This article explains how to reverse, or "flip," the sign of specific data categories in Catalyst. Flipping signs can be helpful when a standard accounting convention differs from how you want to view the data.
This article contains the following topics:
What is Sign Flipping?
Sign flipping essentially multiplies a data value by -1. This can be useful for accounts that have a normal balance opposite to how you want to view them in reports. For example, revenue accounts typically have a credit balance (meaning they appear negative in most systems). However, you might prefer to see revenue as a positive number representing income generated.
When to Use Sign Flipping
Common use cases for sign flipping include:
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Liabilities (Balance Sheet): You might want to see liabilities as positive values to represent your financial obligations.
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Equity (Balance Sheet): Equity can be flipped to show a positive value representing your ownership stake.
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Revenue (Income Statement): Flipping revenue signs allows you to view it as a positive number reflecting income generated.
Important Considerations
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Sign flipping does not apply to financial overrides or financial planning modules, as these don't differentiate debits and credits. Uploading negative values here will result in a negative number.
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Sign flipping can only be configured at the Primary Account hierarchy level, but will also be applied to all secondary account hierarchies.
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Sign flipping applies solely to Actuals Scenarios. It won't affect Forecasts or Budgets.
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You can choose to flip signs for broad categories like "Liabilities" or be more specific by flipping just "Net Sales" for example.
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Ultimately, flipping signs only affects how the data is presented; the underlying values remain unchanged.
How to Flip Signs
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Navigate to the Administration panel.
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Under Site Management, select Hierarchy.
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Edit the Account hierarchy.
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Switch to the Sign Flip tab.
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Choose accounts from the list on the left and add them to the section on the right to include them in the sign-flipped group.
Additional Notes
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Sign flips are stored at any level within the account structure, including groupings or individual elements.
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Hierarchies provide an alternative view of the same data. Each "leaf" (lowest level) account in the hierarchy will ultimately be either flipped or not flipped.
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Additional recommended reading: FAQs for a detailed breakdown on overrides.
By understanding sign flipping and applying it strategically, you can customize your Catalyst reports to better reflect how you view your financial data. This can improve clarity and make it easier to analyze financial performance. If you have any further questions about sign flipping or your account hierarchy, feel free to contact Catalyst support.
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