Freeze master data and copy yearly metrics¶

Two tools of Budget Administration manage company and department metrics across fiscal years: Freeze master data and Copy yearly metrics. Use them to lock finalized numbers, to carry a baseline forward into next year's planning, or to check what is frozen and what is not.

The yearly metrics are the headcount, IT users and turnover of companies and the headcount of departments. They are master data, and the budget cycle freezes and rolls them forward, so the two tools sit with the other budget operations.

Where to find it¶

Workspace: Budget management
Path: Budget management > Administration, section Operations, tiles Freeze master data and Copy yearly metrics
Permissions:
Access to the budget (reader access to OPEX, CAPEX or Budget administration), plus one of companies:admin, departments:admin or budget_ops:admin
The tiles are hidden from other users

Master data has no Administration entry of its own.

Freeze master data¶

Use this tool to lock or unlock company and department metrics for a specific year. Freezing prevents accidental edits after data has been finalized -- useful at year-end close, during audits, or before kicking off next year's budget cycle.

How it works¶

Select the Year you want to manage (range covers the previous year through five years ahead)
Check the scopes you want to act on: Companies, Departments, or both
Click Freeze Data to lock, or Unfreeze Data to unlock

The page shows a status card for each scope:

Frozen (red) -- data is read-only for that year; the card shows who froze it and when
Editable -- data can still be modified

What freezing affects¶

Freezing locks the yearly metrics on the Details tab of Companies (headcount, IT users, turnover) or Departments (headcount). It does not affect:

The Overview tab (name, description, and other general fields)
OPEX or CAPEX items

Permissions¶

You need admin access on the relevant scope to freeze or unfreeze:

Scope	Required permission
Companies	`companies:admin` or `budget_ops:admin`
Departments	`departments:admin` or `budget_ops:admin`

If you are admin of one scope only, the other scope is greyed out. The freeze status of both scopes stays visible.

Copy yearly metrics¶

Copy company and department metrics from one fiscal year to another. A built-in dry run lets you preview every row before committing, so you always know what will be overwritten.

How it works¶

Select a Source Year (where to read values from)
Select Data Sources: Companies, Departments, or both
Select a Destination Year (where to write values to)
If Companies is selected, pick which Company Metrics to copy -- any combination of Headcount, IT Users, and Turnover
Click Dry Run to generate a preview
Review the preview table
Click Copy Data to apply the changes

Preview table columns¶

Column	What it shows
Type	Company or Department
Name	Entity name
Metric	Headcount, IT Users, or Turnover
Source Value	The value from the source year
Current Destination	The existing value in the destination year (if any)
New Value	The value that will be written -- shown in bold
Status	"Ready to copy" or the reason the row was skipped

Skipped rows appear in a warning colour. Common skip reasons:

Source value is null or empty
Destination year is frozen for that scope
Entity is not active for the destination year

Summary cards¶

Below the grid, four summary cards give you a quick count:

Total rows -- everything the operation evaluated
Ready to copy -- rows that will be written
Skipped -- rows excluded (with reasons visible in the table)
Errors -- rows that failed during the actual copy

Frozen data protection¶

You cannot copy data into a frozen year. If the destination year is frozen for Companies or Departments, an error banner appears and the action buttons are disabled. Unfreeze the destination year first with Freeze master data.

CSV export¶

You can export the preview table to CSV using the export button in the toolbar. This is handy for offline review or sharing with colleagues before committing. This export writes the table as it is shown. The files the master data pages import are described in CSV files.

Permissions¶

The same rules apply as for freezing:

Scope	Required permission
Companies	`companies:admin` or `budget_ops:admin`
Departments	`departments:admin` or `budget_ops:admin`

If you only have access to one scope, the other is greyed out in the Data Sources selector.

Common scenarios¶

Protecting finalized year-end data¶

Your 2025 budget is approved. Lock it so no one accidentally changes the numbers.

Open Budget management > Administration > Freeze master data
Select year 2025
Check Companies and Departments
Click Freeze Data

All company and department metrics for 2025 are now read-only until you unfreeze them.

Bootstrapping next year's budget¶

You want to start 2026 planning using 2025 headcount and turnover as a baseline.

Open Budget management > Administration > Copy yearly metrics
Set Source Year to 2025 and Destination Year to 2026
Under Data Sources, select Companies
Under Company Metrics, select Headcount and Turnover (deselect IT Users if you do not need it)
Click Dry Run and review the preview
Click Copy Data

All companies now carry 2025's headcount and turnover into 2026. Adjust individual values as needed.

Making a correction to frozen data¶

You froze 2025 but spotted an error in one company's headcount.

Open Budget management > Administration > Freeze master data
Select year 2025, check Companies, and click Unfreeze Data
Edit the company's headcount in Master Data → Companies → Details
Return to Freeze master data and re-freeze 2025 Companies

Frequently asked questions¶

What happens if I try to edit a frozen year? The Details tab for Companies or Departments becomes read-only for that year. You will see a message indicating the data is frozen. Unfreeze to make changes.

Does freezing affect OPEX or CAPEX items? No. Freezing only locks yearly metrics (headcount, IT users, turnover) on Companies and Departments. OPEX and CAPEX items are unaffected.

Can I copy data to a frozen year? No. The Copy tool will show an error and disable the action buttons. Unfreeze the destination year first.

What happens if the destination already has values? The copy operation overwrites them. Always run a Dry Run first so you can see the "Current Destination" column and understand what will be replaced.

Can I undo a copy? No. Copy operations are not reversible. If you need a safety net, export the destination year's data to CSV before copying.

Why are some rows skipped? Rows are skipped when the source value is null, the entity is inactive for the destination year, or the destination is frozen. The Status column in the preview tells you which reason applies.

Can I copy only specific companies or departments? No. The tool copies all entities for the selected scopes and metrics. For selective updates, use CSV export/import on the individual Companies or Departments pages instead.

Does the copy create new companies or departments? No. It only writes metrics for entities that already exist in both years. If a company exists in the source year but not the destination, that row is skipped.

Who can see freeze status? Anyone who can open this page, that is admins of companies, departments or Budget administration. Each admin freezes or unfreezes their own scope.

Can I freeze future years? Yes. The year picker covers a range from last year through five years ahead. Freezing a future year is useful for locking approved budgets before the fiscal year starts.

Tips¶

Always dry run first -- review the preview table before committing to avoid accidental overwrites
Freeze after approval -- lock data as soon as budgets are signed off to prevent drift
Unfreeze temporarily -- make your correction, then re-freeze right away
Copy early -- start the next planning cycle by copying current-year metrics forward, then adjust for expected changes
Check your permissions -- if a scope is greyed out, ask an admin to grant you the right access level