Variance Analysis by Journal Source in OfficeConnect

Break down account variances by journal source in OfficeConnect — see how much of a balance movement came from manual journals, system-generated entries, or specific subledgers.
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When a GL account balance moves unexpectedly, the first question is: what kind of journal entry caused it? Workday Financial Management categorizes journal entries by Journal Source (Manual Journal, Accounts Payable, Payroll, etc.). OfficeConnect can filter by journal source, letting you isolate the impact of each source on any account balance.

What you’ll need:

  • OfficeConnect connected to the Financials data source
  • A report showing a balance or variance you want to investigate

1. Find journal source elements in the Reporting pane

  1. Open the OfficeConnect Reporting pane. Expand Filters (or Journal Sources, depending on your OfficeConnect version). You should see a list of journal sources configured in your Workday tenant — typically including: Manual Journal, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, Fixed Assets, Intercompany, and System.
  2. If you don’t see a journal source filter, confirm with your OfficeConnect admin that the Financials data source is configured to expose journal source dimensions.

2. Build a journal source comparison report

  1. Set up a basic account report:

    • B1: Actuals version
    • B2: Reporting period (for example, April 2026)
    • A5 downward: Accounts you want to analyze (for example, Operating Expenses accounts)

  2. In the header row (row 1), add a column for each journal source you want to compare. Drag Manual Journal into C1, Accounts Payable into D1, Payroll into E1.

  3. Click B5 and copy the formula across to C5, D5, E5. Each column now filters the same account balance by its journal source.

  4. Add a Total column (F1 = “Total”) with the formula =B5+C5+D5+E5. This should match the unfiltered B column balance — if it doesn’t, there are journal sources not represented in your columns.

  5. Click Refresh. Each column shows how much of the account balance came from each journal source.

3. Identify the source of a variance

  1. To investigate a month-over-month variance, add a prior period column for each journal source:

    • B3: Current month (e.g., April 2026)
    • G3: Prior month (e.g., March 2026) — drag the prior period into G3, then copy the journal source structure from B:F into G:K
    • Add variance formulas in a final column set: =B5-G5, =C5-H5, etc.

  2. The journal source with the largest variance between months is typically the one to investigate. For example, if the Manual Journal column shows a $50,000 variance and all other sources are flat, search in Workday for manual journals posted to that account in April.

Tip: After identifying the journal source, use OfficeConnect’s drill-through to jump directly to the journal lines. See Drill Through to Workday Journal Lines for how to set up the drill-through link.