Configuring accruals
Accruals are system-generated estimates. The estimates are generated for missing consumption or cost data in accounts.
Gaps in data typically are missing data records in historical data. The gaps might occur because an invoice is missing or the latest invoice is not yet available.
In IBM® Envizi ESG Suite, accrued consumption data is derived either from the average historical consumption or from linked interval meter data. Accrued cost data is derived by using either historical cost data or the latest invoice that was received.
Accruals are stored in the platform along with monthly actual data. Similar to actual data, accruals can be used in reporting of consumption, emissions, energy and cost.
Envizi ESG Suite provides built-in methodologies for calculating
consumption and cost accruals. In general, accruals are generated based on a daily average value
from a specified historical period, which is multiplied by the number of missing days in the month.
This calculation is represented as:
Accrual
= Historical
daily average value over a time period
* Number of missing
days
Note:
- Months are counted from the current month inclusively, regardless of the last actual data point that is loaded into the account. The period is not relative to missing data gaps.
- You can change the accrual methodology by using the user interface. However, any changes are applied to the existing data set in the next calendar month. If you want to apply the change immediately, contact the Envizi ESG Suite support team.
- If your organization uses interval meter data to generate accruals for accounts and an account is linked to a physical meter, then interval meter data is used to calculate accruals, regardless of the methodology that is selected for the associated account style.
- When actual data is entered for a period that includes accrued data, the accrued data is cleared. The actual data is used instead in reporting.
- Accruals are generated for account data and not meter data.
- In Envizi ESG Suite, you can specify a lock down date, which means that you can lock data before a predefined date. If this option is enabled, calculated accrued data is also stored and locked down in the platform.