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Consolidation Mode
==================
Modifications
=============
Before we get into consolidations, some important modifications
have been made. These changes were made to better support our
consolidation mode.
1) An important change has been made to REPORT MODE files.
Previously, the three available options were initially set to
YES. These options will now be initially set to NO whenever you
create or load a report file or consolidation file. This will
insure that previously created financial information will not
be modified until you elect to modify.
This message will appear on the screen the first time you
attempt to recalculate your newly created or previously saved
file. Of course, you may change any of these powerful options.
This is meant as a safety feature.
2) The menu feature "CopyFilDsk", when used from CONSOLIDATION MODE,
will copy both the .CNS and the related .CFL file to your floppy
disk.
DEFINITIONS
===========
BUDGET MODE
------------
Financial Wonder's spreadsheets can operate three different
ways, called modes. The BUDGET MODE is the standard
mode of operation. Budgets are produced by using either a
previously saved (.WDR) file, or by requesting a new file.
New files have a standard set of over 250 financial accounts,
all pre-programmed. The most basic set of formula methods
are used. New sub-accounts may then be created and changes
may be made to formula methods. Opening balances and
forecast amounts or percentages may now be entered.
Previously created (.WDR) files may be loaded, modified, and
then saved under the same, or a different name. This allows
you to re-use previously created files. Features also allow you
to erase the amounts, seasonality chart, and formula methods
allowing you to create templates from previously saved files.
Data is entered in a combination of monthly/quarterly/annual
forecast periods. FW spreads your assumptions to create
monthly sets of financials. For example, you might forecast
each financial account for the next three years as three
annual amounts or percentages. FW will create 36 complete
sets of monthly forecasts for you. FW will also summarize the
monthly amounts in the same period size as you selected. In
this example, FW would display annual results, along with the
individual monthly results.
REPORT MODE
------------
REPORT MODE takes the BUDGET MODE one step
further. Instead of working with formula methods, this mode
allows you to work with the monthly results created in the
BUDGET MODE.
Simply load your BUDGET MODE file into the REPORT
MODE, using the menu option "Create Report File from
Saved Budget". THAT'S IT!
Your use of spreadsheets is now reversed. Whereas you made
use of formula methods and data entry periods in the
BUDGET MODE, you no longer need formula methods.
Modifications may be made to the monthly results, previously
calculated in the BUDGET MODE. New sub-accounts may
also be created, and of course you may recalculate your file
to update cash flow, interest on cash flow, and taxation.
The REPORT MODE also acts as a report writer. For
example, in the BUDGET MODE you may have created your
forecast by entering data into three annual periods. Within
the BUDGET MODE, your results would be displayed in
both annual and monthly spreadsheets. However, let's say that
you would like to display your results quarterly. Once you
enter the REPORT MODE, you may now summarize your
monthly results in any fashion. In our example, quarterly for
three years amounts to 12 periods.
REPORT MODE files cannot be turned-back into BUDGET
MODE files.
Financial accounts may not be "marked for deletion" in the
REPORT MODE. However, new sub-accounts may be
inserted, or deleted.
A thorough discussion of the REPORT MODE is contained
in chapter 34.
.SET FILE
---------
Before FW can perform its consolidation magic, the user must
create a SETUP file. This file simply lists the files to be
consolidated. There are several options for each file to be
combined.
.CFL FILE
---------
After creating the .SET file, a consolidation can be created.
Under the "LOAD FILE" menu selection, select the option to
create a consolidation. Then select your .SET file from the
listing provided. FW will store the monthly results from each
file selected into a .CFL file using the same name as the .SET
file (example AllFiles.SET and AllFiles.CFL). In this example,
the resulting consolidated file will be named AllFiles.CNS.
You may change the name of your .CNS file when you save
it, however, DO NOT change the name of the .CFL file. The
.CNS file will forever retain the detail file's name
[AllFiles.CFL].
(When we refer to changing the name of the file, we mean
the first eight characters of the file name up to the period.)
CONSOLIDATION MODE
-------------------
The CONSOLIDATION MODE (.CNS files) is exactly the
same as the REPORT MODE, with only a few exceptions.
1) Instead of turning one BUDGET MODE file into a
REPORT MODE file, many BUDGET, REPORT and
CONSOLIDATION files are combined into one
CONSOLIDATION MODE file.
2) Percentage of file, currency rate adjustment, and format
(# of $000) adjustment may be performed on each file
to be combined.
3) Consolidating details from each file are maintained in
a separate .CFL file [on the hard drive]. This detail may
be displayed on-line, printed, or converted into a Lotus
1-2-3 readable file.
CONSOLIDATION MODE files cannot be turned-back into
BUDGET MODE files.
Financial accounts may not be "marked for deletion" in the
CONSOLIDATION MODE. However, new sub-accounts may
be inserted, or deleted.
CONSOLIDATED REPORTING
----------------------
Consolidated reports consist of printouts, reports, and
conversion to Lotus 1-2-3. These reports will show one total
for each account.
CONSOLIDATING OR DETAILED REPORTING
-----------------------------------
Consolidating reports consist of printouts and conversion to
Lotus 1-2-3. These reports will all display the account
number, account description [underlined], and the account
total [underlined], followed by the individual amounts from
each file plus any adjusting amount.
EXAMPLE:
--------
Consolidated acct #100000, Cash, has a balance of $5000 (for
the first month):
File #1 contributed $400.
File #2 contributed $0.
File #3 contributed $1000.
The difference of $3600 was an elimination entry made to
the consolidated file.
The printout will look as follows:
Acct # Account Description 1/1991
------ ------------------- ------
100000 Cash $5000
---- -----
ELIMINATIONS 3600
File #1 400
File #3 1000
File #2 will not be shown printed or converted to 1-2-3, since
that file provided no dollar amounts [for any period in the
three year forecast]. The title "ELIMINATIONS" is
consistently used by the program, however, like the title "File
#2", it will only be printed if adjustments have been made.
The titles "File #1, File #2, and File #3" were selected by the
user. Company names, or other descriptions may be used. FW
uses the descriptions contained in the ".SET" file.
CONSOLIDATION MODE
==================
This MODE provides the following benefits:
1) Consolidations is a fairly simple process. One SETUP screen
is all that is needed.
2) CONSOLIDATE of up to 100 files at a time. Different account
structures may exist in the various files. NO template or other
arrangement of the financial accounts by the user will be
necessary. FW will review all the financial account structures,
and perform all sorting, for you.
3) BUDGET MODE (.WDR), REPORT MODE (.RPT), and CONSOLIDATION MODE
(.CNS) may be consolidated.
Since .CNS files may be consolidated, multi-level consolidations
may be created. However, detailed reports will handle the .CNS
file [to be consolidated] as one file, and will not [at this time]
display the details that went into its creation.
Multi-level consolidations allow for the consolidation of an
unlimited number of files.
4) Full consolidating details of the monthly results of each file
consolidated will be preserved in a consolidating file (.CFL).
5) Eliminations [elimination entries] may be made to the
consolidated file, or a separate elimination file may be made
as a .WDR or .RPT file.
6) New sub-accounts may be added to the consolidated file.
7) Consolidating detail for any account may be viewed on-line,
at any time. FW will quickly sort through the corresponding
.CFL, and will display all monthly amounts for that account
for each of the [up to] 100 files combined, in a scrolling
spreadsheet. Details may also be arranged according to your
current Data Entry setup of months/quarters/years. Adjustments
made to the consolidated file will be shown as "eliminations"
on the spreadsheet.
8) Detailed printouts and Lotus 1-2-3 files may be produced.
9) CONSOLIDATION MODE files will be fully-functional. They will
operate similar to REPORT MODE files, only with the added power
to read details out of the .CFL file.
10) Multiple CONSOLIDATION MODE files may be created from just one
.CFL file. This allows you to create and save various scenarios,
all originating from one .CFL file.
CREATING CONSOLIDATED FILES
===========================
The following steps must be followed to create a consolidated file.
1) All .WDR, .RPT and .CNS files should have been
recalculated after final changes have been made.
FW uses the last saved monthly calculations from each file.
2) Create and save your SETUP file (explained below).
3) Select the menu option "LOAD FILE", and choose "Create
Consolidation File From Setup".
FW will first verify that all files to be consolidated, exist in
your \WONDER\DATA directory.
FW will create the .CFL file (consolidating file containing the
monthly details from each financial account for each file).
FW will then sort all accounts, combine all amounts, and
leave the user with a .CNS consolidated file.
On a 20mhz computer, FW will need about 30 seconds (to
update the .CFL file) per file being combined, plus an
additional 20-30 seconds for sorting.
WARNING
-------
FW will not know how many financial accounts a particular
consolidation will produce, until it finishes its sort. It is
possible that the completed .CNS file will be too large to fit
in available memory. If the file is too large, FW will have no
choice but to exit the program. As only one file can exist in
FW at a time, this may be inconvenient, but should not cause
any damage. As a rule of thumb, FW needs about 490 bytes
of memory for each financial account.
At this time, FW DOES NOT review your available hard
drive space to determine if adequate space is available to
hold the consolidating file (.CFL). Expect the size of your
.CFL file to be at least 55K times the number of files to be
combined.
Duplicate numbered accounts (several files containing the
same numbered account or sub-account), such as the use of
a cash account #100001, will only have the memory
requirements of one account. With available space on your
hard drive, and memory to handle the total number of
distinct accounts, you could create a 100 file consolidation.
Expect your .CFL to be at least 55K in size times the number
of files to be combined. A 100 file consolidation would have
a .CFL file at least 5.5mb in size, and contain over 1,100,000
financial numbers. Adding 200 to 300 new sub-accounts to
each file would increase the file's size to over 10mb and over
2,000,000 financial calculations. Amazing that all this can be
accomplished on an XT or 286 machine.
4) You should now save your .CNS file under the current, or a
new name. IF YOU DO NOT SAVE YOUR FILE, YOU MUST RE-RUN STEP #3.
ONLY A .CNS FILE CAN MAKE USE OF A .CFL FILE.
CREATING THE SETUP FILE
=======================
Before FW can perform its consolidation magic, the user must
create a SETUP file. SETUP files are stored as .SET files (all file
names will have an extension of .SET). They may be modified at
any time.
Standard spreadsheet commands operate. The entire width of the
spreadsheet is displayed, so there is no need to scroll to the right.
Down, Up, PageDown, PageUp, Home, and End allow you to
move up and down the spreadsheet.
Company Number
--------------
FW can consolidate up to 100 files. The file number is
displayed on the far left.
Files includes:
1) Any previously saved file (.WDR, .RPT, and .CNS).
2) The same file may be combined more than once.
Files may be listed in any order. For example, FW can easily
combine files numbered 1,3,5 and 7. They do not have to be
listed in numerical order as 1,2,3 and 4.
Company Name
------------
Each file will have a company or file name. This name will
appear on each detailed report. These names may be the
file's company name, or any other description you choose.
The company name may also be changed at any time after
the consolidation is calculated.
File Name / File Type
---------------------
MS-DOS file names may be up to eight characters long,
followed by a period and a three character file name
extension.
Enter the eight character file name under the column titled
"File Name".
Next, select your three character file name extension by
selecting #1, #2 or #3 under the column titled "Type".
#1 signifies .WDR files (BUDGET MODE files)
#2 signifies .RPT files (REPORT MODE files)
#3 signifies .CNS files (CONSOLIDATION MODE files)
As you change your selection (1,2 or 3), the file name
extension, displayed to the left of the column "Type" will
display your selection as .WDR, .RPT or .CNS.
Because FW can consolidate .CNS files, you may consolidate
an unlimited number of files.
Example:
--------
You can create 100 SETUP files, each consolidating 100
files. The 100 SETUP files will create 100 .CNS files. These
100 .CNS could then be combined to produce one final
.CNS file. This one .CNS file would represent the
consolidation of 10,000 individual files (100 SETUP's of 100
files each). In this way multi-level consolidations may be
produced, with an unlimited number of levels.
.CNS files that are consolidated (included as a file in a
SETUP) are considered one file. The details that went into
creating that first .CNS file are not carried into the second
SETUP file. In the above example, the second SETUP file
will contain detail from the 100 .CNS files combined, not the
10,000 files. Of course, you could load each of the 100 .CNS
files to obtain further details.
$
---
The "$" column asks whether the file should be adjusted for
$ Units.
In the menu selection "Information for Setup", completed for
each .WDR, .RPT or .CNS file, the "$ Unit" requested that
you signify if amounts were represented in $, $1000 or
$1,000,000. Printouts noted that amounts were rounded to the
nearest $1000 or $1,000,000.
By your selecting "Y" for Yes, FW will adjust these files, using
the $ Unit selections of each .WDR, .RPT or .CNS file, into
a new common $ Unit format.
Example:
--------
If you select the new common $ Unit format to be $, and
a .WDR file used amounts in $1000, all amounts in that
file will be multiplied by 1000 for the consolidation.
Upon the completion of changes to your SETUP file, FW will
review your file for any "Y"'s. If any exist, you will be
prompted for a new common $ Unit format.
Level
-----
This is for display only. It reminds you that the first file is
considered the top consolidation file, followed by the 1st
subsidiary file, 2nd subsidiary file, etc.
FW combines accounts by account number, not account
descriptions. The order of your files, from "Top" to last "Sub"
is significant for account descriptions, and the order of files
for detailed reports. Account descriptions will be stored from
the first file to contain that account number. Therefore, most
of your combined file's account descriptions will be produced
by your first, or "Top", file.
S
---
"S" in this column stands for setup. By setup, we are referring
to a file's color selections, "Information for Setup", ratio
analysis ranges, etc.
The setup may only come from one file, and one file must be
selected. This file may be a .WDR, .RPT or .CNS file.
Percent Consolidate
-------------------
Although you will generally consolidate 100 percent of the file,
there may be times where you wish to consolidate less than
100 percent. For example, you may wish to consolidate your
ownership percentage, instead of recording 100 percent ownership,
less a minority interest offset.
100 percent will record all file $ amounts without adjustment.
$ Rate
------
A different monetary conversion rate may be selected for
each file.
Each $ amount will be multiplied by your file's rate. A rate of
1.0 will have no effect. A rate of .80, times a $100 amount,
would be recorded as $80.
Percent NOL's
-------------
This will combine the NOL (Net Operating Loss) from your
files. FW uses the amount in the menu selection "Information
for Setup", completed for each .WDR, .RPT or .CNS file.
NOL amounts are used for the calculation of tax expense.
When you have finished creating a new .SET file or modifying an
existing .SET file, you may SAVE your file under the same file
name or a new file name, or you may ESCAPE without saving
your changes.
Features Available to a .CNS File
=================================
All features available to a REPORT MODE file are available to
a CONSOLIDATION MODE file.
Instead of making journal entries to record elimination entries,
you will change amounts directly on the screen.
A few other features are also available.
On-Line Details
---------------
From your MONTHLY CALC screen press CTRL-F7 (hold
down the CTRL key and then press the F7 key). FW will load
the .CNS file's .SET file, read the .SET file, and then load all
of the monthly detail related to the financial account of the
current row (the row where the cursor, or cell_block, resides).
This information has been previously stored in your .CFL file.
A spreadsheet will appear that contains all the monthly
details for the entire 36 month forecast [plus the opening
balance sheet], for all 100 files consolidated. Changes made
to the spreadsheet will appear on the top row, and will be
labeled "ELIMINATIONS".
From this spreadsheet you may press CTRL-F7 again. This
will now display your monthly detail summarized by
month/quarter/year, according to your current data entry
setup.
Pressing the ESC key twice will lead you right back to your
MONTHLY CALC spreadsheet; right where you left.
A similar spreadsheet may also be obtained from your CALC
screens. Your first screen will be displayed summarized.
Pressing CTRL-F7 a second time will display the monthly
details.
NOTE:
-----
Most ratio accounts may not be displayed summarized by
month/quarter/year, as this information cannot be readily
obtained or summarized from the .CFL file.
Accounts numbered 300000 to 313000, shares of stock and
discount rates, will not show an elimination amount, as
elimination amounts have no importance to these financial
accounts.
Printing Details / Lotus 1-2-3 Details
--------------------------------------
FW can print detailed printouts and detailed Lotus 1-2-3 files.
Files which may be printed as detailed, are noted on the
selection screens. All detailed reporting will display account
numbers, account descriptions [underlined], consolidated
totals [underlined], and all details.
Because FW must review the .CFL file to build the details for
each financial account, these printouts and 1-2-3 files will take
longer to create than non-detailed reporting.
See "CONSOLIDATING OR DETAILED REPORTING"
under definitions above, for further details.
EXAMPLE:
--------
The cash statement converted to a 1-2-3 file for a three file
consolidation, will have a file size of about 500K and include
40,000 cells. Lotus Release 3 memory needs will be about
80 percent, or 400K. Calculation time on a 20mhz machine will be
about 1.5 minutes. The balance sheet and income statement
will be smaller, as there are fewer accounts.
If you plan on consolidating a number of files, and need to
create detailed reports in Lotus format, you may need to
consider using spreadsheet programs such as Lotus Release
3, Excel, and Quattro Pro, which can handle large files.
Additionally, your hard drive should have adequate storage
capacity available.