The first report we will build is a dashboard or visualization of some balance sheet items. Balance sheets have a lot of valuable information, but it takes a bit of concentration to read them and provide a real value. Putting this information in a dashboard will make the balance sheet a management tool, not just a bank or tax tool.

That said, the first report we are going to build is a very big report with many steps. In fact, it is very likely to be the most step-intensive report in the book; however, it has huge payoffs. We realize that this is a challenge right off the block. We considered a smaller report to start with, but upon reviewing it, we saw even greater benefits than when we began writing this chapter, so please do not feel intimidated when building this report. When you are through, you will understand why we love this report and how much Business Intelligence can be mined from your balance sheet and General Ledger!