This guide covers the setup, permissions, and various functionalities of the Controller. It includes instructions for implementing the program through Netvisor, managing user profiles and permissions, and updating information. The guide also contains information about the old and new Controller, Financial Overview, creating and editing various reports, and managing budgets and forecasts. Additionally, the guide describes billing practices and frequently asked questions about the program.

CONTENTS

• Setup and permissions
• Dashboard
• Reports
  • Income statement and balance sheet
  • Key figures
  • Custom reports 
• Budgets
• Forecasts
• Transition from old Controller and Financial Overview to new Controller (NOTE! > includes schedule)
• Frequently asked questions

Setup and permissions

Controller can be found in the top bar of Netvisor.

Controller is automatically available to all customers with Professional and Premium packages, and sections do not need to be activated separately. Each Controller user must have the "Access to Controller page" option in their function-specific rights. This is ready in the All rights profile.

The first user transitioning to Controller automatically receives Controller admin rights. However, they must have one of the following Netvisor rights for the company where the service is to be implemented to access Controller: Accountant (KP), User Administrator (KH), Accounting Firm Admin (TPK), Company Admin, Company User Profile, or All Rights Profile.

After setup, other Netvisor users must be added as users through the Add New button by the admin. You cannot edit your own permissions. If a user transitioning to Controller does not have rights to the Controller section, they are notified of the lack of permissions and shown the admin's name to contact. User addition becomes selectable in Controller once the data has been updated at least once after the user addition. If you want to add a newly established user in Netvisor, you must manually update the controller data, after which this new user can be selected for Controller.

If a user added as a Controller user is removed from Netvisor, the Controller user status must be separately removed in the Controller > User Management view.

Figures are updated to Controller by default once a day (early morning). The "Update controller data" function updates the graphics and figures with the latest data available from the system. Controller automatically saves all changes (budget, forecast, etc.). Note! Controller does not support 6-digit or larger accounting account numbers.

Dashboard

The Dashboard page has default charts, such as revenue and operating profit. Default charts are fixed charts and cannot be edited or removed. You can add an account or cost center to the charts through the search field. If you want to show only the cost center figures, the entire company's figures can be hidden using the hide icon next to the company's name visible under the search field.

From the blue arrow button above each chart, you can open a menu where you can change the chart's review period, the figures shown in the chart, and comparison figures. Comparison figures can be selected as actual figures, budget, or forecast.

All selectable figures can be displayed through the Show All button or you can search for the desired period or target directly from the search field.

From the menu on the right side, you can select the chart display type (two different bar charts, line chart, pie chart, or numeric chart).

Reports

The Reports tab includes Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Key Figures, and Custom Reports.

Income statement and balance sheet

From the blue arrow button below the report, you can change the report's review period and comparison figures. You can choose to display the figures on the report either in euros or thousands of euros. The report can also be searched by accounting object through the search field, and the report can be downloaded to Excel and PDF through the three dots. Additionally, on the balance sheet report, you can choose the calculation method as balance value or period change. You can open and close all groups on the report or hide empty accounts, i.e., those with no transactions during the selected period. If the account balance is zero, the account appears on the report.

For example, you can limit the actual-budget comparison by selecting the desired budget as the comparison figure from the search menu:

You can also drill down into the figures for a single month by clicking the desired month in the header column, e.g., 2/2022. In the monthly view, you also see a comparison to the previous review period's actual figures.

From the income statement and balance sheet, you can drill down from the account-level figure to the transactions, all the way to the Netvisor voucher.

Key figures

The Key Figures tab has default key figures related to the company's finances. Additionally, you can add your own key figures in the Create New section. Fixed key figures are only available for limited companies. Associations can access the Key Figures tab where they can create their own key figures. Associations can create their own key figures, which they can select for their own reports. In other words, you can select indicators for your own reports and add your own key figures to them.

In the Create Formula field, you can enter the desired number, key figure, account, or account group. The account or account group must be searched by the name of the account or account group. The search field shows these terms as account, group, and calculated.

Below the formula, the real-time sum according to the formula is calculated continuously. When adding a formula, you must follow the mathematical calculation rules, which you can check through the View Calculation Rules button.

Here is an example of the change in revenue concerning the previous month. 

When selecting an account or account group for the formula, you can decide which value to use for these. The options are the latest point in time (actual of the last locked period) or transition from the current point in time. The point in time is determined by the review period selected on the report. You can check the review period on the report template under Figures.

As a tip, if the key figure is intended to be reviewed, for example, on a monthly basis, it is advisable to make a note in the formula name (e.g., month) so that the report clearly shows what period the key figure describes. Sometimes transition formulas may look odd when reviewing the report on an annual basis.

Custom Reports 

With Custom Reports, you can create reports tailored to your company's needs and create your own permanent reports/indicators that you want to monitor regularly. If a user has read or edit rights to Custom Reports, they have access to all the company's Custom Reports. Rights cannot be restricted on a report-by-report basis. 

You can create custom reports in Reports > Custom Reports > Create New. You can start creating new elements for the report through the "Create Element" button. Elements can be selected as Table or Indicator. In the table, you can choose an empty template, income statement, or balance sheet. After creating the table, you can edit the report through the "Edit Report" function. You can rename the table if desired by taking the report into edit mode.

You can edit the rows of the table by taking the table into edit mode. Here you can add and remove rows and move their position. It should be noted that changing the row order only changes the row order, not the calculation behind the table. If an account is moved from one account group to another, for example, from fixed costs to variable costs, the gross margin does not change. 

The indicator forms a similar chart as on the Dashboard page, and you can select multiple key figures for the same chart at once. You can edit the dashboard in the same way as the table by first taking the report into edit mode and then "Edit Indicator."

Reports have separate read and edit modes. Edits made in read mode do not save to the report, meaning if you edit the report's search criteria in read mode, they do not update to the report. 

Examples of using Custom Reports:

1. The customer wants to create their own company's income statement

Example 1: Use the standard income statement as a template and edit it according to your needs. Move accounts and account groups, e.g., above and below the gross margin. It should be noted that fixed sales and operating margins do not update in this case. Through key figures, you can create sales and operating margin key figures and add them to the report. 

Example 2: Use an empty template. Add income statement items, margins, and results.

2. The customer wants to create a summary of the income statement

Example: Select revenue, variable costs, gross margin, fixed costs, operating margin, depreciation, operating profit, net financing costs, profit after financing costs, taxes, and net profit for the period.

3. The customer wants to create their own KPI report

Example: Create 5 custom profitability KPIs and attach them to an empty report. Then add five ready-made key figures to the report.

4. The customer wants to create their own dashboard

Example: Select five KPIs, each on their own graph pages.

5. The customer wants to create a board report

Example: Select revenue, gross margin, operating margin, operating profit, profit after financial items, and net profit for the period in an empty income statement template. Then add new elements by creating graphs of revenue and operating margin on their own graph pages.

Budgets

Controller budgeting is suitable for all company forms. The budget can be created at the account group level, account level, or accounting object level. Budget creation is currently possible for 4- and 5-digit accounts. If 6-digit (or larger) accounts have been created in the account list, budgeting is not possible for them. The budget can be deleted, copied, or selected as the primary budget through the three dots. The primary budget only affects the order in which budgets are displayed in Controller. Budget creation starts from Create New. A new budget is given a name and time frame. Additionally, a deadline can be set for when the budget should be ready. Budget entry can start on an empty template or use ready figures. The budget distribution rule is automatically equal distribution to months. Distribution rules will be added in the future. In budget entry, it should be noted that budget entry does not support decimals. Once created, the budget structure cannot be edited, meaning any changes to the chart of accounts for budgeted accounts must be made before budget creation.

In Controller, you can create a budget for both the income statement and balance sheet. Revenues are budgeted with a positive value and expenses with a negative value. When budgeting at the account group level, the sum automatically flows to the first account under the group. If budget entry starts at the account level and then budget is entered at the account group level, the budget values of the accounts under the group are overridden.

Creating a budget and forecast based on the implementation of a broken (over 12 months) fiscal year always copies the "latest values" for each month. The same value can therefore appear multiple times on the new budget/forecast if the implementation period is over 12 months.

Budgeting by accounting objects

Budgeting for an accounting object starts by searching for the desired object from the search field at the top of the budget. Budgeting can also be done directly for an accounting object combination. For the accounting object to be found in the list, it must be visible (not hidden). Also, if the accounting object is a sub-object of another object, the main object must also be visible in accounting object management. If accounting objects are edited, the controller must be manually updated for the changes to be reflected there. The controller automatically updates overnight.

You can also select the accounting object by drilling down from the budget value field's arrow button and selecting Add Accounting Object. Budgeting for an accounting object combination is done by adding both accounting objects simultaneously in the Add Accounting Object section.

In the opened view, the magnifying glass search field at the top only functions as a filter; the desired accounting objects must be added through the Add Accounting Object function. If there is an unallocated balance on the budget that is allocated to an accounting object, this must be manually removed from the unallocated column. Otherwise, the unallocated column balance increases the total budget.

If the budget is made for an accounting object combination and only one object is selected to be displayed on the front page, the entire sum budgeted for the combination is brought into view. By drilling down from the budget field's arrow button, you can see other accounting objects for which the same sum has been budgeted.

When recording an accounting object budget, it should be remembered that the budgeted sums also increase the total budget.

Importing your own budget

The budget can be downloaded to Excel for editing and can be imported back to Controller from Excel. You can also create a new empty budget, download it to your computer, edit it with your own budget data, and import it back to Controller. The empty budget template will show data in columns: account, accounting object headers, and month. Default headers must not be removed. If you do not want to budget by accounting objects, leave the row data in the accounting object header columns empty. Even if the company does not have any accounting objects, you must still leave/add the column "accounting object header" in Excel to succeed in the import (see images below). 

Add the accounting object header column between columns A and B. Or leave this B column in Excel completely empty if no accounting objects have been established for the company. 

If you want to budget by accounting objects, the desired accounting object must be manually entered exactly under the correct accounting object header, as it is presented in accounting object management.

Budget data must be entered row by row at the account level. Data entered at the account level will update to the account group level in Controller. All accounts to be imported in the budget must have the "Allow budgeting for account" option selected in Netvisor; otherwise, the transfer will result in an error.

Forecasts

Forecast is a tool for estimating fiscal year revenues and expenses based on actual and budgeted values or imported accounting data. Forecast creation starts from Create New. In Create New, a name is given to the forecast, and either Rolling Forecast or Forecast for Period is selected. Ready figures can be chosen as the basis for the forecast or an empty template can be used. The forecast can also be made for an accounting object. The choice of Rolling Forecast or Forecast for Period cannot be changed after forecast creation, but the forecast dates can be edited on the forecast template by opening the top menu with the arrow button. The forecast can be deleted, copied, or selected as the default forecast through the three dots.

The forecast shows actual values for the parts where the actual is found, i.e., from the VAT-locked period. When the forecast is retrieved from the Reports view, the original values entered for the forecast are shown.

The forecast does not have functionality to import data from Excel, but in Controller, you can copy multiple cells at once from Excel, allowing data to be entered in bulk.

Transition from old Controller and Financial Overview to new Controller (NOTE! > includes schedule)

Controller is automatically available to all customers with Professional and Premium packages, and sections do not need to be activated separately.

1. Old Controller > New Controller

Basic and Core package customers: The new Controller is automatically included in Professional and Premium packages starting from 1.4.2022. If the company has a Basic or Core package, the new Controller can be activated by upgrading the company to a Professional or Premium package in Netvisor Store. Once you have transitioned to the new Controller, the old Controller must be terminated in Netvisor Store.

Professional and Premium package customers: The new Controller is automatically included in Professional and Premium packages starting from 1.4.2022. The new Controller does not need to be separately activated from Netvisor Store. Once you have transitioned to the new Controller, the old Controller must be terminated in Netvisor Store.

An interface will be created between the old and new Controller, allowing budget data to be transferred from the old Controller to the new Controller. The interface is expected to be completed in early 2023. After this, the customer can close the old Controller if they do not otherwise need the old Controller. We will inform you separately about this.

Customer-specific reports and key figures from the old Controller cannot be converted to the new Controller, but they must be created in the new Controller using its Custom Reports functions as needed. NOTE! When the old Controller is terminated from the Store, budget comparisons will no longer appear on accounting reports, but they can be reported from Controller.

The old Controller can be used alongside the new Controller until 31.12.2023.

2. Financial Overview > New Controller

Financial Overview's budget data is transferred to Excel format files by dimension, e.g., cost centers in one file and projects in another file. The aforementioned files are read into the new Controller one file/dimension at a time, e.g., cost centers and then projects.

In Financial Overview's budget, first select the desired accounting object header, and then the budget can be downloaded to Excel through the function shown in the image.

Excel download is done for each accounting object header, and each Excel file is imported separately into Controller. In Controller, you must first create a budget template with the Create New function, and then the Excel can be imported through the three dots at the top of the budget template with the Import from Financial Overview function. The Import from Financial Overview function will be removed after the transition period ends.

The forecast does not have functionality to import data from Excel, but in Controller, you can copy multiple cells at once from Excel. Thus, the forecast taken from Financial Overview to Excel can be copied to Controller on an empty forecast template.

Financial Overview can be used alongside the new Controller until 30.06.2022, meaning by the aforementioned date, budget/forecast data must be transferred to the new Controller.

3. Billing

Billing for Professional and Premium packages continues normally starting from 1.4.2022. No separate invoice is sent for the new Controller, as it is included in the aforementioned packages.

Billing for the old Controller ends at the end of the month when the customer has terminated the old Controller in Netvisor Store.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get PDF reports from Controller? 

Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Key Figures can also be printed as PDF reports. The report can be downloaded in PDF format through the three dots on the right side.

Where can I find the old budget? 

During the transition period, the old budget can be found in the Controller menu under the Groups menu:

Is it possible to create quick links in Controller?

No. Through Custom Reports, you can create permanent Custom frequently used reports.

How do I get the table or indicator in Custom Reports into edit mode?

The table or indicator can be taken into edit mode either by opening the report according to step 1 and then switching the report from read mode to edit mode. Or by selecting the report directly into edit mode according to step 2:

Keywords: Controller, Netvisor, setup, permissions, dashboard, reports, income statement, balance sheet, key figures, custom reports, budgeting, forecasts, old Controller, new Controller, Financial Overview, billing, user management, PDF reports

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