Math & numeric

Overview

Use this category when you need numeric transformations and helpers in formulas. These functions change values and support element-wise adjustments such as adding a constant to each cell.

Start here if…

• You want to use common numeric helpers (rounding, caps/floors, sign, modulo).

• You want to apply an element-wise constant change (add a constant or a node per cell)

• You need powers, roots, or logarithms.

• You need controlled multiplication/division with optional mismatch validation.

Not here if…

• You want to reshape output granularity → see Dimensionality & hierarchies

• You want conditions, comparisons, or branching logic → see Logical functions

• You want time comparisons or projections → see Compare periods or Rollforward & time series

Mental model

• Most functions in this category apply row-wise / element-wise and do not intentionally change dimensionality.

• Constants are 0-dimensional; if + 1 produces unexpected aggregation effects, prefer ADDEACH for an explicit element-wise adjustment.

Common patterns

• Add a constant to every cell → ADDEACH('Sales', 1)
  Use when you want an element-wise change without aggregation side effects.

• Compute a ratio while keeping only shared dimensions → RATIO('Gross Profit', 'Revenue')
  Use when you want a division that retains only the joint dimensionality of both inputs (instead of expanding across the full combined dimension set).

• Cap / floor values → MAX('Margin', 0) or MIN('Node1', 'Node2')
  Use when you need simple thresholds without IF logic.

• Round for reporting → ROUND('Revenue')
  Use when you need stable rounding for display or downstream steps.

• Safe divide or multiply with validation → DIVIDE('Node1', 'Node2', "FailOnMissingFirst")
  Use when you want clearer mismatch feedback instead of raw / or *.

• Transform with logs and powers → LN('Node'), LOG('Node1', 'Node2'), POWER('Node1', 'Node2'), SQRT('Node')
  Use when your method requires non-linear scaling.

Functions in this category

Choosing between similar functions

• ADDEACH vs + constant

  • Use ADDEACH when you want an explicit element-wise adjustment.

  • Use + only if you intentionally want the behavior of combining a node with a 0-dimensional constant.

• DIVIDE/DIVISION vs RATIO

  • Use DIVISION (/) for general division.

  • Use DIVIDE for general division with optional mismatch validation.

  • Use RATIO when you explicitly want to retain only joint dimensions and accept its usage restriction (mainly for KPI node calculations like margins).

• MIN/MAX vs IF

  • Use MIN/MAX for simple caps/floors.

  • Use IF when the rule is conditional beyond a numeric bound.

• LN vs LOG vs EXP

  • Use LN for natural logarithm.

  • Use LOG when you need a specific base.

  • Use EXP for exponentiation with base e.

Pitfalls & troubleshooting

• Unexpected aggregation after adding a constant: replace + 1 style adjustments with ADDEACH.

• RATIO breaks downstream usage: check whether the node is referenced by other nodes (RATIO has restrictions).

• Division looks wrong: spot-check denominators for zero or missing values and validate both inputs at the same intersections.

• LN/LOG/SQRT return missing results: confirm the input domain (negative values or zeros where not supported).

• Apply ROUND late: use rounding in presentation/KPI nodes rather than early in intermediate calculations to avoid drift in totals.

Related sections

• Operators arithmetic used around numeric functions

• Formula basics constants, evaluation order, and notation

• Logical functions conditions and branching with IF

• Dimensionality & hierarchies when calculations change shape unexpectedly

• Troubleshooting guide missing values and alignment pitfalls