Difference

Difference is a mathematical function that returns the absolute value of the difference of a numeric value, row, or column subtracted from another numeric value, row, or column. This is also known as the variance. The function syntax:

Difference(arg1, arg2)

where arg2 is subtracted from arg1 and are one or more of the following arguments:

Table B-11 Arguments for the Difference Function

Argument	Description
numeric	A numeric value. For example, Difference (3, 5) returns the absolute value 2. Numeric values can include decimals and negative values.
row, column, or reference	A pointer to a row, column, or cell within a grid. References can be specified in several ways. The reference syntax: GridName.GridElement[segment(range)].Property The following example returns the difference of two rows in form grid1: Difference( grid1.row[1], grid1.row[6] )
function	An embedded function

Note:

The Difference function returns the absolute value of arg2 subtracted from arg1, whereas the minus sign in subtraction negates a number.

Examples:

• The following example returns the absolute value of 8:

  Difference(3, -5)

• The following example calculates the difference of two aggregate columns:

  Difference( column[E], column[G] )

  Note:

  You can type the text label "Difference" or "Variance."