Branches and Departments
Dimensions let you track cost and revenue by a division of the business rather than only for the company as a whole. Tag transactions with a branch and a department, and your profit and loss and balance sheet can then be produced for that part of the business on its own.
The two levels
| Level | What it usually represents | Screen |
|---|---|---|
| Branch (dimension 1) | A site, region or division — the outer grouping. | Branches |
| Department (dimension 2) | A team or function inside a branch — the inner grouping. | Departments |
Departments sit under branches, so a transaction can carry both and be reported at either level.
Turning dimensions on
Dimensions are enabled in Company Setup. One level gives you branches only; two gives you branches and departments. Until they are switched on, the fields do not appear on entry screens and the branch reports are hidden.
Decide how many levels you need before you start tagging. Turning the second level on later leaves every transaction entered before that point with no department, and there is no way to fill it in retrospectively without editing each one.
Where dimensions appear
| Area | How it is used |
|---|---|
| Sales and purchase documents | Branch and department fields on the header, tagging the transaction. |
| Journals and payments | The same fields, so ledger entries carry the tag. |
| Employees and payroll | Staff costs are attributed to the unit they work in. |
| Fixed assets | Assets assigned to the cost centre using them. |
| Branch reports | Where the tagged figures are read back out. |
Where to go next
- Branches — set up the first level
- Departments — the second level
- Branches Reports — reading the results
- Company Setup — enabling dimensions
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