Distribution – Profit & Loss Report

What is a Profit & Loss Variance Report for a Distribution Company? Profit & loss (P&L) variance reports are considered essential monthly performance monitoring tools and are used by the office of finance to provide distribution executives with a concise view of prior month and year-to-date (YTD) results. Some of the main functionality in this type of report is that it gives the user a quick view of P&L KPIs followed by a detailed, comparative view of revenues, expenses and profit margins. The metrics and charts on the top of the report help highlight revenues, profit, profit margin and revenue per employee. The columns provides comparison of monthly and YTD figures for the current year versus the prior year, with the colored arrows serving as indicators of significant variances. You find an example of this type of report below.

Purpose of Profit & Loss Variance Reports Distribution businesses use Profit & Loss Variance Reports to help executives quickly understand monthly and current year performance and to put it in perspective by comparing it to prior year figures. When used as part of good business practices in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) departments, a company can improve its strategic decisions and agility, and it can reduce the chances that important variances go undetected for longer periods of time.

Who Uses This Type of Report? The typical users of this type of report are: Boards, executive teams, CFOs and controllers. Other Reports Often Used in Conjunction with Profit & Loss Variance Reports Progressive Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) departments sometimes use several different Profit & Loss Variance Reports, along with  P&L trend reports, balance sheets and cash flow statements, financial KPI dashboards and other management and control tools.

Where Does the Data for Analysis Originate From? The Actual (historical transactions) data 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.

Built for distribution finance teams and aligned with Solver's xFP&A platform, 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 Distribution – Profit & Loss Report in Solver? The Distribution – Profit & Loss Report is a pre-built xFP&A report template in Solver designed for distribution organizations. It delivers key financial and operational metrics in a single, easy-to-use interface — purpose-built for distribution finance workflows.

Who uses this Solver report template? This template is primarily used by CFOs, operations managers, and distribution finance teams in distribution organizations who need accurate, timely data to support planning, reporting, and decision-making. It is particularly valuable for distribution finance teams managing budgets, forecasts, and performance reviews.

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.

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