Layout of a Financial Report Spreadsheet

All Sage ERP Accpac financial statements are Microsoft Excel spreadsheet files that contain the functions required to read general ledger data.

Generally, each of these spreadsheet files has two separate regions:

• The Spec range — the region containing the specification.

• The Report range — the region containing the final statement.

• The Report range also contains a third range called the Print range, which excludes all audit information that can be generated in the first columns of the Report range.

Remember, however, that you don't need to create a specification to extract and print information. You can extract and print balances from the General Ledger by placing a few formulas in a spreadsheet, recalculating the spreadsheet, then choosing the File, Print command.

You can also save the spreadsheet, then use General Ledger's Print Financial Statements form to print the values in future. (If you don't have a statement specification in the spreadsheet, Financial Reporter recalculates all the formulas, then prints it out.)

Specification and Report Ranges

If you use a statement specification to generate financial statements, the statement specification and the report it creates both reside in a single spreadsheet.

The report specification occupies a named range of the spreadsheet called the Spec range, and the report is generated in a named range called the Report range.

When you generate a financial report from a specification, the Financial Reporter processes all the specification information in the Spec range, and creates the final report in the Report range.

(Financial Reporter actually prints a smaller area of the spreadsheet than the Report range — called the Print range -- which excludes columns A to D.)

The report template starts in column E

The first four columns of the Spec range (A through D) are reserved for control information for the financial reporter. All other columns form a template which determines the appearance of the report and the kinds of data which will appear.

The Spec range can occupy any columns

A specification can actually begin in any column of a spreadsheet. The only requirement is that the first column of the Spec range must be the first column of the specification.

However, for simplicity, this help always refers to the first column of the specification as column A. There is really no reason why you should start a specification anywhere else.

Report Range of the financial report spreadsheet

The Report range is generated from the Spec range when you print the financial report. The Report range contains the data that is generated by running the reports, and the data extracted from the General Ledger.

The printed report starts in column E

The control information in the first four columns of the specification has been replaced by audit information in the report range (this is an FR View command option).

When you print out the report, Financial Reporter prints all but the first four columns of the Report range (omitting the audit information). This is called the Print range.

If you do not have a Spec range.If you did not create a report specification, the Financial Reporter recalculates the sheet and prints it when you print the report. If you don't want to print the whole spreadsheet, you can use the Financial Statement Designer's Options, Set Print Area command to define the area you wish to print.

If you have a Spec range.If you have a Spec range, Financial Reporter will automatically regenerate the financial statement before printing it when you use the Financial Reporter form.