Inspect
Creates inspection.json and suggested_recipe.json from the sales file.
Plugin for accountants
Variance Analysis
Maps the sales file, runs standard and root-cause sales variance analysis, and explains the business drivers.
Use it on CSV, TSV, PSV or Excel sales files. It calculates period deltas first, then adds price-volume-mix, net sales, discount, COGS, margin and root-cause variance views when the mapped columns support them.
From sales data to variance drivers
The workflow prepares reviewable files and highlights movements, caveats and main drivers.
Calculate
The scripts always calculate the selected period comparison, then add price-volume-mix, discount, COGS, margin and root-cause variance analysis when the mapped data supports them.
Explain
Turns the audit outputs into a concise accountant review, highlighting the largest reconciled drivers and caveats.
For root-cause analysis, the calculation starts at the lowest mapped grain, builds combinations of the selected dimensions, removes overlapping parent-child rows, then writes each remaining driver as a variance type and amount.
Say "run the standard variance analysis" for the normal output. Say "run variance analysis and add root-cause variance analysis" when you want the deeper dimension-combination output.
Reviewable outputs
Every run leaves files that can be inspected, rerun and challenged.
- inspection.json
- suggested_recipe.json
- variance_results.csv
- variance_results.xlsx (when available)
- variance_audit.json
- variance_summary.md
- waterfall.png
- codex_business_analysis.md
- used_recipe.json
- root_cause_bridge.csv (when requested)
Root-Cause Variance Analysis
This analysis explains the movement from baseline to comparison with driver rows built from dimension combinations, such as product, customer or region.
Starter prompts for beta users
Start from a concrete sales file and run inspection, mapping, calculation and explanation.
-
Standard variance analysis
Use Variance Analysis on /path/sales.xlsx. Language: en. Inspect columns first, state inferred defaults, ask only about unresolved mappings, then generate variance results, summary and audit trail. -
Net sales and margin analysis
Use Variance Analysis on /path/sales.csv. Language: en. Include discounts and COGS if present. Ask only essential mapping questions, then explain the largest price, volume, mix and margin drivers. -
Root-cause variance analysis
Run Variance Analysis on /path/sales.xlsx. Add root-cause variance analysis across supported dimensions, then write a short accountant interpretation.
Plugin package
The same ZIP installs Plugins4Accountants; then run Variance Analysis on your sales file.