iLytix XL Reporter

Creating a Profit & Loss report in the

Report Designer

For SAP Business One Based on demo database; SBODemo_UK

02.12.2004

Contents...
Introduction............................................................................................................... 1
Things that you will learn by going through the steps in this manual .................................................................. 2

Part 1: Create a Microsoft Excel template .............................................................. 3

Part 2: Create a new report definition ..................................................................... 5
Part 3: Specify the accounts that are to be included ............................................ 7
Specify a selection to bring up data from sales accounts ................................................................................... 7
See where the selection is located in the worksheet ........................................................................................ 10
Enter a summation line below the selection of sales accounts ......................................................................... 11
Specify a selection to bring up data from cost accounts ................................................................................... 12
Enter a summation line below the selection of cost accounts ........................................................................... 15

Part 4: Specify the dimension attributes for the selections................................ 16

Specify the dimension attributes for the selection of sales accounts ................................................................ 16
Specify the dimension attributes for the selection of cost accounts .................................................................. 18

Part 5: Specify the periods to pick data from....................................................... 21

Create a period parameter to use in the period selections ............................................................................... 21
Specify a period selection by using the period parameter ................................................................................ 23
Specify a period selection for last year using a period function ........................................................................ 25
Specify headings and dimension attributes for the period selections................................................................ 28

Part 6: Specify measures and summation formulas ........................................... 31

Specify the measures to display in the report ................................................................................................... 31
Make the amounts of the sales accounts positive............................................................................................. 34
Specify summation formulas to calculate the totals of the amounts.................................................................. 36

Part 7: Specify a separate row for net income ................................................... 39

Enter a summation line for net income ............................................................................................................ 39
Enter a calculation formula to calculate the Net Income ................................................................................. 40
Hiding the selection markings in the report definition........................................................................................ 41

Part 8: Specify a column for variances................................................................. 42

Enter a heading for a column in which variances can be calculated................................................................. 42
Enter the formulas that are needed to calculate the variances ......................................................................... 42

Part 9: Execute the report definition..................................................................... 45

Do formatting changes to effectively display the data in the report................................................................... 45
Execute the report definition to check the result ............................................................................................... 46

Part 10: Specify selections for accumulated amounts........................................ 48

Specify columns for the accumulated amounts................................................................................................. 48
Specify a selection for the figures accumulated for this year ............................................................................ 50

Create a selection for the figures accumulated for last year ............................................................................. 53

Part 11: Add the main heading and hide the detail rows .................................... 56
Enter the main report heading .......................................................................................................................... 56
Hide the rows within the expanding groups ...................................................................................................... 56

Part 12: Execute the finished report definition .................................................... 59

Execute the report definition to see the finished report..................................................................................... 59
Display the rows that are hidden....................................................................................................................... 61

Introduction
To help you get started with the basics of creating reports in iLytix XL Reporter, this document
will show you how to build a report definition for a regular Profit & Loss Report.
To make the procedures in this document as straight forward as possible, we will not stop to
explain each element in the application. However, when we come across important terms or
expressions that need to be explained, you will find yellow notes with short definitions, such as
the following:
What is a report? It is a Microsoft Excel file (.xls) that has been saved in the database. It is
created on basis of a report definition.
The following is the sample report that we will create:

In order to create the report above, we want to include/do the following:

We need to specify the accounts we want to include in the report.

We will define summation lines.

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We need to define columns for the periods amounts for this year, last year, and for the
accumulated amounts.

We also want to make the report flexible so that it can be re-used from month to month.

Things that you will learn by going through the steps in this manual
During the exercises of this manual, you will learn to do the following:

Create a new report definition.

Add an expanding group to a report definition.

Learn how to create and use a parameter.

Specify measures and summation amounts.

Customize period selections, for instance to bring up accumulated (YTD) amounts.

Execute the report in a summary format.

Part 1: Create a Microsoft Excel template

In Part I, we will show you how to create a Microsoft Excel template that you can use when
creating a report definition.
What is a report definition? It is a Microsoft Excel file (.xls) that is stored in the database and
which contains various formulas and functions that describe how you want the finished report to
look like. A report definition is applied as a basis for the execution of finished Microsoft Excel
reports.
A Microsoft Excel template is a predefined template that primarily contains a special layout or
formatting that helps you standardize the look of your reports. We will create a template that
includes a company logo.

How to create a Microsoft worksheet template

1. Open Microsoft Excel and click on the New button,
a blank worksheet.

, on the toolbar. This will give you

2. In the worksheet, create the formatting, styles, text, and other information you want to
have on all new sheets of the same type. In our example, we do the following:

We give the first row some background colour and we add our sample company
logo.

In Row 6 and 7, we specify a darker background colour and Bold and white text
formatting. This is because we are planning to use these two rows for some of the
headings in the report.

We remove the gridlines from the worksheet. To do this, choose Options from the
Tools menu, and on the View tab of the Options dialog, remove the check mark
for Gridlines under Window options. Then, click OK to close the window.

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3. When you have added what you want in the worksheet, go to the File menu and choose
Properties.
4. On the Summary tab in the properties dialog, check the Save preview picture box.
Then, click OK to continue.

5. Then, choose Save As from the File menu.

6. In the Save as type box, select the Template (*.xlt) option.
7. In the File name box, enter the name of the template, for example MyFirstTemplate.
Note! Do not change the location that the template will be stored in.

8. Click on Save, and then close Microsoft Excel.

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Part 2: Create a new report definition

When we have prepared the template, we start by creating a new report definition. Report
definitions are created and visibly stored in folders in the Report Organizer.
What is the Report Organizer? It is an iLytix XL Reporter component that gives you an
overview of all report definitions, reports, and other iLytix XL Reporter items that are saved in
the database. In the Report Organizer, you can structure your own archives for storage of
individual reports as well as compound report books. You can also create report definitions,
execute individual reports, import and export reports and report definitions, put together
packages of report definitions, and set up scheduled report jobs where packages of report
definitions can be executed and distributed via your e-mail system.

How to create a new report definition

1. Start the iLytix XL Reporter application and open the Report Organizer.
2. In the Report Organizer, right-click inside the left window pane and choose New >
Folder.

3. This places a new folder in the pane with the temporary name "New Folder", like this:

4. Replace the temporary name with a descriptive name, for instance MyFirstFolder,
and press Enter.
5. Then, in the right window pane, right-click and choose New > Report Definition.

6. This places a new report definition in the pane with the temporary name "New
Definition".
7. Replace the temporary name with a descriptive name, for instance MyFirstDefinition,
and press Enter.
8. A dialog appears, asking you if you want to assign a Microsoft Excel template to your
report definition. Choose Yes to confirm.

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9. In the New dialog that appears, select the template that you have already created
(MyFirstTemplate). Then, click OK to continue. You will now see that a report
definition is opened in the Report Designer, and as you can see, it uses the selected
template:

What is the Report Designer? It is an iLytix XL Reporter component that extends the
capabilities of and uses the interface of Microsoft Excel. In this component, you define report
definitions that are used as basis for the execution of finished Microsoft Excel reports.
To explain what you see in the Report Designer, we can say that it is divided in two:

On the left, you see the Advanced Report Builder window in which you define which
data you want to extract from the database and see in the report.

On the right, you see the Microsoft Excel sheet in which you define the layout of your
report. This is also where you specify calculations and where you use the data that you
extract from the database.

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Part 3: Specify the accounts that are to be included

To extract data from the sales and cost accounts that we want to view in the report, we must
specify selections.
What is a selection? It is a description of the data within the database that you want to include
in your report.

Specify a selection to bring up data from sales accounts

In the report definition, we will start by specifying a selection that will bring up and display data
from the sales accounts in the database. To specify a selection on sales accounts, we do the
following:

How to specify a selection on sales accounts in the report definition

1. In the worksheet of the report definition, select the entire Row 8.
2. In the Advanced Report Builder on the left, click on the Expanding Group button,
.

What is an expanding group? It is a repetition of a selection made over an unknown number

of rows or columns. In stead of displaying only one single row or column with an aggregated
total sum of the data that the selection comprises, it gives you one row or column for each
account that is included in the selection.

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3. In the Selections box, locate the G/L Accounts dimension and click on it. This gives
you a small browse button,

, on the right.

What is a dimension? It is a data field or value of a transaction, which has an underlying table
in the database. Common dimensions are G/L Accounts, Financial Period, Customer,
Vendor, Department, Currency Codes, Warehouses and many more.
4. Click on the browse button to open the Dimension Lookup window.

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5. In the Dimension Lookup window, select the accounts that you want to pick from the
database. In our example, we select the account codes between 400000 and 450040,
which are sales accounts.

Note: The data (accounts) that you have in your database might not match the data in our
example. If this is the case, please select a set of accounts that you see fit for this report.
6. Then, click OK to close the window.
7. Back in the Advanced Report Builder, click on the Apply button,
save the selection.

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, to

See where the selection is located in the worksheet

If you now click inside a cell in the report definition, you will see that the selection is not visible
in the worksheet. To locate the selection in the worksheet, do the following:

How to see the selections in a report definition

1. In the report definition, go to the Report Designer toolbar and click on the View
definition markings button,

This will give you markings that indicate where the selections are in the report definition.
Expanding groups are indicated by solid drawn lines, while later on in this manual, selections
will be indicated by dotted lines. In addition, if you hover the mouse pointer over the red dot in
the corner of a marking, a tool tip appears, showing you the criteria of the selection. In our
example, it looks like this:

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Enter a summation line below the selection of sales accounts

In the row below the specified selection of sales accounts, we are planning to see the total
amount of the data that are extracted from the database. Therefore, we make room for this in
row 9 and enter a description of the summation. We do the following:

How to enter a summation line below the selection of sales accounts

1. In the report definition, click on Cell B9, right below the marking that indicate the
selection (expanding group) that you made in Row 8.
2. Enter the description, Total Sales and give it Bold formatting. The beginning of your
report definition should now look something like this:

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Specify a selection to bring up data from cost accounts

Back in the report definition, we will continue by specifying a selection that will bring up and
display data for cost accounts in the database.

How to specify a selection for cost accounts in the report definition

1. In the worksheet of the report definition, select the entire Row 10.
2. In the Advanced Report Builder on the left, click on the Expanding Group button,
.

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3. In the Selections box, locate the G/L Accounts dimension and click on it. This gives
you a small browse button,

, on the right:

4. Click on the browse button to open the Dimension Lookup window.

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5. In the Dimension Lookup window, select the accounts that you want to pick from the
database. In our example, we select the account codes between 500005 and 660190,
which are cost accounts.

Note: Like mentioned before, the data (accounts) that you have in your database might not
match the data in our example. If so, please select a set of accounts that you see fit.
6. Then, click OK to close the window.
7. Back in the Advanced Report Builder, click on the Apply button,
save the selection.

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, to

Enter a summation line below the selection of cost accounts

Because we are planning to see the total amount of cost accounts too, we make room for this
and enter a description below the specified selection, like we did for the sales accounts. We do
the following:

How to enter a summation line below the selection of cost accounts

1. In the report definition, click on Cell B11, right below the marking that indicate the
selection (expanding group) that you made in Row 10.
2. Enter the description, Total Expenses and give it Bold formatting. The report
definition should now look something like this:

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Part 4: Specify the dimension attributes for the selections

Now that we have defined the selections, we must specify which dimension attributes we want
to see in the report for each of the selections.
What is a dimension attribute? A dimension attribute tells the system which information for a
dimension it should display in the report for the database records that are selected. Dimension
attributes represent the different columns/fields that exist in the database table for a given
dimension. Most dimensions have at least one default attribute, which is usually Code, and
another attribute, such as Name.

Specify the dimension attributes for the selection of sales accounts

We start by specifying the dimension attributes of the selection of sales accounts. We do the
following:

How to specify the dimension attributes for the selection of sales accounts
1. In the worksheet of the report definition, select the first cell of the row on which you
specified the selection of sales accounts. In our example, this would be Cell A8.
2. On the Report Designer toolbar, click on the Formula Builder button,

3. This opens the Formula Builder window, which displays the dimension attributes that
are available for the selected cell:

Note: The dimension attributes are placed at the bottom of the window, beneath the grey line.

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4. In the Formula Builder, click on the plus sign, , in front of the G/L Accounts
dimension. This will expand the list so that you can see the attributes that are available
for this dimension:

5. Double-click on the attribute you want to view in the report. In our example, this would
be the Account Code attribute. This inserts the attribute into the selected cell in the
worksheet:

6. In the worksheet, select the second cell of the row on which you specified the selection
of sales accounts. In our example, this would be Cell B8.

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7. In the Formula Builder, double-click on the Account Name attribute. This inserts the
attribute into the selected cell in the worksheet:

Specify the dimension attributes for the selection of cost accounts

We then specify the dimension attributes of the selection of cost accounts. We do the following:

How to specify the dimension attributes for the selection of cost accounts
1. In the worksheet, select the first cell of the row on which you specified the selection of
cost accounts. In our example, this would be Cell A10.
2. If the Formula Builder is not opened, click on the Formula Builder button,
Report Designer toolbar:

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, on the

3. In the Formula Builder, expand the G/L Accounts dimension again and double-click
on the Account Code attribute. This inserts the attribute into the selected cell in the
worksheet:

4. In the worksheet, select the second cell of the row on which you specified the selection
of cost accounts. In our example, this would be Cell B10.

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5. In the Formula Builder, double-click on the Account Name attribute. This inserts the
attribute into the selected cell in the worksheet:

6. Then, close the Formula Builder.

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Part 5: Specify the periods to pick data from

Now that we have specified the kind of data we want to extract from the database, we need to
specify the periods from which we want the data to be extracted. In our report definition, we do
not want to make a fixed selection on a period. However, to be able to use the same report
definition many times for different periods, we create a period parameter that we can apply to
specify the period selections.
What is a parameter? A parameter is used instead of fixed values and does not get a value
until the report is executed. Instead of creating many report definitions to cover all periods, you
can have one report definition that includes a period parameter. When the user then executes
the report definition, a dialog prompts him or her for the required period before the report is
completely executed.
Note: When you use a parameter in a report definition, it is performed in two steps:
1. First, you must create the parameter itself.
2. Then, you must choose this parameter when you define the selection.

Create a period parameter to use in the period selections

To create a period parameter, we do the following:

How to create a period parameter

1. In the Advanced Report Builder to the left of the worksheet, click on the Parameters
button,

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2. In the dialog that appears, click on the Add button:

3. In the Name box, give the parameter a name, for instance MyPeriodParameter.
4. Click once in the Category box, then click on the button,
Dimension:

5. Click once in the Type box, then click on the button,

Financial Period:

, and choose the type,

6. Click once in the Attribute box, then click on the button,

Code:

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, and choose the category,

, and choose the attribute,

7. Then, double-click inside the Prompt box and enter the prompt you want to display
when the report definition is executed, for instance Specify the period. The
Parameters dialog should now look something like this:

8. Then, click on the Close button to save the parameter.

Specify a period selection by using the period parameter

Because we want to apply our report definition several times for different periods, we use the
period parameter we created in stead of specifying a fixed period selection. When selecting the
period parameter for the period selection, we will not specify the desired period before we
execute the report definition. To specify a period selection with the period parameter, we do the
following:

How to specify a period selection by using the period parameter

1. In the worksheet of the report definition, select the entire Column C.
2. In the Advanced Report Builder on the left, click on the Column selection button,
.

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3. In the Selections box, locate the Financial Period dimension and click on it. This gives
you a small browse button,

, on the right:

4. Click on the browse button to open the Dimension Lookup window.

5. In the Dimension Lookup window, click on the Parameters tab. From the list of
parameters, select the period parameter that we previously created, the one called
MyPeriodParameter.

6. Then, click OK to close the window.

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7. Back in the Advanced Report Builder, click on the Apply button,

save the selection:

, to

Specify a period selection for last year using a period function

The first period selection, in column C, will give us the data for the period that is specified upon
execution. Because we also want to see the data for the same period, but for the previous year,
we specify the same period selection again and add iLytix XL Reporters period function, -12, to
get the data from last year.
Note: If your organization uses 13 periods per year in the accounts, you must use -13 instead.
We do the following:

How to specify the second selection using a period function

1. In the worksheet of the report definition, select the entire Column D.

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2. In the Advanced Report Builder on the left, click on the Column selection button,
:

3. In the Selections box, locate the Financial Period dimension and click on it. This gives
you a small browse button,

, on the right:

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4. Click on the browse button to open the Dimension Lookup window.

5. In the Dimension Lookup window, click on the Parameters tab. From the list of
parameters, select the period parameter, MyPeriodParameter again. Then, click OK
to close the window:

6. In the Complete Selection box at the bottom of the Advanced Report Builder, locate
the selection syntax of the period selection you just made. In our example, the syntax of
the period selection is Code=@MyPeriodParameter.
What is the selection syntax? Selections in iLytix XL Reporter are described using a special
language called IXL, which is short for IX Language. IXL is made up of different combinations of
elements and is used internally by the system to specify the database selections made by the
user. To make customized selections, the user can modify the syntax used in a selection.
To manipulate the selection into picking the data of the same period from last year, we
add the period function, -12, which withdraws 12 periods from the one that is specified
upon execution. The new period selection will then be the following:
Code=@MyPeriodParameter-12:

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7. Then, click on the Apply button,

definition now looks something like this:

, to save the selection. The report

Specify headings and dimension attributes for the period selections

Now that we have defined two period selections, we will specify the dimension attributes we
want to display for the selected periods and also enter some descriptive headings. We do the
following:

How to specify headings and attributes for the period selections

1. In the worksheet, there are two rows that, based on the template, are formatted with an
orange background colour. In order for the headings to stand out from the orange
background, give the two rows white font colour, and also, give Bold text formatting to
the first of these two rows.

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2. In each of the two cells within the period selections, Cell C6 and D6, enter the text,
Actual, like this:

3. Click inside Cell C7 (within the first period selection).

. This opens
4. On the Report Designer toolbar, click on the Formula Builder button,
the Formula Builder window, which displays the dimension attributes that are available
for the selected cell:

5. In the Formula Builder, click on the plus sign, , in front of the Financial Period
dimension. This will expand the list so that you can see the attributes that are available
for this dimension:

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6. Double-click on the attribute you want to view in the report. In our example, this would
be the Code attribute. This inserts the attribute into the selected cell in the worksheet:

7. In the worksheet, select Cell D7 (within the period selections).

8. In the Formula Builder, click on the plus sign, , in front of the Financial Period
dimension to expand the attributes that are available and double-click on the Code
attribute again. This inserts the attribute into the selected cell in the worksheet:

9. Then, close the Formula Builder.

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Part 6: Specify measures and summation formulas

Now that we have specified the type of data we want to extract from the database and the
period(s) from which we want them to apply, we need to specify the type of measure we want to
see in the report.
What is a measure? Measures are the actual transaction values that are made. They never
have any underlying tables in the database. Common measures are Amount, Credit Amount,
Debit Amount, Posting Date, Document Status, Gross Profit, Quantity and many more.

Specify the measures to display in the report

In our example, we want to see the amounts from Financials. To specify the actual amounts in
the report definition, we do the following:

How to specify the measures to display in the finished report

1. In the worksheet, click inside the first cell that lies within the sales accounts selection
and the first period selection. In our example, this will be in Cell C8.
. This opens
2. On the Report Designer toolbar, click on the Formula Builder button,
the Formula Builder window, which, in addition to displaying available dimension
attributes, also displays available measures:

Note: The measures are at the top of the window, above the grey line.

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3. In the Formula Builder, click on the plus sign, , in front of the Financials module.
This will expand the list so that you can see the measures that are available for this
module:

What is a module? When we talk about modules in the Formula Builder, we mean groups of
measures for which the data are somewhat related to each other. Common modules in iLytix XL
Reporter are Financials, Budget, Sales A/R, Purchasing A/P, Sales Opportunities and
Inventory.
4. From the list of measures within the Financials module, double-click on the measure
you want to view in the finished report. In our example, this is the measure, Amount.
The measure, Amount, is then added to the selected cell in the worksheet:

5. Back in the worksheet, click inside the cell that lies within the sales accounts selection
and the second period selection. In our example this will be Cell D8.

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6. In the Formula Builder, find the Amount measure again and double-click on it. The
measure is then added to the selected cell:

7. In the worksheet again, click inside the first cell that lies within the cost accounts
selection and the first period selection. In our example this will be Cell C10.
8. In the Formula Builder, find the Amount measure and double-click on it. The measure
is then added to the selected cell:

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9. In the worksheet, click inside the cell that lies within the cost accounts selection and the
second period selection. In our example this will be Cell D10.
10. In the Formula Builder, find the Amount measure once more and double-click on it.
The measure is then added to the selected cell:

11. Then, close the Formula Builder.

Make the amounts of the sales accounts positive

Often, we see that the sales figures are registered as negative figures, while we want to see
them as positive in the report. We must therefore multiply the actual amounts for the sales
accounts with -1 in order to get positive figures in the finished report. We do the following:

How to multiply actual amounts with -1 to get positive figures in the report
1. On the row that contains the selection of sales accounts, select the first cell in which the
measure, Amount, has been specified. In our example, this is Cell C8.
2. In Microsoft Excels formula bar above the worksheet, you will see the formula,
=ixGet(Amount):

3. At the end of this formula, add the multiplication formula, *-1, like this:

4. On the row with the sales accounts selection, select the next cell in which the measure,
Amount, has been specified. In our example, this is Cell D8.

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5. In Microsoft Excels formula bar above, you will again see the formula,
=ixGet(Amount). At the end of the formula, add the multiplication formula, *-1 once
more:

Note: In the cells where the actual amounts have been specified together with the *-1 formula
(in our example, these are the cells, C8 and D8), you will only see #VALUE!, like in the picture
below. This is because by adding *-1, we change the function into a formula, and because
Microsoft Excel expects numbers in the formula, the program is not able to calculate the formula
until the report definition is executed and the figures are actually extracted from the database.
However, if you look in the formula bar for each cell, you will see the actual formula:

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Specify summation formulas to calculate the totals of the amounts

Because we have specified expanding groups in the report definition, the program does not
know how many rows to calculate. Therefore, we must use a special summation formula that
does not perform the summation until the report definition is executed and the data are
extracted from the database. To specify the special summation formula, do the following:

How to apply the special summation formula to calculate the totals

1. In the worksheet, click inside Cell C9 on the row that includes the heading Total
Sales.
2. On the Report Designer toolbar, click on the Formula Builder button,

3. In the Formula Builder window, click on the Functions tab. This gives you a list of
available functions:

4. In this list, click on the plus sign,

summation formulas:

, in front of the Totals type to see the available

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5. Double-click on the Column Total formula. This will insert the summation formula into
the selected cell in the report definition. Temporarily, because the content of the cell
above (the cell that will get the amounts when the definition is executed) is #VALUE!,
you will only see #VALUE! in this cell:

6. Then, in the worksheet, click inside Cell D9 on the row that includes the heading Total
Sales.
7. In the Formula Builder, double-click on Column Total again. This inserts the
summation formula into the selected cell:

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8. In the worksheet again, click inside Cell C11 on the row that includes the heading
Total Expenses.
9. In the Formula Builder, double-click on the Column Total formula. This inserts the
summation formula into the selected cell. Temporarily, because the measures are not
extracted from the database until you execute the report definition, you will only see a
zero (0) in this cell:

10. In the worksheet once more, click inside Cell D11 on the row that includes the heading
Total Expenses. Then, in the Formula Builder, double-click on the Column Total
formula. Again, this inserts the summation formula into the selected cell:

11. Then, close the Formula Builder.

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Part 7: Specify a separate row for net income

Since we are making a Profit & Loss report, we want to calculate and see the net income in the
report.

Enter a summation line for net income

In our report definition, we enter a description on the row where the calculation will be made:

How to enter a description for net income

1. In the report definition, click on Cell B12, right below the heading for the cost accounts
in Row 11.
2. Type the heading text, Net Income.
3. Select the entire Row 11 and give it Bold formatting. Your report definition should now
look something like this:

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Enter a calculation formula to calculate the Net Income

To calculate the net income, you can use a regular Microsoft Excel-formula:

How to calculate the net income

1. In the worksheet, go to Row 12 where you entered Net Income and select the cell
that lies within the first period selection. In our example, this is Cell C12.
2. Because you want to withdraw the expenses from the sales, enter the formula,
=C9-C11. Because the content of one of the cells that are to be calculated is #VALUE!,
you will only see #VALUE! in the cell:

3. Then, on the same row, select the cell that lies within the next period selection, Cell
D12, and enter the formula, =D9-D11. Again, you will only see #VALUE! in the cell, and
the actual formula in the formula bar above the worksheet:

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Hiding the selection markings in the report definition

Now that were have specified the dimension attributes and measures we want to display in the
finished report for the selections, we can remove the markings that indicate where the
selections are located in the report definition. To hide the selection markings, we do the
following:

How to hide the selection markings in a report definition

1. In the report definition, go to the Report Designer toolbar and click on the View
definition markings button,

The report definition now looks something like this:

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Part 8: Specify a column for variances

So far, we have specified two columns in our report; one that gives us the data of a specific
period this year, and one that gives us the data of the same period, but of last year. In addition
to these two columns, we want to specify a separate column in which the variances between
this year and last year are calculated.

Enter a heading for a column in which variances can be calculated

To specify a column for variances, we start by entering a column heading. We do the following:

How to enter a heading for the variance column

1. In the column that comes right after the second period selection column, select the
second cell that has the orange background formatting. In our example, this is Cell E7.
2. Enter the heading, Variance. Like with the other period headings, it should have Bold
and white font formatting:

Enter the formulas that are needed to calculate the variances

To see the variance between this years amounts and last years amounts, we use regular
Microsoft Excel-formulas to calculate the variances:

How to enter formulas to calculate the variances

1. In the worksheet, select the cell that lies within the variance column and the selection of
sales accounts. In our example, this is Cell E8.

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2. To make the calculation, enter the formula, =C8-D8. Like before, you will only see
#VALUE! in the cell, and the actual formula in the formula bar above the worksheet:

3. Select the next cell within the variance column, Cell E9, and enter the calculation
formula, =C9-D9:

4. Select the next cell within the variance column, Cell E10, and enter the calculation
formula, =C10-D10:

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5. Select the next cell within the variance column, Cell E11, and enter the calculation
formula, =C11-D11:

6. Select the next cell within the variance column, Cell E12, and enter the calculation
formula, =C12-D12:

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Part 9: Execute the report definition

Now that we have specified most of the data we want to see in the finished report, we will do
some formatting changes to the report definition and then execute it to see the result in the
report.

Do formatting changes to effectively display the data in the report

Before executing the definition, we want to do some formatting changes to make the different
types of information in the report more distinguishable. We do the following:

How to do some formatting changes in the report definition

1. First, we add some borders to the row in which the amount for Net Income will be
displayed. To do this, we select the row (Row 12), click on the Borders button on
Microsoft Excels toolbar, and then select the type of border we want:

2. We then add some headings for the listing of accounts; the heading Account in Cell
A7 and the heading Description in Cell B7.
3. In addition to the above, we right-align the cell contents of the Cell C7 to E12 and
center-align the contents of Cell C6 and D6. Our report definition now looks like this:

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Execute the report definition to check the result

Before we continue with our report definition, we want to execute it to see the result.
How to execute the report definition
1. With the report definition open, click on the Execute Definition button,
Report Designer toolbar:

, on the

2. Because we have specified a period parameter in our report definition, a prompt

appears, asking us to specify a period:

3. In the prompt dialog, click inside the Value field to see a small browse button,
the right:

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, on

4. Click on the browse button to open the Dimension Lookup window. From this window,
select the period you want to apply. In our example, we choose to select the data in the
period of March 2004 (with code 200403). Then, click OK to close the window:

5. Then, click OK again to execute the report definition. The executed report definition is
opened as a new Microsoft Excel report, and it includes the data that are requested by
the formulas and functions that we have specified in the report definition so far:

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Part 10: Specify selections for accumulated amounts

So far in our Profit & Loss report, we get the actual amounts of the current period (the period we
choose upon execution of the report definition) for this year and for last year. In our report, we
also want to see the accumulated amount from January through the current period of this year
and from January through the same period of last year. In addition, we want to see the
variances between these two.

Specify columns for the accumulated amounts

To make things easier, we will copy the content of the three columns we have already made
and then specify the new period selections.
Note: When copying something in Microsoft Excel, only Microsoft Excels own formulas and
functions are copied. Consequently, selections in the background, which you have specified
using iLytix XL Reporter, are not included when copying.
We do the following:

How to make the columns for accumulated amounts

1. First, select the cells from C6 to E12, copy their contents (press Ctrl+C on your
keyboard) and paste the clipboard contents into Cell G6:

2. In Cell G7, where you find the dimension attribute, PER- Code, replace the dimension
attribute with the heading, Accum. This Year.

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3. To make room for the whole heading, right-click the cell and choose Format Cells. In
the dialog that appears, open the Alignment tab, go to Text control and check the
Wrap text box:

4. Then click OK to close the dialog. The heading will look like this in the report definition:

5. In cell H7, where you again find the dimension attribute, PER- Code, replace the
dimension attribute with the heading, Accum. Last Year. Then, wrap the text like you
did in step 3 above:

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Specify a selection for the figures accumulated for this year

In Column G, where we want to see the accumulated amounts from January through the
current period for this year, we must specify a new period selection for this. To do this, we must
include a special period function, called Year-To-Date , YTD, in the syntax of the period
selection. We do the following:

How to specify a period selection from January through the current period
1. In the worksheet, select the entire Column G and in the Advanced Report Builder on
the left, click on the Column selection button,

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2. In the Selections box, locate the Financial Period dimension and click on it. This gives
you a small browse button,

, on the right:

3. Click on the browse button to open the Dimension Lookup window.

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4. In the Dimension Lookup window, click on the Parameters tab. From the list of
parameters, select the period parameter that we previously created, the one called
MyPeriodParameter. Then, click OK to close the window:

5. Back in the row of the Financial Period dimension, click once inside the Selections
field where you see the selection syntax. In our example, the syntax of the period
selection is Code=@MyPeriodParameter. To manipulate the selection into picking
the accumulated data of all the periods up to the current period, we add the Year-ToDate period function, YTD, in front of the parameter selection, like this (notice the
parentheses): Code=YTD(@MyPeriodParameter):

6. Then, click on the Apply button,

, to save the selection.

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Create a selection for the figures accumulated for last year

In the second column into which we pasted some content, we want to see the amounts for all
the periods for January through the current period for last year. To do this, we must specify a
new period selection that includes the Year To Date period function, YTD, together with the
period function, -12. We do the following:

How to specify a selection from January through the current period, last year
1. In the worksheet, select the entire Column H and in the Advanced Report Builder on
the left, click on the Column selection button,

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2. In the Selections box, locate the Financial Period dimension and click on it. This gives
you a small browse button,

, on the right:

3. Click on the browse button to open the Dimension Lookup window.

4. In the Dimension Lookup window, click on the Parameters tab. From the list of
parameters, again select the period parameter, MyPeriodParameter. Then, click OK
to close the window:

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5. Back in the row of the Financial Period dimension, click once inside the Selections
field where you see the selection syntax. In our example, the syntax of the period
selection is Code=@MyPeriodParameter. To manipulate the selection into picking
the data of all the periods up to the current period of last year, we add the Year To Date
function, YTD, in front of the parameter selection. We then add the period function, -12,
at the end, like this (notice the parentheses): Code=YTD(@MyPeriodParameter-12):

6. Then, click on the Apply button,

, to save the selection.

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Part 11: Add the main heading and hide the detail rows
Before we execute the report definition again, we want to give the report a heading. We also
want to group the rows within each of the expanding groups so that they are hidden in the
finished report.

Enter the main report heading

We want to enter the heading Profit & Loss in our report. We do the following:

How to enter the main heading in the report definition

1. First, narrow the width of Column F to approximately 20 pixels.
2. Then, click inside Cell F3 in the report definition, enter the heading, Profit & Loss
Report and give it Bold formatting with for example the font size, 14. In addition, give
the cell the text alignment option, Center:

Hide the rows within the expanding groups

To hide the rows within the expanding groups, we will use the Grouping function of Microsoft
Excel. We do the following:

How to hide the rows within the expanding groups

1. Select the first row that includes a selection of accounts (the first expanding group). In
our example, this is Row 8.

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2. In the Microsoft Excel menu at the top, choose Data > Group and Outline > Group:

3. Then, click on the minus sign,

the group:

, in front of the row selection to hide the rows within

- 57 -

4. Select the second row that includes a selection of accounts, Row 10 (the second
expanding group), and from the Microsoft Excel menu, choose Data > Group and
Outline > Group once more:

5. Then, click on the minus sign,

the group:

, in front of the row selection to hide the rows within

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Part 12: Execute the finished report definition

Now that we have specified all the data we want in our report definition, we are ready to execute
it to see the final result.

Execute the report definition to see the finished report

To execute the report definition, do the following:

How to execute the report definition

1. With the report definition open, click on the Execute Definition button,
Report Designer toolbar:

, on the

2. Because we have specified a period parameter in our report definition, the prompt
appears again, asking us to specify a period:

3. In the prompt dialog, click inside the Value field to see a small browse button,
the right:

, on

4. Click on the browse button to open the Dimension Lookup window.

5. From the Dimension Lookup window, select the period you want to apply. Again, in
our example, we choose to select the data in the period of March 2004 (with code
200403). Then, click OK to close the window.

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6. Then, click OK again to execute the report definition. The report now looks like this:

- 60 -

Display the rows that are hidden

Because we have grouped the contents of Row 8 and 10 in the report definition, we must click
on the plus signs, , in front of these rows in order to show the rows within each of the row
groups. The report then looks like this:

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