How to Use SME Benchmarking Tool
This document will guide you through the report creation process, going step by step through the pages that are used to customize your report content and enter your company's data.
- Report Criteria page
- Industry Selection page
- Report Setup page
- Report page
- Expense Item page
- Balance Sheet Item page
Report Criteria page
Once you select 'Create a Report', you are taken to the Report Criteria page. Here you can specify criteria that will customize the content of your report.
Data Year
Select the reference year from which the tax data used in your SME Benchmarking Tool report will be drawn. By default the most recent year is selected. The previously published reference year (normally two years prior to the most recent year available) can also be selected.
Geographic Area
Here you can select the province or territory of your business to refine the focus of your report. Note that by selecting particular provinces and territories the sample size will be smaller and can impact the availability of data for your industry. By default Canada is selected.
Incorporation Status
You can select to view data for Incorporated businesses, Unincorporated businesses or All businesses. This option can help you to find more accurate comparison groups for your business. It is important to note that depending upon the Incorporation Status you select, different report sections will appear in the report. For details, see the FAQs section. By default "All Businesses" is selected.
Display Values for Expense Items:
In the Expenses section of the report you can view the values as a percentage of total revenue or in thousands of dollars. By default "% of Total Revenue" is selected.
Clicking the 'Continue' button will take you to the next step in the report creation process, the Industry Selection page.
Industry Selection page
On this page you select the industry that you want your report to focus upon. In SME Benchmarking Tool, industries are classified using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
If you know the NAICS code you wish to use, you can enter it in the text box provided in the last section of the page.
If you don't know the NAICS code for the industry you wish to use, you can browse a list of valid codes in the second section or search for your industry using keywords in the final section.
NAICS codes can range from 2 to 6 digits in length. More detailed codes may provide data that is more suitable for comparison with your business, but note that in general more detailed codes will have smaller sample sizes, and the availability of data may be affected.
Once you have selected your NAICS code, click on the continue button and it will take you to the next step in the report creation process: the Report Criteria page.
If you want to go back to the previous page click on "Back" and you will return to the Report Criteria page.
Report Setup page
On this page you can select comparison groups to include in your report. Comparison groups are based on equally sized segments of the industry - either halves or quartiles - ranked according to total revenue earned.
More information on halves and quartiles is available in the FAQs section of SME Benchmarking Tool.
All reports feature information for the whole industry. Using the checkboxes, you can add halves and/or quartiles to your report, which can allow you to compare your business to a segment of the industry that features firms that are more similar to yours. By default the two halves will be selected.
Clicking the "Create Report" button will take you to Report page. If you click on "Back" it will bring you back to the Report Criteria page.
Report page
Add your data to the Report
Clicking this button will take you to the Expense Item page, allowing you to enter your company's revenue and expenses in the report. The data will appear in the first column of the report. Click on "Continue" and you will get to the "Balance Sheet Items" to add to your company's data.
If you choose not to add your company's data you can now export "Your Report" to excel or click on "Back to SME Benchmarking Home" and it will take you back to Report Criteria page.
New Report
Clicking on 'New Report' will discard the selections you have made thus far in the process and return you to the Report Criteria page.
Expense Item page
On this page you can enter revenue and expense items for your business for inclusion in your SME Benchmarking Tool report. There are sections for total revenue, cost of sales (direct expenses), operating expenses (indirect expenses) and net profit/loss.
Clicking on "Continue" will take you to the Balance Sheet Item page
Balance Sheet Items page
On this page you can enter balance sheet items for your business for inclusion in your SME Benchmarking Tool report. There are sections for Assets, Liabilities and Equity. Note that balance sheet items will only be displayed on the report when an Incorporation Status of "Incorporated Businesses" has been selected. 
You can now click on "Add My data to the Report".
Once your data has been added to the industry data, you can now export your Report in Excel or your can click on "Back to SME Benchmarking Home".
Revenue and Expenses section
This section of the report contains revenue and expense items that can be found in an income statement. This section appears in all reports regardless of the 'Business Type' selected in the Report Criteria page. Values are presented in thousands of dollars, or as a percentage of total revenue, depending upon the 'Expense Data Units' selected in the Report Criteria page. Definitions for revenue and expense items appearing in the report can be obtained by clicking on them.
Balance Sheet section
This section of the report contains asset, liability and equity items that can be found in a balance sheet. This section only appears the report when the 'Business Type' selected in the Report Criteria page is 'Incorporated Businesses'. Values are presented in thousands of dollars. Definitions for balance sheet items appearing in the report can be obtained by clicking on them.
Financial Ratios section
This section of the report contains a variety of ratios that are calculated using variables from other report sections. The full complement of 12 ratios is only available when the 'Business Type' selected in the Report Criteria page is 'Incorporated Businesses'. Only two ratios are available for other 'Business Type' selections. Definitions for Financial Ratios appearing in the report can be obtained by clicking on them.
Profitable vs Non-profitable Businesses section
This section of the report contains revenues, expenses and net profit/loss broken down between profitable and non-profitable businesses. It also provides the percentage of profitable small businesses in the selected industry. This section only appears when the 'Business Type' selected in the Report Criteria page is 'All Businesses'.
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