Contents

Locating Variance Reports

Running a Variance Report

Refreshing Your Report

Saving Your Variance Report

In Planning Maestro, you can run reports to analyze the data from your budgets for Operating Expenses, Revenue, Personnel, Drivers, and Adjustments.

One of these reports is your Variance Report, which displays the variance or difference between your Actual numbers and your budgetary numbers. The report shows this difference by amount and percentage. You can use this report to check your progress on your budget and adjust spending or revenue goals throughout the year.

This document shows you, a Planning Maestro user, how to run a Variance report in Planning Maestro.

Please Note: Traditionally, Variance Reports compare Actual numbers to budgetary numbers. However, you can compare other Versions or scenarios of data if needed (such as one year’s Actuals to another year’s Actuals).

Locating Variance Reports

To run a Variance report, open the Reports module, click on + New Report, and select Variance.

Running a Variance Report

The Shared Reports page opens with a Variance Settings popup. Use the options in this popup to set up your report:

1. Select Base Version – Select the Version of data you want to appear first in this report, such as an Actuals Version.
2. Select Comparison Version – Select the second Version that will appear in your report (often a budgetary Version to compare to your Actuals).
3. Variance Format –

• • Amount – To view the variance or difference between the amounts in these Versions as a simple dollar amount, click on this toggle switch to turn it to the ON position.
  • Percent – To view the variance or difference between these Versions as a percentage, click on this toggle switch to turn it to the ON position.

Please Note: You can view the variance between Versions as both an Amount and a Percentage if needed.

Variance – This section shows you the formula the Report uses to calculate the variance between these Versions:

Amount = [Base Version] – [Comparison Version]

Percent = [Base Version] – [Comparison Version]/[Base Version] * 100

Click Apply to run the report.

Your Variance Report opens. If the report is blank, click on the Rerun report button ( ).

For detailed instructions about formatting this report, including filtering, using Hierarchies, or exporting to Excel, see Formatting Planning Maestro Reports.

Refreshing Your Variance Report

After making an edits, click the Rerun Report button ( ) to refresh the page and implement those changes.

Please Note: The Rerun Report makes it easier for you to make multiple small changes to a report by loading all those changes at once, instead of pausing to load each small change.

Saving your Variance Report

After formatting your Cash Flow report, save your view.