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Extending Reports

Instructions for extending existing reports

Standard Flash Reports worksheet layout

The standard Flash Reports templates are generated in an Excel worksheet with the following general defaults:

Row/Cel Contents
A1 Company name
A2 Report name
Row 3 (optional) Filter: column A = filter label, column B = filter value
Rows 4–5 Report dates. Usually: A = label, B = date(s) for whole report (all functions reference B). Named periods (e.g. "Last Month") go in row 4 only, row 5 blank. Explicit date ranges: start date row 4, end date row 5. Some reports vary dates per column.
Row 6 Actual/Budget indicator per column — usually "Actual", but may differ per column if mixing actual and budget
Row 7 Column headings — formatted dates if columns vary by date, or dimension labels (Class/Department/Customer/etc.) if columns vary by dimension
Row 8+ Report body: heading row, then detail accounts. Accounts may be indented per QuickBooks hierarchy with parent rows totaled via Excel SUM. Report subtotals (e.g. "Total Income") also appear here.

Flash Reports formatting styles (when applied) distinguish parent totals, subtotals, alternating column shading, and number/heading formats.

Steps for extensions

  1. Analyze first: inspect existing FLASHQ.ACCOUNT_BALANCE formulas to understand:
    1. Which parameters are linked to which cells (absolute vs. relative references)
    2. Whether dates/actual-budget values vary per column or are shared
    3. Whether "Display Columns By" or filters are used, and how
  2. New columns: typically achieved by copying an existing column and adjusting only the relevant function parameters (e.g. the date, dimension value, or budget name) for the new column. Copy formatting from the source column too, and match column width/sizing.
  3. New rows:
    1. Carefully determine whether the new row belongs to a parent total or a report subtotal, and update the relevant Excel SUM ranges accordingly.
    2. If this is ambiguous, ask the user where the new value should be summarized, or clearly state that the SUM functions could not be reliably updated and the user should verify them.
  4. Styling: if Flash Reports styles were applied to the original report, replicate them (alternating shading, parent/subtotal highlighting, number formats) on any new rows/columns.