Subcategories
This article explains how subcategories work in Model Reef and how to use them to add useful reporting detail without cluttering your top level categories.
You will learn:
What subcategories are and how they differ from categories.
How to assign subcategories to variables.
When to create a new subcategory vs a new category.
How subcategories show up in reports and dashboards.
Subcategories give you a second layer of structure beneath each category, so you can zoom in on detail without breaking the overall layout.
What subcategories are
A subcategory is a label that sits inside a category and groups variables more finely. For example:
Category:
Revenue - RecurringSubcategories:
Subscriptions,Maintenance,Support
Category:
Opex - MarketingSubcategories:
Paid Search,Paid Social,Brand,Events
Each variable has exactly one category, and may optionally have one subcategory under that category.
Subcategories do not change accounting behaviour. They only affect how variables are grouped and displayed inside their parent category.
Categories vs subcategories in practice
Think of it this way:
Categories define the main lines you want to see in your P&L, Balance Sheet and Cashflow.
Subcategories provide extra breakdowns inside those main lines.
For example, in your P&L you might show:
Revenue - Recurring
Revenue - Non Recurring
COGS - Direct
Opex - Marketing
Opex - Staff
Opex - Other
Inside Opex - Marketing, subcategories can tell you how that spend is distributed without adding lots of new top level lines.
Assigning subcategories to variables
When creating or editing a variable, you can:
Choose its category.
Optionally choose or create a subcategory within that category.
For example:
A Google Ads cost variable could be:
Type: Opex
Category:
Opex - MarketingSubcategory:
Paid Search
A Facebook Ads cost variable could be:
Type: Opex
Category:
Opex - MarketingSubcategory:
Paid Social
In reports, you will be able to see both:
Total
Opex - Marketing.The breakdown by subcategory if you expand or drill down.
When to use subcategories instead of new categories
Use a subcategory rather than a new category when:
The costs or revenues are variations of the same conceptual thing.
You want them to roll up to the same main line in high level reports.
You only occasionally need to see the detailed breakdown.
Create a new category when:
The item is conceptually different and deserves its own main line.
You expect to analyse or present it separately at a high level.
It has different economic behaviour you want to keep distinct in reports.
As a rule of thumb, keep the category list small and delegate detail to subcategories.
How subcategories appear in reports and dashboards
Depending on the report or dashboard, you can:
Show only categories, with subcategories hidden.
Expand a category to see subcategory level detail.
Build custom reports that group by subcategory within one or more categories.
Chart subcategory series side by side, for example different marketing channels.
Subcategories give you extra analytical power without forcing you to look at dozens of lines by default.
Editing and reclassifying subcategories
You can change the subcategory of a variable at any time.
When you do:
All historical and forecast values for that variable will move to the new subcategory inside the same category.
Top level category totals will remain unchanged.
Reports that show subcategories will immediately reflect the new grouping.
This makes it easy to refine naming as your understanding of the business evolves.
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