Budget Scenarios

#Uploading a budget scenario

Budgets are uploaded as CSV files using the template provided in the upload dialog.

1. Navigate to Planning & Reports → Budget
2. Click + Upload budget
3. In the Upload budget dialog:
   • Drag and drop a CSV file, or click to browse
   • Use the Download template button to get the correct CSV structure
   • Click Upload
4. Light processes the file. The scenario appears in the list with a Synching... status while it is being processed
5. Once complete the status changes to Complete. If the file fails validation the status shows Failed with an error tooltip

Good to know: Only CSV files are accepted. Download the template from the upload dialog to ensure your file is structured correctly.

#Budget dimensions

Each uploaded scenario has up to three hierarchical dimension levels, determined by the columns in your CSV. Supported dimension types are:

Dimension type	Description
Account	GL account
Account code	GL account code
Account label	GL account label
Business partner	Customer or vendor
Company entity	Legal entity
Custom property	Any custom property group configured in your organisation

Dimensions are read-only after upload. To change dimensions, upload a new scenario.

#Managing scenarios

All uploaded scenarios are listed in the Budget settings view with the following columns:

Column	Description
Budget name	Editable — click to rename
Levels	The dimension types in this scenario (shown as badges)
Status	Complete, Synching..., or Failed
Created by	The user who uploaded the scenario
Created at	Upload timestamp

You can filter the list by status and search by name. Failed scenarios show an error description on hover.

#Budget overview

The Overview tab shows how your actuals compare to the selected budget scenario.

#Filters

Filter	Notes
Budget scenario	Required — select which uploaded scenario to compare against
Report category	Defaults to Profit & Loss
Ledger account	Narrow to specific accounts
Ledger account type	Filter by account type
Ledger account classification	Filter by classification
Date range	The period to analyse

#Summary statistics

• YTD planned accuracy — the ratio of actual to planned amounts expressed as a percentage. Above 100% means spending exceeded plan.
• YTD variance — the difference between planned and actual amounts in your group currency. Negative values are shown in parentheses.

#Actuals vs. planned chart

A bar chart showing per-period data with three series:

• Actual — what was recorded in the ledger (dark blue bars)
• Approved — approved budget amounts (light blue bars)
• Planned — the uploaded budget figure (white line)

#Budget table

The table below the chart shows the full breakdown by account and period. Click any cell to drill into the underlying ledger transactions for that figure.

#Related articles

• Reporting overview
• Profit and loss
• Custom reports and filters