Examples of Formulas

This example illustrates how you set up formula columns and how the system calculates the values for a formula column.

Suppose that you want to set up columns to calculate these values:

• Variance at Completion

• Actual Budget Spent

• Percent Variance at Completion

You must first set up columns to include the values that you need to use in the formulas. You set up these columns:

• AA

  This column is for actual costs and is a ledger type column.

• HA

  This column is for projected final costs and is a ledger type column.

• JA

  This column is for budgeted costs and is a ledger type column.

Next, you set up formula columns that do not include other formulas. You use the ledger type columns that you set up and create these formula columns:

• Variance at Completion = JA - HA.

  You name this column VCOMP. You will use this formula column when you set up a column for the Percent Variance at Completion formula column.

• Budget Spent = JA - AA.

  You name this column BGTSPT. You will use this formula when you set up the Percent of Budget Spent formula column.

Finally, you can use the formula columns that you set up in another formula column. You use formula column segments within other column formulas so that the system solves the formulas using the operators for the formula segments as you intend them to be applied.

You set up this formula column: Percent Variance at Completion = VCOMP / HA.

You name this column %VARC. If you click the Expand Formula Details button on the Project Status Inquiry Column Definition form, the system displays all of the segments and operators used in the %VARC and VCOMP formulas. The system displays the segments and operator of the VCOMP formula in parentheses, and then displays the remaining operator and formula segment. The expanded %VARC formula looks like this:

(JA - HA) / HA.

When solving the %VARC formula, the system uses the standard order of arithmetic operators, and so will solve the equation in the parentheses first, and then divide that result by the HA segment. For example, if the value of JA is 5000 and the value of HA is 3000, then the system subtracts 3000 from 5000 to obtain a value of 2000. The 2000 is the result of the VCOMP formula. The system then divides that result (2000) by the value for HA (3000). The result for the %VARC formula is .67, which is the value that the system will display in the Project Status Inquiry form for the %VARC column.