The Actual vs. Plan Comparison Report displays the current financial position compared to the Plan. Plan and Forecast information comes from UPlan and is only available for UPlan planning level Dept IDs. This step-by-step guide explains how to filter and run the report.
What Can I Learn from the Actual vs. Plan Comparison Report?
- Displays Revenues and Expenses summarized at Levels B-F of the Account tree, Net Income/(Loss) from Operations, Other Changes, Net Position, Year-To-Date Actuals, Plan, and Variances to Plan, as well as Year End Plan, Forecast and Variances to Plan.
- Allows actual Expenses, Revenues and Other Changes to be expanded and collapsed to see data at different Account levels.
- Provides drill-through capability to Revenues, Expenses, and Other Changes to display transaction detail for further analysis.
Report Date Filters
The date for the Actual vs. Plan Comparison Report cannot be changed and always runs as of the latest closed month.
Chartstring Filters
- Business Unit (BU) is the only required (*) Chartstring Filter. The filter page defaults to select only the SFCMP, or Campus BU. You may override the default and select another individual BU or multiple BUs .
- The Actual vs. Plan Comparison Report displays Revenue, Expense, and Other Changes; additional filtering by Account is not available .
Additional chartfield parameters may be selected as desired.
Report Specific Filters
- Select a specific Account Level from B - F (defaults to level C) .
- Choose whether to Display Codes Only, Display Codes and Descriptions, or Display Descriptions Only (default) .
- Click to Show Expense Subtotals .
Report Output Selection
- In addition to the report output selections of On Screen HTML (default), PDF, and Excel , you can choose Unformatted Data .
- The Unformatted Data output returns an Excel file that has no special formatting and a single row for column headings, making it the best source for pivot tables and other advanced spreadsheet analysis.
- Select your desired report output and click the Run Report button .
In both Excel outputs (standard Excel and Unformatted Data), the workbook will contain at least two tabs. The first tab/sheet always displays the entered filter criteria. The second tab/sheet displays the data and differs depending on whether you selected standard Excel or Unformatted Data.
Working in the Report View
There are two sections in the Actual vs. Plan Comparison Report:
- Year-to-Date (YTD) section includes variance calculations by dollars and percent, but only through the latest closed month .
- Plan and Forecast section includes data through year-end from UPlan, and displays the year-end variance to Plan. Forecast data is updated monthly via UPlan .
You can expand Year-to-Date and Year-End columns to display quarters, and you further expand the quarters to show Months:
- Click the heading of the column you want to expand .
- To collapse a heading:
- Right-click the heading to collapse .
- Click Drill Up from the pop-up menu .
You can also change Account levels, Codes and Descriptions, or Show Expense Subtotals within the report view in addition to the Filter Page. Make selections and click Update to refresh the report .
- When Show Expense Subtotals is checked, subtotal rows are added in the Expenses section only .
You can expand Account levels to show more detail at a lower level of the Account tree:
- Click the Account you want to expand, e.g., Recharge & Costed Central Act expands into Recharges and Costed Central Activities .
- To collapse an Account:
- Right-click the Account to collapse .
- Click Drill Up from the pop-up menu .
When a value displays as a blue hyperlink, there is additional detail available. Click the amount you want to see more details about; a Transaction Detail Report (TDR) opens up in a new tab/window .
Tips and Tricks
- It is recommended to run the Actual vs. Plan Comparison Report at the highest level possible and then drill down to see additional detail.
- The Actual vs. Plan Comparison Report defaults to show all Fund groups which display data for Current, Agency, Restricted, Loan, Endowment Principal, and Plant; to view only current funds, use the Fund chartfield filter to change the default.
- All Control Points except for Financial and Administration Services (FAS), plan at Account Level C; FAS plans at Account Level E.
- Plan data rolls up to higher levels and cannot be rolled down.
- Note that in the Actual vs. Plan Comparison Report, positive and negative signs have been “normalized.” Figures within brackets, e.g. (313,604) are considered unfavorable results and those not in brackets are considered favorable. However, when drilling from a summary report to a detail report such as the Transaction Detail Report (TDR), the signs in the detail report follow the PeopleSoft sign convention and are not “normalized.”
- The MyFavorites functionality allows you to save and retrieve frequently used filter criteria. See the Managing and Scheduling MyFavorites in MyReports job aid for instructions on saving report parameters to MyFavorites, and how to select and run a saved Favorite.
- For the easiest navigation when using MyReports, close extra browser tabs/windows (usually the result of drilling through to another report) when you have completed reviewing and/or exporting the information.
Additional Information and Assistance
- More information about MyReports, including how to request access and additional training, can be found in the MyReports section of the Controller’s Office website.
- If you require help with a technical problem or have a question about a specific report, contact the Controller’s Office Solution Center at [email protected] or 415.476.2126.
- To stay informed about MyReports news, follow the directions on the MyReports section of the Controller’s Office website to join the MyReports ListServ.