Click on this button to access the Getting Started Guide.

Load Data is used to import data from CSV files to a SurvivalWare. This is also where you would create a row map file so that your chart of accounts matches the ones in the Fort Knox Foundation model.  Dashboard, DataViewer and Automator are included for convenience.

Once data has been loaded, click the Dashboard icon to quickly see how your business is doing.  Right mouse click on the Dashboard icon from the main menu to select  different types of Dashboard views. (Each model comes with its own set of dashboards).

This is the heart of SurvivalWare and where you will spend most of your time.  Data Viewer allows you to see financial numbers and KPIs in a grid format.  The data is organized into tabs.  You can do Drilldowns or Chart the trend for any line item.

Select the Reports icon to print or preview nicely formatted reports of your data.  There are several standard reports including Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and KPIs, and a selection of column sets (e.g. Actual vs Budget; Rolling 12 Months, etc.), allowing you to customize your reports.

The Report Packages module allows you to view and edit your report packages.

SurvivalWare provides a tool to help you create a 12 month   budget.   Once the budget is in SurvivalWare, Actual vs. Budget reporting is automatic – just another Column Selection in the Reports Module. 

Projections can be done with months or years as the projection periods.  A monthly projection is similar to a budget, but tends to be done more often than once a year.  A projection is used to answer the question “how will things be the next 6 months”  as opposed to “what are my sales and expense goals for the 12 months of 2009?”  With the projection, you use the built in model to do a full income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement forecast.  A budget tends to be income statement only.

Use Company Setup to change company name, ID or logo.

The Cash Planner is the detailed cash planning module that appeared as the first SurvivalWare in 2002.   With the Cash Planner you simulate individual checks and receipts, and often look at daily or weekly instead of monthly projections.  This module is completely separate from the month oriented financial model used elsewhere in SurvivalWare.  It has its own separate Help file and Getting Started Guide.

The Comparanator uses line graphs to show many different scenarios, such as Actual vs. 12-month average; Actual vs. RMA industry benchmarks; groups (compare to your own benchmarks, or small peer group, or multiple locations); and Actual vs. Budget vs. Last Year.

The Automator lets you run applets that automate things such as the importation of data, or standard analyses and reports.  Development of an Automator applet is for the advanced SurvivalWare user.  Right mouse click on the icon to access the applet development tool.

Click on User Settings to edit information about path names and preferences for the model you are working with.

A big part of the effort in updating SurvivalWare was spent on de-cluttering and simplifying the User Interface.  The clutter can now be found in Rusty’s Toolbox, along with some powerful tools for the advanced SurvivalWare user.