HDbeammachineBeam Machine Docs
Help Center

Reviewing Budget Variance In Beam Machine

How to review budget versus actual values in the live Beam Machine budget variance route, including the current thin areas.

publicusers

Reviewing Budget Variance In Beam Machine

This page shows you how to use the current budget variance screen without pretending it is a full planning suite.

Product: Beam Machine
Module: Reports -> Reporting -> Budget Manager & Variance
Role: Accountant, Financial Controller, Budget Owner
Difficulty: Intermediate
Time: 7 minutes first time, 3 minutes repeat
Last Updated: 2026-03-10
Version: Current live reporting route in this repo

Before You Start

  • You need a valid financial year identifier in the URL, or the page will only show setup guidance.
  • You need underlying budget and actual data for the comparison to be useful.
  • If you are only looking for financial statements, use ./01-running-financial-reports.md instead.

Current build status: This route is live but partial. It needs financialYearId in the URL, has no visible in-page financial-year selector, shows a working Print button, shows a disabled Export button, and displays CSV column guidance rather than a visible upload control on the page.

What is this page?

This route compares budgeted amounts against actual amounts. It is meant to show whether the business is spending or earning more or less than planned.

The current live page already exposes:

  • total budget,
  • total actual,
  • total variance,
  • and a detailed variance table once a financial year is selected.

It is a review page first. In the current UI, it is not yet a complete budget administration workspace.

When do you use this?

Use this page when:

  • management wants to know whether you are ahead or behind plan,
  • you need budget oversight for a reporting period,
  • or you need to spot major overruns or under-performance quickly.

If the business is comparing actual results to budget every month, this is the page that should tell the first version of that story.

Where do you find it?

Primary path: Reports -> Reporting -> Budget & Variance tile
Alternative: Open the direct route /dashboard/reporting/budget?financialYearId=<uuid>

This route is normally opened from the Reporting landing page. In the current build, it is not exposed as a visible Reporting sidebar child.

How do you review budget variance?

  1. Open Reports -> Reporting.
  2. Click Budget & Variance.
  3. Confirm the URL includes a valid financialYearId.
  4. Stop if the page only shows instructions and no working report.

āœ… Checkpoint: If no financial year is selected, the page will not show the variance table. It will instead tell you to pass ?financialYearId=<uuid> in the URL or create a financial year under Accounting -> Financial Years.

  1. Set Start date and End date in the toolbar.
  2. Click Print if you need a printer-friendly view.
  3. Ignore Export for now, because the current button is disabled.

What you should see when the route is working

  1. Review the three summary cards:
    • Total Budget
    • Total Actual
    • Total Variance
  2. Review the detailed table columns:
    • Code
    • Account
    • Type
    • Budget
    • Actual
    • Variance
    • Var %
    • Status

āœ… Checkpoint: A working page shows summary cards, a variance table, and a date-range label above the detail card.

  1. Review large variances first.
  2. Use the Var % badge and the green or red status dot as a quick signal, not as your only judgment.
  3. Trace major issues back to the source account, the budget line, and the transaction detail before you explain them to management.

How do you handle the CSV guidance safely?

  1. Use the CSV instructions on the page only as a format guide.
  2. Prepare columns exactly as shown if another workflow or admin process is importing budgets:
  • accountNumber
  • year
  • month
  • amount
  • notes
  1. Do not tell users there is a visible upload button on this page, because the current screen only shows the CSV format reference card.

Common Questions & Issues

"I only see an instruction page"

Why this happens: The current route needs a financialYearId to show the working variance view.

Fix: Provide a valid financial year identifier first.

"This page feels thin"

Why this happens: The route is live, but it is still narrower than the larger scope described in the intake docs.

Fix: Use it for the current variance view only. Do not document it as a full budget-administration suite yet.

"I see the CSV layout, but no upload button"

Why this happens: The current page includes CSV import instructions only. It does not show a visible upload control on the report route itself.

Fix: Treat the page as a review screen with file-format guidance, not as a full import console.

"The favorable or unfavorable colour does not match my story"

Why this happens: The page applies a current system signal to variance rows, but management interpretation still depends on account context.

Fix: Use finance judgment before escalating. A revenue shortfall and an underspend are not explained the same way just because both are coloured.

What's Next

Related Pages

SA Compliance Reference

  • Budget variance is primarily a management-control workflow, not a statutory filing on its own.
  • Use it to support board review, governance discussions, cost control, and working-capital planning.

Still Stuck?

Was this page helpful?

[Yes] [No]