The custom field type Calculated Field allows you to create your own equations to automatically present a value. The equation can utilise the values of existing fields, as well as static values, making it useful for calculating new values like weights, contributions, and percentages.

 

Creating a Calculated Field

For Classic Model:

1. As an administrator navigate to Administration
2. Click on Custom Fields in the navigation menu
3. Click on New Custom Field
4. Select Calculated Field from the Control dropdown option
5. Fill out the remaining fields then click Create
6. To configure the new field you will need to click on the new field on the Custom Fields page then click Edit this Field

For Program Model:

1. Navigate to the program for the new field
2. From the navigation menu, go to Configuration then Properties
3. In the Create New Custom Field section select Calculated Field from the Control dropdown option

The Calculation Formula is where you will type your calculation. This field accepts: numbers, approved operators (see below), and custom field IDs.

 

 

The following operators can be used in your calculation formula:

• + = Plus
• - = Minus
• * = Multiply
• / = Divide
• ( ) = Perform the contained operation first

Field IDs are available from the Available Fields section. To add a field to this section, select a field from the dropdown then click Add Field. The fields available here are all of the custom fields using numerical only data.

When a field is added, it will be assigned a field ID. Use this ID in the formula, not the field name.

The Formula Preview box will render your formula using the proper operators and field names as you type. Use this to make sure there are no errors in your formula.

A red field ID indicates that:

• The ID has been input incorrectly
• The field is no longer available
• The field has been disabled

A red operator indicates that your formula is not valid.

 

Using the Calculated Field

Calculated Fields can be added to your initiatives like any other custom field. It is best practice to place it with the associated fields.

 

 

The calculated field cannot be manually edited, instead it will update it's value as the associated fields are updated. If there are any values missing, the field will indicate this.

 

Calculated Fields and the Scenario Planner

Calculated fields can be used in conjunction with the scenario planner to plot the values on comparison chart. This chart will show the value of the calculated field compared to the initiative's Alignment. The alignment is the overall score and ranking of the scenario/s.

To enable this function, when creating or editing the Calculated Field, ensure that Enable filtering graphs based on the values in this field checkbox is checked.

To view this chart:

1. Navigate to an initiative with Scenario Planner enabled.
2. Click on the Properties item in the navigation menu (if it is not the default page)
3. On the Properties page, click on a Scenario or create a new one
4. Click on the dropdown field Add Criteria... and scroll down to Custom Fields
5. Check the checkbox next to the calculated field you want to add. It will be called [Your calculated field] vs. Alignment
6. This will add a new chart to your scenario