If you need to report on specific measures or KPIs as part of your forecast - for example, if you need to measure and report on a particular banking covenant - you can now do this using the new KPIs & Covenants option in Spotlight Forecasting
Open the Customise Data option, then click KPIs & Covenants.
In the From Date and To Date boxes, enter a date range that covers the full range of your budget, forecast and scenario. For example, if your forecast covers five years, to ensure that you can enter KPI and covenant values for the full forecast, enter the same five year date range.
To add your KPI/Covenant, click Add KPI/Covenant.
In the KPI/Covenant Name box, enter the name to use for your new KPI/Covenant, for example Debt to Equity.
If required, in the Target Name box enter a new label for the Target line. For example, you may want to rename this to Covenant, Threshold, Goal or Minimum Value.
You can now create the formula for your new KPI or covenant account.
To create your formula
You can create the formula needed for this KPI/Covenant by using the accounts available in Spotlight Forecasting, along with operators and set values added in the formula builder.
To add an account to the formula
Within the Add KPI/Covenant window, click Add Account. You can then choose the account or accounts you want in several ways:
Add Account By Name - Use this option to add a single account to the formula. When you choose this option, you can select the account you want from the drop-down list.
Add Account(s) by Report Code - Use this option to select all accounts which share a specific report code. When you choose this option, you can browse to the required report code and then click Add.
Add Account(s) by Display Name - Use this option to select all accounts which share the same Spotlight Display Name. When you choose this option, you can choose the Spotlight Display Name you want from the drop-down list.
To use symbols and set values
You can add symbols, or enter set values, using the buttons available. To enter a specific value into a formula, use the '123' button and enter the value you want.
To remove an account or symbol from the formula
To remove an account or symbol from the formula, click and drag it to the box below the formula.
Once you've created your formula, click Save.
To add a target
You can now add a target value into each month within the date range. If you prefer, you can enter the value manually into each month, or alternatively you can use the adjustment option to do this:
Within the Create or Customise KPIs & Covenants option, click any target cell for the KPI/Covenant you want to adjust then click the adjust button to the right of the cell.
From the Apply Adjustment To section, select how you want to apply the adjustment:
All Months in KPIs & Covenants - Adjust all of the target months. This is the default option. Choose Dates - Adjust only the months in the date range you select. By Month - Adjust each month’s value individually. When you choose this option, a box appears to adjust each month in the Amount to Adjust section.
From the Amount to Adjust section, select one of the following adjustment options: Note: If you selected the By Month option in step 2, you must enter a value in each monthly box.
Apply fixed amount each month - Use the exact value you enter for all months. Adjust by amount each month - Adjust by a set amount. You can then choose to base this adjustment on the previous month's value, the existing value, or the previous year's value as the starting point. Adjust by percentage each month - Adjust by a percentage. You can then choose to base this adjustment on the previous month's value, the existing value, or the previous year's value as the starting point.
If required, enter any comments, then to save your adjustments click Apply. You can then choose to add a new adjustment to this account or close and continue working.
To include KPIs & Covenants in your report
Open the Customise Layout tab and locate the KPIs & Covenants page, then click Customise.Note: In a new forecast, the KPIs & Covenants page is available by default. If your forecast was created before this feature was available, to add the page to your report click Add Page then from the Page Type drop-down list choose KPIs & Covenants. Amend the page name if required and choose where to add your page, then click Save.
On a new page, the settings automatically appear. If you're editing an existing page, to view them, click Show Settings.
In the Date Range section, enter the date range you want to show on this page. This doesn't have to be the full range of the forecast or scenario.
From the KPIs & Covenants drop-down list, choose the first KPI/Covenant you want to include. Click Add KPI/Covenant for any additional KPI/Covenants you want to include on this page.
From the Tasks drop-down list, choose the first task you want to include on the page, for example your budget, forecast, or scenario. Click Add Task for any additional tasks you want to include on this page.
If you'd prefer to use the Short Name for the task(s) you've chosen to include, select the Use short name check box.
To save your changes and view the report page, click Update.
The KPIs & Covenants information is now included in your report. If required, you can add additional KPIs & Covenants pages to report on different KPIs/Covenants, tasks or date ranges.
