Enter a maximum of 20 characters for a code to identify the column group.

Enter a description of the column group. You can enter a maximum of 40 characters. You can optionally enter descriptions in more than one language. See User Guide: Introduction to QAD Enterprise Applications for more information on the Translation Option.

Enter a report chart code. The code must reference an existing report chart.

This field contains the column sequence number. You can specify up to 9999 columns. The first row that you create in the grid is assigned the sequence 001.

Specify a maximum of 20 characters for the label to print above the column on the report. You can enter plain text and use special variables as part of the text. The special variables are:

When you run the report, the variables are replaced by the report year and the period details you specified on the prompt page. The variables can also be replaced by the year and period, as calculated when comparing results with past GL periods.

Specify the type of data that you want to display in this column. The options are:

Specify the type of balance that you want to display in this column. You can choose from Balance Opening, Balance Opening Debit, Balance Opening Credit, Activity, Activity Debit, Activity Credit, Balance Closing, Balance Closing Debit, Balance Closing Credit, Calculated.

Specify the currency in which to represent the amounts in the column. The options are:

If you built the cube with the base currency calculating to the presentation currency, the base currency is used.

If you built the cube with the statutory currency calculating to the presentation currency, the statutory currency is used.

When you include columns in calculations, you may need an extra column to store an intermediate calculation result you do not want to display on a report. In this case, select the Hide Column field.

This field indicates which period data to include in the column. There are four period types:

When you select Prompt, the column contains data for the year periods entered on the prompt page when running the report. For example:

When you select Compare, the column contains data from a prior GL period you want to compare with. Instead of showing the activity or balance for the report period entered on the prompt page, the program displays the balance of a previous reporting period. To define the prior period to report on, use the Compare type and Offset fields.

When you select Quarter, you can put columns with quarterly totals next to columns with monthly totals on the same report. Assuming your cube has months as periods, system logic translates the From Period entry to the corresponding quarter.

For example, period 2 belongs to quarter 1, period 8 belongs to quarter 3, and any period from 10 up to 14 belongs to Q4. The To Period entry belongs to a To Quarter in the same way. Therefore, if you run a report from period 1 to period 3, the report displays the results of Q1 in the Quarter column. However, if you run a report from period 3 to period 3, the report also displays the results of Q1 in the Quarter column. This enables you to produce a report with a column displaying last month’s figures and another column with figures from the last quarter next to it. If a cube has only four periods, the period and quarter are treated as equal.

When you select Compare Quarter, you can also put columns with quarterly totals next to the previous quarter’s totals on the same report. The number of quarters entered in the period offset is subtracted from the calculated quarter. For example, if system logic finds Q2 based on the period selected, Compare Quarter with an offset of 1 returns the figures of Q1. If the logic finds Q1, Compare Quarter with an offset of 1 gives the figures of Q4 the previous year.

When the Period Type field is set to Compare, this field lets you indicate what values to compare with. The options are:

When the Period Type field is set to Compare, this field lets you enter the number of periods or years you want to go back for the comparison. For example, for a column, you specify:

You then run a report for 2013/01–2013/03 and the measure type is Activity. The comparing column contains the activity for the period 2012/10–2012/12. When running the report, the program goes back three report periods relative to the selected period.

If you specify Calculated in the Measure Type field, enter a calculation formula in this field. Calculations are always performed using the values from other columns or using constants. The reference to a column in the calculation is in the format letter C followed by a column number with no leading zeros; for example, C9. Component columns must be part of the same column group. This restriction is not validated when you create the column group; only when you use the tree to run a report.

You can add a calculation that references a report analysis code to a Financial Report Writer column. See Calculations using a Report Analysis Code.

This optional field allows you to specify a report analysis code, which is useful if you want to include side-by-side comparisons in the report. For example, to compare the balances of several entities, create a special report analysis code for each targeted entity and create a column for each entity that contains the corresponding analysis code. As a result, only the balances of the targeted entities are displayed in each column.

You can do make comparisons for any dimension of the COA. You can compare entities, sub-accounts, cost centers, SAFs, GL accounts, layers, and other elements side-by-side in columns. The report analysis code must belong to the chart specified in the header of the report column group.

Select this field if you want the system to display negative amounts in parentheses in this column.

If the system must display the amount in the report column with a percentage or currency sign, enter the sign here.