P&L Estimate with Trend Analysis

What is a Profit & Loss Report with Automated Full Year Estimate? Profit & Loss (P&L) estimate reports are considered important decision-making tools and are often used by CFOs and analysts to, on a monthly basis, get an automatic forecast for the full year. Some of the key functionality in this type of monthly estimate report is that it provides all-in-one analysis with graphics, narrative and a trended P&L report. The top of the report shows trend charts for Revenue, Gross Profit and Operating Income. Each chart contains data series for actual and budget for the current year and actual last year. The main section of the report displays actual for each month up to the current period and then dynamically pulls in budgets for the rest of the year to give a full year estimate. You find an example of this type of monthly estimate report below.

Purpose of Profit & Loss Estimate Reports Companies and organizations use Profit & Loss Estimate Reports to get a continuous outlook for the full year. When used as part of good business practices in a Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) department, a company can improve its decision-making as well as reduce the chances that managers only look in the rear view mirror or analyze variances based in old, stale budgets.

Who Uses This Type of Monthly estimate report? The typical users of this type of monthly estimate report are: CFOs, Analysts and Executives. Other Monthly estimate reports Often Used in Conjunction with Profit & Loss Estimate Reports Progressive Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) Departments sometimes use several different Profit & Loss Estimate Reports, along with monthly variance reports, KPI dashboards, trended balance sheets and cash flow statements and other management and control tools.

Where Does the Data for Analysis Originate From? The Actual (historical transactions) data typically comes from enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like: Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) Finance, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (D365 BC), Microsoft Dynamics AX, Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics SL, Sage Intacct, Sage 100, Sage 300, Sage 500, Sage X3, SAP Business One, SAP ByDesign, Acumatica, Netsuite and others. In analyses where budgets or forecasts are used, the planning data most often originates from in-house Excel spreadsheet models or from professional xFP&A solutions.

This Solver report template connects directly to your ERP data via the Solver Data Warehouse, enabling near real-time analysis with minimal setup. Designed for QuickStart deployment, it can be activated rapidly so your team can focus on analysis and decisions — not data preparation.

What is the P&L Estimate with Trend Analysis in Solver? The P&L Estimate with Trend Analysis is a pre-built xFP&A report template in Solver that delivers key financial and operational metrics in a single, easy-to-use interface, eliminating the need for manual data work or custom report development.

Who uses this Solver report template? CFOs, FP&A managers, and controllers use this report template to support month-end close, variance analysis, and management reporting. It is designed to be self-service and require no custom development.

Where does the data come from? Data is sourced automatically from your ERP system through the Solver Data Warehouse, which integrates with platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Dynamics 365 Finance, Acumatica, Sage Intacct, and other leading ERP solutions. Once connected, the template updates in near real-time with no manual data entry required.

To learn more, visit the Resource Library.