Making Calculations on Document Data

WebIntelligence includes standard functions (sum, count, average, minimum, maximum and percentage) that enable you to make quick calculations on the data in documents. For example, in a document that displays revenue per resort per country, you can calculate and display the total revenue for all resorts per country.

You can perform a number of calculations on data, including:

• Total sum of a row or column
• Number of items returned
• Average value of the items returned
• Minimum value returned
• Maximum value returned
• Percentage

This section presents a number of ways to add calculations to your documents, including:

• Adding a calculation
• Specifying calculation functions
• Formatting the results of a calculation

Return to topic: Working with Document Data

Adding a Calculation

You can apply a calculation to an object in a document in two ways:

Drag the Calculation button from the toolbar to the object in the Block panel. Select the object then click the Calculation button in the toolbar.

Note: You cannot make calculations on objects in the Section panel of the Web Panel.

A Calculation icon appears attached to the object.

If you want to make a different calculation, or add additional functions to the calculations, see the following section.

Specifying Calculation Functions

Once you've attached a calculation to an object in a query, you need to define what kind of numerical operation it will make on the object.

The list of calculation functions from which you can choose depends on the type of object to which you're applying the calculation:

  Calculation Functions for Numerical Values

This dialog box contains functions appropriate for a numerical object such as Revenue. The Sum function is checked by default.

Calculation Functions for Non-numerical Values

The choice of functions for an object such as Resort include only:

• Count
  In this case, the number of values returned is totaled. For example, the number of resorts.

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  Note: The Count function always returns the number of distinct values in a list. For example, if the Bahamas Beach resort occurs multiple times in a list of resorts, it is counted once only.

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• Minimum
  For non-numerical data, the minimum value is determined alphabetically.
• Maximum
  For non-numerical data, the maximum value is determined alphabetically.

The Count function is checked by default.

To define the type of calculation:

1. Double-click the object's Calculation icon. The Calculations window opens.
2. Check the function or functions you want to use.
3. When you're done, click OK.

In the generated document, the results of these calculations, labeled to indicate what kind of function was used, appear beneath the object's value(s).

Return to topic: Making Calculations on Document Data

Formatting the Results of a Calculation

You can change the format of the results of your calculation. For example, you might want to apply percentage or Euro currency formats.

To define the format:

1. Click Edit in the toolbar and choose the Settings tab.
2. Select the cell with the calculation you want to format.

The Cell Settings format menu appears.

3. Click the arrow on the Format drop down menu to see the list of format options.

   

4. Select the format you want and click the Apply Format button to apply the new format to your document.

Removing a Calculation

To remove a calculation from an object, do one of the following:

• If you're using a Java Web Panel, select the Calculation icon attached to the object, then press the Del key on your keyboard.
• If you're using the ActiveX Web Panel, right-click the Calculation icon. Choose Calculations from the contextual menu, then choose None from the second contextual menu that opens.

Return to topic: Making Calculations on Document Data

Return to topic: Working with Document Data