Tools Menu
After you have entered the data for your plan and analyzed the results of the plan, the Tools menu enables you to generate reports and graphs that will present the plan results. If you need to produce a full business plan document the business plan guide and template will assist you in developing the required document.
The Tools menu includes:
Reports: Generate reports
Graphs: Generate graphs
Sample Plans: Load samples
Business Plan Template: A pre-prepared business plan template that can be loaded to your word processor.
Financial Ratio Generator: The Financial Ratio Generator has been designed to enable you to define your own financial ratios.
Import Actual Data: This module is used to import external data that is generated by another application.
Comparison Analysis: The comparison analysis enables you to compare the results of one plan to another plan.
Report Table
All the data, analysis and graph screens of the Business Planner have a Print button in their toolbar, which generates a report of the screen contents. The report is displayed on a preview screen that enables you to customize, print and export the report. If you want to create various reports from different screens in one run you can do it in the Report table as explained below.
The Report Table allows you to create, quickly and easily, reports that present the data and analysis of the business plan.
The reports are generated by checking the required reports from the report list and clicking the Display button.
Reports Preferences
The Report Table includes a section of preferences that assist in the creation of the reports according to the requirements. By using the preferences you can create reports for only part of the plan years, for years only, with or without previous years, etc. The number of columns in each report page can also be set, allowing for better quality of annual reports.
The Preferences include the following parameter
Start Year: The first year that will appear in the reports.
To Year: The last year that will appear in the report. This year should be equal or greater than the start year.
Print years only: If this option is marked, the reports will include only years. Data entered or analyzed by months or quarters will not be included.
Show previous periods: If the plan includes data from previous periods, as defined in Periods tab in General Data screen, this data can be included in the reports by marking this option. This is applicable only to reports that use previous periods' data, such as the Profit and Loss, Balance and Financial Ratios.
Max. Number of columns per page: This parameter enables to limit the number of columns that will be included in a report page.
New page for detailed year: This parameter can be used to create the report so that each year that is detailed by months or quarters will start from a new page.
Show percentage columns: This option enables to include percentage columns in the Profit and loss, the Operating Cash flow and the Balance.
Buttons
- Print Setup: Display the print setup dialog enabling you to select printer, change page orientation, etc.
- Mark all - Choose all reports from the list
- Clear All - Clear the selection of reports from the list
- Display - Generate the chosen reports to the preview screen
- Exit - Close screen
- Close the Report Table screen
Graphs
A graph is as an important tool to present business data and trends. In most cases, it is much easier and quicker to understand the financial plan from a graph then from a table of numbers. The graphs are generated in the graph table as explained below and can be easily customized according to your needs.
Graph Table
The Graph Table allows you to create graphic presentation of the data and the results of the plan quickly and easily.
The graphs are generated by checking the required graphs from the pre-prepared graph list and clicking the Display button. Each graph that was checked will be generated and displayed in a separate window. It can then be customized with many options.
The graph list is arranged in a tree structure where the graphs are grouped by the main financial reports: Profit and Loss, Balance, Cash Flow and Financial Ratios.
On the right side of the screen there is a period list where you have to select the period for which you want to present the graphs. Selecting All Years will generate graphs that show the data of all the plan years. If the period definition of one or more of the plan years (entered in the General Data screen) includes months or quarters, this year will also appear in the period list. If you select this year the graphs that will be created will show the data for this year in months or quarters.
Buttons
- Mark all: Select all graphs from the list
- Clear All: Clear the selection of graphs from the list
- Display: Generate the selected graphs
- Exit: Close the Graphs screen
User Defined Graphs: This feature will enable you to define your own graphs using the various calculated functions. Once you add your won defined graphs, they will appear in the Graph Table at the bottom of the graph list.
The Graph Window
Graphs that were generated by the Graph Table are each created in a separate window. The graph can be customized, printed and exported to a file by using the buttons on the toolbar. Double clicking the graph or as clicking the Graph Setup button on the toolbar loads the Graph Setup screen.
When you move the mouse across the graph sides you may see that the mouse icon changes in a few points. When it happens you may click the left button of the mouse and resize the graph box.
Toolbar Buttons
 OK - Close screen (and save all changes if applicable)
 Print Table - Create a report for the current table, showing it on the print preview screen
 Graph Setup - Displays the Graph Setup screen
 Save Graph - Exports the graph to a bitmap file
Sample Plans
The Sample Plans screen allows you to load sample plans that were pre-prepared in order to help you to start working with the software more easily.
The screen includes a quick explanation on how to use the software and a list of sample plans by industry type, e.g. Manufacturer, Reseller, etc.
Select the sample that is closest to the industry that your business belongs to and click the Load Sample button or Double-Click on the chosen sample plan.
The file dialog will be displayed and you will be asked to give a name for the plan file. After you enter a name the plan file will be created and you will be able to start working with the sample file.
The sample includes items and definitions that are commonly used by businesses similar to your business. You will have to enter the name of your specific products, markets and department and you may delete, add or change all the items in the tables, Operating Expenses screen and other screens.
Business Planning Guide
The Business Planning Guide is a computerized book that includes thorough explanations on how to prepare a business plan document. It guides you step by step in creating a professional plan.
The Business Planning Guide is built and used as a regular Windows help file. The first screen includes the Contents with a list of a typical business plan topics. Clicking each of the topics will load the explanation for this topic.
Business Plan Template
The Business Plan Template is a word processor document that includes the headings of a business plan with explanation for each section. You can use it along with the Business Planning Guide to produce your business plan document.
When you click this option in the Tools menu the software will look for the word processor that is installed on your computer and if it is found, it will be loaded with the business plan template ready for editing. The template can be edited by any word processor that can open Rich Text Format (RTF) documents. Almost any word processor in Windows can do that.
Φ Note: Delete the lines of instruction in the template file, or mark them as comments, before printing.
Financial Ratio Generator
The Financial Ratio Generator has been designed to enable you to define your own financial ratios based on values available in the existing analysis reports. The user defined ratios will be calculated together with the built-in financial ratios and presented in the analysis and the reports as part of the Financial Ratios screen (at the bottom).
The Generator includes two screens:
Financial Ratio Generator: This screen includes the list of the user defined ratios. It enables you to add a new ratio, delete an existing ratio or edit an existing ratio. When you select to add or edit an existing ratio, the second screen "User Defined Ratio" will be displayed and will allow you to edit the formula of the ratio. When you close the editing screen you return to the list and you can continue to edit other ratios or close the screen.
User Defined Ratio: This screen allows you to build or edit the ratio formula. The Item list on the left contains all the row items available in the financial report screens. You can expand or close the tree items to display the various components.
When an item is selected and the ">" button clicked, the item is transferred to the list on the right hand side of the screen. Double clicking the item will have the same effect.
The buttons above the component list will allow you to insert mathematical operators (+-*/^) into the ratio and the number buttons allow you to insert numbers.
When you want to remove an item from the formula, click on it and the click on the "<" button. If you want to remove all the items of the formula Click on the "<<" button.
The assembled ratio will be shown in the yellow display box at the bottom of the screen
The "Verify" button will allow you the check the expression that you have constructed to see if it is mathematically viable.
Using the "OK" button will process the formula expression through the Verifier anyway and the expression will be saved.
Import Actual Data
This module is used to import external data that is generated by another application (e.g. Accounting software) directly into the Actual Profit and Loss, Actual Balance and Actual Operating Expenses screens of the Business Planner.
Φ Note: Before you import any external data, we suggest that you backup your present Plan or use the Save As function so that any changes brought about by this import module can be discarded and the original plan restored.
The import is achieved by preparing a profile for the import. This profile contains all the necessary specifications to process the import from a source file/document at any time without redefining the import specifications.
The Import module is used by the following steps:
Step 1. Add a new import profile or edit an existing profile: From the Tools menu item, select "Import Actua Data". The Import Profiles screen will be displayed. This screen shows a list of import profiles that were defined in the past. It allows you to add a new profile or edit an existing one. Click the Add button or select an existing profile and click the Edit button and the Import Data Wizard will appear.
Step 2. Choose the source file and adjust import parameters: The first screen of the Import Data Wizard allows you to enter the profile name and then use the button at the right hand side of the Source File field to choose the file that you want to import. It can be an MS Excel file, (.xls), or a text file, (.txt).
If an MS Excel file is chosen, a drop-down list with the list of worksheets that are included in the Excel file, will be displayed below the file name. Use the Worksheet list to select the required worksheet, and the data of the selected worksheet will be displayed in the preview table at the bottom of the screen.
If a Text file is chosen, then the file content is displayed in the Preview table with the Tab Delimited as the default delimiter. If the data does not display as you would expect it to be, then uncheck the Tab Delimited option and use the Delimiter Text field to enter what the delimiter character. If you are not sure what this means, enter a comma, and click the Profile name text box. The Preview table will show the data delimited by the new delimiter. If the data is shown as you would expect it to be, column by column, then you have found the correct delimiter. Other possible delimiters are <Space>, #, (;), (:), etc. However, the usual ones are commas or spaces.
Now you can choose if the Import will Replace the relevant data in the plan's actual section, or if the imported data will be Added to existing values in the plan.
Click the "Next" button to move to the next Wizard screen.
Step 3. Specify the type of the columns in the Import file: The second screen of the Import Data Wizard allows you to define the type of data that the columns in the import file contain.
Use the drop-down list which appears on the top of each column when the first cell is clicked. The list includes 'Row Code' item and then the periods of the existing plan. Select the column that hold the codes and the descriptions of the data rows and choose the Row Code type for it. Then select for each column that includes values what is the period that these values belongs to.
Click the "Next" button to move to the next screen before the import can be initiated.
Step 4. Link rows from the source file to rows in the Actual Data screens: The third screen of the Import Data Wizard is used to define the link of any row in the imported data to rows in the Profit and Loss, Balance and Operating Expenses screens.
The rows of the imported data are displayed on the left list. Rows that have values are colored with green. Rows that are already linked to rows in the plan are colored in blue and are presented in bold letters.
The available target rows are presented on the right, grouped by their parent items.
Choose a row from the imported data and then select the target row and click on the second column. A drop-down list will be displayed where you can choose either to add the imported value to the target row (+) or subtract it from the target row (-).
If you click on the "Finish" button all the import profile definitions will be saved to the profile data base and will be available to you for future use.
If you click "Import" all the import profile definitions will also be saved to the profile data base. The software will then run the Import Profile and import the data to the actual data section of the current plan.
Notes:
- It is highly recommended to check the Actual screen, which is the target for the import, before the import is run, and make sure that it does not include irrelevant data that was entered manually or by a previous import.
- After the import is run, it is recommended to check the imported data in the Actual screen that was the target for the import.
Future Use
In the future, when you want to import a similar file but with updated data, all that is necessary is to choose the Import profile from the profile list, click the "Edit" button and go through the subsequent three screens.
Note: You will need to change the period type in the second wizard screen if the updated data belongs to another period.
Then use the "Import" button on the last screen to run the profile and import the data. The Import module checks your data at each step to see that there is compatibility to the current plan.
Comparison Analysis (Pro version only)
The comparison analysis enables you to compare the results of one plan to another plan. This analysis is very useful when you want to evaluate two versions of the same plan, or to compare the plan for next year to the plan of last year, etc.
The comparison analysis can also be used to compare two periods within the current plan. This is useful when you want to evaluate periodical trends in the plan.
To run the Comparison Analysis select this option from the Tools menu and the Comparison Analysis Table will be displayed.
In this screen you first select, from the list of available comparison reports, the reports that you want to create, by clicking the small square on their right side. The button "Mark All" can be use to select all the reports.
Then, you select if you want to compare the current plan to another plan or if you want to compare periods within the current plan.
Compare to Another Plan: If you want to compare to another plan, the next step is to select the second plan for comparison. You do so by clicking the button with the three dots [...] on the right of the second plan file name. The standard file dialog will be opened and you will be able to select the plan file for comparison. The file should be a plan file that was saved by the software with the extension .bpf.
Once this is done, you can click the "Display" button and the comparison reports will be created and displayed.
Each comparison screen has a combo list where you can select the period for the current plan and a combo list where you can select the period for the second plan. When the periods are selected, the table shows the comparison analysis. The first column show the report items, the second column shows the data of the current plan for the selected period and the third column shows the data of the second plan for its selected period. The fourth column shows the variance between the second plan and the current plan and the fifth column shows the variance as percentage of the current plan values.
Compare Periods within the Current Plan: If you select to compare periods within the current plan you don't have to select a second plan file of course. Just select the Comparison reports and click on the "Display" button. The Comparison screens will be displayed. Each screen includes a combo list where you can select the first period and a second combo list where you can select the second period. When the periods are selected, the second column will show the data of the first period and the third column will show the data of the second period. The following columns will show the variance between them and the variance as percentage of the first period.
Compare Data Type: You can select, for each side of the comparison, if it will include Plan data or Actual data. The selection is done by marking the selected option out of 4 options: Plan to Plan (both columns will include plan data), Plan to Actual (first column includes plan data while the second column includes actual data), Actual to Plan and Actual to Actual.
Cascade Compare Screens: By default, the comparison screens are displayed in Cascade mode. If you want each screen to use the full area of the main screen you can do this by unmarking the option "Cascade compare screens" in the Compare Analysis Table.
Buttons
- Mark All: Select all the comparison reports
- Clear All: Un-select all the comparison reports
- Display: Create and display the Comparison reports
- Exit: Close the screen
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