Specifications

6  Lesson 6 Computer Tutorial 3
EXHIBIT 6-5
Final combined balance sheet
In this way, you can modify the financial statement to suit your needs. You can also use
any Excel functions or formatting to modify your statements. For example, if you want
to show only dollar amounts on the statements, you could format the cells so that the
number of decimals showing is zero. Alternatively, you could use the Round function to
round all values to the nearest dollar.
However, the problem with this method is that you have only changed this one balance
sheet. Any future balance sheets will be produced according to the specification file. If
you entered another transaction into Accpac, and then reprinted the balance sheet, it
would appear like Exhibit 6-3 (with the many accounts still listed). If you want the
related accounts to be combined, you would have to repeat steps 3-5 in Exercise 6.2.
If you want to make lasting changes, you should modify the specification file so that the
statement appears in the form you require every time you print it.
TOPIC 6.3
Modifying a specification file
A specification file is a spreadsheet with specific commands and functions that tell Statement
Designer what data should be included in a financial report and how the printed report should
look. Statement Designer is a report writing program that allows you to create specification
files.
Opening the Statement Designer launches Excel and a FR command is added to the Excel
menu bar. The FR menu gives you access to General Ledger data. For the FR command to be
added, you must start Excel through Accpac. You may design a new specification file from