The Calculation column is used to create a custom formula based on values from other columns in your report. Use this column when you need a bespoke calculation—such as the difference between two columns without applying the standard favourable/unfavourable logic of the Variance column—or more advanced formulas like % of Sales.
Column Headings
Group header
Text fields that represents the group header, by default this is empty for calculation columns. You can type directly in the cell to use your own terminology.
Column header
Text field that represents the column header, only one dynamic placeholder is available on this cell with the Value Type: Calculation which is the default. Alternatively, you can Type directly in the cell to use your own terminology, with or without the merge field.
Column type indicates the type of column selected in +ADD COLUMN
Formula
The Formula section defines the expression used to calculate this column’s values. This is where you build the logic that combines or transforms data from other columns to produce the final result.
Start typing to build your formula. The editor will suggest matching column names as you type, allowing you to insert them instantly using autocomplete.
Alternatively, you can construct the same formula using the COMPONENTS and OPERATORS buttons, which let you browse and insert the available building blocks.
Components
Columns
Lists the columns you can insert as variables in the calculation.
Account Totals
Header Account Total lets you reference the header total for the selected column. When the report calculates each row, this function looks up that row’s parent account in the Account Tree and uses the total from that header.
Functions like IncomeTotal or CostOfSalesTotal let you reference the total of all accounts belonging to that account type. This makes it easy to build calculations that rely on category totals.
% of Sales Formula
Tip: 💡For example, to calculate % of Sales:
<Actual> / IncomeTotal( <Actual> )
Be sure to enable Show as percentage.
Constants
The Constants section provides fixed values you can insert into your formula. These include TRUE, FALSE, and NULL, which are useful when building conditional logic or handling empty results.
TRUE / FALSE – Use these when creating logical expressions or controlling IF statements.
NULL – Represents an empty or missing value. Use this when you want a formula to return nothing under certain conditions.
Note: 💬 NULL results will be shown as N/A on reports.
Functions
IF(logicalTest, valueIfTrue, valueIfFalse)
Evaluates a logical expression and returns one value when the condition is TRUE and another when it is FALSE. Useful for conditional calculations and branching logic.
ROUND(number, digits)
Rounds a number to the specified number of decimal places. Use this to control the precision of your calculated results.
POW(number, exponent)
Returns the value of a number raised to a given exponent. Ideal for percentage power‑based calculations.
ABS(number)
Returns the absolute value of a number. This removes any negative sign, which is helpful when you need magnitude without direction.
Variables
These variables describe properties of the current row. Use them with functions like IF to apply different logic depending on the row type.
Tip: 💡For example, to skip the calculation on KPI rows.
IF(IsKPIRow, NULL, <Actual>-<Budget>)
IsCreditRow
TRUE when the row’s normal balance (or account type) is Credit—for example, Income or Liability accounts. Header Total rows also return TRUE. Calculation rows (e.g., Net Profit) return NULL, as they do not have a normal balance.
IsTotalRow
TRUE when the row represents a Total for an Account Tree header.
IsCalculationRow
TRUE when the row is a Calculation row in the Account Tree, such as Gross Profit, Operating Profit, or other derived totals.
IsKPIRow
TRUE when the row represents a KPI or metric that has been added to the Account Tree.
Show as percentage
Tick Show as percentage to format the result as a percentage. This option doesn’t change the underlying calculation—it simply adjusts how the value is displayed.
Note: 💬 The number of decimal places shown for percentages is controlled in the Report Criteria.