Job Costing: Create a Custom Job Cost Analysis

An analysis is not a report; it's the data you can use for a report. You can add as many analyses as you want to a report, but it might not be efficient to have multiple analyses.

Here are the basic steps to create an analysis for the purpose of Job Costing.

1. Go to Reports > Report Center and click Create Analysis.
   
   
   
   
2. Click “Untitled Analysis” at the top and type in a new title, then click Save.
   
   
   
   
3. Choose a data set from the dropdown list, such as Job Cost Detail.
   
   
   
   
4. Select Data Points for the Job Cost Detail. These items will be the columns in your analysis.
   
   
5. Click OK. This will generate the table.
6. Set up the table to your preferences.

There are an infinite number of ways you can use your custom analysis and modifications you can make to the presentation of information. Some common options are added here:

Recommended Data Points for Job Costing

In the example above, there are two data sets. Job Cost Detail is the primary data set and Job – Client is the secondary data set. Another term for “data set” is “data table.”

These are some recommended data points for Job Costing:

Add a Date to a Custom Analysis

1. Click the Date column and then click Filter to select a date or date range.
   
   
   
   This can be either a:
        Static date – a specific date on the calendar
        Relative date – a sliding date, such as “Yesterday” or “Today”
2. When you select the Date Filter, you’ll be moved to the “Filter” tab.
   
   
   
   
3. On the “Filter” tab, in the Filter Column field, the Date appears automatically.
   1. In the Comparison field, select one of the operators.
   2. In the Value field, select Specific Date or Sliding Date.

Add Aggregate Calculations

1. Click the column heading. 
2. In the menu, click Aggregate.
3. In the submenu, choose any of the aggregate options you want, such as Sum.

Build a chart from the Job Cost Analysis

1. Click Add Chart.
   
   
   
   
2. In the New Chart overlay, choose the type of chart, such as Bar, Line, etc.
3. Fill in the rest of the fields.
4. Click OK to run the analysis.