# Which Xero reports cover small business needs, and when does a spreadsheet come in?

<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">I've been working out which <a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/xero/reviews">Xero</a> reports cover small business needs, and where a spreadsheet tends to come in. Across recent G2 reviews, the everyday set comes straight out of Xero: profit and loss, management figures and reconciliation views, built on bank reconciliation that runs automatically and figures that are real-time. Formula blocks let people shape custom layouts without leaving it. The spreadsheet appears for deeper analysis, such as profitability by project, client or product line, which some businesses export each month.</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">For <a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/accounting">accounting</a> software, reporting needs tend to fall into three groups:</p><ol>
<li>Month-end and tax figures. Built in, and dependable because the data is already reconciled.</li>
<li>Management packs with a custom layout. Formula blocks cover most of these.</li>
<li>Profitability by project or client. Usually finished in a spreadsheet, starting from Xero's clean numbers.</li>
</ol><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">That split works well for most small businesses, since the first two groups are what owners and accountants use every month.</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Which reports do you run straight from Xero? And has anything moved out of a spreadsheet since you started using formula blocks?</p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: 1 day ago
- Author title: Marketing Executive
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

Starting from numbers that are already reconciled is what makes the first two groups feel dependable, since bank reconciliation running automatically means the monthly figures are ready without a cleanup step first. Formula blocks covering custom management layouts is the part worth highlighting for small businesses, because that’s often where a spreadsheet would otherwise come in. Project or client profitability being finished in a spreadsheet from Xero’s clean export seems like a sensible division of labour.

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: about 9 hours ago
- Author title: Tech Consultant





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