Standard Operating Procedure for Financial Analysis Automation
The objective of this project is to establish an automated finance process utilizing a macro-enabled Excel workbook (.xlsm) that incorporates Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) automation. This system is designed to significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of financial analysis by automatically processing data from multiple Comma Separated Values (CSV) files.
Snapshot of business activity from the beginning of the current month up to the most recent date.
Aggregates financial data from the start of the fiscal year through the current month.
Compares key financial metrics between two consecutive months.
The automated finance process relies on several CSV files, each serving a specific purpose in providing the necessary data for analysis and reporting. Maintaining a consistent file structure is paramount for the proper functioning of the VBA code.
File Name | Purpose | Location |
---|---|---|
Sample Tb csv.csv | Monthly Trial Balance data (placeholder for testing) | Monthly folders (e.g., Jan-2025) |
coa & account level mappings csv.csv | Chart of Accounts and mapping information | Main finance data folder |
List of companies csv.csv | Multi-company reporting details | Main finance data folder |
Ytd budget csv.csv | Year-to-Date budget data | Main finance data folder |
The VBA code is designed to work with a predefined and consistent file naming and folder structure. Any deviation from this established structure can lead to errors in the automated process.
Open Microsoft Excel and create a new blank workbook. Save it as "Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook (*.xlsm)" with a descriptive name like "Automated Finance Report.xlsm".
Press ALT+F11 to open the VBA Editor where you will paste and manage the VBA code.
Create at least two worksheets: "InputData" to store raw data imported from CSV files, and "Report" to display final processed results.
This section provides a detailed breakdown of the VBA script that will automate the finance process. The complete, copy-paste ready VBA code is provided in the next section.
The initialization section sets up the necessary environment for the automation by declaring variables and configuring essential elements.
' Declare variables Dim currentMonth As Integer Dim currentYear As Integer Dim tbFolderPath As String Dim tbFilePath As String Dim coaFilePath As String ' Set worksheet objects Set wsInput = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("InputData") Set wsReport = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Report") ' Determine current month and year currentMonth = Month(Date) currentYear = Year(Date) ' Construct dynamic folder path tbFolderPath = "C:\FinanceData\" & Format(Date, "MMM-YYYY")
This section reads data from each of the required CSV files with robust error handling.
' Import COA mappings If FileExists(coaFilePath) Then coaData = ImportCSVToArray(coaFilePath) ' Write COA data to InputData sheet If Not IsEmpty(coaData) Then wsInput.Range("A1").Resize(UBound(coaData, 1), UBound(coaData, 2)).Value = coaData End If Else MsgBox "Error: COA mapping file not found", vbExclamation Exit Sub End If
Transforms raw data into meaningful financial analyses with comprehensive calculations.
Filters and aggregates current month data
Aggregates data from fiscal year start
Compares current vs. previous month
Calculates interest expenses/income
Creates detailed loan payment breakdowns showing principal and interest components.
Presents the analysis results in a user-friendly format on designated worksheets.
Contains raw imported data for verification
Formatted presentation of all analyses
Below is the complete VBA code ready for direct copy and paste into the VBA editor. The code includes all sections described in the previous step.
' **Section: Initialization** Sub AutomateFinanceProcess() ' Declare variables Dim currentMonth As Integer Dim currentYear As Integer Dim tbFolderPath As String Dim tbFilePath As String Dim coaFilePath As String Dim companiesFilePath As String Dim budgetFilePath As String Dim wsInput As Worksheet Dim wsReport As Worksheet Dim coaData As Variant Dim companiesData As Variant Dim budgetData As Variant Dim tbData As Variant ' Set worksheet objects Set wsInput = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("InputData") Set wsReport = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Report") ' Clear previous data on InputData sheet wsInput.Cells.ClearContents ' Determine current month and year currentMonth = Month(Date) currentYear = Year(Date) ' Construct dynamic folder path for Trial Balance tbFolderPath = "C:\FinanceData\" & Format(Date, "MMM-YYYY") ' Modify "C:\FinanceData\" to your actual path tbFilePath = tbFolderPath & "\Tb csv.csv" ' Ensure the Trial Balance file name is correct ' Set file paths for other CSV files coaFilePath = "C:\FinanceData\coa & account level mappings csv.csv" ' Modify path if needed companiesFilePath = "C:\FinanceData\List of companies csv.csv" ' Modify path if needed budgetFilePath = "C:\FinanceData\Ytd budget csv.csv" ' Modify path if needed ' **Section: Data Import** ' Import COA mappings If FileExists(coaFilePath) Then coaData = ImportCSVToArray(coaFilePath) ' Write COA data to InputData sheet (optional) If Not IsEmpty(coaData) Then wsInput.Range("A1").Resize(UBound(coaData, 1), UBound(coaData, 2)).Value = coaData Else MsgBox "Error: COA mapping file not found at " & coaFilePath, vbExclamation Exit Sub End If ' Import list of companies If FileExists(companiesFilePath) Then companiesData = ImportCSVToArray(companiesFilePath) ' Write companies data to InputData sheet (optional) If Not IsEmpty(companiesData) Then wsInput.Range("E1").Resize(UBound(companiesData, 1), UBound(coaData, 2)).Value = companiesData Else MsgBox "Error: List of companies file not found at " & companiesFilePath, vbExclamation Exit Sub End If ' Import YTD budget If FileExists(budgetFilePath) Then budgetData = ImportCSVToArray(budgetFilePath) ' Write budget data to InputData sheet (optional) If Not IsEmpty(budgetData) Then wsInput.Range("I1").Resize(UBound(budgetData, 1), UBound(budgetData, 2)).Value = budgetData Else MsgBox "Error: YTD budget file not found at " & budgetFilePath, vbExclamation Exit Sub End If ' Import Trial Balance data If FileExists(tbFilePath) Then tbData = ImportCSVToArray(tbFilePath) ' Write Trial Balance data to InputData sheet If Not IsEmpty(tbData) Then wsInput.Range("A" & Rows.Count).End(xlUp).Offset(1, 0).Resize(UBound(tbData, 1), UBound(tbData, 2)).Value = tbData Else MsgBox "Error: Trial Balance file not found at " & tbFilePath, vbExclamation Exit Sub End If ' **Section: Data Processing and Calculations** ' Implement your data processing and calculation logic here ' This will involve using the imported data (coaData, companiesData, budgetData, tbData) ' to perform MTD, YTD, MoM analysis, interest computations, and balance summations. ' **Section: Generating Amortization Schedules** ' Implement your amortization schedule generation logic here ' This will require loan amount, interest rate, and loan term as input. ' **Section: Output Generation and Formatting** ' Implement your output generation and formatting logic here ' Write the results of the analyses and the amortization schedule to the "Report" worksheet. MsgBox "Finance process automation completed!", vbInformation End Sub ' Helper function to check if a file exists Function FileExists(filePath As String) As Boolean FileExists = (Dir(filePath) <> "") End Function ' Helper function to import CSV to an array Function ImportCSVToArray(filePath As String) As Variant Dim fso As Object Dim ts As Object Dim strData As String Dim arrData As Variant Dim row As Long Dim col As Long Dim lines As Variant Dim fields As Variant Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") Set ts = fso.OpenTextFile(filePath, 1, False) ' ForReading strData = ts.ReadAll ts.Close lines = Split(strData, vbCrLf) If UBound(lines) > -1 Then fields = Split(lines(0), ",") ReDim arrData(1 To UBound(lines) + 1, 1 To UBound(fields) + 1) For row = 0 To UBound(lines) fields = Split(lines(row), ",") For col = 0 To UBound(fields) If col <= UBound(fields) Then arrData(row + 1, col + 1) = fields(col) End If Next col Next row ImportCSVToArray = arrData Else ImportCSVToArray = Array() End If Set ts = Nothing Set fso = Nothing End Function
Locate the "Automated Finance Report.xlsm" file that you saved earlier and double-click it to open it in Microsoft Excel. You might see a security warning at the top of the Excel window indicating that macros have been disabled.
To run the automation, you need to enable the macros. If you see the security warning, click on "Enable Content". Alternatively, you can run the macro from the "Developer" tab.
If you don't see the "Developer" tab in your Excel ribbon:
Once the "Developer" tab is visible:
After running the macro, the script will import data, perform calculations, and generate output in the "Report" worksheet with several sections:
Key financial metrics for current month
Aggregated data from fiscal year start
Current vs. previous month with % change
Calculated interest expenses/income
Overview of key balance sheet accounts
Detailed loan payment breakdown
This section provides guidance on how to troubleshoot common problems that might occur while setting up or running the automation.
If you receive an error message indicating that a file was not found:
Open the VBA editor and check the file paths for the CSV files. Ensure they match your actual file locations.
For monthly Trial Balance files, verify the folder naming convention matches what the code expects (e.g., "Jan-2025").
Use Windows Explorer to confirm all required CSV files are in the specified locations.
If the automation runs but produces unexpected results:
Open CSV files in a text editor or Excel to check date formats, number formats, and for unexpected characters.
Reformat dates to a consistent standard, ensure numbers are stored as numbers (not text), and remove any unexpected characters.
If the Trial Balance data for the current month is not being processed:
Check the line of code that constructs tbFolderPath. Modify the Format function if your folder naming convention differs.
If you encounter errors while trying to run the macro:
Go to "File" > "Options" > "Trust Center" > "Trust Center Settings" > "Macro Settings". Choose appropriate security level.
When an error occurs, click "Debug" to examine variable values and step through the code to identify the issue.
Before running the finance process automation for your actual data, please ensure that you have completed the following checklist:
By confirming each item on this checklist, you will significantly increase the likelihood of a successful and accurate execution of the automated finance process.