When the analysis view is missing entries

You open Analysis by Dimensions, but the figures do not match the G/L entries. Something is missing. The explanation is often that the view has not been updated, but not always. Here is how analysis views are updated in standard, what can keep entries out, and how to check it. It makes reconciliation easier. It is written for the finance department and those responsible for reporting. It is a checklist.

The view is a snapshot

Microsoft Learn writes that the amounts on the Analysis by Dimensions page show the company's state at the time of the latest update. To see the current picture you must run Update. You can update from the analysis view card, from the list or from the analysis page itself.

If you have ticked Update on Posting on the card, the view is updated automatically when someone posts a related transaction. You can also use the Update Analysis Views batch job to update some or all views at once.

Corrected dimensions

When you correct dimensions on posted G/L entries, the analysis views can also be updated. This requires that Update on Posting is switched on for the view, and that you switch on Update Analysis Views in the dimension correction. Microsoft warns that it can affect performance with large volumes of data, and recommends doing it only with small ones.

Remember that dimension corrections only cover G/L entries. They do not change the dimensions on entries in other ledgers for the same transaction.

Check if entries are still missing

The documentation does not explain all causes of missing entries. Here are the things we would check first. It is our own checklist and not a list from Microsoft:

Has the view been updated since the latest posting? Run Update, and see whether the figures change.
Does the view have filters on accounts or dimensions that exclude the entries? Open the card and check the filters.
Are the view's starting date and date compression set so that the entries fall outside the period? Learn mentions that you cannot choose a shorter period than the date compression.
Do the four dimensions on the card match the ones the entries use? Learn writes that you can add more dimension codes through the filter.
Were the entries posted to an account that is not in the view?

Reconciliation

Compare the view's total for an account and a period with the total in the chart of accounts. If they differ, run Update and compare again. If they still differ, note the account number, period and dimension value, and ask your BC partner to investigate. It could be a bug and not a gap in the setup.

Example of a fixed check

Choose an account and a period for which you know the figure. Open the chart of accounts with a period filter and note the net change. Then open the analysis view for the same account and period. Run Update if the figures are different. Repeat with two or three other accounts. If all match after the update, it was the update that was missing. If only a few accounts differ, the error is probably in filters, dimensions or dates on the view.

The idea on our list

The idea about missing entries when updating an analysis view has 173 votes at Microsoft. It is not certain that it is a missing feature. It can also be a bug. At Addverk we collect ideas for small apps that could close gaps like this. They are ideas we are considering, not something you can download or buy today. The list of 30 ideas is on the Coming up page, and you can see which of them look like what you are missing yourselves.