What is this page about: Light lets you upload budget scenarios as CSV files and compare them against your actual ledger data. This page explains what a budget scenario is, how to upload one, what dimensions a scenario can use, how to manage and rename scenarios, how to compare actuals to a scenario in the Budget Overview, what the overview filters and key metrics mean, how to read the actuals vs. planned chart, and how to drill into the budget table.
On this page
- What is a budget scenario?
- How to upload a budget scenario
- What dimensions can a budget scenario use?
- How to manage and rename budget scenarios
- How to compare actuals to a budget scenario (Budget Overview)
- Frequently asked questions
Quick answer: Light's budget feature lets you upload one or more budget scenarios as CSV files and compare them against your actual ledger data. You can keep multiple scenarios active at once (for example, a base plan and a revised forecast) and switch between them from the Budget Overview.
What is a budget scenario?
A budget scenario is a CSV file you upload into Light containing planned figures broken down by up to three dimensions (such as account, entity, or business partner). Once uploaded, Light compares that scenario's planned amounts against your actual ledger data, period by period.
How to upload a budget scenario
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Navigate to Planning & Reports → Budget.
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Click Upload Budget.
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In the Upload budget dialog:
- Drag and drop a CSV file, or click to browse for one.
- Click Download template to get a correctly structured CSV.
- Click Upload to submit the file.
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Light processes the file. The scenario appears in the list with a Synching... status while processing.
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When processing finishes, the status changes to Complete. If the file fails validation, the status shows Failed, with an error tooltip explaining why.
Good to know: Only CSV files are accepted, one file at a time, up to 10 MB. Always start from the template in the upload dialog so your columns map correctly.
What dimensions can a budget scenario use?
Each scenario supports up to three hierarchical dimension levels, based on the columns in your CSV. The supported dimension types are:
| Dimension type | What it represents |
|---|---|
| Account | GL account |
| Account code | GL account code |
| Account label | GL account label |
| Business partner | Customer or vendor |
| Company entity | Legal entity |
| Custom property | Any custom property group configured in your organization (shown as "{name} (custom property)") |
Important: Dimensions are read-only after upload. If you need different dimensions, upload a new scenario rather than editing the existing one.
How to manage and rename budget scenarios
All uploaded scenarios appear in the Budget settings view, with these columns:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Budget name | Click the row to open the scenario's detail panel. Rename it there in the "Budget name" field — the change saves automatically when you click away (on blur). |
| Levels | The scenario's dimension types, shown as badges labeled with the type itself (for example, "Account code", "Business partner"), not the specific values or custom names from your upload. If there are more badges than fit, the rest collapse into a "+N" count. |
| Status | Complete, Synching..., or Failed (Failed also shows a warning icon). |
| Created by | The user who uploaded the scenario. |
| Created at | The upload timestamp. |
You can filter this list by status or search by name. Hover over a Failed scenario to see its error description.
How to compare actuals to a budget scenario (Budget Overview)
The Overview tab shows how your actual ledger data compares to a selected budget scenario.
Available filters
| Filter | Notes |
|---|---|
| Budget scenario | Required. Choose which uploaded scenario to compare against. |
| Report category | Defaults to Profit & Loss. |
| Ledger account | Narrows results to specific accounts. |
| Ledger account type | Filters by account type. |
| Ledger account classification | Filters by classification. |
| Date range | Sets the period to analyze. |
Key metrics explained
- YTD planned accuracy — the ratio of planned to actual amounts, shown as a percentage. Above 100% means spending came in under plan. Below 100% means spending exceeded plan.
- YTD variance — the difference between planned and actual amounts, in your group currency. Negative values appear in parentheses.
Actuals vs. planned chart
A bar chart plots data per period:
- Actual — what was recorded in the ledger (dark blue bars)
- Planned — the uploaded budget figure (white line)
- Approved — shown stacked on the Actual bar (same color) when an approved budget exists for the scenario
Budget table
Below the chart, a table breaks down figures by the scenario's dimensions and period. Click any cell to drill into the underlying ledger transactions behind that number.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have more than one budget scenario at a time?
Yes. You can maintain multiple scenarios simultaneously and switch between them in the Budget Overview.
What file format does Light accept for budgets?
Only CSV files, structured using the template available in the upload dialog.
Why does my YTD planned accuracy show below 100%?
A value below 100% means actual spending exceeded the planned amount for that period. A value above 100% means actual spending came in under plan.
Can I edit a budget scenario's dimensions after uploading?
No. Dimensions are read-only once a scenario is uploaded. Upload a new scenario if you need different dimensions.
How do I rename a budget scenario?
Click its row in the Budget settings list to open the detail panel, then edit the "Budget name" field. The name saves automatically when you click elsewhere.
What does a "Failed" status mean?
The uploaded file failed validation. Hover over the Failed status to see the specific error.
Can I upload more than one file at once?
No. The upload dialog accepts one CSV file at a time, up to 10 MB.
What does the "Approved" series in the chart show?
It appears alongside Actual and Planned only when an approved budget exists for the selected scenario.
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