A Group is a selection of Categories. Groups are used for specifying which Categories are to be included in a report. Instead of including every category in a report, you can use groups to choose just some of the Categories.
You may specify up to 26 groups, giving them each a title of your choosing. These groups are listed in the group field and you may select one to assign to a category or create your own by selecting the Edit Groups icon, on the function bar at the top of the Setup Categories screen. In addition to the 26 user defined groups there are also 4 pre-set groups from which to select.
An example of why you would choose to assign your Categories to groups would be as follows. Imagine assigning for your business all the fixed costs to one group and all the variable costs to another group. At report time, you could then get a report showing either only your fixed costs, only your variable costs or all costs – it is the groups that give this flexibility.
There are 4 pre-set groups within Phoenix, Non Operating, Capital & Development, Fund Transfer and Equity groups.
The Fund Transfers group is automatically used by Phoenix when transferring funds between accounts. You should not need to use this group yourself apart from selecting or unselecting it at report time to include or exclude transfers.
The Equity group is a pre-defined group established within Phoenix for you to assign all personal or non-business related Categories. It is the only decision that needs to be made during the set-up phase to ensure an accurate report on Profit and Loss.
You may alter the names of groups at any time. You may also change which Cash Book Categories are assigned to a particular group.
Note 1: The use of groups is optional. You may ignore groups when starting off your financial records. You may begin using groups at any time.
Note 2: A Category can be a member of more than one Group, unless it is assigned to Fund Transfers.
