Horizontal Groups Odoo 18

Finance director preparing quarterly board presentation creates financial reporting nightmare: balance sheet showing all companies combined preventing subsidiary-specific analysis board requiring separate Company A Company B performance comparison, 200-line financial report vertically scrolling requiring 15 pages printing 30 minutes board review time frustrating executives, multi-year comparison impossible existing format showing 2024 data only preventing trend analysis YoY growth identification, consolidated report mixing current assets long-term liabilities unclear categories making anomaly detection difficult, and manual Excel exports reformatting filtering copying data 4 hours monthly wasting finance team productivity—generating presentation delays decision-making inefficiencies poor data visibility analysis paralysis and inability presenting tailored financial views stakeholders requiring flexible customizable report filtering grouping visualization enabling quick insights comparative analysis and executive-ready presentations without manual data manipulation.

Odoo 18 Horizontal Groups enable flexible financial reporting through custom report filtering defining domain rules restricting data display, company-specific views showing balance sheet P&L per subsidiary, year-based filtering limiting reports specific fiscal periods, side-by-side comparison displaying related categories horizontally saving space improving readability, multi-period analysis comparing current year versus prior year budget versus actual, account grouping organizing current assets operating expenses logical horizontal categories, domain customization creating rules based company_id date_range account_type custom fields, report template integration applying horizontal groups balance sheet P&L cash flow, visual clarity enhancement arranging data rows streamlining executive review, and export-friendly formatting supporting clean PDF Excel outputs—reducing report preparation time 75 percent through automated filtering eliminating manual data manipulation via domain rules enabling instant multi-company comparison through group selection supporting strategic decision-making through clear comparative financial views and achieving executive-ready presentations through optimized horizontal layouts professional formatting systematic data organization.

Understanding Horizontal Groups

Concept and purpose:

What Are Horizontal Groups:

Vertical vs Horizontal Layout:

Accessing Horizontal Groups

Configuration Location:

1. Go to Accounting → Configuration → Accounting → Horizontal Groups
2. List view shows existing horizontal groups
3. Displays: Group Name, Associated Reports

Creating Horizontal Group

New Group Creation:

1. In Horizontal Groups list click New
2. Configuration form opens
3. Fill group details

Group Configuration Fields:

Adding Domain Rules

Defining filter criteria:

Adding Filter Lines:

1. In horizontal group form click Add a Line
2. Pop-up window opens
3. Configure domain rule

Domain Configuration:

[('company_id', '=', 1)]
# Filter: Only Company ID 1 records

[('date', '>=', '2024-01-01'), ('date', '<=', '2024-12-31')]
# Filter: Only 2024 dates

[('account_id.code', '=like', '1%')]
# Filter: Only accounts starting with 1 (assets)

Common Domain Examples:

[('company_id.name', '=', 'Main Company')]

[('date', '>=', '2024-01-01'), ('date', '<=', '2024-12-31')]

[('account_id.user_type_id.name', '=', 'Current Assets')]

[('company_id', '=', 1), ('date', '>=', '2024-01-01')]

['|', ('company_id', '=', 1), ('company_id', '=', 2)]

Applying Horizontal Groups

Using in Reports:

1. Go to Accounting → Reporting
2. Select report: Balance Sheet P&L or Cash Flow
3. Report displays with horizontal group selector
4. Click horizontal group dropdown
5. Select desired group e.g. Company Wise
6. Report filters immediately applying domain rules

Visual Impact:

Use Case Examples

Use Case 1: Multi-Company Analysis

Use Case 2: Year-Over-Year Comparison

Use Case 3: Account Category Focus

Benefits of Horizontal Groups

Best Practices

Create Descriptive Group Names Indicating Filter Purpose: Generic name Horizontal Group 1 equals confusion which filter for what purpose. Descriptive name Company A 2024 Current Year or Budget vs Actual Q1 2024 immediately communicates filter purpose enabling quick selection appropriate analysis reducing selection errors saving time.

Test Domain Syntax Before Saving Preventing Report Errors: Invalid domain syntax [('company_id' = 1)] missing comma equals report error crash user confusion. Test domain developer mode executing search verifying records returned. Valid syntax [('company_id', '=', 1)] ensures successful filtering. Testing prevents production errors maintaining user confidence.

Use Horizontal Groups for Executive Presentations Improving Clarity: Board members dont want 200-line unfiltered financial statements. Create Company-Specific Year-Specific groups generating clean focused reports. Executives appreciate concise relevant data enabling faster decision-making. Professional presentations using horizontal groups demonstrate financial sophistication enhancing credibility.

Conclusion

Odoo 18 Horizontal Groups enable flexible financial reporting through custom report filtering domain rules company-specific views year-based filtering side-by-side comparison account grouping template integration visual clarity enhancement and export-friendly formatting. Reduce report preparation time through automated filtering eliminating manual data manipulation via domain rules enabling instant multi-company comparison through group selection supporting strategic decision-making through clear comparative financial views achieving executive-ready presentations through optimized horizontal layouts professional formatting systematic data organization improving stakeholder communication through focused relevant reporting and enhancing financial analysis through customizable flexible report filtering achieving operational efficiency executive satisfaction and data-driven decision-making.