Analytic Accounting in Odoo 18
By Braincuber Team
Published on December 28, 2025
CFOs reviewing P&L statements can't answer "which project is profitable?" because general ledger only tracks revenue/expenses by account type not project, department managers don't know their actual spend vs budget until month-end when accounting closes books, and multi-project companies can't allocate shared costs like office rent 30% Project A, 70% Project B—making strategic decisions impossible without granular cost tracking beyond standard accounting.
Odoo 18 Analytic Accounting enables multi-dimensional cost tracking with analytic plans defining tracking dimensions (Project/Department/Region), analytic accounts as virtual cost centers, distribution models splitting costs across multiple dimensions, integration with invoices/bills/assets/budgets, real-time analytic reports, and budget vs actual monitoring—providing project-level profitability analysis and department cost control beyond traditional accounting.
Analytic Features: Multi-dimensional plans, Analytic accounts, Distribution models, Percentage allocation, Budget integration, Asset tracking, Real-time reporting
Enabling Analytic Accounting
- Go to Accounting → Configuration → Settings
- Enable Analytic Accounting
- Save changes
1. Analytic Plans
Define tracking dimensions. Path: Accounting → Configuration → Analytic Accounting → Analytic Plans
Example dimensions:
- Projects: Track costs by client project
- Departments: Sales, Marketing, Engineering costs
- Regions: North America, Europe, Asia
Multiple plans add granularity—assign expense to both "Project X" AND "Marketing Dept" simultaneously.
2. Analytic Accounts
Create virtual cost/profit centers. Path: Accounting → Configuration → Analytic Accounting → Analytic Accounts
Examples:
Project Alpha
Track all costs for Client A project
Sales Department
Monitor sales team expenses
Marketing Campaign Q1
Track campaign-specific spend
Customer XYZ
All costs related to specific customer
3. Distribution Models
Split costs across multiple analytic accounts. Path: Accounting → Configuration → Analytic Accounting → Distribution Models
Example: Office rent $10,000/month distributed 30% Project A, 40% Project B, 30% Project C. Create distribution model with these percentages, apply to rent expense—automatic allocation each month.
4. Using Analytic Accounts
Invoices & Bills
- Create invoice/bill: Accounting → Customers/Vendors → Invoices/Bills
- On each line item, assign Analytic Account
- Associates revenue/expense with project or department
- Enable field via Developer Mode if not visible
Stock Journal Entries
Track inventory costs by project:
- Products with real-time valuation create journal entries
- Stock movements linked to sales/purchase orders inherit analytic account
- Example: Materials for Project X show in Project X analytic account automatically
Assets
Track depreciation by project:
- Create asset: Accounting → Accounting → Assets
- Select analytic account
- Depreciation expenses auto-posted to that account
- Example: Machinery for Project Y shows depreciation in Project Y costs
Budgets
Monitor actual vs planned. Path: Accounting → Budgets → Budgets
- Define budgetary positions (linked to accounts)
- Assign budget lines to analytic accounts
- Set budget amounts per period
- Compare actual spend against budget real-time
Use case: Marketing Department budgeted $50K Q1. Real-time report shows $45K spent with 2 weeks left—manager knows to control remaining spend.
Analytic Reports
Access real-time analytics:
- Analytic Items: Detailed transaction list by analytic account
- Analytic Reports: Summary views with filters, grouping, graphing
- Compare costs across projects, departments, time periods
- Export for further analysis
Best Practices
Use Distribution Models for Shared Costs: Office rent, utilities, admin salaries—don't manually allocate each month. Create distribution model once, auto-applies forever.
One Plan Per Dimension: Don't create "Project-Department" combined plan. Separate "Projects" and "Departments" plans enable cross-dimensional analysis (e.g., "Marketing costs for Project A").
Budget by Analytic Account: Department managers own budgets. Give them analytic account access to self-monitor spend—reduces finance workload, increases accountability.
Conclusion
Odoo 18 Analytic Accounting enables project-level profitability and department cost tracking beyond general ledger with multi-dimensional plans, virtual cost centers, automatic distribution models, and real-time analytics. Answer "which project is profitable?" instantly not month-end.
