BLACKLINE PRODUCTS Benefits Account INCREASE EFFICIENCY

Trust is in the Balance™

Benefits

INCREASE EFFICIENCY

Create a faster, more efficient close with configurable

auto-reconciliation rules and nine standard

reconciliation templates. Save time by auto-certifying

up to 85% of your accounts each month.

UPHOLD DATA ACCURACY

Automatically import data from any ERP, subledger

system, or other data source and use BlackLine’s

matching engine to auto-populate reconciliation details.

STREAMLINE WORKFLOWS

Define role-based workflow approval processes with

built-in segregation of duties to further enhance internal

controls. Records are locked down post-certification to

eliminate the risk of unauthorized changes.

GAIN VISIBILITY

Use real-time dashboards and enhanced reporting

to gain visibility into reconciliation status, timeliness,

content, and quality. Choose from 80 standard reports

or configure your own with any user-defined field.

CUSTOMIZE RECONCILIATION RULES

BlackLine allows you to define auto-reconciliation

rules on an account by account basis to fit your unique

business needs.

INTEGRATE PROCESSES

Connect with other BlackLine products to further

streamline your close. Integrate with Journal Entry

to create automated journals from scheduled items.

Use Notebook to add comments and collaborate with

team members.

MULTINATIONAL SUPPORT

BlackLine supports multiple currencies and 16

different languages.

BlackLine Account Reconciliations drives

financial close accuracy by automating and

standardizing the reconciliation process.

Quickly import transactions and balances from any ERP

and compare it to source data to ensure completeness

and accuracy. Automatically identify differences and

focus your attention on discrepancy research and

resolution. Consolidate all comments and supporting

documents in one centralized repository, and gain

visibility into your reconciliation process.

Eliminate the manual financial close process and

work smarter with BlackLine’s automated account

reconciliation system.

BLACKLINE PRODUCTS

Account Reconciliations


View Reconciliations & Supporting Items

Build, import, or bulk-import any schedule, prepaid, or accrual. Address

unidentified differences with reconciling items. BlackLine automatically

ages all items.

Compare Previous Periods

Compare current and prior account reconciliations with a click of a mouse.

System Calculate the Unidentified Difference

Automatically calculate your unidentified difference in real time for all

reconciliations. Configurable certification thresholds ensure adherence to

company policy.

Auto-Import GL Balances

Automatically import your GL balances from any ERP or subledger

system. If your reconciliation has been completed and the balance

changes, BlackLine decertifies the reconciliation and alerts users via

email.

Centralize Comments

Attach comments to a reconciliation and choose whether to keep them for

one period, carry them forward, or mark them as temporary review notes.

Use the “@user” functionality to mention and notify team members.

Electronically Store Supporting Documents

Eliminate binders and boxes by uploading supporting documents. Files

can be uploaded once and carried forward if necessary. BlackLine can

accept any file format.

Use Cases

BlackLine Account

Reconciliations standardizes the

reconciliation process across

all business units, increasing

reconciliation quality and

simplifying reviews and audits.

Ten Use Cases for Account

Reconciliations:

1. Bank Reconciliations

2. Credit Card Reconciliations

3. Prepaid Account Reconciliations

4. Accounts Payable Reconciliations

5. Accounts Receivable

Reconciliations

6. Fixed Asset Reconciliations

7. Suspense or Deferred Accounts

Reconciliations

8. Intercompany Reconciliations

9. Stat to GAAP Reconciliations

10. P&L Reconciliations

“With BlackLine, instead of four reviews a year, we’re getting 12. What we’ve

seen is that what wasn’t getting reviewed until the end of the quarter is now

getting reviewed every month. As a result, quarterly financials are prepared

more quickly and accurately.”

—MIKE GALUS, VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING, NASDAQ

Features & Capabilities

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Benefits

CENTRALIZE CHECKLISTS

BlackLine Task Management provides a centralized

platform for managing your accounting and finance

checklists. Track and control month-end tasks,

recurring journal entries, operational checklists,

and more.

AUTOMATE PERIOD-ENDS

Define logic to automatically schedule recurring close

tasks each period.


Hierarchical task lists and role-based workflows

seamlessly execute across accounting and

finance. Integrate with Journal Entry and Account

Reconciliations to further guarantee tasks are

completed in the correct order.

CONTROL THE CLOSE

Utilize real-time dashboards and enhanced reporting

to transform your close with unmatched transparency

and business intelligence.

INCREASE VISIBILITY

BlackLine’s enhanced reporting allows you to

compare expected versus actual completion times and

report on any user-defined field.

COMPLY WITH POLICIES

BlackLine lets you structure and schedule your close

while staying within best practices and company

policy so that audits run smoothly.

MAINTAIN SCHEDULES

Choose from multiple holiday calendars and time

zones to fit your business needs. Use business days,

calendar days, or weekdays, or configure your own

periods to schedule your close.

Manage your close from end to end with

BlackLine Task Management.

Centralize and control any accounting and finance

checklist. Attach and preserve all supporting documents

and define role-based workflows to automatically assign

tasks to your team. Further streamline and manage your

close with BlackLine’s powerful reporting capabilities

and real-time dashboards.

Leverage BlackLine Task Management to attain the

efficiency, visibility, and control your business requires.

BLACKLINE PRODUCTS

TaskManagement


Use Cases

BlackLine Task Management

provides a configurable, web-

based command center where

you can manage and automate

your accounting and finance

tasks.

Ten Use Cases for Task Management:

1. Accounting Checklists

2. Finance Checklists

3. Operational Checklists

4. PBC Lists

5. Compliance Controls

6. Period-end Tasks

7. Close Calendars

8. Recurring Journal Entries

9. Tax Filings

10. Supporting Documentation


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“BlackLine has given us a greater amount of efficiency in terms of

workflow. It replaced all our manual processes. We have everything

in a one-stop shop.”

—SHAY CARROLL, ACCOUNTING DIRECTOR GSAS, WESTERN UNION

Tasks Grid

• Visualize Your Tasks - An Outlook style task calendar color

codes by task and timeliness.

• Configure Task Segments - Apply Task Management to any type

of recurring project or ad-hoc task.

• Schedule Due Dates - Automatically schedule recurring tasks

in relation to your period-end date. You can also set up custom

frequencies or calendars.

Tasks Template

• Centralize Comments - Attach comments to tasks. These can

be temporary review notes, one-time comments, or recurring text

that carries forward to future tasks.

• Attach Supporting Documents - Do away with paper. Upload

supporting documentation to BlackLine’s secure, centralized

document repository.

• Calculate Actual Completion Time - Management can compare

actual to expected completion time to determine where resources

can be best allocated. This also assists with outsourcing.

• Track Certification Details - Full audit trail tracks and timestamps

all certification events for each user.

• Define Task Dependencies - Task dependencies allow for the

creation of hierarchical sub-task relationships and give you the

ability to structure your close in BlackLine.


Benefits

STREAMLINE YOUR CLOSE

BlackLine matches millions of transactions each

minute, so you can shorten your close, reduce tedious

manual labor, and shift to value-add accounting.

INCREASE DATA INTEGRITY

Increase data integrity by automatically importing

information from any editable file format or data

source. Perform look-ups, concatenations, parsing, or

custom data manipulation.

AUTOMATE MATCHING

BlackLine’s configurable, rules-driven process lets

business users automate any cash, credit card,

intercompany, or other high-volume reconciliation.

CUSTOMIZE MATCH TYPES

Build one-to-one, many-to-one, and many-to-many

matches. Specify automatic or suggested match types

and assign configurable journal reason codes to meet

your business needs.

STREAMLINE JOURNAL ENTRIES

Create reconciling items and adjusting journal entries

in bulk based on user-defined logic.

ENHANCE INTERNAL CONTROLS

Define role-based workflows to automatically route

exceptions to appropriate individuals. Maintain proper

segregation of duties.

REDUCE RISK

Quickly identify and address exceptions in any

matching scenario, regardless of file format, data

quality, or volume.

BlackLine Transaction Matching allows

clients to automatically match and reconcile

millions of transactions in minutes, saving

time for value-adding discrepancy and

reporting analysis.

Empower business users to define matching logic,

manage workflow processes, and address reconciling

items. Integrate any type of data into one streamlined

system to quickly identify matched and unmatched

transactions. Eliminate detail-heavy, manual tick-and-

tie reconciliations and leverage accounting automation

to shorten the period-end close.

With BlackLine Transaction Matching, accounting

teams can focus on strategic analysis that better

supports operational objectives.

BLACKLINE PRODUCTS

TransactionMatching


Use Cases

BlackLine Transaction Matching

allows you to manage any

accounting transaction type.

Data from multiple sources

is synthesized into one

streamlined, cloud-based

solution.

Ten Use Cases for Transaction

Matching:

1. Accruals

2. Bank to General Ledger

3. Credit Card Matching

4. Subscription Services

5. Sales – Invoices, Purchase Orders,

Payments, Receipts & Widgets

6. Open Items Management Matching

7. Intercompany Transactions

8. Purchasing Cards

9. Lockboxes

10. Benefits & Payroll


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“We use the matching functionality to prepare schedules for accounts

where we need to eliminate the debits/credits to arrive at what’s left in

the account. This has cut the time required on these accounts in half.”

—VALERIE HENNING, DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING, AIR MEDICAL GROUP HOLDINGS

Choose to Manually Match

Users can manually match transactions. Manual matches can be made

subject to a workflow approval process.

Create an Item

Required adjustments or timing items can be quickly created and moved

to a reconciliation.

View Data & Drill Into Details

Create and save custom views of your data for ease of research.

Use Reason Codes to Organize Items

User-defined reason codes allow you to quickly organize and report on

millions of matched transactions or exceptions.

Filter Data & Search for Transactions

All data can be quickly filtered and/or searched by users in order to

identify exceptions or potential manual matches.

Define Role Assignments

Standard workflow approval processes ensure you maintain control over

your high-volume reconciliations.

Import Multiple Data Sources

Automatically import and match on any data types. Matching scenarios

can include any combination of data sources, as few as one with no

upper limit. You can also filter a data source down to ensure you’re

targeting the right data.


Benefits

CENTRALIZE JOURNALS MANAGEMENT

Centralize all supporting documentation related to a

given journal in one easily accessible location. Link

to related transactions and reconciling items, and

automatically retrieve document IDs for each journal.

AUTOMATE JOURNAL CREATION

Create journals automatically from any data source,

such as supporting items, bank files, and matched

transactions.


Dynamic workflows can be configured to route

journals to appropriate individuals for approval based

on user-defined rules, like amount thresholds and

roles. Auto-certify reasonable entries and reserve

time for nuanced journal analysis.

STANDARDIZE RECURRING JOURNALS

BlackLine’s Journal Masters feature allows recurring

journal entries to be created automatically at specified

intervals. These entries may be automatically certified

or routed through an approval workflow.

INCREASE VISIBILITY

Create reports with any user-defined field to meet your

business needs.

CONNECT SYSTEMS

BlackLine integrates with all of your financial

systems and ERPs to reduce timing and reconciling

differences. Journals can be posted in real time

through web services and the BlackLine SAP or

NetSuite connector.

SIMPLIFY AUDITS

Go paperless and breeze through audits with full

certification history on each journal entry and

dedicated internal/external auditor roles.

BlackLine Journal Entry streamlines journal

entry creation, validation, and approval – all

in one integrated web-based solution.

Journals posted to the general or sub-ledger are pre-

validated with user-configured rules, eliminating excess

labor and failed journal posts. Centralize, track, and

expedite journal processes with BlackLine’s electronic

certification feature and connected supporting

document repository.

Eliminate tedious, manual work and leverage

accounting automation to cruise through your period-

end close and audits with ease.

BLACKLINE PRODUCTS

Journal Entry


Journals Grid

• Monitor JE Status - Monitor and report on the status of all JEs,

from creation to posting.

• View Workflow Status - Electronically route JEs for approval.

• Import Journals from Excel - Quickly import thousands of

completed or partially completed journals from report writers or

3rd party systems.

Journal Entry Template

• Define Header Items - Configure header items to match your

journal templates and general or sub-ledger. All fields are backed

by validation rules, which prevent users from entering bad data.

• Configure Line Items - Configure line items with user defined

logic and validation. Items can be keyed in by a preparer or

imported in bulk.

• Relate Items - Each journal entry can be linked to account

reconciliations and related reconciling items.

• Centralize Supporting Documentation - Upload supporting

documents in any file format.

• Track Certification Details - BlackLine automatically identifies

and displays certification requirements, along with electronic

signatures and signoff dates. Maximize efficiency by bulk

certifying journal entries.

Use Cases

BlackLine Journal Entry

modernizes the journals

experience by providing

advanced accuracy and control

with improved efficiency at

every step.

Ten Use Cases for Journal Entry:

1. Amortizations

2. Bank Fees

3. Credit Card Fees

4. Intercompany Allocations

5. Intercompany Loans/Interest

Entries

6. Matched Items Within Threshold

7. POS Clearing Entries

8. Revenue & Cost Allocations

9. Resolving Unmatched Exceptions

10. Tax Calculations & Accruals


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“A lot of times in the paper-based world, you’d go home and forget something at work. In

our new environment where everything can be pulled off the Internet, you can upload an

email, a PDF, or any of the documentation you need, and it’s all in one place,”

—TOM HOOVER, SENIOR MANAGER OF FINANCE SYSTEMS, EBAY


Benefits

ENSURE DATA INTEGRITY

Automatically import GL balances from

multiple source systems on a scheduled basis

to eliminate error-ridden spreadsheets, and

ensure the accuracy and reliability of your

decision support data.

IMPROVE CONTROLS

Ensure the appropriate execution of your

internal controls. Standardized templates

and configurable, rules-based workflows are

designed to effectively identify unusual activity

and route variance analysis to control owners

for further investigation.

SIMPLIFY PROCESSES

BlackLine automates the calculation and

identification of account balance and activity

fluctuations based on user-defined materiality

thresholds, so your teams can focus on the

underlying issues, rather than non-value

adding tasks that are inefficient and costly.

ACCELERATE DECISION-MAKING

Rather than performing flux analysis at period

end, automate the process to continuously

monitor account and activity balance changes,

and support timely decision analysis. And

because decision data is current, you can

identify the business levers that have the

greatest impact on organizational performance.

INCREASE VISIBILITY

Real-time dashboards and reports provide a

complete view into the status of every variance

analysis. And with the policy, purpose, and

procedure displayed on the face of each

identified variance, responsible owners have a

common understanding of the purpose of each

review, the risks they are intended to detect,

and the supporting documentation required to

execute each control.

In an environment where the pace of change is showing

no signs of slowing down and data continues to inundate

organizations at increasing velocity, it is critical for

Accounting and Finance teams to manage and process

information faster than ever before.

By automating the calculation and identification of account balance

and activity fluctuations, BlackLine Variance Analysis enables

continuous monitoring for risk to ensure the effective and timely

execution of critical management review controls.

Standardization of data and processes, along with configurable

business rules, help to accurately identify and electronically route

unusual fluctuations to appropriate control owners. This enables

teams to manage by exception, rather than waste time and effort

on non-value adding tasks.

And because BlackLine provides one view into your most current

business information, teams are armed with the right information

at the right time, speeding up decision making and improving their

ability to affect organizational change.

BLACKLINE PRODUCTS

Variance Analysis


Variance Rules

Create variance rules based on standards that are reasonable for your

organization. Rules can be applied to all account types and run ad hoc or

automatically upon import to detect fluctuations outside of your pre-defined

materiality thresholds.

Activity-Based Variance

BlackLine automatically calculates and stores variance activity upon

import to enable the comparison of cumulative balance and individual

account activity fluctuations between periods. A balances chart provides

a means for users to quickly assess whether activity is trending negatively

over time.

Variance Groups

Create variance groups to proactively track period-to-period account and

activity balance fluctuations for specific regions, product lines, business

units, or any segments you wish to monitor. Drill down to the individual

account level details to pinpoint where an issue is occurring.

Workflow Approval

Once certified by a user, a completed variance analysis template can

be electronically routed to other users or management for review and

approval. The certification history is automatically recorded and displayed

on the face of every variance analysis, providing complete auditability.

Automatic Balance Imports

Load GL account balances, both balance sheet and P&L, into the

application on a scheduled frequency. BlackLine integrates with your

ERP and multiple source systems to automatically calculate fluctuations

and identify issues requiring investigation, so your teams can dedicate

their time to researching root causes.

Users & Teams

User and team assignments listed on every variance analysis provide

control owners with a clear escalation path. And with comments, variance

items, and supporting documentation stored in a single space, teams can

easily follow up and collaborate on open issues.

Period Comparisons

BlackLine Variance Analysis

delivers more than 15 different

types of period comparisons

to enable the monitoring of:

• Budget vs. actual costs

• Material fluctuations

• Relational accounts (e.g., fixed

assets to depreciation, sales

to receivables, prepaid and

amortization expenses)

• Period and seasonal changes

• And many more

“With the old system, if our

company controller called at

the end of the day asking about

a balance sheet change on a

European account, we would

have to call people in Europe

and wake them up. Now, we

can take one look and tell the

controller precisely what is

happening with that account.”

—PAT WITHROW, ACCOUNTING DIRECTOR,

THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY


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Benefits

STREAMLINE RECONCILIATIONS

BlackLine automatically reconciles and certifies

accounts where balances tie out. Focus on a

fraction of your consolidation reconciliations

each month.

MANAGE ACCOUNT ROLL-UP

Define and manage account groupings and

easily map general ledger accounts to your

consolidation system. Drill down into account

details directly within the reconciliation.

AUTOMATE WORKFLOWS

Role-based workflows automatically route

reconciliations for review and approval. Users

receive an email notification and accounts are

automatically decertified if a balance changes.

INCREASE VISIBILITY

Real-time dashboards and reports allow you

to monitor reconciliations and track all topside

journal entries.

MAINTAIN AUDITABILITY

BlackLine keeps a record of all certification

events within a reconciliation, resulting in

simplified audits.

CENTRALIZE DOCUMENTATION

Attach and store all supporting documentation

in one location.

IMPROVE DATA ACCESSIBILITY

Easily access all related data in BlackLine for

research. Access underlying reconciliations for

each account with one click.

BlackLine Consolidation Integrity Manager

automates the tedious system-to-system, excel-

driven reconciliation process of comparing

multiple ledgers to a consolidation system and

replaces it with an efficient, seamless workflow.

Save time during your close by automatically populating

reconciliations with source data based on user-defined

rules. System certify accounts where accounts are in

balance and attach comments and supporting documents

where additional follow-up and evidence is needed.

Automatically route reconciliations for review with

BlackLine’s role-based approval process.

Consolidation Integrity Manager streamlines the validation

of consolidated balances, resulting in an error-free, stress-

free close.

BLACKLINE PRODUCTS

Consolidation Integrity Manager


System Certify Accounts

Using a rules-based process, BlackLine can system-certify accounts

where the unidentified difference falls beneath a certain threshold.

Most companies auto-reconcile the vast majority of their consolidated

reconciliations.

Automate Data Imports

Data from virtually any third party system, including all major consolidation

tools, can be imported into BlackLine on a scheduled basis. If the

consolidation balance or GL total is changed by an automatic import, the

application will automatically decertify the reconciliation and notify a user.

Define Account Roll-up

Easily define relationships between different systems and reconcile at

any level by grouping accounts together. BlackLine will also automatically

subtotal all grouped accounts and associated items.

Easily Access Balance Sheet Reconciliations

Quickly access the corresponding account reconciliation, as well as any

reconciling item and documentation, for research purposes.

Create Supporting Items

User-created supporting items serve as placeholders should an exception

or late journal entry be identified. These items are tracked and aged

automatically, offering management full visibility into the consolidation

reconciliation process.

Automatically Calculate the Unidentified Difference

Each template automatically calculates the unidentified difference

between the consolidation balance and the GL total. Once this number is

sufficiently reduced, a user can certify the reconciliation.

Use Cases

BlackLine automates system-

to-system reconciliations.

With Consolidation Integrity

Manager, seamlessly reconcile

subsidiary subledger accounts

to the consolidation.

Five Use Cases for Consolidation

Integrity Manager:

1. Consolidation Tie Outs

2. Ledger to Ledger Tie Outs

3. Stat to GAAP

4. Tax to GAAP

5. System to System


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“With BlackLine, we’ve eliminated the majority of the reconciliation that

happens at the local levels. We’ve automated much of the process and

enhanced our reconciliation quality and supporting documentation.

—MARK KOOLIS, POWER SEGMENT ASSISTANT CONTROLLER, HUBBELL INCORPORATED


Benefits

CONTINUOUSLY VALIDATE ACCOUNTS

Streamline monitoring and verification

of high-frequency accounts. Data from

multiple sources is automatically imported,

discrepancies are identified, and reconciliations

are performed every day or as needed.

EMBED CONTROL

Automatically pull in data from multiple source

systems and compare data in one standardized

location. Define approval workflows and embed

complete auditability and control throughout

every step.

STANDARDIZE PROCESSES

BlackLine provides standardization for frequent

reconciliations by automatically populating

daily reconciliations with balances from the GL

and bank accounts.

CUSTOMIZE MATCHING RULES

Configure matching rules to meet your unique

business needs. Capture all transactions from

your data sources and automatically populate

reconciliations based on user-defined rules.


Role-based workflow rules and team

assignments automatically route unmatched

transactions for investigation and resolution,

and send reconciliations for review. Enforce

segregation of duties for increased security

and control.

BlackLine Daily Reconciliations enables teams

to reconcile and certify transactional activity at

any point in time.

Eliminate the manual ticking and tying of large data

sets across spreadsheets and your reconciliations in

a fraction of the time. BlackLine’s powerful matching

engine captures all transactions and automatically

populates reconciliations, reducing the risk of error and

strengthening controls.

Ensure the validity of your organization’s high-volume

accounts that require increased visibility and attention.

Use Daily Reconciliations to validate cash positions and

other key accounts to enhance operational efficiency and

reduce regulatory risk.

BLACKLINE PRODUCTS

Daily Reconciliations


Import & Centralize All Transactional Data

Import all GL and source data into one standardized system and

define matching rules to automatically populate your reconciliations.

Click into details to see individual transactions.

Increase Visibility

View the status of each reconciliation to increase visibility and control

over your high-frequency accounts. See when a reconciliation was

last certified.

Enforce Segregation of Duties

Role-based workflows control preparer, approver, and reviewer

functions, ensuring segregation of duties. Route assignments to the

appropriate individual or team.

Auto-Calculate the Unidentified Difference

Automatically import and populate your reconciliations and view the

unidentified difference.

Embed Auditability

Automatically record all certification details on every reconciliation to

simplify your audits.

Attach Comments & Supporting Documents

Electronically store all comments and supporting documentation to

further substantiate your reconciliations. Access a centralized location

to view all reconciliation details.

Use Cases

Reconcile your accounts at any

point in time, regardless of the

close cycle. For businesses that

need granularity over high-

volume accounts and detailed

oversight of cash positions,

BlackLine is the solution.

Additional Use Cases for Daily

Reconciliations:

1. Suspense Accounts

2. Lockbox or Unapplied Cash

Receipts

3. Bank or Credit Card Accounts

4. Consolidated or Pooled Bank

Accounts

5. Accounts Payable

6. Point of Sale Processes


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“There are so many processes within our day-to-day work that are

streamlined through BlackLine. We’ve enhanced our controls and

improved the efficiency of the entire organization.”

—ALLISON COMBS, CONTROLLER, CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION