Quick Calculations

Quick calculations or "calc's"provide users with a powerful and convenient way to build complex business logic 'on the fly' in Discover. They are exposed either from visualizations, element trees and from 'chips' in the drop zones. There are three main quick calc types: Grouping, Formulas and Lists. Separately there are options to create parameters which are used to drive other logic and calculations and create KPIs.

Quick Calculations expose semantic calculation options, as described here. Context calculations, which are not technically semantic logic, are exposed side-by-side with quick 'semantic' calculations. Importantly, end-users do not need to be concerned about the differentiation between these 2 engines.

Quick Calc Types

Grouping

Grouping functions allow users to quickly group and aggregate the selected items and list the unselected ones (or vice versa). This is often used in ad-hoc analysis, when the user wants a fast track ability to quickly group certain items to see them in aggregate, leaving the others in the native state.

  • Click here for a more comprehensive review of Quick Calc grouping.

Formulas

Formulas are a mix of mathematical operations as well as standard statistical aggregations using the selected items. The choices presented depend on the type and number of elements chosen contextually: member vs measure, date members, number of items etc. In general, the number of formula possibilities are endless. However, the Quick Calc formulations offer a shorter list of typical formulas to balance speed and simplicity against sophistication. The range of formulas is heavily influenced by the type and number of elements interactively selected.

  • Click here for a more comprehensive review of Quick Calc formulas.

Lists

Lists are tools for building logical element lists or 'sets' using the currently selected items. Like formulas, the listing logic choices depend on the type and number of elements chosen: members, measures and types of hierarchies. The number of list formulations is endless. However, Quick Lists offer a much shorter set (excuse the pun) of choices to balance speed and simplicity against sophistication: a basic list; a variable list; date-time lists and hierarchical lists.

  • Click here for a more comprehensive review of Quick Calc Lists.

Parameters

Parameters are an advanced feature that allows users to build lists of items that can be used to drive other calculations or logic. Quick Parameters allow the report designer to make a visual element pop-up in the UI of the application so the report consumer can make an uncomplicated runtime selection, which in turn changes the logic or behavior of a calculation or report. Unlike the parameter building options in Formulate, parameters built in Discover from the right-click context menu simply deliver data driven element lists based on the items selected.

  • Click here for a more comprehensive review of Quick Parameters.

KPIs

KPIs are composite calculations that be used to show the status of metric outcomes using up to 3 core metric values - actual, target and status - and banding. Using all metric layers, users can construct graphic representations of how the core metric is performing in contrast to the other figures. Unlike the more formal KPI toolset in Formulate, the Quick KPI wizard allows users to build classic KPIs through a single right-click action directly in Discover. Use the Formulate KPI toolset to build more exacting KPI's, with specific logic and for editing and KPI.

  • Click here for a more comprehensive review of Quick KPIs.

Managing Quick Calculations

The process of creating and using Quick Calc's is specifically designed to make general assumptions about the logic, naming and presentation of the item to keep the exercise as fast and as simple as possible for users. Often, there is a need to change these formulaic choices as such Quick Calc's can be shared, edited and deleted.

  • Click here for more detail on each of these capabilities.