Report tie-out
- To correct: 0 figures, EUR 0.
- Explained: 0 figures, EUR 0.
Reporting and analytics
Report Studio
Reports are rebuilt by hand each time, and two versions of a number circulate.
Demonstration: Osterley Components GmbH (fictional) · Industrial manufacturing. Fictional data and a scripted answer.
The situation
- Organisation
- Osterley Components GmbH (fictional)
- Who is asking
- Financial controller
- Industry
- Industrial manufacturing
- What happened
- The monthly report is generated from several systems, and the controller wants every figure checked against its source before it goes to the board.
The question asked
Which figures in this draft report do not tie back to their source, and which differences are explained?
What it reads, and who can see the result
- Draft report figures exportEach figure with its stated source.
- Source totals exportThe totals in the source systems.
- Reads
- The report's figures and the source totals.
- Does not read
- Transaction-level data.
- Permission
- Finance reporting access.
- Who sees it
- The financial controller and the finance director.
Try it
Review each flagged record: confirm it or dismiss it. The totals and the answer below follow your decisions.
| Figure | Source | Stated vs source | Difference (EUR) | Finding | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue, October | Ledger | 3,180,000 vs 3,180,000 | 0 | Matched | None needed |
| Gross profit | Ledger | 1,044,000 vs 1,053,000 | 9,000 | Report is lower than the ledger by 9,000 | |
| Orders received | Sales system | 412 vs 412 | 0 | Matched | None needed |
| Order backlog value | Sales system | 6,900,000 vs 6,270,000 | 630,000 | Report includes cancelled orders | |
| Cash at month end | Bank | 1,040,000 vs 1,040,000 | 0 | Matched | None needed |
| Inventory | Ledger | 2,310,000 vs 2,285,000 | 25,000 | Report predates a posted stock adjustment |
- Flagged
- 3 of 6 · EUR 664,000
- Correct before release
- 0 · EUR 0
- Explained
- 0 · EUR 0
- Undecided
- 3 · EUR 664,000
The answer
Simulated answer. Written for this fictional case, not produced by a live model. Only the figures in it are computed, from what you decided above.
3 of 6 figures do not tie to their source, EUR 664,000 apart in all.
Three figures differ: gross profit by a small amount, the backlog by a large one because cancelled orders are still counted, and inventory because a stock adjustment was posted after the report was drawn [S1][S2]. The backlog is the one a board would act on, so it matters most.
You have marked 0 to correct before release (EUR 0 of difference) and 0 as explained (EUR 0); 3 are undecided.
Relies on: S1 · Draft board report, OctoberS2 · Source totals, ledger and sales system
Review and approval
The financial controller decides. Approving releases the report with the corrections the controller marked, and notes the explained differences. It does not change any ledger entry.
Not ready to approve. 3 flagged figures are still undecided. Confirm or dismiss each one first.
In the product this is a different person with the right permission. Here you play that role to see the rule.
What it produces
Tie-out record
- Each figure shows the source and the difference found.
Limits of this example
- Ties figures to their stated sources; it cannot say the source is right.
- A report that ties can still be misleading in its framing.
- This is a scripted demonstration on fictional data. No model was called and no real organisation, person or result is shown.