Insert data using the Cloud Connector pane

Note: Your firm administrator must purchase and enable Caseware Cloud Connector for your account.

You can use the right pane to retrieve and insert data from the engagement into the Excel file.

Note that your starting point is always the Documents page:

Go to the Documents page.
Open the Excel file.
Select the Datalink icon from the ribbon.

A pane opens on the right side showing two data source links: Trial Balance and Properties.

To insert trial balance data:

Select the cell where you want to insert trial balance group data.
Go to the right pane and locate the desired group under the Trial Balance tab. Use the down arrows () to expand parent groups if needed.

Tip: You can also use the search field at the top. You can search by group name or group number.
Use the filters () to select which columns you want to add for the group and its subgroups. Available filter options include:
- Consolidated / Non-consolidated
- Year to date / Current period
- Show group and account names
- Show zero-balance items
- Show group number
Select the Add groups and subgroups icon () next to the group.

The group you selected and all its subgroups are inserted in the file.

To insert an engagement property:

Select the cell where you want to insert an engagement property.
Go to the right pane and select the Properties tab.
Locate the engagement property that you want to insert.

Tip: You can also use the search field at the top.
Select the Insert Property Link icon ().

The information is fetched from the engagement and inserted in the cell.

To insert a firm property:

Select the cell where you want to insert an engagement property.
Go to the right pane and select the Properties tab.
Scroll down to the Firm Properties section.
Select the Insert Property Link icon () to insert the Firm name or the Firm address.

The information is fetched from the engagement and inserted in the cell.

Tips:
You can use operators with Cloud Connector formulas to perform calculations.
#BUSY! means that it's taking a few moments to load the data into the cell.
#VALUE! means that the data cannot be found. For example, if the firm address has not been entered, #VALUE! displays in the cell.

Note: Do not forget to save your excel file once you're done. If you want to share a copy of the current excel file and do not want the data to update as the engagement file is updated, you can use the Duplicate & Unlink option. This will create a copy of the spreadsheets that does not include formulas which you can use to backup information or send it to clients. Note that protected sheets cannot be duplicated.

To insert entity and dimension IDs

You can insert entity and dimension identifiers using Cloud Connector. This lets you add static values such as entity name, entity ID, dimension name, dimension category ID and dimension ID without manually copying values from Caseware Cloud.

Inserted values are static and do not change if the source entity or dimension name changes later in Cloud. This supports more reliable reporting structures, especially for engagements that use many entities, deep hierarchies or multiple dimensions. In addition, inserted identifiers are engagement-specific. They don’t automatically remap when an Excel file is reused in another engagement.

The insertion behavior is similar to inserting data from the trial balance, including how the sheet adjusts when there is limited space.

Select the cell where you want to insert entity or dimension ID.
Go to the right pane and locate the desired group, under the Trial Balance tab. Use the down arrows () to expand parent groups.
Select the entity or dimension row that you wish to add to your Excel sheet.

To insert balances from specific reporting periods

You can insert balances from a specific reporting period into Excel for comparative analysis in an interim engagement (quarterly, semi-annual, or monthly). Examples of specific reporting period balances include the period's year-to-date, isolated period movement, and prior-year equivalents.

Note that this feature does not work with Budget (revised and initial) tax balances.

Select the cell where you want to insert the balances.
Go to the right pane and, under the Trial Balance tab, select the applicable reporting period.
Select the balance that you wish to add to your Excel sheet.

Balance types

You can link balance types from Cloud Engagements into your Excel document.

List of balance types for both current year and prior year 1:

Planning
Prelim (Prelimary)
Adjustments
Eliminating
Final

Additional balance types (current year only):

Initial Budget
Revised Budget
Federal Tax Adjustments
State Tax Adjustments
Local Tax Adjustments
Tax Final

Notes

Interim Planning, PY2, PY3, and PY4 do not support adjustments or preliminary balances.
Budget balances (Initial Budget and Revised Budget) are only available when budgets are enabled in Product Settings. Only current year budget balances are shown in the pane.
Tax balance types are available at both the account and group level when the engagement uses a tax grouping structure.
Parent balances cannot be added.
Only the specified balance types are supported.

To insert balance types:

Select the cell where you want to insert the balance.
Go to the right pane and locate the desired group under the Trial Balance tab.
Use the balance type dropdown to select the balance you want to insert (e.g., Final, Planning, Initial Budget).
Select Add groups and subgroups to insert the data.

Duplicate & Unlink feature

The Duplicate & Unlink feature allows users to easily share files with clients and contacts by unlinking documents that have been pre-populated by Cloud Connector.

Select the area in the MS Excel sheet that you want to copy, then click Duplicate & Unlink.

This will automatically unlink the selected sheet and create a duplicate with unlinked values. You can copy the duplicate to whichever app (e.g. Word) you want to use to create reports for your clients.