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Oracle General Ledger

Financial Statement Generator


&
Report Writing Basics

FSG Definition Screens .................................................................................................. 3


FSG Definition : Autocopy............................................................................................. 4
Row Sets : Definition...................................................................................................... 4
Row Sets : Row Definitions 1......................................................................................... 5
Row Sets : Row Definitions 2......................................................................................... 6
Row Sets : Account Assignments ................................................................................... 7
Row Sets : Calculations .................................................................................................. 8
Column Set : Definition .................................................................................................. 8
Column Set : Column Definition 1 ................................................................................. 9
Column Set : Column Definition 2 ............................................................................... 10
Column Set : Exceptions............................................................................................... 11
Column Set : Build Column Set ................................................................................... 12
Content Sets : Definition............................................................................................... 13
Row Order : Definition ................................................................................................. 14
Report : Definition 1 ..................................................................................................... 15
Report : Definition 2 ..................................................................................................... 15
Report : Control Values ................................................................................................ 16
Report : Submission...................................................................................................... 17
Report : Submission of Ad-Hoc Reports ...................................................................... 18
Notes ......................................................................................................................... 19

Oracle General Ledger Financial Statement Generator


& FSG Report Writing Basics
FSG Definition Screens
 NAV : General Ledger : Reports > Define
 This document details the configuration of FSG reports in the core general ledger
screens. It has been written based on Oracle 11i functionality, but most features
are applicable to previous versions.
 Although possible, the writing of FSG reports using ADI is not covered by this
document, though many of the principles and suggestions still apply.
 The document has been written in the context of the recommendations in the more
detailed Report Writing Guidelines document.
 The XML publishing feature available with 11.5.10 is not covered in this
document.
 At a high level the recommended report writing process is as follows.
 Define report on paper
or spreadsheet with
user.
 Define Row Set in
development
environment and create
a test report with
existing seeded column
sets to review data.
 Once the Row Set data
is correct work on the
formatting such as
spaces, indents and
descriptions.
 Create the column set
and apply to the test
report.
 Create optional features
such as content sets,
row orders and display
sets.
 Once the report has
been fully tested and signed off, migrate to production using the standard
FSG transfer program.

FSG Definition : Autocopy


 NAV : Reports > Autocopy
 All report components can be copied using the Autocopy feature for which most
of the screens discussed below have a button.
 Component : Whatever screen you access the autocopy from you will need to
select the component you want to copy from the pick list. All report components,
including whole reports can be copied.
 Source : Select the name of the component you want to copy.
 Target : type in the new name of the component.
 When you press the [Copy] button a concurrent request will create the new
components so this may take a minute or two.
 Once the request is complete you can then query your new component in the
normal screens just like any of the existing ones.
 Where possible make full use of the Autocopy feature instead of writing
components from scratch.

Row Sets : Definition


 NAV : Reports > Define > Row Sets
 Open the Row Set window below to either define a new Row Set or select an
existing one to update.
 The screen works like a standard Oracle form so you can use either F11 or the
torch button to query an existing Row Set.
 When you have selected the Row Set press the Define Rows button to open the
next screen.

Row Sets : Row Definitions 1


 NAV : Reports > Define > Row Sets
 Use this screen to define you rows within your Row Set. A Row Set can have
from one to several hundred rows.
 Line : This is the row number that is used to reference the row in calculations. It
is recommended that you use sequences 10,20,30,40 and then restart major areas
of the report in a new range. For example if writing a Balance sheet, start the
Assets at 10 and the
Liabilities
at
500,510,520.... This
will give you room to
make
adjustments
later if needed.
 Line Item : This is
the title of the row
that will appear in the
report. You can enter
around 130 characters
but bear in mind how
this will appear on the
report.
 Format Options
 Indent
:
Number of characters from left that row description will appear. Decide
in advance how many total and sub-total levels you report will have. The

highest level will have an indent of 0 and the lowest level of detail with
have the highest indent. The values 0,1,2 & 3 are typical for a P&L
report.
 Lines to Skip : This is the number of lines before or after the row to leave
as a blank. This is used to show a visual split between different areas of
the report.
 Underline Characters : Used on totals. Such as - or =
 Page Breaks : Tick the box to page break before or after row

Row Sets : Row Definitions 2


 NAV : Reports > Define > Row Sets
 Advanced Options
 Row Name : Max. 30 Characters. This is used to reference the row in
calculations
 Percent of Row : Used to reference another row that will be used to
calculate a percentage
 Override Column Calculations : Refer to FSG guidelines document for
more information on this.
 Balance Control : These can all be left blank unless required
 Amount Type : PTD, YTD, QTD, Actual, Budget
 Currency : Leave blank to pick up total functional balance, or enter a
value to pick up a translated balance.
 Control Value : Used for budgets and entered currency. Refer to report
writing guide for more information.
 Offset : This is a reference to the number of periods from the period the
report is submitted for. For example 0 is current period. -12 is same period
last year.
 Display Options : These are mostly defined in Column Set.
 Format Mask : eg. 999,999 or 999,999.99 Generally used on column sets
not row sets so can leave blank.
 Factor :Units, Thousands, Millions. Generally used on column sets not
row sets so can leave blank.
 Level of Detail : Used with display sets.
 Display Row :Leave ticked unless this is a calculation to hide
 Display Zero : Generally no, but can be ticked to create fixed layout
reports.
 Change Sign : eg. To show revenue as positive on P&L
 Change Sign on Variance : As above.

Row Sets : Account Assignments


 NAV : Reports > Define > Row Sets > [ Account Assignments ]
 For most reports the account assignments are the main feature of the row set, and
are key in defining the structure and content of the report. To open the account
assignment screens press the button shown on the previous page.
 You can define multiple account assignments for each row, but where possible
you should make use of the parent accounts in you chart of accounts rather than
hard-coding the detail into the report.
 Sign : + or - to indicate if the balance of the account range should be added or
deducted.
 Accounts Low High :Always enter the minimum needed for the report. For
example for a P&L, just enter the specific natural account and leave the cost
centre and balancing segment blank. The less you put in here the lower the
maintenance and greater the future flexibility of the report.

 Display :T,E or B. Generally leave this as T for total as you can use content
sets to expand the report at run time if needed.
 Summary : Only used
with summary accounts.
Tick to pick up summary
account balance in the
account range defined.
 Activity :Usually Net
but can be Dr or Cr if
needed.
 Set of Books : This is
generally left blank to
pick up the books of the responsibility the report is being run from, but you can
report across multiple sets of books in a single report as long as they share the
same chart of accounts ( Same ID not, not just common structure )

Row Sets : Calculations


 NAV : Reports > Define > Row Sets > [ Calculations ]
 Calculations and Account Assignments are mutually exclusive. This means that
each row can only have one or the other, but not both. To open the calculation
screen press the Calculation button on the Rows window.
 You can define multiple calculations for each row, and you have the full range of
mathematical operators available to define you formula. If the formula is
complex the work through it on a spreadsheet first before creating in an FSG.
 Seq : This is the sequence of the calculation line. Use the 10, 20, 30, 40
sequence to allow you to make amendments later if needed.
 Operator : ( +, -, *, /, %, Average, Enter, Median, StdDev, Abs )
Generally the first value line should be Enter otherwise it can cause
erroneous results with complex calculations. (Refer to FSG Report
Writing Guidelines document for more information )
 Constant : This is an absolute value. For example you may enter a ratio
figure or percentage to use.
 Low / High : This is the row numbers. ( You will see here the importance
of the row name in selecting the right range of rows here.
 Row Name : Used to reference a specific row within the row set.

Column Set : Definition


 NAV : Reports > Define > Column Sets
 Open the Column Set window below to either define a new Column Set or select
an existing one to update.
 If you are defining a new column set then follow the standard naming conventions
for your organisation. ( Refer to FSG Report Writing Guidelines document for
more information )
 The screen works like a standard Oracle form so you can use either F11 or the
torch button to query an existing Column Set.
 When you have selected the Column Set press the Define Columns or Build
Column Set button to open the next screen and continue with the definition.
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 The Define Column Sets window works like the Row Set on described already,
and can be used to define all information relating to a column set. The Build
Column Set window is a graphical layout for the initial structure definition of the
column set and for the final formatting of column headings.

Column Set : Column Definition 1


 NAV : Reports > Define > Column Sets > [ Define Columns ]
 Column Sets are the other required component of every FSG report. Whilst Row
Sets are used mainly for defining the accounts, Column Sets are used mainly for
defining the period, balance type or a secondary account segment such as cost
centre.
 Position : This is the position in number of characters that the first column is
from the left side of the page. All column sets should use one of a few values for
the first column to match the standard suite of row orders defined. For example
40, 80 & 130 characters.
 Sequence :
This is the
reference
number for
the column
order
and
calculations.
Follow the
10,20,30
sequence so
that
you
have room
to
make
changes
later if needed.
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 Format Mask : Controls the format of the data in the column. For example
999,999 or 999.999,99 or 999,999.99
 Factor : If left bank then default is Units but can also select from Thousands,
Millions, Billions and Percentiles
 Balance Control :
 Amount Type : This is usually required on a column set. Examples are
:PTD, YTD, QTD, Actual, Budget
 Currency : Leave blank to pick up total functional balance, or enter a
value to pick up a translated balance.
 Control Value : Used for budgets and entered currency.
 Offset : This is a reference to the number of periods from the period the
report is submitted for. For example 0 is current period. -12 is same period
last year. If left blank then the default is a 0 offset.

Column Set : Column Definition 2


 NAV : Reports > Define > Column Sets > [ Define Columns ]
 Advanced Options
 Column Name : Max. 30 Characters. This is used to reference the
column in calculations
 Description : Used with above to give additional information. Does not
appear on the actual report.
 Percent of Column : The sequence number of the column you want to
use as the denominator ( the 100% column) for a percentage calculation on
this column.
 Override Value : Works with the segment override field on the column
set definition. It is used to assign a specific value.
 Override Row Calculations : Tick to set your column calculations to
override any row calculations. ( Refer to FSG Report Writing Guidelines
document for more information ).

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 Display Options :






Level of Detail : Used with display sets.


Display Column :Leave ticked unless this is a calculation to hide
Display Zero : Generally no, but can be ticked
Change Sign : To switch +ve values to ve and vis-versa.
Change Sign on Variance : As above

 Account Assignments & Calculations:


 The account assignment and calculation features for column sets are the
same as those described for Row Sets already so please refer to previous
pages.
 Remember that if using assignments on rows and columns the report will
show the intersecting value of the two.

Column Set : Exceptions


 NAV : Reports > Define > Column Sets > [Define Columns] > [ Exceptions]
 Exceptions are an optional component and not generally used on standard FSG
reports. There usefulness is limited because they are based on constant values that
would need ongoing review and maintenance.
 Define column exceptions to highlight account balances to management for
additional review. Exceptions will appear with a flag next to them in the report,
or you can choose to submit reports to only show exceptions.
 Flag : Enter the character used to highlight the exceptions such as * # x
 Condition : Select one of the conditions ( = , < , <=, > >= and <>)
 Constant : Enter a value for the condition to match.
 You can enter multiple conditions, but in order to work, then any value in the
report must match all of the conditions.

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Column Set : Build Column Set


 NAV : Reports > Define > Column Sets > [ Build Column Set ]
 Define or review the column definitions in a more graphical format.
 Updates made here are applied to the column definitions in the previous screen
and vis-versa.
 Use the folder tool buttons in the top left to change the column orders and width.
 You can create default column headings, but it is likely that you will want to enter
your own as described below.
 Sequence, Name, Amount Type & Offset : These are all taken from the
main column definition screen
 &POI : Period of Interest, is a reference to the period name that will
appear on the column heading based in the offset and the period the report
was run for.
 &BUDGET : This will show the budget name based on the control values
used.

 [More Column Options] : This shows some additional setup fields that
are also available in the main column definition screen so refer to previous
pages for details.
 Heading : This is the four rows that define the individual column
headings. These must be defined in this screen as they cannot be defined
anywhere else. You can press the button [Create Default Headings] and
then update manually.
 Format Mask : This is taken from the main column definition screen.

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Content Sets : Definition


 NAV : Reports > Define > Content Sets
 Content Sets allow you to control the layout and level of detail of existing reports
when they are submitted. This effectively allows multiple reporting styles from a
single report definition. Content sets determine which specific account segments
are expanded in more detail and how that expansion occurs ( By row, column,
page or report )
 Refer to the document FSG Report Writing Guidelines for suggestions of how to
define a suite of standard content sets that can be used to add flexibility to your
reports.
 Name & Description : Enter a name and description for your content set
following a standard naming convention so that the definition can be understood
by the users .
 Type : This determines how the report will be processed by the server.
Sequentially will be slower but use less resources. Generally leave this as
Sequentially.
 Account Assignments : A content set can have multiple account assignments.
As with row sets only select values in specific segments and leave other segments
blank.
 Seq : Enter the sequence order for the content set assignments. This can
be in the 10,20,30 sequence.
 Low / High : Enter the low and high range for specific account segments.
 Display :The default is N which means no override
CT : Total by Column.
PE : Expand by page ( or spreadsheet TAB in ADI).
PT : Total by page ( or spreadsheet TAB in ADI).
RB : Both expand and total by row.
RE : Expand by row.
RT : Total by row.
 Summary : Normally left blank, but select yes to base the content set on
summary accounts within the ranges defined for each line.

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Row Order : Definition


 NAV : Reports > Define > Order
 Refer to the report writing user guide for suggestions of how to define a suite of
standard row orders that can be used to add flexibility to your reports.
 Name & Description : Enter a name and description for your row order
following a standard naming convention so that the definition can be understood
by the users ( refer to report writing user guide)
 Rank By Column : This is used to specify which columns values in a report are
used to order the expanded rows.
 Name : Enter column name or, Order : Column number as it appears in a
report. This may vary when different column sets are used.
 Ranking : Ascending or Descending
 Account Display : This defines how the detail of rows expanded by a row set or
content set will show on the report. It only has an impact on rows and account
segments that have been expanded.
 Seq : Enter the sequence order for each segment to be displayed in. Every
segment must have a value, but this doesnt have to match the order on the
CoA definition.
 Segment : Select
the segment name
 Order by : Value
or Description
 Display : Value,
Description
or
Both
 Width : Enter the
width
in
characters
for
each
segment.
Enter 0 for
segments you do
not
want
displayed.
 NOTE : Be careful to match the total width of the descriptions for the row
order to the size of your pre-defined column sets. For example 40, 80 & 130
characters. Have more or less characters that the column set will lead to
unexpected results on the report output. Refer to the report writing user guide
for more information on this.

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Report : Definition 1
 NAV : Reports > Define > Report
 FSG reports should be defined for the key monthly reports to group together
report components ( Row, Column & Content Sets ) so that users can run them
quickly and consistently.
 Every report must have at a minimum a Row Set and a Column Set. All other
components are optional, or can be left as default.
 Consider giving users access to this screen even if they are not allowed to define
other components.
 Name Title & Description: Enter a report name, title and description following a
standard naming
convention so that
the definition can
be understood by
other users. The
report name and
description
are
visible in the
screens
when
selecting which
report to run, and
the title appears
on the report
output.
 Required
Components
:
Select an existing
Row Set and
Column Set from the pick lists. Multiple reports can share the same components.

Report : Definition 2
 NAV : Reports > Define > Report
 Optional Components : Optionally select the additional report components.
 Content Set : If the content set is expanding rows then select a row order
that controls the same segments.
 Row Order : Although the segments must match the content set they can
be in a different order. 1,2,3 or 3,1,2 would both work if the Content Set
is expanding segments 3,2 & 1. If you are not using a content set then the
Row Order works with any expanded rows.
 Display Set : These work independently to control the parts of the report
visible to different users.
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 Other Components : Optionally select values for these fields. All of these are
available each time you run a report.
 Segment Override : You can hard code a segment override into a report.
For example to look just at a specific Cost Centre, but it is normal to leave
this field blank have only select when required at the time the report is
being run.
 Currency : This is usually left blank to pick up the functional currency of
the set of books, but you can also enter a specific currency , but only if
translated balances exist for that currency. If you want to report entered
currency then refer to the control values section on the following page.
 Rounding Options : It is sometimes statutory requirement to perform this
in a certain order. Round then Calculate or Calculate then Round.
 Level of Detail
: This works
with the level of
detail on the
row
set
definition
to
have different
reports from the
same definition.
This can be left
blank and the
default will be
Financial
Analyst
 Output Option : The default is text and this will work with publishing the
reports as text direct from the apps and with publishing to spreadsheets via
ADI. The other options are to change the format of reports published from
the apps, but are redundant if ADI is being used.

Report : Control Values


 NAV : Reports > Define > Report > [ Control Values ]
 Control Values are used to add Budget, Encumbrance and Currency information
to FSG reports. They are referenced on the columns and/or rows as number and
then in the report this numbers are linked to budgets to currencys.
 The advantage of this method is that you can hard code the control values in the
detailed components ( Rows & Columns ) and then each year when the budget
changes just update the control values on the report once and link that value to a
new budget.
 Access the this screen by pressing the control values button on the report
definition screen.
 Note that it is only available when control values exist in one or more of the
report components.

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 You can enter multiple control values if you want to use more than one currency
or budget.
 When using
control values
to
define
currency, you
have to select
a
currency
type
of
Entered
or
Translated.
 This will only
apply to the
rows
or
columns with
the matching
control value. It is different to selecting the currency on the report definition,
which applies to the whole report and only works with translated balances.

Report : Submission
 NAV : Reports > Request > Financial
 Report : select the name of the pre-defined report.
 Period : This is the accounting period the report is to be run for. This can be any
period in the past or future ( Doesnt have to be open ), and is used as the basis for
the Offset period in the report definitions. Columns with an offset of 0 will
show data for the accounting period selected here.
 Currency : This is the base currency for the report. Default is the functional
currency but any other currency for which translated balances exist can be used.
If no translation exists
then there will be no
balances
 Request ID : This is
populated automatically
when the report is
submitted
 Segment Override : This
can be used to select
specific segment values
such as accounts or cost
centres to filter the report
by at run time. The same
report can be run many times with different overrides.

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 Content Set, Row Order & Display Set : You can add or change the optional
report components at run time
 Rounding Options : The default rounding
option can be updated at report run time.
 Exceptions : You can tick the box to only
show the pre-defined report exceptions in
the output.
 Output Option : This is defaulted from
the report definition but can be updated at report run time

Report : Submission of Ad-Hoc Reports


 NAV : Reports > Request > Financial > [ Define Ad-Hoc Report ]
 Use Ad-Hoc reports to define one of reports using any of the existing pre-defined
report components. This can be used to meeting reporting requirements without
the need to define new reports.
 Report : Select the name of a pre-defined report similar to the layout you want to
define before
you press the
ad-hoc button.
 In the Create
Ad-Hoc
Report screen
below
you
will see it has
been
prepopulated
with the Title,
Row Set and
Column Set
from the report selected above.
 You can update any of these to create your out version of this report and it only
applies to this submission. It will not update the original report.
 Select the row set and column set you want using the pick list, then enter any
control values required.
 Once this is done, press OK to return to the report submission screen
 You can then add the optional components in the normal way described on the
previous page before submitting your ad-hoc report.

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Notes

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