EXPAND

Category: Dimensionality & hierarchies

Overview

The EXPAND function expands a node by creating a full cross product of all existing rows with all values of the specified level(s).

Use this function when you need to create an empty data room (a set of rows with placeholder values) that can serve as a driver inside ROLLFORWARD_ADVANCED, or when you want to expand an existing node with additional levels.

Syntax

EXPAND('Node', "Level1" [, "Level2", ...])

Example usage: EXPAND('Growth Rate', "Product")

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Type	Required
Node	Input node or scalar value, specified in single quotes (e.g. `'Growth Rate'`) or as a number (e.g. `0`)	Node reference / Number	Yes
Level1, Level2, ...	Level names to expand, specified in double quotes (e.g. `"Product"`)	Level name	Yes

Output Shape

Aspect	Behavior
Dimensionality	Adds the specified levels (and their upper levels in the dimension hierarchy) to the result
Values	Existing values are duplicated across all members of the new level(s). Scalar inputs fill every cell with that value.
Row count	Full cross product

Watch Out

EXPAND creates the full cross product of all values in the specified level(s). If you only need specific values, use EXPANDSINGLE instead.
Expanding a node copies each row's value into every member of the new level. Be aware this changes totals. For example, if a row has value 100 and you expand across 3 products, the sum becomes 300 instead of 100.

Examples

Expand a scalar to full dimensionality

Initialize an empty simulation node with zeros across all years, regions, and products.

Formula: EXPAND(0, "Year", "Region", "Product")

Year	Region	Product	→ EXPAND Result
2025	EMEA	Alpha	0
2025	EMEA	Beta	0
2025	APAC	Alpha	0
2025	APAC	Beta	0
2026	EMEA	Alpha	0
...	...	...	...

The scalar 0 is replicated across every combination of Year × Region × Product.
The result makes the simulation node eligible for use with ROLLFORWARD.

Expand a node to add a dimension

A growth-rate node only has a Year level, but should also include the Product level.

Input node: Growth Rate

Year	Value
2025	0.03
2026	0.05

Formula: EXPAND('Growth Rate', "Product")

Year	Product	→ EXPAND Result
2025	Alpha	0.03
2025	Beta	0.03
2026	Alpha	0.05
2026	Beta	0.05

The same growth rate per year is now available for each product.

Expand into a finer level within an existing dimension

A revenue node already has a "Region" level. You want to break it down to individual countries, a finer level in the same dimension hierarchy.

Input node: Revenue Target

Year	Region	Value
2025	EMEA	500
2025	APAC	300
Total		800

Formula: EXPAND('Revenue Target', "Country")

Year	Region	Country	→ EXPAND Result
2025	EMEA	Germany	500
2025	EMEA	France	500
2025	APAC	Japan	300
2025	APAC	Australia	300
Total			1600

Because "Country" is a finer level below "Region" in the hierarchy, EXPAND adds only the child values belonging to each region, not a full cross product of all countries with all regions.

Note that the values are duplicated into each child row, so totals will increase.

Related Functions

Function	When to use instead
EXPANDSINGLE	Use EXPANDSINGLE when you only need specific level values (e.g. only "2026") instead of the full cross product.
DROPLEVEL	The inverse operation. Removes levels from a node.
ROLLUP	Aggregates to specified fewer levels.
ROLLFORWARD_ADVANCED	Common downstream consumer of expanded driver nodes.