Budgets

Icon and Name

Description

This creates a new blank budget spreadsheet.

Open Sheet

This opens an existing saved budget.

Save 

Click this to save changes to a budget spreadsheet.

Save As 

Click this to save a new copy of a spreadsheet you have changed.

Variable 

Click this to create a variable within a budget.

Refresh Page 

Click this to refresh the page you are working on (ensure you have saved any changes).

Step

Action

1

From Accounting select Accounts>Budget

2

Click the New Sheet  icon.

3

• Enter Sheet Name, in this case the name of the budget.
• Enter a description
  

4

Click Submit. The budget displays. See sample screen below.

Step

Action

1

Click on the first date column in your new budget sheet.

2

From the drop-down list select Set Date and enter a different start and end date.

3

Press Enter to apply the changes.

Function

Description

Insert Column

To insert a column, click on the column name to the left of where you want the new column. Select Insert Column. A new column will be inserted.

Rename Column

To rename a column heading, click on the heading and type the new name.

Restore Column Name

To restore a column heading to the previous name, click on the heading and select Restore Name.

Remove Column

To remove a column, click Column Name then select Remove Column. The column will be removed.

Set Column Date

To set or change the date for a column, click the column name and select Set Date. You can then enter or change dates and click Return to save.

Insert Row

To insert a row, click on the row name that is above where you want the new row. Select Insert Row. A new row will be inserted.

Rename Row

To rename a row heading, simply click on the heading and type the new name.

Link Account to Row

To link an account to a row heading,

• Click on the row heading and select Link Account.
• Select the account name. The row heading will be inserted as the same as the account name and the account is linked.

This means when you run the Budget Variance Report, the budgeted amount will be compared with the actual amount for that account.

Insert multi Accounts as new Rows

You can insert multiple rows using Accounts in one hit.

• Click on a row heading and select Insert Account.
• Select the Accounts you want to select.
• Click Submit.

A new row will be created for each account you selected.

Insert Value

To give a value to a field, click in the cell and type the numeric value. Click out of the cell when done.

Change Display Format

You can format a value as a number, currency or percentage. To change the format, click the cell and select Display Format. Make your selection.

Formulas

Well-formed formulas can be added using cell references. ActionStep currently doesn't support formula codes such as SUM. To sum data, enter all cell references to be included. e.g. =A1+B1+C1.

Some tips for creating formulas are:

• Always start a formula with =
• Include cell references, e.g. =B2+D9
• + add to
• - subtract by
• / divide by
• multiply by *
• Click out of the cell to accept/calculate the formula
• Hover mouse over cell to view formula
• Click in cell to edit formula
• Use variables (see below) for common values used in formulas that may need to change in bulk.
• Cells which contain a formula display in green
• Cells which contain an invalid formula display in red
• Cells which contain a non-formula value display in black

Create Variable

A variable is used to define a commonly used value. In this example, staff frequency fly to Sydney which costs an average of $850. By adding this as a variable we can use this in formulas and if the cost changes, we just need to change it in the variable and not in every formula.

Create Formula using Variable

You can create a formula using cell references or variables. In this example, the formula is =Flights*2 which means the value in the variable "Flights" (which is 850) will be multiplied by 2 which makes the result equal to 1700.

Modify Data

You can modify a value (or formula result) by a percentage or value. Click on the cell value, select Modify Data. Enter data in percentage to increase by % (e.g. increase by 10%). Or enter figure in value to add/subtract a specific amount. Enter - for negative numbers, e.g. to subtract 20, enter -20. You can modify data in bulk by pressingctrl to select multiple cells.

Restore Data

If you have changed a value by mistake, you can restore the previous cell value by clicking on the cell and selecting Restore Data.

Clear Data

To delete a value or formula from a cell, click on the cell and select Clear Data. Data will be deleted (you can use the Restore Data function to retrieve it if required).

Copy formula or value

To copy a value or formula from one cell to another, click on the cell with the value or formula and select Copy. Then click in the destination cell and select Paste. You can copy and paste multiple cells in bulk. Refer to the section below on Selecting Multiple cells. Make you selection of cells and selectCopy, then select multiple destination cells and selectPaste.

Load Balance

If your row is linked to an account, you can load the balance of that account from a previous year. Click on the cell and select Load Balance, then choose the applicable year. The actual balance from that account and time-frame will be inserted. You can load balances in bulk by pressing ctrl to select multiple cells.

Selecting multiple cells

Many of the functions above can be performed over multiple cells in one hit. Here are the options for selecting multiple cells:

• Hold the Ctrl key and click on multiple cells (one by one).
• Click on the first cell in a range and hold the Shift key, then click on another cell in that row or column. All cells in between the first and last cell will be selected.
• Click on the Row number to select the entire row.
• Click on the Column name to select the entire column.

Save the Budget

When you have made changes, ensure you save the budget spreadsheet using the Save