Finance Report Troubleshooting

In this article:

When should this guide be used?

Understand how the Finance template is built

Step by Step Troubleshooting Checklist

Best Practices to adapt to this template

It is important to understand that the Analytics for LS Central Finance Power BI template is a starting point.
Because financial account structures vary between companies, filters and measures must be reviewed and adapted to reflect each customer’s Business Central chart of accounts.

This guide explains how customers should troubleshoot and adapt the Finance Power BI report template when their Business Central chart of accounts, naming conventions, or account structures differ from the assumptions used in the template.

It is especially relevant for pages such as Liabilities Analysis, where visuals and measures depend on:

  • Specific account names
  • Account categories / hierarchies
  • Hardcoded filters in visuals or pages
  • DAX measures that aggregate selected subaccounts

 

1. When Should This Guide Be Used?

Use this guide if you notice any of the following:

  • A visual shows no data, incomplete data, or unexpected totals
  • Totals (e.g. Total Liabilities) do not match Business Central
  • Some liability accounts are missing from charts or tables
  • A customer has different account names or structures than the demo/sample company.

 

2. Understand How the Template Is Built (Important)

Before troubleshooting, it is critical to understand the design assumptions:

2.1 Filters Are Based on Account Names & Categories

Many visuals and pages use:

  • Visual level filters
  • Page level filters
  • DAX logic that checks account names or hierarchy levels.

Example:

Filtering for accounts such as:

  • Accounts Payable
  • Short term Liabilities
  • Long term Liabilities

If a customer uses different names (e.g. Trade Payables instead of Accounts Payable), the visual may return blank results.

2.2 Measures Are Based on Selected SubAccounts

Some measures (e.g. Total Liabilities) are calculated as:

  • A sum of multiple specific subaccounts
  • Identified by account name, category, or G/L hierarchy level.

This means:

  • Measures are not fully generic
  • They must be reviewed when the customer’s chart of accounts differs.


3. Step by Step Troubleshooting Checklist

Step 1 – Check if the Visual Is Filtered by Account Name or Category

  1. Select the visual that shows missing or incorrect data
  2. Open the Filters pane
  3. Review:
    • Visual Level Filters
    • Page Level Filter
  4. Look for filters such as:
    • G/L Account Name
    • Account Category
    • Balance Sheet Type.

 

Action:

  • Compare the filtered values with the customer’s actual Business Central account names
  • Update the filter to match the customer’s naming convention.

 

Step 2 – Validate Account Hierarchy & Levels

Many templates rely on hierarchical fields, for example:

  1. G/L Account Level 1
  2. G/L Account Level 2
  3. Open the Data Model
  4. Identify the hierarchy used by the visual or measure
  5. Verify that:
    • The customer uses the same hierarchy depth
    • Accounts are assigned to the expected levels.

 

Action:

  • Adjust filters or DAX to reference the correct hierarchy level
  • Avoid assuming a fixed level structure across customers.


Step 3 – Test with a Simple Table Visual

To isolate the issue:

  1. Create a temporary table visual
  2. Add:
    • G/L Account No.
    • G/L Account Name
    • Amount
  3. Apply no filters initially.

 

What this tells you:

  • Whether the data exists
  • How accounts are actually named and categorized.

 

Step 4 – Review DAX Measures Used in the Visual

  1. Identify the measure used (e.g. Total Liabilities)
  2. Open the DAX formula
  3. Look for:
    • FILTER() using account names
    • SEARCH() or CONTAINSSTRING() logic
    • Explicit lists of account names or categories.

 

Example pattern:

FILTER(

'G/L Account',

'G/L Account'[Account Name] IN {

"Accounts Payable",

"Short-term Liabilities"

}

)

 

Action:

  • Replace hard coded names with the customer’s actual names
  • Or refactor logic to rely on account categories instead of names.

 

Step 5 – Align Measures with the Chart of Accounts

For each key financial measure:

  1. List which subaccounts are included
  2. Compare with the customer’s chart of accounts
  3. Identify:
    • Missing accounts
    • Extra accounts
    • Different classification (e.g. short vs long term).

 

Action:

  • Update the measure logic accordingly
  • Document which accounts are included per customer.

 

4. Best Practices for Customers Adapting the Template

4.1 Always Review Filters First

Most issues come from:

  • Page or visual filters that no longer match account names.

 

Recommended Pre Deployment Checklist

  • Validate account naming conventions
  • Review all page level filters
  • Test key measures against Business Central
  • Adjust liability, asset, and equity mappings
  • Confirm totals match financial statements.