

One of my accounts is showing in the Financial Statements Budget column with the wrong sign. The account looks correct on the Edit Budgets screen. How do I fix this problem?

Make sure the account has the correct "Type" in its setup under Accounting > Maintenance > Chart of Accounts.