FormSource/FormView

What is /?

This application is a comprehensive tool you can use to search your firm’s tax returns for specific information.

Using this application, you can easily find clients that meet criteria that you define. You create query statements that define the data and conditions that you need, and the application searches the tax return data and then displays a listing of all matching returns. For example, suppose you need to know the names of all of your 1120 clients with tax-deductible contributions greater than $1,000 in a given year. Instead of searching through client files, you can create a query and quickly gather the information.

Key Features

Completely customizable: you set the criteria used for the query as well as the data included in the result.
You can save queries for later use.
You can view, save, and print the query results in Microsoft Excel or tabular text format.
You can search multiple accounts at one time; there is no need for firms with multiple offices to query each site and then merge and manipulate the data.

* FormSource only.

Before You Begin

Before creating a query, first carefully consider exactly what information you are seeking and get detailed requirements. Starting with a clear, concise query definition will yield accurate, useful query results.

You may need the knowledge and expertise of a tax preparer familiar with our software to identify the tax application fields that are needed for the query criteria. There can be several different sources of data and required computations that affect tax return data.

A major consideration for any query is the type and source of the data you need to query. In this application, you can search for information on the tax return, workpaper, or Organizer level. Generally, you should query a tax form field whenever possible. By doing so, you retrieve fully computed data along with any overrides. However, there are situations when you need to query an Organizer field. These situations include:

Data entered on Organizer screens that is used in computations, but does not appear on a tax form.
Computation and processing type options like the federal and state estimate options.
Taxpayer identification data, such as name, address, and ID number. Querying these Organizer fields is necessary because different tax returns can be prepared from within the same application, such as 1120 and 1120S returns prepared from within the 1120 application. Typically, these tax returns share Organizer fields for common information. Using these common fields limits the size and complexity of your actual query. Additionally, you can view all of the information for each type of identifying data in one column instead of in a separate column for each tax return type.

Another factor to consider is the complexity and number of fields included in a single query. This application limits the number of characters that can be stored for each query. The Define Query and Define Report tabs store 3600 characters each. Since the names for each form and field vary in length, we cannot provide an absolute number of fields that you can include on each tab. When you attempt to save a query that exceeds the maximum limit, you receive the following message:

Report String has exceeded maximum length. Remove some selected fields.

The message appears until the number of fields that you selected is below the 3600 character limit. Therefore, in some situations you must reevaluate your query requirements and the results you need to generate.

RS Browser/fs_fv_overview.htm/TY2021

Last Modified: 08/28/2019

Last System Build: 02/03/2022