Waterfall charts
View how to bridge revenue to profit, explain plan versus actual variance and trace each bar to its data.
How waterfall charts work in Drivetrain
Every bar in a Drivetrain waterfall comes from a metric you already track. Build the chart, make it match your brand and trace any number back to its source.
Read a revenue to EBITDA waterfall
- Start from revenue as the opening block and end with EBITDA as the final block.
- Show costs such as COGS and operating expenses as floating bars in between.
- Add subtotals such as gross profit along the way.
Click any bar to see the underlying data
- Open the records behind any bar, pulled from your ERP or other data source.
- Trace numbers and check the logic behind the chart.
Build a waterfall report from your metrics
- Create a new report, choose Waterfall, and pick a build up or variance chart.
- Add metrics in the order you want them to appear, and reorder them by drag and drop.
- Invert costs so they subtract, mark subtotals and set the ending block.
Customize the chart's look, title and filters
- Add data labels and connecting lines between bars.
- Match colors to your brand from the palette or with hex codes.
- Give the chart a title and description, and add filters such as scenario.
Explain plan versus actuals with a variance waterfall
- Start from plan and end at actuals.
- Show each part of a dimension, such as each region, as a positive variance, a negative variance or no change.
- See which parts of the business drove the gap and by how much.
How Drivetrain simplifies waterfall charts
Build bridges from revenue to profit on live numbers, instead of rebuilding chart formulas by hand in spreadsheets.
See which regions or line items drove the gap between plan and actuals, not just the totals.
Click any bar to see the data behind it, so every number in the chart can be traced and checked.
FAQs
What kinds of waterfall charts can Drivetrain build?
Two kinds. A build up waterfall shows how a starting value, such as revenue, flows to an ending value, such as EBITDA. A variance waterfall shows how plan turns into actuals across a dimension, such as region.
Can Drivetrain show the data behind a waterfall bar?
Yes. Click any bar to see the underlying data, with values coming from your ERP or other data source, so you can trace numbers and check the logic.
How does Drivetrain handle costs that should subtract in a waterfall?
You choose. Mark metrics such as COGS and operating expenses as inverted so they subtract instead of add. You can also mark lines such as gross profit as subtotals and set the ending block.
Can Drivetrain explain which regions drove the variance between plan and actuals?
Yes. A variance waterfall starts with the plan, shows each region as a positive or negative variance, and ends with actuals, so you can see which regions drove the gap and by how much.
Can Drivetrain match waterfall charts to our brand colors?
Yes. Pick colors from the palette or enter hex codes. You can also add data labels and connecting lines.
Can Drivetrain filter a waterfall chart by scenario?
Yes. When you set up the chart, you can add filters, for example by scenario.
See Drivetrain in action
Fewer spreadsheets, faster planning, better decisions.
