Build branch dashboards from operational data

1Build on the dataset

Every card on this dashboard reads Xero Tracking: Branch, the dataset described in Read tracking categories as operational data. On your group it is translated into SGD month by month, and it holds every line of the profit and loss, not only revenue and net profit.

The Store Performance and Department P&L templates under Template Start are quicker to start from, but they read each organisation in its own currency and only revenue, expenses and net profit. Use them on a single organisation; build on the dataset for the group.

2Start the dashboard on your group

1. Select your group.
2. Open Dashboards → Custom, and click Add a new dashboard.
3. Type Branches in the name box.

Built on the group, the dashboard shows every organisation’s branches together in SGD. Built on one organisation, the same cards show only its branches, in its own currency.

3Chart sales by branch

1. Click Add a widget, and choose Chart.
2. Type a title, such as Sales by branch, and choose Bar as the Chart Type.
3. Under Data Source, choose Xero Tracking: Branch from the Operational Data group.
4. Set Group by to Tracking Option, and P&L Line to Sales.
5. In the list below, tick the branches to show — the five largest are ticked to start with.
6. Set Period to Last 6 Months, and click Add Widget.

A card reads one P&L line at a time, so it never adds a subtotal to the lines above it. Set Group by to P&L Line instead to see one branch’s lines side by side.

4Add net profit over the year

1. Add another chart from Xero Tracking: Branch, grouped by Tracking Option, with P&L Line set to Net Profit.
2. Choose Line as the Chart Type and Last 12 Months as the Period, and click Add Widget.

Each branch is one line, so a branch whose profit falls while the others rise stands out. Unassigned is listed too: it holds what no branch carries — often overheads — so it usually shows a loss. Untick it to compare the branches only.

5Rank the branches

1. Click Add a widget, and choose Table.
2. Under Table Type, choose Xero Tracking: Branch from Operational Data.
3. Set Group by to Tracking Option and P&L Line to Sales.
4. Set Data Type to YTD.
5. Under Columns, keep Value and Share %; tick Records or Avg Value if you want them. Click Add Widget.

The table lists the top 10 branches by value, each with its share of the total. Data Type also offers Current Month and vs Last Year.

6Save and read it

1. Drag the cards into place, and click Save.
2. Open the dashboard from Dashboards → Custom.

7Keep it current

The dashboard reads the months you loaded. The nightly read keeps the last 6 months up to date; for a month older than that, or one you changed in Xero, load P&L by Tracking Category again on Data Loading. A new branch appears on its own once it is used in Xero and the month is loaded.

8If something goes wrong