Skip to Content

NetSuite ERP Consultant: What Alternate Range Shows Activity Before Report Start Date in NetSuite Financial Reports?

Learn which Alternate Range selection in NetSuite financial report customization displays all transactions and balances prior to the beginning report date.

Table of Contents

Question

When customizing a financial report, a user adds a column with an Alternate Range type of Relative to Report. Which Alternate Range would reflect all activity prior to the beginning of the report range (or the As Of date) of the report date?

A. Custom
B. This Period
C. Last Period
D. Balance Forward

Answer

When customizing a financial report in NetSuite and adding a column with an Alternate Range type set to “Relative to Report”, the correct option to show all activity that occurred before the start of the report’s date range or “As Of” date is:

D. Balance Forward

Explanation

The “Balance Forward” Alternate Range will include the aggregate balance of all transactions up to the day before the report start date. This allows you to see the starting point or opening balance at the beginning of the reporting period.

Here’s what the other Alternate Range options mean in this context:

A. Custom – Allows you to specify a fixed date range, not relative to the report date.
B. This Period – Shows activity only for the same period covered by the report date range.
C. Last Period – Displays activity for the period immediately preceding the report date range.

So if you wanted to create an Income Statement for Q1 and show the balance carried over from the prior year in a separate column, you would select “Balance Forward”. This column would then display the net income amount from January 1 through December 31 of the previous year.

In summary, always choose the “Balance Forward” Alternate Range when you need to include cumulative historical activity up to the start of a financial report’s time period in NetSuite. The other relative range options only cover activity within or around the report’s primary date range.

NetSuite ERP Consultant certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the NetSuite ERP Consultant exam and earn NetSuite ERP Consultant certification.