In our last tip, I showed you how to create a Consolidation Connection in the Connector module, which lets you combine data from different companies into a single report to obtain a holistic view of your organization. If you would like to review the tip, you can find it here.
Once one is created, there are three main ways that you can use it:
- Importing an existing single company report onto it.
- Copying an existing container to it.
- Defining your own data set, from scratch, under it.
In this tip, I’m going to elaborate on these three ways.
Importing an existing single company report onto a Consolidation Connection
If you have an existing ‘single company’ report that you’d like to use with multiple companies, then the easiest way to convert it to a multiple company report is by exporting it and then importing it onto a Consolidation Connection. If you would like more information on how to do this then take a look here.
Copying an existing container to a Consolidation Connection
If you have a ‘single company’ data container that holds the right information for a new consolidation report you’d like to create, rather than recreating the container from scratch, you can just make a copy of the existing one, and add it to your Consolidation Connection. You can then define a report from it in the Report Manager like you would any other report.
To add an existing container to your Consolidation Connection, do the following:
1. With the Connector open, select the container you’d like to create a consolidation report form.
2. Then on the Home tab, click Copy.
3. Next select your Consolidation Connection.
4. Then on the Home tab click Paste.
5. You will then see a copy of the container added to the connection. You can go ahead and give it a more suitable name if you like.
Once the copy of the container has been added, you can create a report from it in the Report Manager. I’ve gone ahead and done this.
When you create a report from a container that is part of a Consolidation Connection, a Database Consolidation List field appears under the reports properties. It lists the companies from your Sage Accounting or Business solution and by clicking on the ellipses to the right of the field, you can go ahead and pick the ones you want included in your report run.
If you find that a company you expected to be listed isn’t shown, then you’ll need to cache it. This means adding its details to a memory store in Sage Intelligence. To do this:
- Close the Report Manager.
- Open the company you want cached in your Sage Accounting or Business Solution.
- Open the Report Manager again.
- Repeat the above three steps for each company you want to cache.
Now when you go back to the database consolidation list, the companies you cached will be listed and you can select them. Once done, you can run out your report and data from each of the selected companies will be pulled.
Define your own data set from scratch under a Consolidation Connection.
If you have ever created a container from scratch under a standard connection in the Connector, the methods and process used to create one under a Consolidation Connection is the same. If you are not familiar with creating your own data sets in the Connector, then why not check out our Getting ahead with Sally video series, where Sally guides you through creating your own reports from scratch using the Connector module. You can find it under Visual Learning in the Advanced section for your Sage accounting product on our Learning Portal.
Lastly, if you would like to watch a video on the above information, then you can do so here.
