Francis in 3 minutes
Quick guide: An overview of Francis basics
1. Components
Components are the building blocks used to create your financial model. Components include:
Tabs: divide your model into separate worksheets.
Sections: divide your model into smaller parts inside tabs.
Groups: contain rows. All rows in a group are automatically summed.
Rows: create forecasts. Rows differentiate between regular and calculated with distinct use cases for both.
Regular: Contain actuals and forecasted values. Can be linked directly to a data source.
Calculated: A time-consistent value or formula. Can't be linked directly to a data source.
2. Date settings
Francis models include three date settings: timeline, forecast, and actuals. The three date settings define the span of your model and how forecasts are calculated based on actuals. Consequently, you should be aware of your date settings before modeling.
Timeline: Determines which months are available in your modeling view.
Forecast: Forecast start determines the period for which you are forecasting.
Actuals: Last close specifies the month to which data is included from your ERP system.
Date settings can easily be updated on a rolling basis as you progress through the year.
3. Data sources
By connecting to your ERP systems, you can synchronize your financial model to your chart of accounts and automatically include actuals. Francis currently integrates with four ERP software providers:
If your chart of accounts is changed in your ERP system, Francis will trigger a notification prompting you to adjust your model accordingly.
4. Reporting
Francis includes built-in charts, reports, and PDFs for reporting purposes. As part of this, as versioning is an integral part of the Francis platform, users can easily compare actuals, rolling forecasts, and anchor budgets.
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