Generating the Worksheet

Generating & Managing Your Worksheet

Once you’ve completed the Wizard, you’re ready to build your forecast! This is done through the Generate Worksheet sidebar and the Manage Worksheet Accounts dialogue.

This guide will walk you through how to configure your accounts, pick the right forecasting methods, and generate your final spreadsheet.

When you click Cash Flow Worksheet from the main sidebar, you will see a few key settings you can adjust before hitting “Generate”.

Select Scenarios

If you have created multiple scenarios (like a “Best Case” or “Worst Case” scenario), you can select which ones to build. A separate tab will be created in your spreadsheet for each scenario you select.

Refresh from Xero

By default, CompassForecasting uses cached data to speed things up. If you recently added new transactions or accounts in Xero and want them reflected immediately, toggle Refresh from Xero on. Note: This will make the generation process take a bit longer as it fetches fresh data directly from Xero.

Historical Data (Include Actuals)

You can choose to display past data right next to your forecast.

Toggle On: Shows actual historical months leading up to your forecast start date.
Months to display: Use the + and - buttons to choose how many months of past data to include (e.g., 12 months allows you to compare a full prior year side-by-side with your new forecast).

2. Manage Worksheet Accounts

Before generating your worksheet, click Manage Account Settings in the sidebar. This opens a dialogue where you tell the system how to predict the future for every single account in your Chart of Accounts.

Selecting Accounts to Include

On the left side of the table, use the checkboxes to choose which accounts appear in your worksheet.

Checked: The account will be included in your forecast.
Unchecked: The account will be hidden.
Note: Some accounts (like Bank Accounts or Inventory) are greyed out because they are controlled by the settings you chose in the Wizard.

Using Class Defaults (Efficiency Tip!)

At the very top of the table (highlighted in blue), you can set a Default Rule for an entire class of accounts (e.g., all Revenue, or all Expenses). Example: You can set the default for all Expenses to “Last Actual Period”, and then simply scroll down and manually change the few specific accounts that need a different method.

3. Forecasting Methods Explained

For your Revenue and Expense accounts, you can select one of several forecasting methods. Here is what each one does in plain English:

Manual Entry

What it does: Leaves the forecast cells completely blank for you to type in manually later.
Best for: One-off costs, capital purchases (like buying a new truck), or highly unpredictable income where you already know the specific amounts you want to enter.

Last Actual Period

What it does: Looks at the exact dollar amount from your last completed month and copies it forward, unchanged, for every future month.
Best for: Fixed costs that rarely change, such as Rent, Software Subscriptions, or fixed Retainers.

12-Month Average

What it does: Looks at the last 12 months of actual data, calculates the average, and uses that average for every future month.
Best for: Accounts that fluctuate randomly month-to-month but stay flat on average. Example: Repairs & Maintenance or Office Supplies.

Same Month Last Year + % (SMLY)

What it does: Looks at the exact same month from the previous year, and allows you to add or subtract a percentage. Example: If sales in July last year were $10,000, and you enter 5 in the percentage box, it will forecast $10,500 for this July.
Best for: Highly seasonal businesses (like retail, hospitality, or tourism) where you expect your yearly cycle to repeat, but with steady year-on-year growth.

% of Account (Driver Based)

What it does: Calculates the forecast for this account as a mathematical percentage of another account.
Best for: Variable costs that scale directly with your sales. Example: You can set your “Freight Costs” account to always be exactly 5% of your “Product Sales” account.

Statistical Forecast

What it does: Uses historical data to mathematically detect complex trends and seasonality patterns automatically.
Best for: Your main revenue lines and major expenses where you want a highly scientific, data-driven baseline. (Note: Because this is an advanced feature, we have created a separate guide specifically for Statistical Forecasting!)