1. User's Guide
  2. Working with Standard Profitability and Cost Management Applications
  3. Managing Standard Profitability Allocations
  4. Defining Drivers and Formulas for Standard Profitability Models
  5. Driver Formulas
  6. Custom Driver Formulas

Custom Driver Formulas

If the predefined driver formulas do not accurately reflect the required calculation flow for the model, you can create a custom driver formula using the Formula Editor. The formula created to calculate the driver value may be simple, or it may be a complex formula that includes IF statements.

The assignment for which the custom driver is used automatically provides the FIX context in the calculation script. The formula should be defined considering the FIX context. The FIX context always FIXes on assignment blocks for the assignment. For information on the FIX command, see the Oracle Essbase Database Administrator's Guide.

A custom formula can include unlimited variables, both custom and predefined, such as Volume or Rate. The custom variables must be defined in the Profitability Applications Console in the Measures dimension.

You can additionally specify a location for a variable used within the custom formula to enable the custom formula to be used in different stages. The Location (Global, Source, Destination or Assignment) must be defined with the variable using curly brackets ({}), even though curly brackets are not used in Oracle Essbase. The location is resolved dynamically during calc script generation.

Note:

If a location for a variable is not specified, it is considered to be an Assignment.

You can use functions (operands) between elements to control the formula calculation, including simple operands such as the following examples:

  • Add (+)

  • Subtract (-)

  • Multiply (*)

  • Divide (/)

Each formula must end with a semicolon(;).

This example displays a generic format for a custom driver formula:

"CalculatedDriverValue" = {Custom Variable —> Source} * {Custom Variable —> Destination};

The following example displays a custom driver formula which does not use any location syntax:

"CalculatedDriverValue" = "Variable1" * "Variable2" —> "[GL Departments].[NoMember]";

Custom formulas must be mathematically correct, and syntactically correct according to Essbase syntax, with the following exceptions for Oracle Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management:

  • Custom Variables (driver measure) and Locations (Global, Source, Destination or Assignment) must be enclosed in curly brackets, even though curly brackets are not used in Essbase.

  • Variables specified using the Profitability and Cost Management syntax should not be surrounded by double quotes.

Profitability and Cost Management resolves and translates the location syntax into Essbase syntax. After resolving the correct dimensional references on any variables with locations that use Profitability and Cost Management syntax, the formula is copied into Essbase calculation scripts and verified for Essbase syntax within the scripts.

For instructions on using the Formula Editor to create custom formulas, see the Oracle Essbase Database Administrator's Guide.