Allocation Input Form

    What is an Allocation Input Form ? Allocation input forms are considered an essential part of many advanced allocation models, and are often used by accountants to enter drivers for allocation calculations, such as square feet and headcount. Key functionality in this type of allocation tool provides a web-based input form where end users can enter drivers that are not available from other data sources. These drivers can then be used to allocate, for example, administrative overhead expenses to operating departments. You will find an example of this type of allocation tool below. Purpose of Allocation Driver Input Forms Companies and organizations use Allocation Driver Input Forms to provide an easy-to-use and secure mechanism where end users can capture statistics and other drivers to be used in allocation calculations. When used as part of good business practices in a Finance and Accounting department, a company can improve its allocation process and related speed and agility, as well as, reduce the chance that allocations are skipped or delayed, thereby reducing managers' ability to measure business unit profitability. Allocation Driver Input Form Example Here is an example of an Allocation Input Form with monthly input of drivers used in allocation calculations. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1781"] Allocation Input form Example Allocation Input form Example[/caption] You can find hundreds of additional examples here. Who Uses This Type of Allocation Tool ? The typical users of this type of allocation tool are: Accountants and Business Unit Managers. Other Allocation Tool s Often Used in Conjunction with Allocation Driver Input Forms Progressive Finance and Accounting Departments sometimes use several different Allocation Driver Input Forms, along with profit & loss reports, dashboards 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 corporate performance management (CPM/EPM) solutions. What Tools are Typically used for Reporting, Planning and Dashboards? Examples of business software used with the data and ERPs mentioned above are:
    • Native ERP report writers and query tools
    • Spreadsheets (for example Microsoft Excel)
    • Corporate Performance Management (CPM) tools (for example Solver)
    • Dashboards (for example Microsoft Power BI and Tableau)
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    September 5, 2020