Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I open Vena?

We now have single sign on enabled so please use this link https://colart.vena.io. It should log you right in (without a username and password screen).

Q: How do you open a template in Vena?

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT

Make sure you are starting from within Vena to open a file. On the task list screen, click on a task and go to the template within the task. Click the input data button.

When you open a template from Vena, it will either automatically save the file to your Downloads folder (screenshot below) or ask you where you want to save it. The location you save the file doesn’t matter. The file is only saved to your hard drive so you can open it in Excel. All the important data is saved through the Vena365 add-in (the Excel add-in that connects your Excel file to Vena). This is where you will save your changes back to Vena—not to your hard drive. Once you close the file on your computer, you won’t need to navigate back to where you saved it. The next time you want to access the template, you must reopen it from the Vena web browser to ensure it connects to Vena365 again. The file saved to your hard drive will no longer be connected to Vena once it’s closed, so reopening it from your hard drive won’t work.

Q: How do you save information to Vena and close the template?

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT

You DO NOT save the file the traditional way you save an Excel file. You need to save the data back to Vena 365 by pressing on the ‘Save Data to Vena’ button.

When your inputs are complete, you need to save your data back to Vena by doing the following:

• Select the Save Data button in the Vena ribbon.
• To ensure that the data is successfully saved to Vena, refresh the sheet by selecting Refresh. Note that if the edits are present on the file, the data is successfully saved.
• Once you’ve completed your inputs, close the file.

Q: Is the right pane (Vena 365) missing the first time you open Vena?

Yes, the first time you open it, it will ask if you trust the add-in, and you just need to say yes. After that, you should be able to see it on the right-hand side. Also, check the Insert tab where you should see the Vena 365 icon added.

Note: If you need help enabling developer mode for add-ins, please contact your local IT department.

Q: How do you change, add or remove columns in your to-do list?

To select which columns to show, click the gear settings icon.

Use checkboxes to choose the specific columns you want.

Q: What are the different types and roles?

There are 2 types of tasks:

• Input – means that the data needs to be input in here. The owner needs to input the information and submit it.
• Review – means that the data in the template needs to be reviewed. You can put in comments to the owner and then you can approve the information.

There are 3 different roles:

• Owner – You are responsible for the task (Whether it’s input or review) and you can submit the task.
• Support worker – You can make changes in the template, but you can’t submit the task.
• Watcher – You can view the task (aka you can see what is in the template) but you can’t make changes or submit it.

Tasks can have multiple Owners or Support Workers working on a file at once.

Scenarios using Type & Roles

• If it is an input task and you are the owner, it is your responsibility to input the data into the template.
• If it is an input task and you are the support worker or the watcher, you are NOT responsible for inputting data to complete the task. You can view the template and make changes, but you can’t submit the task.
• If it is a review task and you are the owner, you are responsible to review the task (in this case, reviewing a completed template), leave comments if needed, and accept or reject the task.
• If it is a review task and you are the support worker or the watcher, you are NOT responsible to review the task (in this case, reviewing a completed template). You can view the template but you cannot make changes or leave comments.

Q: Who handles/assigns tasks and roles in Vena?

The heads of finance in each division.

Q: Can multiple people be editing the same file at the same time?

No, only one person can edit the file at a time. That is why when you are done with a template, you should hit ‘return file’ so in case someone else needs to get into the file to do any edits. Even though two people cannot edit at the same time, someone can view it while another person is editing it. We may have functionality in the future to make this more collaborative, but for now only 1 person can be in a file editing it at a time.

Q: On a template, how do you add line item detail?

The Line-Item Details function lets you add this additional breakdown to your inputs.

• In the template, select the cell of the Account you want to add details to.
• In the Vena 365 task pane, select Data Input Tools, then Add Line-Item Detail.

[Insert Screenshot: Example of adding Line-Item Detail]

• A new row will be added. Enter a description and add data to the input cells, then save and refresh the template.
• The Line-Item Detail row has now been added to the template and the data has been saved to Vena.

Say for example I want to add travel for Steph, Megan and Oscar. Please see below how it will look:

If you want to remove a line item, click the minus sign, delete the values you originally added, then save the data to Vena and refresh. The line will be removed.

Q: How do you switch between comparison scenarios?

Make sure before you switch, you click on the save data to vena button. If you go to "Choose," it will take you back to the screen where you can change the scenario period.

Q: Can you have multiple comparison scenarios at one time?

Currently the functionality does not allow for multiple comparison scenarios at one time. So you need to switch back and forth if you want to see different comparison scenarios to compare BU25 to.

Q: Will Budget 2025 be archived in Vena after we're done?

Yes, it will be archived as Budget 2025 so you can use it for comparison when completing FC1.

Q: Why doesn’t my template show numbers for FC2?

If they’re missing, the data hasn’t been uploaded yet. It will be uploaded soon.

Q: Can you save formulas in the input cells?

No formulas will be saved in the input cells after you save and refresh. Only the numbers that are in the input cells will be saved as hard-coded numbers. So if the cell has a formula of “=1000/10”, it won’t save the formula “=1000/10”, it will only save the number produced by that formula (which is 100).

Q: Can you save your modeling / calculations into the template?

Yes, we strongly encourage you to do all your modeling/calculations directly within Vena by using scratch pads. Any modeling/calculations you used to do offline, we encourage you to use a scratch pad and keep it within the template.

Q: Do scratch pads stay in the file once you save data to Vena and close?

Yes, they remain in your file.

Q: Once the balance sheet is built, will the drill-down function show the P&L source that caused the balance sheet entry?

In the balance sheet template, there will be two sections: 'P&L to Balance Sheet' and 'Balance Sheet to Balance Sheet.' In the 'P&L to Balance Sheet' section, you’ll be able to see the source of the balance sheet entry.

Q: What is the difference between ‘drill saves’ and ‘audit trail’?

You use drill saves to see the changes to the intersection (one cell in the template). You use audit trail to see all the changes to an entire template.

Q: Do we select anything for columns J, K, and L in the template?

For BU25, we have scoped the Balance Sheet sections out so you do not need to worry about this. Once we have the B/S sections working within Vena, selecting information in these columns will be a finance function.

Q: How are my codes automatically flagged for currency type (dollars, sterling, euros), and how does that work?

When budgeting in Vena, you don't need to manually flag currencies. The system automatically determines the local currency based on the division or region you're working with. For instance, US divisions use dollars, while UK divisions use pounds.

Q: We are currently building in our Excel file (historical one we have been using). Can we just cut and paste the information from our Excel file into a scratch pad to keep within the file?

Yes, you can copy and paste data between your Excel file and Vena's scratchpad. Just click the scratchpad button to create a new sheet in your Vena task, then copy from Excel and paste it into the scratchpad. Each scratchpad is linked to a specific template in Vena.

Q: Can we give partial access to support workers, limiting them to specific GL codes or accounts?

Yes, you can give partial access in Vena. Access is mainly controlled by division and cost center, but it can be customized by specific details like account/GL code, facility, or project code. This means you can allow either high-level or detailed access as needed.

Q: If I add numbers to a row and then zero them out, will I lose the entire row when I save, or will it stay since it appears to be a fixed row?

None of the rows are technically fixed. They are pre-populated because they contain data from the comparison scenario in the current template. For example, travel costs will show up if there is relevant data in that row.

Q: How do I add a missing account to the template, and what should I keep in mind when doing so?

To add a missing account to an existing group, keep in mind that accounts will only show up in the template if there are amounts in either the current budget period or the comparison scenario. In the Vena 365 pane under Data Input Tools, select the Insert Row icon. Make sure to fill out all the necessary information completely, then click "Insert Row" and the new row will appear.

Q: What is the difference between 1) adding line item detail, 2) adding a row with the 'insert row' feature and 3) adding a grouping with the ‘Input Missing AARO groupings’ section at the bottom?

I will use the travel cost (42210001) account for this example…

• You add line item detail if you want to add detail onto an already existing account in the template. If you want to add detail for specific employees that will be traveling in BU25, you can add line item detail for the individual employees.

[Insert Screenshot: Example of adding line item detail for account 42210001]

• If you are missing the 42210001 account from your template (but the 4221 travel cost grouping is there), you would use the 'insert row' feature to add this account.

[Insert Screenshot: Example of inserting a row for account 42210001]

• If you are missing the 4221 travel cost grouping completely, you would need to add the grouping in using the ‘Input Missing AARO Groupings’ section at the bottom. This would typically be rare and only necessary if you need to budget for a completely new category of expense.

[Insert Screenshot: Example of adding missing AARO groupings]

Q: Once all these templates are submitted, will we need to extract them somehow to load them into AARO?

No, Vena handles everything automatically. The data is organized into the needed view, and the finance team can access it immediately in their preferred format. Reports are pre-built for finance, and all information is instantly available in AARO format.

Q: When should I click ‘submit task’?

Click ‘submit task’ only when you are done with the template completely and want it to now be submitted to a reviewer.

Q: Once it goes through the review process, how do we access the forecast template again if it's no longer on our To-Do List?

In Vena Web, go to the ‘View Only’ tab, then click ‘View File’. The Vena Excel file will start downloading.