Vena Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

For Regional Treasurers.

What is Vena?

Excel-based financial tool connected to Sage that enables you to:

• View actuals, budgets, and forecasts
• Update reforecasts
• Drill into financial details
• Self-serve reports without relying on Finance

Getting Started (2 Steps)

1. Log In

• Go to: Vena.io
• Use your activation email and password
• Contact Finance if you do not have access

2. Open Your Template

• Click “Input Data”
• Download and open the Excel file
• Accept the Vena add-in (first time only)

Important: Always open files through Vena (not from saved desktop versions)

Template Basics

• Data is pulled directly from Sage and updates automatically
• You will only see your assigned region

Entering Data (Most Important)

How to Update

1. Enter numbers in blue cells only
2. Click Save Data to Vena

Critical Rules

• Saving the Excel file does NOT save to Vena
• Formulas will save as values (not formulas)

Key Actions You’ll Use

Drill Down / Drill Transaction

• See what makes up a number
• View underlying transactions
• Investigate discrepancies

Add Detail (Recommended)

Use Line Item Detail to break out:

• Events
• Revenue sources
• Expense drivers

This improves clarity and forecasting accuracy

Use the Scratchpad

Add supporting calculations and notes:

• Assumptions

• Event planning calculations

• Supporting documentation

• Saves with your file

• External file links will not persist

Track Changes Over Time

Use Drill Save to:

• View previous values
• See how forecasts have changed
• Download past versions

Best Practices

Do:

• Always enter through Vena
• Save frequently
• Use scratchpad for calculations
• Use line item detail for clarity

Don’t:

• Don’t work from downloaded files alone
• Don’t rely on formulas in input cells
• Don’t link to external Excel files

System Notes

• Data updates daily from Sage
• Reports can be generated and emailed
• No installation required beyond Excel add-in

Requirements

• Excel required (Office 365 or 2010+)
• Mac users must use latest Excel 365
• Apple Numbers is not supported

Support

Contact: finance@hbanet.org

Quick Workflow

1. Log into Vena
2. Open Input Data
3. Update blue cells
4. Click Save Data to Vena
5. Use drill tools to review