@ALLOCATE

This function allocates values that are input at an upper level to lower-level members. The allocation is based upon a specified share or spread of another variable. For example, you can allocate values loaded to a parent member to all of that member's children. You can specify a rounding parameter for allocated values and account for rounding errors.

Syntax

@ALLOCATE (amount, allocationRange, basisMbr, [roundMbr],method [, methodParams] [, round [, numDigits][, roundErr]])

Parameters

amount

A value, member, or cross-dimensional member that contains the value to be allocated into allocationRange. The value may also be a constant.

If amount is a member, the member must be from the dimension to which allocationRange belongs.
If amount is a cross-dimensional member, at least one of its members must be from the dimension to which allocationRange belongs.
If no member or cross-dimensional member is from the dimension to which allocationRange belongs, a warning message is displayed.

If the amount parameter is a loaded value, it cannot be a Dynamic Calc member.

allocationRange

A comma-delimited list of members, member set functions, or range functions, into which value(s) from amount are allocated. allocationRange should be from only one level (for example, @CHILDREN(Total Expenses) rather than from multiple levels (for example, @DESCENDANTS(Product)).

basisMbr

A value, member, or cross-dimensional member that contains the values that provide the basis for the allocation. The method you specify determines how the basis data is used.

roundMbr

Optional. The member or cross-dimensional member to which rounding errors are added. The member (or at least one member of a cross-dimensional member) must be included in allocationRange.

method

The expression that determines how values are allocated. One of the following:

share:

Uses basisMbr to calculate a percentage share. The percentage share is calculated by dividing the value in basisMbr for the current member in allocationRange by the sum across the allocationRange for that basis member:

amount * (@CURRMBR()->basisMbr/@SUM(allocationRange-> basisMbr)
spread:

Spreads amount across allocationRange:

amount * (1/@COUNT(SKIP, allocationRange))

SKIPNONE | SKIPMISSING | SKIPZERO | SKIPBOTH: Values to be ignored during calculation of the spread. You must specify a SKIP parameter only for spread.
- SKIPNONE: Includes all cells.
- SKIPMISSING: Excludes all #MISSING values in basisMbr, and stores #MISSING for values in allocationRange for which the basisMbr is missing.
- SKIPZERO: Excludes all zero (0) values in basisMbr, and stores #MISSING for values in allocationRange for which the basisMbr is zero.
- SKIPBOTH: Excludes all zero (0) values and all #MISSING values, and stores #MISSING for values in allocationRange for which the basisMbr is zero (0) or #MISSING.
percent: Takes a percentage value from basisMbr for each member in allocationRange and applies the percentage value to amount:

amount * (@CURRMBR()->basisMbr * .01)
add: Takes the value from basisMbr for each member of allocationRange and adds the value to amount:

amount + @CURRMBR()->basisMbr
subtract: Takes the value from basisMbr for each member of allocationRange and subtracts the value from amount:

amount - @CURRMBR()->basisMbr
multiply: Takes the value from basisMbr for each member of allocationRange and multiplies the value by amount:

amount * @CURRMBR()->basisMbr
divide: Takes the value from basisMbr for each member of allocationRange and divides the value by amount:

amount/@CURRMBR()->basisMbr

round

Optional. One of the following:

noRound: No rounding. noRound is the default.
roundAmt: Indicates that you want to round the allocated values. If you specify roundAmt, you also must specify numDigits to indicate the number of decimal places to round to.

numDigits

An integer that represents the number of decimal places to round to. You must specify numDigits if you specify roundAmt.

If numDigits is 0, the allocated values are rounded to the nearest integer. The default value for numDigits is 0.
If numDigits is greater than 0, the allocated values are rounded to the specified number of decimal places.
If numDigits is a negative value, the allocated values are rounded to a power of 10.

If you specify roundAmt, you also can specify a roundErr parameter.

roundErr

Optional. An expression that specifies where rounding errors should be placed. You must specify roundAmt in order to specify roundErr. If you do not specify roundErr, rounding errors are discarded.

To specify roundErr, choose from one of the following:

errorsToHigh: Adds rounding errors to the member with the highest allocated value. If allocated values are identical, adds rounding errors to the first value in allocationRange. (For this option, Essbase does not distinguish between #MI and zero values.)
errorsToLow: Adds rounding errors to the member with the lowest allocated value. If allocated values are identical, adds rounding errors to the first value in allocationRange. #MISSING is treated as the lowest value in a list; if multiple values are #MISSING, rounding errors are added to the first #MISSING value in the list.
errorsToMbr: Adds rounding errors to the specified roundMbr, which must be included in allocationRange.

Notes

When you use @ALLOCATE in a calculation script, use it within a FIX statement; for example, FIX on the member to which the allocation amount is loaded. Although FIX is not required, using it may improve calculation performance.
If you use @ALLOCATE in a member formula, your formula should look like this:
```
Member Name = @ALLOCATE (...)
```
This is because allocation functions never return a value; rather, they calculate a series of values internally based on the range specified.
For an example that explains the use of rounding error processing with the @ALLOCATE function, see Allocating Values within a Dimension.

Example

Consider the following example from the Sample Basic cube. The example assumes that the Scenario dimension contains an additional member, PY Actual, for the prior year's actual expenses. Data values of 7000 and 8000 are loaded into Budget->Total Expenses for Jan and Feb, respectively. (For this example, assume that Total Expenses is not a Dynamic Calc member.)

You need to allocate values to each expense category (to each child of Total Expenses). The allocation for each of child of Total Expenses is based on the child's share of actual expenses for the prior year (PY Actual).:

FIX("Total Expenses")
Budget = @ALLOCATE(Budget->"Total Expenses",@CHILDREN("Total Expenses"),
"PY Actual",,share);
ENDFIX

This example produces the following report:

                          Product   Market              
                     PY Actual           Budget 
                    Jan     Feb        Jan     Feb
                    ===     ===        ===     ===                              
Marketing          5223     5289     3908.60  4493.63
Payroll            4056     4056     3035.28  3446.05
Misc                 75       71       56.13    60.32
  Total Expenses   9354     9416     7000     8000