Essential NS Saved Searches for CFOs

For CFO's and financial leaders utilizing NetSuite, the platform offers extensive business intelligence capabilities often beyond what most companies can afford. However, many teams fail to create the necessary saved searches to access this data.

With 25 years of ERP experience and numerous NetSuite implementations, I routinely establish these five saved searches for clients within the first week. These are not complex dashboards or custom scripts but straightforward transaction searches that can be built in under an hour, providing daily insights into critical business metrics.

As NetSuite Next expands across North America in 2026, Ask Oracle will eventually allow data querying in plain English. However, until then, having these searches ensures team-wide visibility without requiring AI interaction. Develop these searches now to benefit from them, regardless of the interface in use.

Five Essential Searches

1. OPEN AR BY AGING BUCKET

Description: Displays all open customer invoices categorized by current, 1-30 days overdue, 31-60 days, 61-90 days, and over 90 days.

Importance: Visibility into accounts receivable is crucial for collections. This search provides a clear view of outstanding balances, preventing surprises and enabling efficient collection efforts.

Construction: Initiate a Transaction saved search, filter for Type = Invoice and Status = Open. Include columns for Customer, Amount Remaining, Days Overdue, and Due Date. Group by aging bucket using a formula column.

2. REVENUE BY CUSTOMER (ROLLING 12 MONTHS)

Description: Summarizes total billed revenue per customer over the past 12 months, sorted from highest to lowest.

Importance: While instinct may identify top clients, this search provides factual data, highlighting potential concentration risks. Regularly running this search prevents unexpected changes in client relationships.

Construction: Conduct a Transaction search, filter for Type = Invoice, Date within last 12 months. Group by Customer Name and summarize Amount.

3. UNBILLED TIME AND EXPENSES

Description: Identifies billable time entries or expense transactions that have not been invoiced.

Importance: Preventing revenue leakage is essential for service businesses. This search detects unbilled entries before they are overlooked in prior periods.

Construction: Execute a Time and Expense search filtered for Billable = True and Invoiced = False. Include columns for Employee, Client, Date, and Amount.

4. VENDOR BILLS DUE IN 30 DAYS

Description: Lists all open vendor bills due within the next 30 days, sorted by due date.

Importance: Proactive cash flow management is vital. This search provides foresight into upcoming payables, allowing for strategic payment planning.

Construction: Perform a Transaction search, filter for Type = Bill, Status = Open, Due Date within next 30 days. Include columns for Vendor, Amount, Due Date.

5. MONTH-TO-DATE REVENUE VS. PRIOR MONTH

Description: Compares revenue billed in the current month to the same period in the previous month.

Importance: Understanding revenue trends is crucial for proactive management. Early detection of a downward trend allows for timely corrective actions.

Construction: Create two summary columns on a Transaction search filtered for Type = Invoice. One column should calculate the current month's amount, the other the prior month's. Determine variance by netting the two.

A NOTE ON NETSUITE NEXT

For accounts included in the 2026 NetSuite Next rollout, Ask Oracle offers plain English data queries. These saved searches remain valuable by providing structured, repeatable insights accessible to the entire team without AI interaction. Consider them foundational, with Ask Oracle as an enhancement.

BUILDING THESE IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Each NetSuite environment is unique, with variations in account names, custom fields, and transaction types. These specifications serve as a guide, not a direct template. If you encounter challenges or require customization for your specific chart of accounts and business model, Cobblestone Group is here to assist.

Contact us at cobblestonegroupllc.com or call 303-720-3592.