1 Table: "Which Budget Style Do I Need?"

	Dashboard	Basic Budget Entry	Custom Budget Entry
Screenshots (click to expand)
Simple Definition	• lists all accounts in the dept • states amt budgeted, update info, approval & locked status of each acct	• 12 months for all accounts plus spread methods • If necessary, you can still drill down to itemize	• Design your own column format • Structure like a financial report with variances & comments
Key Features	• Lock Account • Mass Approvals	Immediate value entry on screen	• User defined columns (not rows) • Historical comparisons/variances • Input - Multi-year, Annual only, etc.
Pros/Why Use This	• Users must drill into each acct • Multiple line items • Encouraged to itemize expenses	• If users complain about drilling down • If you have simple needs • If values are pre-vetted, you just need to collect the monthly totals per accounts • Don't care about the details	• Suits custom needs • Starting entry point can be a comparative financial report • You can force the user to explain variances with summary comments in advance • Finance will not have to collect, import, aggregate & determine the cause of variances • Eliminates the need to hunt Managers down for explanation
Cons/Downside	• Can be cumbersome for users who want to enter one line of values per account • Best functions as a control tool for Budget/Finance Dept • Users must drill down into each Acct to do data entry	• Discourages itemization • Spreading on historical budget/actual will only update after save & search.	• Users must drill down into each Acct to do data entry • May overwhelm users with too much data

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