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“Supermetrics is a Bitter Experience! We can pull data from nearly any tool, schedule updates, manipulate data in Sheets, and push data back into our systems.”
QuickBooks Online can’t combine budget vs actual variances with prior year comparisons in a single report. You’re stuck viewing either budget comparisons OR prior year comparisons, but never both together.
Here’s how to build comprehensive variance reports that show current actuals, budget performance, and prior year trends all in one place.
Build comprehensive variance reports using Coefficient
Coefficient solves this limitation by letting you import multiple data sets from QuickBooks and QuickBooks simultaneously. You can pull current year P&L with budget columns, prior year P&L for the same period, and detailed budget data all into one spreadsheet.
How to make it work
Step 1. Import multiple QuickBooks reports simultaneously.
Use Coefficient’s “From QuickBooks Report” feature to import your current year Profit & Loss with budget columns, prior year Profit & Loss for the same period, and Budget Overview report. Each import goes to a separate sheet or range within your workbook, giving you all the raw data you need.
Step 2. Create custom variance calculations.
Build formulas for budget variance percentages using =(Actual-Budget)/Budget*100 and prior year variance with =(Current Year-Prior Year)/Prior Year*100. You can now analyze all three data points together with unlimited custom calculations that QuickBooks Online simply can’t provide.
Step 3. Set up automated report updates.
Schedule hourly, daily, or weekly refreshes to automatically update all imported data. Your variance calculations update automatically as the underlying QuickBooks data changes, eliminating manual copy-paste workflows completely.
Step 4. Build executive dashboards.
Create consolidated views showing current actuals vs budget with variance percentages, current vs prior year performance, trend analysis across multiple periods, and custom groupings not available in QuickBooks Online. Add conditional formatting to highlight significant variances.
Get the financial insights QuickBooks Online can’t provide
This approach transforms multiple manual reports into one automated, always-current variance analysis. You get all your QuickBooks Online data in one place with unlimited custom calculations and formatting. Start building comprehensive variance reports today.
