Project Analyzer

Table of Contents

Introduction to Project Analyzer 4

Course Objective 4
Course Prerequisites 4
Introduction 5
Module Overview 5
Analyzer Process Flow 5
Screens and Reports 6
Screen Composition 6
Module Strengths 9
Module Implementation Worksheet 10

Lesson 1: Analyzer Setup 11

Analyzer Policies 11
Analyzer Setup Checklist 12
Procedures for Completing Analyzer Setup 13
Additional Project Information 13
ID Maintenance 14
Project Controller Setup 15
Flexible Report Column Maintenance 16
Test Your Skills 17
Lesson 1: Test your Knowledge 17

Lesson 2: EAC and FAC Maintenance 18

Overview of EAC and FAC 18

EAC Maintenance 19
FAC Maintenance 21
Forecast Percent Complete Maintenance 23
Test Your Skills 25
Lesson 2: Test your Knowledge 26

Lesson 3: On-Line Inquiries 26

Analyzer Inquiries 26
Project Analyzer 26
Project Task Display 28
Project Net Profit 29
Task Net Profit 30
Excel Options 32
Multi-Projects View 33
Test Your Skills 36
Lesson 3: Test your Knowledge 36
Project Analyzer

Lesson 4: Printing Reports 37

Overview of Reports 37
Setting Up the Default Printer 37
Selection or Creation of a Report 38
Flexible Report Column Maintenance 44
Flexible Report Maps 45
Test Your Skills 47

Appendix A: Answers to Test Your Knowledge 48

Lesson 1: Analyzer Setup 48

Lesson 2: EAC and FAC Maintenance 48
Lesson 3: On-Line Inquiries 49

Appendix B: Solutions to Exercises 50

Lesson 1 50
Lesson 2 51
Lesson 3 52
Lesson 4 54

Appendix C: Where is the Data 56

Project Analyzer

INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT ANALYZER

Course Objective
The Analyzer training course is designed to give you a comprehensive, practical
understanding of the main aspects of setting up and using the Analyzer module. On
completing this course you will be well acquainted with:

 Analyzer inquiry and drill-down tools

 Analyzer reporting and export tools

 Maintaining EAC and FAC

 Reporting Options

Course Prerequisites
The Analyzer course covers the working fundamentals of one of the Microsoft
Dynamics SL Project Series modules. It assumes at least the following about you:

 A basic understanding of modules covered in the core Project Series training

courses (Project Controller, Allocator, Time & Expense and Flexible Billings)

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Introduction
Welcome to Analyzer module training! The following pages of the Analyzer Overview
will examine, from a high level, several topics that may assist you in developing your
skills for consulting on the Analyzer module. The overview section is designed to
provide you with a "big-picture" view of the Analyzer implementation process and to
provide a much-needed focus on the activities you will need to employ in order to be
successful in implementing this module.

Our goal is to train you to be proficient with the Analyzer module and to allow you the
ability to provide maximum benefit and value to your clients.

Module Overview
The Analyzer module is an important piece of the Project Series for Microsoft
Dynamics SL. The module is designed to meet the needs of project managers and
accountants. The many features of the module provide accurate and up-to-date
information on project profitability and performance.

Minimal setup is required to begin using the Analyzer module, as its purpose is to
present existing project information through reports and inquiries. Access to data
from the application, via the Internet and by exporting to Microsoft Excel enables a
company to provide valuable information.

Analyzer is tightly integrated with the Microsoft Dynamics SL Project Controller,

Time & Expense for Project, Flexible Billings and Project Budgeting modules.

Analyzer Process Flow

Analyzer provides analysis of any project-related actual, committed or budgeted
transactions:

 Actual project –related transactions from Project Controller, Time & Expense
for Projects, Allocator or Flexible Billings.

 Actual project-related transactions from General Ledger, Accounts Payable,

Accounts Receivable, Payroll or Inventory.

 Committed transactions, such as unposted Timecards from Time & Expense

for Projects, active/committed Subcontracts from Contract Management and
open Purchase Orders from Purchasing.

 Budget information from Project Controller or Project Budgeting.

 Revised budget information from Project Controller, Analyzer or Project

Budgeting.

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Screens & Reports

All of the Analyzer screens and reports can be accessed from the Analyzer menu (as
shown below). To access Analyzer screens and reports, simply select the Analyzer
module to launch the Analyzer Menu screen.

Analyzer Menu

The Analyzer menu screen is divided into three parts: Maintenance, Inquiries and
Reports.

NOTE: The listing of available screens and reports may vary due to
customizations made to the menu in Menu Maintenance (98.350.00) or by
screen access rights assigned to the user in Access Rights Maintenance
(95.270.00).

Screen Composition

Maintenance Screens
Maintenance screens are used primarily to enter and maintain non-financial and
statistical data. Maintenance screens are often the source of entry for system master
file information. The composition of the maintenance screens may vary from screen
to screen. Listed below is an example of a maintenance screen.

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Screen Header
Screen header allows users to enter query information that uniquely identifies the data by
Project ID.

Detailed Transaction Form

The detailed transaction form shows the data associated with the query identifier.

Listing of Analyzer Maintenance Screens

EAC Maintenance IQ.EAC.00
FAC Maintenance IQ.FAC.00
Forecast Percent Complete Maintenance IQ.FPC.00

Inquiry Screens
Inquiry screens allow end users the ability to query system information. While inquiry
screens look similar to data entry screens, they generally do not allow for direct input of
accounting or financial data. The composition of the inquiry screen is as follows.

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Screen Header
Screen header allows users to enter query information that uniquely identifies the data by
selected criterion.

Detailed Transaction Form

The detailed transaction form shows the data associated with the query identifier.

Listing of Analyzer Inquiry Screens

Screen Title Screen #

Project Analyzer IQ.PAS.00
Project Task Display IQ.EAS.00

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Module Strengths

Instant Access to Information

Users do not have to print a report to determine project performance. Using
Analyzer inquiries, project managers and accountants can quickly access information
about performance and profitability for an individual project or group of projects.

Flexible Reporting Options

Analyzer reports use Flexible Columns to allow users to easily change data selections
through the application without customizing the underlying report using Crystal
Reports. ID Maintenance fields created in Project Controller are used for reporting,
and allow users to easily create line of business reporting, or other user defined criteria.

Flexible Information Delivery

Analyzer inquiries allow users to drill-down from project level summaries to display
task specific information, and even detailed transactions. Project information can be
rolled up over multiple projects and task information can be rolled up within a project.

Highly Integrated
Project transactions from all Solomon modules are presented in the Analyzer module.
Analyzer also updates budget information in Project Controller and can easily export
selected data to Microsoft Excel for analysis.

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Module Implementation Worksheet

Solomon IV
Implementation Worksheet

Description Assigned Done Date Comments/Index

By
Set Up Analyzer
Evaluate existing ID Maintenance
Fields
Set up additional or modify existing
ID Maintenance Fields
Update Additional Information for
projects
Complete Project Controller Setup
Create/update Flexible Column
Reports
Define project budgeting procedures
Define any remaining Analyzer
policies

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LESSON 1: ANALYZER SETUP

What you will learn in this section:
In this section, we will discuss the setup options for Analyzer.

Screens covered in this:

 ID Maintenance Project Additional
Information
 Project Controller Setup
 Flexible Column Reports

Exercises completed in this section:

 Add project ID field
 Complete Project Controller Setup

Analyzer Policies
Analyzer can be considered the managers' module. It offers project managers and
accountants access to information critical for analyzing project performance and
profitability. Data for one project or a group of projects can be viewed for the entire
company or by selected customer, contract, project or business manager or subaccount.
Managers can drill-down to project or task profitability and even to actual and
committed cost transactions.

Project Controller, Project Budgeting and Analyzer all offer the capability to modify
budget and/or Estimate-at-Completion (EAC) or Forecast-at-Completion (FAC) amounts.
Analyzer offers the greatest amount of on-line feedback during EAC/FAC updates,
including margin amounts and percentages, and concise feedback on revenue and cost
summaries for a project. Such detailed information is important as the EAC amounts
are used for the revenue recognition calculations and postings for a project.

Analyzer requires minimal setup and maximum value, either as part of a Project Series
implementation or as a tool for analyzing data after the initial implementation.

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Analyzer Setup Checklist

Review the following features to determine how they might be used during your
Analyzer implementation:

 ID Maintenance- If the implementation of Analyzer is begun after the

implementation of Project Controller is complete, some ID fields may already
have been defined. Review the existing use of ID fields to determine whether
their design is optimal for use in Analyzer. ID field usage and definition may
need to be changed to optimize Analyzer inquiries and report options.
 Project Additional Information -If the implementation of Analyzer is
concurrent with the implementation of Project Controller, determine if ID
fields will be used to track additional information not available in the Project
Maintenance screen, such as line of business. Although other fields, such as
subaccount, may already be used to track this information consider the flexible
reporting options such as Profitability by Project ID that are available in
Analyzer.
 Flexible Column Reports - Columns may already have been defined for
existing reports during the implementation. Two Analyzer reports have
their own flexible column reports, which should be reviewed and revised
during the implementation.
 Remote Access - In addition to accessing inquiries through the Dynamics SL
application, Solomon Desktop offers remote access via the Internet using the
Web Project Analyst.
 Excel Integration – Microsoft Dynamics SL integrates with Excel Spreadsheets
for access to projections and pivot table analysis, plus charts and graphs. With
the click of a button, data can be exported to Excel for one project or multiple
projects. Two Project ID fields can be exported along with project and financial
data.
 EAC/FAC - Project Controller, Project Budgeting and Analyzer all offer the
capability to modify budget and/or EAC/FAC amounts to some degree. Proper
procedures must be in place to avoid multiple, overlapping budget or EAC
updates, which can significantly impact revenue calculation and reporting.

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Procedures for Completing Analyzer Setup

The following steps must be completed before the Analyzer module setup is
complete:

 Review existing use of ID fields in Project Maintenance (PA.PRJ.00).

 Modify existing ID fields or establish additional ID fields in ID Maintenance
(PA.IDM.00).
 Select ID fields to be passed to Project Analyzer (IQ.PAS.00) in Project
Controller Setup (PA.SET.00).
 Review report definitions and create additional definitions as required in
Flexible Column Report Maintenance (PA.RPC.00).

Additional Project Information

When ID fields are used to store project-related data, they are visible in the Additional
Info tab in Project Maintenance (PA.PRJ.00).

Additional Info

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EXAMPLE: PM02 stores the line of business related to the project. Without
any customization of the Crystal Report, a report analyzing profitability by
business line can be printed by selecting ID field "02" in the Profit by Project
ID (IQ.020.00 ) report.

ID Maintenance
ID Maintenance fields are existing fields with user-defined values and validation
available throughout the Project Series modules. Project ID fields can be used for data
selection, display in inquiries and are available as report options in the Analyzer
module.

ID Maintenance

Review existing ID fields that may have been created to determine if they will be used
for performance and profitability analysis in Analyzer. The functionality is discussed
in detail in the Project Controller training.

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Project Controller Setup

ID Maintenance fields enabled in the Additional Info tab of Project Maintenance
(PA.PRJ.00) can be selected here and will display in the Multi-Projects View inquiry
(IQ.PAS.01).

CAUTION: Only ID Maintenance fields PMOJ through PMOS are available

for selection in the drop down box. This should be taken into consideration
when defining project ID fields.

Project Controller Setup

In the PC Options and Setup tab of this screen, select which two of the user-defined ID
fields will appear in Analyzer’s Multi-Projects View (IQ.PAS.01) inquiry. The
functionality of all remaining tabs and fields is discussed in detail in Project Controller
training.

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Flexible Report Column Maintenance

Flexible column reports are existing reports with the option for users to select which
account categories will populate the data in each column of the report. Up to ten
versions of each report can be created using the Flexible Column Reports
Maintenance (PA.RPC.00) function.

Flexible Report Column Maintenance

Review existing column definitions to determine if additional options are to be

created for IQ010 and IQ020. Please refer to Flexible Report Column Maintenance on
page 86 for detailed information.

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Test Your Skills

1.1 - Project ID Fields
What project-related ID fields are in use? What type of data is being stored in each field?
Is data validated? How?
1.2 - Complete Project Controller Setup
Verify that the ID field has been selected in the PC Options and Setup tab of the Project
Controller Setup screen.

Lesson 1: Test Your Knowledge

Answer the following questions related to Analyzer Setup. Check Answers to Review
Questions in Appendix B for the answers.

1. How many ID fields can be passed to Project Analyzer?

a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
e. 5

2. Analyzer requires that the following module(s) are installed.

a. Flexible Billings
b. Time & Expense for Projects
c. Project Controller
d. Project Budgeting

3. Analyzer is the only module that offers project profitability inquiries and
reporting. True False

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LESSON 2: EAC and FAC MAINTENANCE

What you will learn in this section:

In this section, we will discuss the various options you should discuss with
your client before defining EAC/FAC maintenance procedures.

We will review the EAC and FAC Maintenance options

Screens covered in this section:

EAC Maintenance
FAC Maintenance
Forecast Percent Complete Maintenance

Exercises completed in this section:

Modify EAC amounts

Overview of EAC and FAC

A project is often associated with a budget amount detailing the expected revenue and
expenses. As the project progresses, original budget amounts may be adjusted to the real-
life situation, which may include unexpected increases in costs, or revenue and cost
changes associated with project change orders. Rather than updating the original budget,
project managers use an estimate at completion (EAC) budget or revised budget to track
current amounts. EAC budgets are used by the Project Controller Revenue Recognition
(PA.REV.00) function, and can be updated directly by Project Controller, Analyzer or
Project Budgeting.

In addition to the EAC budget, Analyzer is used to maintain a forecast at completion

(FAC) budget. The FAC budget is not used in any system calculations and can be
used by project managers for “what-if” scenarios.

When an original budget is created for a project in Project Controller, EAC amounts
are set equal to the initial budgeted amounts. If the original budget is created in Project
Budgeting, the user has the option to set only the original budget amounts or to set
EAC and FAC amounts equal to the original budget.

CAUTION: Because EAC amounts are used for revenue recognition calculations,
care must be taken that these amounts are updated by only one maintenance
screen.

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EAC Maintenance

The EAC Maintenance Screen (IQ.EAC.00) screen is used to create or update EAC
units and amounts. EAC amounts are initially set equal to original budget, if budgets
were created in Project Controller. If budgets were created in Project Budgeting, EAC
may or may not be populated, depending on the revision type used.

Amounts and units are always budgeted for an account category within a task for a
project.

EAC Maintenance

Following are descriptions of each field in the EAC Maintenance screen.

Project
Select a project for which to update EAC amounts and units.
Task
A list of tasks is displayed for the selected project. The task will be repeated for each
different account category that contains budget amounts or units.
Description
The thirty-character description of the task is displayed.

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Account Category
The sixteen-character account category is displayed. The account categories are
displayed in alphabetical order within the task, unless sort numbers have been
specified to display account categories in a specific order.

NOTE: The following fields are displayed in the grid for both amounts and units.
Rather than repeating each description for both types of values, amount and
units are referenced in each description.

Rev ETC
The revised Estimate-to-Completion (ETC) amount or units are displayed. ETC is
equal to EAC -Total. The value displayed here will initially be equal to the Total
(Actual + Commitment) plus the Revised ETC.
Rev EAC
The revised EAC amount or units are displayed. The value displayed here will
initially be equal to the Total (Actual + Commitment) plus the Revised ETC.

NOTE: Users may opt to change either the ETC or EAC amounts. If ETC is
revised, the EAC amount is updated as Total + ETC. If the EAC amount is revised,
the ETC amount is updated as EAC - Total.

Curr ETC
The current ETC amount or units are displayed. The value displayed here will be equal
to the last saved value entered in Rev ETC.
Curr EAC
The current EAC amount or units are displayed. The value displayed here will be equal
to the last saved value entered in Rev EAC.

Actual
Displays the actual transactions totaled for the project-task-account category as stored in
the PJPTDSUM table.
Commit
Displays the committed transactions totaled for the project-task-account category as
stored in the PJCOMSUM table
Total
Displays total of Actual + Commit, which represents the current expected amount or
units.
Budget
The total original budget amount or units retrieved from PJPTDSUM.

NOTE: All fields in the upper grid are totaled by type of account category (
revenue or cost) in the lower grid and a net amount is displayed.

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Margin %: Revised EAC

((Revised EAC Revenue - Revised EAC Expenses) / Revised EAC Revenue) * 100
Margin %: Current EAC
((Current EAC Revenue -Current EAC Expenses) / Current EAC Revenue) * 100
Margin %: Budget
((Budget Revenue -Budget Expenses) / Budget Revenue) * 100
Margin %: Actual
((Total Revenue -Total Expenses) / Total Revenue) * 100

Click on the drill-down icon to open the Transaction Detail Inquiry (PA.TRD.00)
screen or the Commitment Detail Inquiry (PA.CMD.00) screen, depending on which
field in the grid is in focus.

FAC Maintenance
The FAC Maintenance Screen (IQ.FAC.00) screen is used to create or update FAC
units and amounts. FAC amounts are initially set equal to original budget, if budgets
were created in Project Controller. If budgets were created in Project Budgeting, FAC
may or may not be populated, depending on the revision type used.

Amounts and units are always budgeted for an account category within a task for a
project.

FAC Maintenance

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Following are descriptions of each field in the FAC Maintenance screen.

Project
Select a project for which to update FAC amounts and units.
Task
A list of tasks is displayed for the selected project. The task will be repeated for each
different account category that contains budget amounts or units.
Description
The thirty-character description of the task is displayed.
Account Category
The sixteen-character account category is displayed. The account categories are
displayed in alphabetical order within the task, unless sort numbers have been specified
to display account categories in a specific order.

NOTE: The following fields are displayed in the grid for both amounts and units.
Rather than repeating each description for both types of values, amount and units
are referenced in each description.

Rev FTC
The revised Forecast-to-Completion (FTC) amount or units are displayed. FTC is equal to
PAC - Total. The value displayed here will initially be equal to the Total (Actual +
Commitment) plus the Revised FTC.

The revised PAC amount or units are displayed. The value displayed here will initially be
equal to the Total (Actual + Commitment) plus the Revised FTC.

NOTE: Users may opt to change either the FTC or FAC amounts. If FTC is revised,
the FAC amount is updated as Total + FTC. If the FAC amount is revised, the FTC
amount is updated as FAC - Total.

Curr FTC
The current FTC amount or units are displayed. The value displayed here will be equal to
the last saved value entered in Rev FTC.
Curr FAC
The current PAC amount or units are displayed. The value displayed here will be equal to
the last saved value entered in Rev PAC.
Actual
Displays the actual transactions totaled for the project-task-account category as stored in
the PJPTDSUM table.
Commit
Displays the committed transactions totaled for the project-task-account category as
stored in the PJCOMSUM table.
Total
Displays total of Actual + Commit, which represents the current expected amount or
units.

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Budget
The total original budget amount or units retrieved from PJPTDSUM.

NOTE: All fields in the upper grid are totaled by type of account category (
revenue or cost) in the lower grid and a net amount is displayed.

Margin %: Revised FAC

((Revised FAC Revenue - Revised FAC Expenses) / Revised FAC Revenue)
* 100
Margin %: Current FAC
((Current FAC Revenue -Current FAC Expenses) / Current FAC Revenue) *
100
Margin %: Budget
((Budget Revenue -Budget Expenses) / Budget Revenue) * 100
Margin %: Actual
((Total Revenue -Total Expenses) / Total Revenue) * 100

Click on the drill-down icon to open the Transaction Detail Inquiry (PA.TRD.00)
screen or the Commitment Detail Inquiry (PA.CMD.00) screen, depending on which
field in the grid is in focus.

Forecast Percent Complete Maintenance

Forecast Percent Complete Maintenance (IQ.FPC.00) is the project manager's
estimation of percentage of completion by task. While the completion percentage
entered in Percent Complete and Revenue Recognition Setup (PA.PCM.00) may be
used to calculate and post revenue, the forecast percent complete value is not available
for system calculations. The values stored here may be used for custom reports.

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Forecast Percent Complete Maintenance

Following are descriptions of each field in the FAC Maintenance screen.

Project
Select a project for which to update forecast percent complete.
Revision Date
This field is required and defaults to the current system date. It is used as the default
revision date for each task in the grid, only if no forecast data has previously been
entered and saved.
Task
The grid displays one line for each task associated with the project.
Description
The description of each task displays next to the task ID.
Percent Complete
If this is the first time forecast percent complete for a project is being maintained, the field
defaults to 0. Otherwise, the previously entered percentage is displayed.
Revision Date
If this is the first time forecast percent complete for a project is being maintained, the field
defaults to the revision date from the header. Otherwise, the previously entered revision
date is displayed.

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Test Your Skills

2.1 - Review Margins

Record the current margin percentages for project CO-123000:

Revised:
Current:
Budget:
Actual:

Lesson 2: Test your Knowledge

Answer the following questions related to EAC/FAC. Check Answers to Review Questions
in Appendix B for the answers.

1. Define EAC and any related functionality.

2. Define ETC and any related functionality.

3. Describe how EAC differs from FAC.

4. The three modules that can update EAC amounts are:

a. Project Controller, Communicator and Project Budgeting

b. Project Controller, Analyzer and Project Budgeting
c. Project Controller, Project Budgeting and Contract Management
d. Analyzer, Communicator and Project Budgeting

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LESSON 3: ON-LINE INQUIRIES

Analyzer Inquiries

Project history is stored in summary for each fiscal period, fiscal year and for the life of
the project. Transaction information is stored in full detail for all project-related
transactions created within and outside the Project Series. Budget and EAC data is stored
within each project by task and account category for individual periods and for the
project. All this data is accessible through the Analyzer module.

Many of the screens available through Analyzer are also available as part of the Project
Controller module. However, once Analyzer is installed, significant changes appear in
the Project Net Profit (PA.PNR.00) and Task Net Profit (PA.PND.00) screens in
Project Controller.

Project Analyzer (IQ.PAS.00) brings together a group of inquiry and analysis screens
that provide project managers tools to access and present project data in a
comprehensive format. Managers have access to view, but not change, project and task
related setup information.

Project Analyzer provides the ability to drill into profitability information down to the
transaction level. Project and task level data, as well as summary data for multiple
projects, can be exported to Excel with the click of a button for pivot tables, graphs and
charts.

Project Analyzer
Project Analyzer displays project information for an individual project or selected
group of projects. From the Project Analyzer screen, project managers drill into task
information, detailed transactions or export to Excel.

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Project Analyzer

Following are descriptions of the fields in the Project Analyzer screen.

Select by (radio buttons)

Select an option for display of information. Depending on the selection, the field below
the radio buttons will change. All fields relate to settings in the Project Maintenance
screen (PA.PRJ.00).

EXAMPLE: For an accountant to view performance for all projects assigned

to a specific customer, select the Customer radio button and enter the
customer ID. The grid will then display a list of all projects assigned to that
customer.

NOTE: Both the Project Manager and Business Manager captions may
be flexibly defined in Project Controller Setup (PA.SET.00). The names
displayed here and in Project Maintenance will reflect the definition in
Project Controller Setup.

HINT: The Contract field will validate only if the Contract Management
module is installed. The validation options and caption displayed is
defined using Flexible Key Maintenance (PA.FKM.00).

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Active/All

Select whether to display only active projects (as defined by the Project
Controller Status Flag in Project Maintenance) or all projects regardless of
status.
Grid Display
A list of projects and standard fields from the Project Maintenance screen will display
in the grid after a selection is made. In addition to standard fields, project ID fields will
display.

HINT: If Customization Manager was used to hide fields in the Project

Maintenance screen, these fields will continue to display unless
Customization Manager is used in the Project Analyzer screen.

Buttons

Click on the Project Net Profit, Task Display, Task Net Profit and Multi-Projects
View buttons to drill down to other screens, as discussed in the following sections.

Project Task Display

Project Task Display (IQ.EAS.00) displays complete task information about an individual
project. All task related fields, including user-defined ID fields, are presented to the user
for viewing only. Task fields are generally maintained in Project Maintenance
(PA.PRJ.00).

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Following are descriptions of the fields in the Project Task Display screen.

Project
Select a project for which to display task information. If this screen was accessed from
Project Analyzer, the Project field will be disabled and active tasks will be displayed
automatically.
Task Selection
Select whether to display only active tasks (as defined by the Status Flag on the Tasks tab
in Project Maintenance (PA.PRJ.00) or all tasks regardless of status.
Grid Display
A list of tasks and standard fields from the Project Maintenance screen will
display in the grid after a selection is made. In addition to ·standard fields, task ID
fields will display.

HINT: If Customization Manager was used to hide fields in the Project

Maintenance screen, these fields will continue to display unless
Customization Manager is used in the Project Task Display screen.

Buttons

Click on the Project Net Profit or Task Net Profit buttons to drill down to
other screens, as discussed in the following sections.

Project Net Profit

Project Net Profit (PA.PNR.00) displays profitability information for an individual

project. To access this screen from Project Analyzer, focus on the desired project and
click on Project Net Profit. If the screen is accessed directly from the Analyzer menu,
select a project for viewing.

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Project Net Profit

The Project Net Profit screen is covered in detail in the Project Controller course
materials. The following fields and functionalities are available only if the Analyzer
module is installed.
Project
This field is the primary identifier for transactions and summary data in Project
Controller, and may contain up to 16 characters. If the Analyzer module has been
purchased, a partial project value may be entered, from left to right. Matching projects
are rolled up into one line per account category.
Rollup Projects
Checking this box causes the data to be rolled up to the level of the value entered.
If checked drill down capability is not allowed.

Example: Entering EN-123 into the Project field when this box is checked causes
the amounts for projects EN-123000, EN-123002 and EN-123003 to be summarized
or ‘rolled up’ at the account level.

Task Net Profit

Task Net Profit (PA.PND.00) displays profitability information for tasks within an
individual project. To access this screen from Project Analyzer focus on the desired
project and click on Task Net Profit or access screen from Project Net Profit in the same
way.

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Task Net Profit

The Task Net Profit screen is covered in detail in the Project Controller course
materials. The following fields are available only with the installation of the Analyzer
module.
# of Summary Chars
Enter a number into this field to roll up task data by the number of characters specified,
from left to right.
Example: Enter the number 2 in the # of Summary Chars field to roll up tasks for the
first segment, which has a length of two characters .

Revenue/Expense (radio buttons)

Select the type of account categories to display.
Rev/Exp Only - all revenue and expense account categories
Expense Only - expense account categories
Revenue Only -revenue account categories

Subtotaling Options
This drop down box is used to select the subtotaling of revenue, expense and the net
amount by project.

Display Subtotals - account categories in the grid are displayed as well as revenue and
expense subtotals and net amounts by task.

Display ONLY Subtotals - the display of account categories in the grid is suppressed
and only the revenue and expense subtotal and net amounts by task are displayed.

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No Subtotals -the account category detail is displayed and the revenue, expense and net
amounts are suppressed.
Excel Options
Clicking this button will display the Excel Options screen to specify options for exporting
data to Excel.

Excel Options

Click on the Excel Options button in Task Net Profit or Multi-Projects View, to define
options for exporting data.

Excel Options

Following are descriptions of the fields in the Excel Options screen.

Create new Excel file
The data, as selected in Multi-Projects View will be exported to a new Excel
spreadsheet. If this box is not checked, fields in the Existing File Information form will
be enabled.
Excel File Name
If a new Excel file is not created, data can be pasted into an existing Excel spreadsheet.
Enter a file location or use the Browse button to select an Excel file.
Where to paste data
This is an optional field and may be used to paste the data to a specific worksheet within
the spreadsheet specified in Excel File Name.
Macro to be executed
This is an optional field and may be used for pivot tables.
First Sheet Displayed
This is an optional field and may be used for pivot tables.

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Multi-Projects View
Multi-Projects View (IQ.PAS.00) displays profitability information for one or multiple
projects as selected in the Project Analyzer screen and accessed by clicking on Multi-
Projects View.

Multi-Projects View

Following are descriptions of the fields in the Project Task Display screen.
Period
The current Project Controller period is used here as a default to display MTD data. A
future or prior fiscal period can be selected.
Acct Type Selection (radio buttons)
Select the type of account categories to display. Selecting "All" will include asset,
liability and non-accounting account categories in the grid.
Subtotaling
This drop down box is used to select the subtotaling of revenue, expense and the net
amount by project.

Display Subtotals - account categories in the grid are displayed as well as revenue and
expense subtotals and net amounts by task.

Display ONLY Subtotals - the display of account categories in the grid is suppressed
only the revenue and expense subtotal and net amounts by task are displayed.

No Subtotals - the account category detail is displayed and the revenue, expense and net
amounts are suppressed.

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Budget Type
Select whether to display EAC and original budget, FAC and original budget or
EAC and FAC. Columns in the grid will be updated to display the selected budget
types.
Amount/Units
Select whether to display amount or unit values in the grid.

NOTE: The following fields are displayed in the grid and will update
dynamically as selections are made in the header.

Project
One or multiple rows will display for each project as determined by the header
selections.
Account Category
One row will display for each account category within a project. If "Display
ONLY Subtotals" is selected in the header, this field will be populated with
"Project Revenue", "Project Costs" or "Project Net" as applicable to the row.
Description
The project description displays in this field, and is especially useful when only
subtotals are displayed.
Acct Type
This field is only displays the account type as defined in the Account Category
Maintenance (PA.PRJ.00) screen. If "Display ONLY Subtotals" is selected in the
header, this field will be blank.
MTD Amount
This field displays the current period units or amount for the period selected in
the header.
PTD Amount
This field displays the project to date units or amount through the period selected in
the header.
Commit
This field displays the current period committed units or amount for the period
selected in the header.
PTD + Commit
This field displays the total of PTD Amount + Commit.
ETC Amount
This field displays the current project ETC units or amount if either the EAC and
Original Budget or FAC and Original Budget options are selected in the Budget Type
field of the header.

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EAC Amount
This field displays the current project EAC units or amount if either the EAC and
Original Budget or FAC and Original Budget options are selected in the Budget Type field
of the header.
FTC Amount
This field displays the current project FTC units or amount if the FAC and Original
Budget option is select in the Budget Type field of the header.
FAC Amount
This field displays the current project FAC units or amount if either the FAC and
Original Budget or EAC and FAC options are select in the Budget Type field of the
header.
Original Budget
This field displays the current project EAC units or amount if either the EAC and
Original Budget or FAC and Original Budget options are select in the Budget Type field of
the header.
Variance
This field displays the unit or amount variance between the two options selected in the
Budget Type field of the header.
Example: If the option EAC and FAC is selected in the Budget Type field of the header,
then the value in the Variance will be FAC – EAC.

GL Subacct
This field displays the project's general ledger subaccount as defined in the Project
Maintenance screen.
Pjt Manager
The name of the employee entered into the Pjt Manager field in the Project
Maintenance screen will be displayed in this field.
Business Mgr
The name of the employee entered into the Business Mgr field in the Project
Maintenance screen will be displayed in this field.
ID Fields
If visible, two of the project ID fields PM01 through PM05 will display as defined in the
Project Controller setup screen.
Excel Download
Click on the Excel Download icon to export data as defined in the Excel Options
button.

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Test Your Skills

3.1– Review Inquiry Screens

 Open Project Analyzer and drill down to Project Net Profit, Task Net Profit and
Project Task Display.
 Select detailed revenue and cost transactions for the billable project without
subtotals from Multi-Projects View and export to a new Excel spreadsheet.

Lesson 3: Review Questions

Answer the following questions related to Analyzer Inquiries. Check Answers to
Review Questions in Appendix B for the answers.

1. Project selection in Multi-Projects View can be made using which of the following
project information fields?

a. Project Manager
b. Employee
c. Subaccount
d. Customer
e. Contract
f. All of the Above

2. Excel exports are available from the _________________ and _________________

screens.

3. Project-to-date amounts and units can be displayed in Multi-Projects View and

compared to which of the following (select all that apply):

a. EAC and Original Budget

b. EAC and ETC
c. FAC and FTC
d. FAC and Original Budget
e. EAC and FAC

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LESSON 4: PRINTING REPORTS

Overview of Reports
The Solomon Analyzer module comes with three standard reports:
Profitability by Project Manager (IQ.010.00)
This report will print one row for each project manager, with columns displaying MTD,
PTD and YTD revenue, cost and margin amounts.

A flexible column definition must exist for at least the Project Profitability report
(PA.120.00) in order for this report to print. In addition, flexible columns can be
defined specifically for the Profitability by Project Manager report.
Profitability Detail/Summary by Project ID (IQ.020.00)
In detail format, this report will print one row for each project, with columns
displaying MTD, PTD and YTD revenue, cost and margin amounts. A new page will
be printed for each change in value for the project ID (pm_id01 to pm_id10) selected.
In summary format, one row will print for each value of the project ID field selected.

The Options tab on this report is used to select the project ID field (01 to 10) for
reporting. In addition, a checkbox exists to select to display projects or summary
data where the project id field selected does not contain any data.

A flexible column definition must exist for at least the Project Profitability report
(PA.120.00) in order for this report to print. In addition, flexible columns can be
defined specifically for the Profitability Detail/Summary by Project ID report.
Project/Task Performance (IQ.030.00)
When printing the Project Performance version of this report, the format is most
similar to the Project Net Profit screen; likewise, the Task Performance version is
very similar to the Task Net Profit screen. Both versions include totals for margin
amounts and percentages on a MTD, PTD and YTD basis as well as revenue and cost
subtotals.

Setting Up the Default Printer

By default, Microsoft Dynamics SL will use the default Windows printer and its setting
for printing reports. You can change the default printer for all reports or for just the current
report being printed.

Project Series reports have a specific naming convention of the report title of "/" in the
title, which denotes that there are multiple report options through the report format drop-
down switch within the Report tab.

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To change the default printer for Solomon for all reports:

 Access File and then Printer Setup from the Microsoft Dynamics SL menu. Select
the appropriate printer.

There are also two ways to change the default printer for Solomon for a single report:

 Access the report screen and click the Printer Options button to change the
printer settings.
 Set up a report template containing the printer settings.

EXAMPLE: It is common to see clients with multiple network printers. You

have a client who wants to print all of their reports to a network printer.
However, they want to print their Profitability by Project Manager report to a
local printer. Use a template for the Profitability by Project Manager report
that changes the default printer for the report.

Selection or Creation of a Report

Once you select a Microsoft Dynamics SL report from a module menu, a screen appears
with several tabs associated with that report. You can use these tabs to define the
information to include on the report. Every report in Solomon has its own set of tabs to
customize the report. Some tabs may appear differently than the tabs shown in this
section.

Template Tab
The Template tab allows you to enter a previously saved template containing specific
report information. The report will include the information based on the criteria
specified in the template.

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Public
This field indicates if the template is a public template or a private template. If it is a
Public template, all users may use the template. If it is a Private template, only the user
who created the template can use the template.
Template ID
Displays the Template IDs set up for the currently selected report. To create a template
ID once entry or select statements for sort, select, etc. are completed, select the
Template from the edit menu. Enter a Template ID for assignment, including a
description of the template, and define the visibility to either public (all users) or your
login only. Optionally, you may click the Save Template button instead of using the Edit
menu, when creating templates for reports.
Template Description
Displays the description of the Template ID assigned.

Report Tab
The Report tab allows you to specify the report format, the report date, a period number
range when applicable, which pages of a report to print, and the number of copies in the
report. You can also select whether or not to print notes on the report.

HINT: Before notes can be printed on a report, a special calculated field must
be added to the report in Crystal Reports. Refer to Technical Bulletin 2383
for information on this procedure.

Sort Order Tab

Solomon prints fields on the report columns in a default order. To change the sort
order of a report, this tab allows you to specify the specific sort order.

CAUTION: Changing the order of the sort may have major impact on
performance in large databases. New indexes may have to be created to support
the report.

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TOOL: When performing report sort orders, it is important to know the existing
sort order of the report. You cannot simply enter a sort for any field desired. The
Report Assistants include a section listing each report in the module and the
default sort order for the report. This is a very useful tool for consultants and
clients.

Sort Order
Indicate the order of the value entered in the Field section.

Field
Enter the field the report should be sorted on. Use the inquiry function for a list of valid
fields.

Sort Ascending
Check this box to sort a column of data in ascending order. If you leave this box
unchecked, the data will sort in descending order.
Page Break
This option allows you to indicate a page break should happen each time the value in
the field changes. For example, if you indicate a page break for an account number
field, a new page will begin each time the account number changes.
Tool: When selecting page breaks, it is important to know the existing break of the report.
You cannot simply enter a page break for any field desired. The Report Assistants include
a section listing each report in the module and the default sort order for the report. This
is a very useful tool for consultants and clients.
Total Break
This option allows you to indicate a total break should happen each time the value in the
field changes. For example, if you indicate a total break for an account number field,
each time the account number changes the fields will be totaled on the report.

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Select Tab
One of the most commonly used tabs in report screens is the Select tab. This tab is used to
control the contents or data to be included in the report.

EXAMPLE: To print only profitability for those projects managed by a certain

employee, you would select the field pjproj.manager1, enter the equal operator,
type the selected employee ID and choose the and Boolean expression.

TOOL: When performing select statements, it is important to know

information such as the master table of the report when applicable, sort
information, etc. It is also handy to know the name of the field you want to
use in the Select tab. The Report Assistants include a section which displays
the data entry screens for the module, and the table and field name the data is
stored in. They also include a section of sample sort and select statements
including more complex select statements.

Field
Enter the field to be used for the select criteria or use Possible Values (F3). Use the
Data Fields within the Help Menu for a list of valid fields for Project Controller.

HINT: You can limit values in the Field list by adding an ROISELECT
function to the report in Crystal.

Operator
Select the operator indicating how the report must meet the criteria indicated in the
Value field.
Value
Enter the value for the field, which the report is selecting information based on.

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Boolean
If multiple select criteria is entered, indicate whether both of the criteria must be met
with the 'AND' Boolean, or indicate that either criteria can be met with the 'OR'
Boolean.

NOTE: The 'AND' Boolean on the first line is grayed out because it is used to
join this select criteria to the existing select criteria that is in this report in the
Crystal Report Writer.

Options Tab
Some reports have additional options you can choose from. If a report does not have
options, the tab is unavailable. The following example shows additional options
available on Profit Detail/Summary by Project ID report.

Cover Page Tab

You can have Microsoft Dynamics SL print a cover page to describe the report. The
information entered in the Sort and Select tabs will print on the cover page.

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HINT: This can be a helpful feature if there are several users sharing a network
printer to indicate whose report this is.

Print Cover Page

Check this box to have the cover page printed before the report.
Description
Enter any additional text to be included in the cover page.

CAUTION: If you add a cover page to a report, you cannot use the Print Preview
option.

Company Selection Tab

If using Multi-Company and there are multiple companies set up in the current
application database, the Company Selection tab is enabled and the report can include
information from more than one company.

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Flexible Report Column Maintenance

A flexible column report is a Crystal report that allows the user to specify which account
categories (or, in some cases, GL accounts) are included for pre-defined columns. This
function is used to maintain the column. Only reports that use flexibly defined columns
can be maintained here.

Report
This refers to the CRYSTAL report code/number plus version (e.g., PA100-0) with
flexibly defined columns.

NOTE: The version designated in the last position of the Report field must be
defined as the first character in the Report Format Name followed by a space
in the RptControl record, which is defined in the System database. The version
number 0, which is initially defined, is already pre-defined in the RptControl
record.

Column
This is the column number on the report (numbered left to right, starting at 1) that is to be
defined. To include multiple account categories or GL accounts in a single column create
multiple rows with the same column number.

NOTE: Generally, the Variance columns are pre-defined in the report and are
not counted as a column number, when defining columns in Flexible Report
Column Maintenance (PA.RPC.00). The exception to this rule is Project
Billings Analysis (PA.130.00), which needs the variance column labels/heading
to be defined.
Acct Category
Depending on the report, this field may be used to select transactions for the report.

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GL Account
Some reports, such as the Employee Utilization reports, use the General Ledger Chart of
Account rather than the Account Category for selection purposes. The value entered here is
validated in the GL Account table. If the account category field was defined, the default for
this field is 'na'.

Column Heading
The value entered into this field is used as the column heading when the report prints.
When multiple records are entered for the same column, which may occur when several
accounts are shown in one column, the column heading for the first record encountered is
used on the report. Therefore, it is important to enter the same column heading for all line
items that refer to the same column number.

Analyzer Reports with Flexible Column Capability

Report Name Report Number

Profitability by Project Manager IQ010
Profitability by Project ID Detail or Summary IQ020

Flexible Report Maps

Project Profitability Report (PA 120)

Column # Data Heading Acct Categories

(examples) (examples)
1 MTD amount MTD Revenue revenue
2 MTD amount MTD Cost labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.
Variance Margin
3 YTD amount YTD Revenue revenue
4 YTD amount YTD Cost labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.
Variance Margin
5 PTD amount PTD Revenue
6 PTD amount PTD Cost revenue
Variance Margin labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.

For further details see the description of these reports in the How to Define Flexible
Reports sections of the User Guide.

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NOTE: Two other reports using the same column definitions as the Project Profitability
Report (PA.120.00) are Profitability by Project Manager (IQ.010.00) and Profitability by
Project ID Detail and Summary (IQ.020.00)

Profitability by Project Manager (IQ010)

Column # Data Heading Acct Categories

(examples) (examples)
1 MTD amount MTD Revenue revenue
2 MTD amount MTD Cost labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.
Variance Margin
3 YTD amount YTD Revenue revenue
4 YTD amount YTD Cost labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.
Variance Margin
5 PTD amount PTD Revenue
6 PTD amount PTD Cost revenue
Variance Margin labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.

Profitability by Project ID Detail and Summary (IQ020)

Column # Data Heading Acct Categories

(examples) (examples)
1 MTD amount MTD Revenue revenue
2 MTD amount MTD Cost labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.
Variance Margin
3 YTD amount YTD Revenue revenue
4 YTD amount YTD Cost labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.
Variance Margin
5 PTD amount PTD Revenue
6 PTD amount PTD Cost revenue
Variance Margin labor, travel, ODC's,
materials, etc.
NOTE: These reports use Project Profitability Report (PA120) column definitions if
the Project by Project Manager (IQ010) or Profitability by Project ID Detail and
Summary (IQ020) flexible columns are not defined.

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Test your Skills

4.1 - Create Flexible Column Report Definition

Report definitions for PA120-0 have already been defined. Create a version of IQ020
by copying the PA120-0 definitions to Excel and modifying Report ID. Copy the
new IQ020-0 definitions back to Flexible Column Report Maintenance.

4.2 - Print Profitability by Line of Business

Using the Profit Detail/Summary by Project ID report, print each version for the Line
of Business (Project ID: 02)

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Appendix A: Answers to Test Your Knowledge

Lesson 1: Analyzer Setup

1. How many ID fields can be passed to the Project Analyzer?

b. 2

2. Analyzer requires that the following module(s) are installed.

c. Project Controller

3. Analyzer is the only module that offers project profitability inquiries and
reporting.

False (Project Controller does)

Lesson 2: EAC and FAC Maintenance

1. Define EAC. Estimate at Completion (EAC) is a revised budget that

reflects current conditions. Project Managers will change budget amounts
due to increased costs, unexpected items or project change orders. EAC is
used in the Revenue Recognition calculation in the Project Controller
module.

2. Define ETC. Estimate to Complete (ETC) is an amount calculated as EAC

– (PTD + Commit), or the amount remaining in the revised budget. ETC is
a calculated field not stored in the database, but can be modified in the
EAC Maintenance screen.

3. Describe hot EAC differs from FAC. EAC is used in Revenue Recognition
calculations, while FAC is used only for reporting.

4. The three modules that can update EAC amounts are:

b. Project Controller, Analyzer and Project Budgeting

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Lesson 3: On-Line Inquiries

1. Project selection in Multi-Projects View can be made using which of the following
information fields?

a. Project Manager
c. Subaccount
d. Customer
e. Contract (if CN is installed)

2. Excel exports are available from the Task Net Profit and Multi-Projects View screens.

3. Project-to-date amounts and units can be displayed in Multi-Projects View and compared
to which of the following (select all that apply):

a. EAC and Original Budget

d. FAC and Original Budget
e. EAC and FAC

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Appendix B: Solutions to Exercises

Lesson 1

1.1 – Project ID Fields

Business Line is stored in PM02, and validates against Code File OLOB.

1.2– Complete Project Controller Setup

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Lesson 2

2.1 – Review Margins

Record the current margin percentages for project CO-123000:

Revised: 38.73
Current: 52.93
Budget: 52.93
Actual: 49.61

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Lesson 3

3.1– Review Inquiry Screens

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Lesson 4

4.1 – Create Flexible Column Report Definition

4.2 – Print Profitability by Line of Business

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Appendix C: Where is the Data?

PJPROJ
 Contains project master information and is used to display information in the
Project Analyzer screen.
 Updated by the Project Maintenance (PA.PRJ.00) screen.

PJPENT
 Contains task master information and is used to display information in the
Project Task Display screen.
 Updated by the Project Maintenance (PA.PRJ.00) screen.

PJPENTEX
 Contains task master information and is used to store values entered into
Forecast Percent Complete Maintenance.
 Updated by the Project Maintenance (PA.PRJ.00) screen and by Forecast Percent
Complete Maintenance (IQ.FPC.00)

PJPTDSUM
 Contains project summary amounts by project-task-account category
combination and is used for Analyzer reports and inquiries to display total
actual, committed, EAC, FAC and original budget amounts.

PJPTDROL
 Contains project summary amounts by project-account category combination
and is used for Analyzer reports and inquiries to display total actual,
committed, EAC, FAC and original budget amounts.

PJCOMSUM
 Contains project summary amounts by project-task-account category-fiscal period
combination and is used for Analyzer reports and inquiries to display total committed
amounts by period.

PJCOMDROL
 Contains project summary amounts by project-account category fiscal period combination
and is used for Analyzer reports and inquiries to display total committed amounts by
period.

PJCOMDET
 Contains commitment information for each project-fiscal period combination and is used to
display transactions in the Commitment Detail Inquiry screen.

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PJTRAN
 Contains project-related transactions and is used to display transactions in the Transaction
Detail Inquiry screen.

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