What this article covers: How to create and manage operational datasets in BrizoConsol — defining non-financial drivers such as headcount, units, and volumes, uploading data via CSV, and using the data in dashboards, custom reports, cell reports, and BrizoButler.

Operational Data lets you bring non-financial numbers into BrizoConsol alongside your financial data. Define datasets for any driver measured by month — headcount, units sold, production volumes, or anything else — and once uploaded they become available across dashboards, custom reports, cell reports, and BrizoButler.

Select Operational Data from the left navigation to open the dataset library.

1. Creating a Dataset

Creating a dataset is a two-step process: define the dataset structure first, then upload the data.

Step 1 — Dataset Definition

1
Click New DatasetThis opens the definition dialog.
2
Fill in the definition fieldsConfigure the dataset structure using the fields below.
Field What it does
Name A short name for the dataset (required, up to 100 characters)
Description Optional notes about what the dataset contains
Dimensions Add up to 3 grouping columns — e.g. Region, Product, Cost Centre. Enter a label for each. Dimensions appear as filters, pivot fields, and group-by options in dashboards and reports.
Account setting Controls how rows link to accounts in your Chart of Accounts — see Account Settings below
Scenario setting Controls whether all rows share a single scenario or each row carries its own — see Scenario Settings below
Currency translation Available on Pro. Applies a translation rate so values are converted into the reader’s currency. Use for money measures; leave as None for unit counts or other non-monetary drivers.

Account Settings

Option What it means
No account The dataset stands on its own — no account is recorded on any row
One account for the whole dataset Every row uses the same account. Select the account from the picker. Change it here and all rows update to match.
Account column in the file Each row’s account comes from the Account column of the uploaded CSV, so individual rows can carry different accounts

Scenario Settings

Option What it means
One scenario for the whole dataset Every row uses the same scenario — Actual, Forecast, or Budget. Select the scenario from the picker. Changing it later rewrites the scenario on every existing row.
Scenario column in the file Each row’s scenario comes from the Scenario column of the uploaded CSV, so one dataset can hold actuals and forecast side by side.
3
Click NextSaves the definition and opens the upload step.

Step 2 — Upload Data

1
Download the CSV templateBrizoConsol generates a template built from your dimension labels. The columns are: your dimension labels + Period + Scenario (only if Scenario column mode is selected) + Account (only if Account column mode is selected) + Value.
2
Fill in the templateEnter your data following the format notes below. A Period and a numeric Value are required for every row.
Column Format
Period YYYY-MM (e.g. 2026-07) or Jul-2026. If you edit the file in Excel, keep the Period column formatted as Text — otherwise Excel converts the value to a date automatically.
Value A numeric value for the row
Dimension columns Optional. Enter the dimension value for each row (e.g. the region name, product name, or cost centre code)
Scenario column Only present when Scenario column mode is selected. Enter Actual, Forecast, or Budget. Rows with any other value are skipped and reported after the upload. On the Standard edition only Actual is accepted; Forecast and Budget require Pro.
Account column Only present when Account column mode is selected. Enter an account code (e.g. G-4000) or the full label as shown in the pickers (e.g. G-4000 - Sales Revenue). Leave blank for rows with no account.
3
Select the file and map columnsAfter choosing your file, a preview of the first five rows is displayed. Map each source column to the correct field using the column mapping dropdowns. Period and Value are required; Scenario, Account, and dimension columns are optional depending on the dataset definition.
4
Choose a replace modeControls how the uploaded data interacts with existing rows.
Replace only the months in this file Default. Only the specific months (and scenarios, when the dataset uses a Scenario column) present in the file are updated. All other months remain unchanged. Recommended for incremental monthly uploads.
Replace all data Removes all existing rows for this dataset and replaces them with the file’s contents. The number of rows that will be removed is shown in the selector. Use with care.
5
Click UploadBrizoConsol imports the data. A summary shows how many rows were imported, any rows skipped due to an unrecognised period or scenario value, and any accounts that could not be matched.
💡 Tip: If rows are skipped because of an unrecognised period, keep the Period column formatted as Text in Excel. If rows are skipped because of an unrecognised scenario value, check that the Scenario column contains only Actual, Forecast, or Budget — the first unrecognised values found are shown in the import summary.

2. Viewing Dataset Data

Click View on any dataset row to open the detail page. Switch between two views using the tabs at the top:

View What it shows
Detail Paginated rows with filters for period, dimensions, scenario, and account. A Scenario column appears in the table when the dataset holds more than one distinct scenario.
Pivot Drag dimension and scenario fields into Row, Column, and Values slots to create a cross-tab summary. When a dataset holds multiple scenarios, the first pivot defaults to spreading scenarios across the columns.

Totals at the top of the page show the total value, row count, distinct accounts (when the dataset is account-linked), and the period range covered by the data.

Use the PDF and Excel export buttons to download the current view.

Datasets owned by a subsidiary are visible in the parent’s Operational Data library but are read-only from the parent — the edit, upload, and delete actions are only available from the entity that owns the dataset.

3. Editing a Dataset Definition

Click the Edit definition icon on a dataset’s detail page to update the name, description, dimension labels, account setting, scenario setting, or currency translation. Changing the account setting does not alter existing uploaded rows — it takes effect from the next import. Changing the scenario setting on a dataset-level scenario rewrites the scenario on every existing row immediately.

To add or update data after the initial upload, click the Upload icon on the dataset’s detail page to open the upload panel again.

4. Validation Against the Ledger

When a dataset has an account link (either one account for the whole dataset, or an Account column in the file), BrizoConsol automatically compares the uploaded totals against the corresponding ledger balances after each import. The comparison runs per account.

The validation table shows:

Column What it shows
Month The period being compared
Uploaded The total value from the imported CSV for that month
System The corresponding ledger balance for that month
Difference Ties when the uploaded and ledger totals match; No ledger month when no ledger balance exists for that period

Validation is informational — a mismatch does not block the import but does flag where the operational data diverges from the financial ledger. The validation panel on the detail page is collapsed by default and can be expanded at any time.

5. Using Operational Data in Dashboards & Reports

Once uploaded, a dataset is immediately available as a data source in dashboards, custom reports, cell reports, and BrizoButler. When configuring a widget or report section, select the dataset by name from the data source picker.

Dimension fields appear as group-by options, letting you break data down by region, product, cost centre, or any other dimension defined in the dataset.

🌟 Tips for operational datasets
  • Keep dimension labels short and descriptive — they appear in filters, pivot fields, and report group-by dropdowns
  • Use Scenario column in the file when one dataset should hold both actuals and forecast; use a dataset-level scenario when the dataset carries only one
  • Use Replace only the months in this file each month to add new data without removing historical rows
  • If you edit the CSV template in Excel, set the Period column to Text format before entering any values to prevent automatic date conversion
  • Link a dataset to an account to enable automatic validation against your ledger after each upload

Related Articles

Customizing Dashboards Viewing Dashboards Viewing Reports