10 Hidden Gems You May Have Missed in Sage Intacct

Are You Getting the Full Value From Sage Intacct?

Sage Intacct is widely used for core financial processes such as general ledger management, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management and financial reporting.

However, many organisations use only a proportion of what the platform can offer.

The finance team may have recreated its previous accounting processes inside Sage Intacct without reviewing whether reports, dashboards, workflows and integrations could remove additional manual work.

As a result, employees may still:

• Export reports into Excel every month
• Manually calculate departmental allocations
• Search through emails for invoice approvals
• Maintain operational figures in separate spreadsheets
• Re-enter information from other applications
• Produce management reports manually
• Switch between several systems to investigate a transaction

Sage Intacct provides capabilities covering dimensional reporting, role-based dashboards, automated allocations, multi-entity consolidation, workflow customisation, application programming interfaces and artificial intelligence. Some features are included within core functionality, while others may require additional modules, licences or configuration.

Here are ten Sage Intacct features that businesses may be overlooking.

1. Dimensions Can Reduce Dependence on a Complicated Chart of Accounts

One of Sage Intacct’s most valuable features is its dimensional general ledger.

Traditional accounting systems often rely on a large chart of accounts to provide detailed reporting.

A business may create separate codes for:

• Every department
• Every office
• Every project
• Every product
• Every customer type

Over time, the chart of accounts can become difficult to understand and maintain.

Sage Intacct Dimensions allows organisations to record additional business information against transactions without creating a separate general-ledger account for every possible reporting combination.

Standard and custom dimensions can be used to analyse information by areas such as:

• Department
• Location
• Customer
• Supplier
• Employee
• Item
• Project
• Product line
• Business unit
• Region

Sage Intacct’s reporting tools can analyse financial and operational information across multiple dimensions without requiring an excessively complicated chart of accounts. Organisations can also create custom dimensions suited to their own reporting structure.

Why is this a hidden gem?

Some businesses use only one or two dimensions even though their management reports depend on several operational categories.

For example, a professional-services business could analyse revenue and costs by:

• Customer
• Project
• Consultant
• Service type
• Office

A care organisation might report by:

• Service
• Location
• Funding type
• Department
• Contract

Using dimensions consistently can allow the finance team to answer questions without creating another spreadsheet or adding more account codes.

What should you review?

Consider whether the dimensions currently used reflect how management actually evaluates the business.

Ask:

• Which questions do managers repeatedly ask?
• Which reports still require manual manipulation?
• Are employees selecting dimensions consistently?
• Are important dimensions mandatory on relevant transactions?
• Are there old dimensions that are no longer useful?
• Could a custom dimension improve reporting?

Dimensions work best when the structure is planned carefully and employees understand which values to select.

2. Statistical Accounts Can Combine Financial and Operational Data

Not every important business measure is a financial value.

Management may also want to monitor:

• Employee numbers
• Customers
• Occupied rooms
• Patient appointments
• Volunteer hours
• Square footage
• Units produced
• Subscriptions
• Deliveries
• Project hours

Sage Intacct supports statistical accounts that allow organisations to record non-financial operational quantities alongside their financial information. Sage specifically identifies statistical accounts as a capability that can support reporting, trending and allocation calculations.

This allows businesses to calculate meaningful performance indicators such as:

• Revenue per employee
• Cost per customer
• Sales per square foot
• Expense per location
• Revenue per occupied room
• Cost per appointment
• Profit per project hour
• Example: revenue per employee

A business might record monthly revenue through its normal financial accounts and employee numbers through a statistical account.

A report could then compare:

• Revenue
• Employee count
• Revenue per employee

The finance team no longer needs to export financial information and manually combine it with a separate employee spreadsheet every month.

Example: cost allocation

Statistical accounts can also provide the basis for allocations.

A shared property cost could be divided according to:

• Floor space
• Employee count
• Usage
• Number of customers
• Working hours

This may provide a more meaningful result than allocating the cost equally between every department.

What should you review?

Identify operational figures that management uses regularly but that currently live outside the finance system.

Some of those measures may be suitable for statistical accounts or for integration from another business application.

3. Reports Can Drill Down to the Underlying Transaction

Management reports often show that a figure has changed without explaining why.

A finance employee may then need to:

• Export the report.
• Open the general ledger.
• Search for the account.
• Filter the relevant period.
• Find the individual transaction.
• Locate the supporting information.

Sage Intacct’s reports and dashboards support drill-down analysis, allowing authorised users to move from a summary figure towards the transactions behind it. Sage describes its reporting as customisable and drillable, with the ability to analyse data and access source transactions for greater transparency.

For example, a manager may begin with:

Total departmental expenses

They could then investigate:

• The expense category
• The location
• The supplier
• The individual transaction
• Why is this useful?

It can reduce the number of questions passed back to the finance team.

Instead of asking finance to explain every variance, an authorised manager may be able to investigate the relevant figure directly.

This can help during:

• Management meetings
• Budget reviews
• Month-end close
• Audit preparation
• Departmental performance reviews
• Do not overlook permissions

Not every manager should automatically receive access to every transaction.

Dashboards and reports should be designed around appropriate roles.

A department manager may need visibility of their own budget and transactions without being able to view payroll, another department’s expenditure or confidential supplier information.

4. Role-Based Dashboards Can Give Each Person a Different View

A finance director, accounts payable employee and departmental manager do not need the same information.

Providing everybody with the same dashboard can create unnecessary complexity.

Sage Intacct supports role-based dashboards that can display relevant reports, performance measures and financial information. Its reporting platform includes real-time dashboards and more than 150 ready-made reports, alongside configurable financial and custom report writers.

A finance director’s dashboard might include:

• Cash position
• Revenue
• Operating expenses
• Profitability
• Budget variance
• Receivables
• Entity performance

An accounts payable dashboard might show:

• Bills awaiting approval
• Payments due
• Supplier activity
• Exceptions
• Unprocessed transactions

A department manager’s dashboard might display:

• Departmental budget
• Actual expenditure
• Commitments
• Variances
• Relevant performance indicatorsWhy is this a hidden gem?

Some organisations have Sage Intacct dashboards but still distribute static Excel or PDF management packs.

A properly designed dashboard can provide current information without waiting for somebody to recreate and email a report.

Interactive visualisation tools can also allow users to explore financial information across dimensions and identify patterns, trends and outliers.

Start with decisions, not charts

Do not add a chart simply because it looks attractive.

For each dashboard component, ask:

• Which decision does this information support?
• Who needs to see it?
• How often should it be reviewed?
• Can the user investigate the result?
• What action should be taken when the figure changes?

The best dashboard is not necessarily the one containing the most information.

It is the one that helps the user understand what requires their attention.

5. Dynamic Allocations Can Remove Repetitive Month-End Work

Allocating shared costs is a common month-end task.

A business may need to distribute:

• Rent
• Insurance
• IT costs
• Marketing costs
• Administration
• Utilities
• Shared employees
• Central services

These calculations may still be completed through spreadsheets.

The finance team exports account balances, updates formulas, checks percentages and then uploads or posts the resulting journals.

Sage Intacct Dynamic Allocations can use financial balances, statistical accounts and standard or custom dimensions as the basis for allocations. It supports recurring allocations, before-and-after snapshots and true-up processing where a later calculation replaces an earlier allocation for the same source period.

Example: allocating IT costs

A business could allocate central IT costs according to the number of employees in each department.

The process might use:

• The IT cost account as the source
• Employee numbers from statistical accounts
• Department as the destination dimension

When employee numbers change, the allocation can reflect the new information.

Why is the true-up feature useful?

Some operational information may not be final when the first allocation is completed.

A business might perform an initial allocation using estimated figures and later receive the confirmed information.

True-up functionality can help reverse and replace the earlier allocation rather than forcing the finance team to manually calculate the difference.

Before automating allocations

Confirm:

• The reason for the allocation
• The chosen basis
• Which accounts and dimensions are involved
• How exceptions should be handled
• Who will review the result
• Whether the method remains appropriate over time

Automation can repeat an incorrect allocation just as efficiently as a correct one.

6. Custom Fields, Tabs and Workflows Can Adapt Intacct to Your Processes

Every organisation records information that is specific to its own operations.

This may include:

• Internal approval categories
• Contract references
• Customer classifications
• Funding information
• Compliance statuses
• Additional project details
• Supplier risk ratings

Sage Intacct Platform Services can support custom fields, tabs and reports so organisations can capture and analyse business-specific information. It can also support configurable workflows and custom applications using additional data tables and business logic.

Example: supplier onboarding

A business could add fields covering:

• Insurance confirmed
• Contract reviewed
• Security assessment completed
• Approved by
• Review date
• Supplier category

A workflow could then control how the record progresses before the supplier becomes approved for use.

Example: customer classification

A professional-services firm might classify customers by:

• Sector
• Contract type
• Account manager
• Risk category
• Service level

This information could then be used in reports and dashboards alongside the customer’s financial activity.

Avoid unnecessary customisation

Customisation should solve a genuine business requirement.

Too many custom fields can make data entry slower and produce information that nobody uses.

Before adding a field, ask:

• Who will complete it?
• Is the value available at the time of entry?
• Is it mandatory?
• Which report or decision will use it?
• Who owns the information?
• How will accuracy be checked?

Custom workflows should also be documented so they do not depend entirely on the person who originally created them.

7. Sage Collaborate Can Keep Financial Discussions with the Transaction

Finance teams often investigate transactions through email or messaging applications.

A typical conversation may involve:

• A manager questioning an expense
• Finance requesting supporting evidence
• A supplier query
• A missing project code
• A request for clarification
• An approval decision

Months later, somebody may need to understand why the transaction was processed in a particular way.

The relevant explanation may be hidden inside an employee’s email account.

Sage identifies Sage Collaborate as a way for teams to communicate around financial work and resolve issues in real time. It is presented as part of Intacct’s core financial capabilities in relevant product configurations.

Keeping the discussion closer to the financial process can help provide better context and reduce reliance on disconnected email conversations.

• Potential benefits include:
• Faster resolution of queries
• Clearer ownership
• Less internal email
• Better context
• Improved audit evidence
• Easier handover between employees
• Consider confidentiality

Comments and attachments may contain sensitive information.

The organisation should review:

• Who can view the transaction
• Who can participate in the discussion
• What information employees are allowed to include
• How long records are retained
• Whether external participants are permitted

Employees should not place passwords, bank-security information or unnecessarily sensitive personal information into collaboration messages.

8. AP Automation Can Reduce Manual Invoice Entry

Accounts payable teams may spend significant time:

• Reading supplier invoices
• Entering invoice details
• Identifying the correct supplier
• Matching purchase orders
• Checking duplicates
• Applying account codes
• Applying dimensions
• Routing bills for approval

Sage’s current AP Automation agent can automate aspects of bill entry, including supplier matching, purchase-order matching, account and dimension coding, duplicate detection and creation of draft bills for review and approval.

Why is this useful?

Manual invoice processing can create:

• Data-entry mistakes
• Duplicate payments
• Delayed approvals
• Poor visibility
• Time-consuming checking

Automation can allow the accounts payable team to focus more attention on:

• Exceptions
• Supplier queries
• Approval delays
• Cash planning
• Unusual transactions
• Human review remains important

A draft created by automation should still be reviewed according to the organisation’s controls.

The reviewer may need to confirm:

• The supplier is genuine
• The bank details are expected
• Goods or services were received
• The value is correct
• The account and dimensions are appropriate
• The invoice has not already been processed
• The approver has sufficient authority

Invoice automation should not allow a fraudulent invoice to bypass the normal approval process.

Availability may vary

AI and automation capabilities can depend on the organisation’s Sage Intacct edition, modules, region and deployment timetable.

Confirm current licensing and availability before designing a process that depends on a particular agent.

9. Multi-Entity Features Can Do More Than Produce a Consolidated Report

Many organisations use Sage Intacct because they operate several:

• Companies
• Locations
• Funds
• Business units
• Subsidiaries
• Legal entities

The obvious benefit is consolidated reporting, but the multi-entity capabilities can provide more than a single group-level profit and loss statement.

Sage Intacct can allow new entities to inherit suitable lists, process definitions and charts of accounts while still supporting entity-specific configurations.

Its consolidation capabilities can support:

• Multi-level ownership structures
• Multiple reporting books
• Currency translation
• Dimensions
• Automated elimination entries
• Non-controlling interest calculations
• Traceable consolidation adjustments

Why is this a hidden gem?

Some groups still manage intercompany activity and eliminations through spreadsheets even though the relevant structures could be configured within Sage Intacct.

The finance team may also be maintaining separate lists and processes for every entity when some information could be managed consistently across the group.

Areas to review include:

• Shared suppliers
• Shared customers
• Chart-of-accounts consistency
• Intercompany transactions
• Elimination rules
• Currency translation
• Group-level dimensions
• Entity-level permissions
• Consolidated dashboards

The design should preserve necessary legal-entity controls while avoiding unnecessary duplication.

10. The Open API and Marketplace Can Reduce Double Entry

Sage Intacct should not necessarily operate as an isolated accounting system.

The finance team may need information from:

• Customer relationship management systems
• Payroll
• Expenses
• Ecommerce
• Property-management systems
• Project applications
• Point-of-sale systems
• Banks
• Budgeting platforms
• Industry-specific software

Without integration, employees may:

• Export CSV files
• Reformat spreadsheets
• Upload journals
• Enter information twice
• Correct differences between systems

Sage Intacct provides an open web-services API with more than 300 supported API methods. Sage states that its platform was designed to connect with other applications and that Intacct’s business logic and granular controls can apply to transactions created through its web services.

The Sage Intacct Marketplace also lists hundreds of integration partners across different business functions.

Integration examples

A business might connect:

• CRM opportunities to customer and contract processes
• Payroll totals to the general ledger
• Approved expenses to accounts payable
• Ecommerce orders to order management
• Project activity to billing
• Operational information to statistical accounts
• Banking information to cash management
• Integration does not automatically mean automation is safe

Before connecting systems, define:

• Which system owns each piece of information
• How duplicates will be prevented
• Which records can be created or updated
• What happens when an integration fails
• How errors will be reported
• Who monitors the connection
• How access credentials are protected
• How changes will be tested

An unnoticed integration failure can create incomplete reporting or delay important transactions.

Every important connection should have a named owner and an agreed support process.

Bonus: Review the Newer AI and Close Capabilities

Sage Intacct continues to introduce AI-supported finance capabilities.

Sage currently highlights agents covering areas including:

• Financial intelligence
• Accounts payable automation
• Financial close
• Assurance and anomaly detection

The Close agent is designed to track close tasks and flag issues, while the Assurance agent monitors financial information for possible anomalies, errors and reconciliation differences.

These tools may help finance teams spend less time gathering information and more time reviewing exceptions and making decisions.

However, businesses should not enable AI simply because it is available.

Start with questions such as:

• Which manual task are we trying to reduce?
• How will the output be checked?
• Who remains accountable?
• Which information can the service access?
• How will exceptions be handled?
• What measurable benefit do we expect?

Availability and licensing should be confirmed with Sage or the organisation’s Sage Intacct partner.

How Can You Identify Underused Sage Intacct Features?

Begin by reviewing the work completed outside Sage Intacct.

Look for:

• Regular Excel exports
• Repeated manual journals
• Separate operational spreadsheets
• Email-based approvals
• Duplicate data entry
• Manual consolidations
• Repetitive month-end calculations
• Reports that take several days to prepare
• Information that managers repeatedly request from finance

For each process, ask:

• Why is the work being completed outside Sage Intacct?
• Does an existing feature already address it?
• Would a configuration change help?
• Is an additional module required?
• Would integration be more appropriate?
• Does the process still need to exist?

The goal should not be to move every task into Sage Intacct.

It should be to remove unnecessary manual work while maintaining suitable financial controls.

• Common Reasons Features Remain Unused
• The system was configured to match the old software

During implementation, businesses may focus on reproducing existing reports and processes.

This can result in newer Sage Intacct capabilities being overlooked.

Employees have not received ongoing training

Users may know how to complete their daily tasks but not understand the wider reporting, dashboard or automation options.

Nobody owns continuous improvement

Once the system is live, responsibility may shift entirely towards maintaining daily finance operations.

No one is given time to review whether the system could be improved.

Custom reports feel risky

Employees may continue using Excel because they are concerned about changing an established report inside the finance system.

Licensing is unclear

The business may not know which features are included, which require additional subscriptions and which have already been purchased.

Data quality is inconsistent

Automation and reporting depend on accurate dimensions, suppliers, customers and transactions.

Poor data quality may prevent the business from trusting the output.

Create a Sage Intacct Improvement Plan

A practical improvement project could include the following stages.

1. List manual finance processes

Record which tasks still involve spreadsheets, emails or repeated data entry.

2. Review reports and dimensions

Identify which reports are used and whether the current dimensional structure supports management’s questions.

3. Review users and dashboards

Confirm that each role receives the information it needs without unnecessary access.

4. Review allocations and recurring work

Identify month-end calculations that could be automated.

5. Review operational metrics

Consider whether statistical accounts or integrations could bring useful non-financial measures into reporting.

6. Review approvals and collaboration

Find processes currently managed through email and assess whether Intacct workflows could provide better control.

7. Review integrations

Identify information being re-entered between systems.

8. Confirm licensing

Establish which capabilities are available within the current subscription and which would involve additional investment.

9. Start with one improvement

Choose a process with a clear owner, measurable benefit and manageable level of risk.

10. Measure the result

Track:

• Time saved
• Errors reduced
• Reports eliminated
• Faster approvals
• Shorter close time
• Improved visibility
• User satisfaction
• Do Not Overcomplicate Sage Intacct

Powerful platforms can become difficult to use when every possible feature is introduced at the same time.

Avoid:

• Creating dimensions that nobody understands
• Adding unnecessary custom fields
• Building reports with no clear audience
• Automating unapproved processes
• Giving managers excessive access
• Creating integrations without monitoring
• Replacing every spreadsheet regardless of purpose
• Enabling AI without defined oversight

Every change should address a clear business problem.

Simple, well-managed processes are normally more valuable than complex features that employees avoid using.

How Can Hamilton Group Help?

At Hamilton Group, we help businesses ensure the technology surrounding their financial systems is secure, reliable and properly integrated.

We can assist with:

• IT infrastructure supporting Sage Intacct
• Microsoft 365 integration
• Identity and access security
• Multifactor authentication
• Secure employee devices
• Microsoft Intune
• Microsoft Defender
• Integration planning
• API and automation security
• Backup and business continuity
• Network and internet resilience
• Supplier coordination
• Managed IT support
• Cyber security monitoring

We can work alongside your finance team, Sage Intacct partner and other software suppliers to help identify technical issues involving:

• User access
• Device security
• Remote working
• Application integrations
• Data flows
• Network performance
• Supplier responsibilities
• Business continuity

At Hamilton Group, we aim to make first contact on IT support requests within 15 minutes, helping reduce the time employees spend waiting when important business systems are unavailable.

Sage Intacct can provide much more than basic accounting.

The greatest value often comes from the features that reduce manual processes, connect financial and operational information and give decision-makers clearer access to the information they need.

Contact Hamilton Group to discuss the wider IT, integration and cyber security requirements surrounding your Sage Intacct environment.

Call us on 0330 043 0069 or book an appointment with one of our experts.