Content Comparison

Measures are different types of numerical data values, such as Revenue or Quantity, that display in the grid.

Measures will be either calculated or non-calculated (raw data). Expand the section below to view a list of the typical measures you might see in a Sales database.

When you first open a database or reset the data during your analysis, the default measure is selected and applied for you. This measure displays at the top of the list in the Measures menu. Typically, in a Sales database, the default measure is Value.

View measures in Summary view

In Summary view, the values you see in the grid correspond to the default measure, so you can see a summary of that measure (Local Values) across the period. You can switch to a different measure, such as Cost or add multiple measures columns to the grid to view all of those high-level data values.

View measures in a filtered view

When you select a dimension, the grid displays columns for the active properties (such as Code and Name) for that dimension, along with additional columns displaying data for the default measure. The columns that display depend on the selected mode. If you select more than one measure, more columns will display.

In the context of a filtered view, the measures are data values relating to the selected dimension. You can switch to a different measure or add multiple measures to view those additional data values in the grid.

Add and remove measure columns

The Measures menu has a list of all the measures in the database, however, only the measures that contain data are available for selection. Typically, in a Sales stream, all measures are available but if, for example, you switch to a Budget stream, you will see that your choice of measures is limited.

When you are in an advanced search or Custom mode, all measures are available (even if they don't contain any data). 

1. In Summary view or when you have selected a dimension (as applicable), click the Measures menu.

2. Select the checkboxes of the measures you want to add to the grid and clear the checkboxes of the measures you do NOT want.

3. Click anywhere outside the Measures menu to update the grid and view the new measures.

Format a measure 

In the image below, compare the default appearance of data in the Local Value column with the customized format of the data in the Local Cost column (it has dollar signs and no decimal places). 

Hide a measure

Excerpt
name hide-measure
By default, all measures are set to Visible, so they display in the list in the Measures menu. You have the option to set a measure as NOT visible, in other words, hide the measure from the list. This option is useful when the database has a lot of measures and therefore, the list of measures is very long but you are only ever interested in some of those measures. You can remove the redundant measures from the list, so you can find the ones you want more easily. Click the Measures > Formatting and clear (deselect) the Visible checkbox for the measure.

Define a measure

When you use Custom mode and create some advanced search rules, you need todefine a measure by applying parameters such as time period, stream, format and filter selections. 

The first thing to be aware of is the Measure button will not say Measure on its label. It will be named differently depending on the default measure set in the database you are in. For example, if you are in a Sales database this button will say something like Sales Local Value. However, when you hover over the button it displays Measure in a tooltip.

When you click the Measure button, the Measure window displays. This is where you define the measure, using the settings that are organized into three tabs. The combination of these settings determines the value of the measure.

Measure	Period	Selections
Select the stream you want your measure to come from (if available).  Select the measure. Only the measures in the current database will be displayed. Select Actual or Daily Average format. Apply.	This optional setting allows you to add a time period to a measure. If you skip this option, either the default or active period will apply to your measure. Choose a time unit (month, day, year) from the list of available defined periods. Enter a start date and end date. These can be fixed dates (such as January 2016) or offset dates. Apply.	This optional setting allows you to further refine the measure by making additional selections on a dimension to act as a filter for the values being calculated. Select a dimension. Select the required entities within that dimension. Info This setting is particularly important when you are defining a measure in an advanced search based on filtered data, as it ensures you get the expected results.

Add a Count column

The Count feature displays specific count results as another measure column in the grid. Adding a ‘count’ column is simple way to see totals related to a dimension, such as the number of products customers are buying or the number of customers in a region.

Info
The Count feature is available in Total, Period, Variance and Stream modes, when you have selected a dimension.

In the following example, you add count columns to identify how many products were bought by each customer.

1. Click the Customer dimension.

2. Click Mode > Total.

3. Click Measures > Count and select Product. The options in the Count list are the same as the dimensions that you see down the left-hand side of the grid. This is because Phocas is counting entities within the datasets that make up dimensions.

   

4. Click anywhere outside the Measures menu to update the grid and view the new Count column.

   

5. (Optional) Visualize the data in a chart or save your view as a favorite.

Info
Limitation: If you add a ‘count’ widget to a dashboard, you should not make it filterable, as it may not perform as expected.

---

Excerpt
name missing-measures
Troubleshooting: Missing measures If you are unable to view specific measures in the grid, it might be due to one of these reasons: You hid the measure: Check to see if you hid the measure (and have since forgotten you did so). Alternatively, you might have accidentally hidden it when you were formatting it. See the Hide a measure section above. Your user restrictions are preventing you from seeing the measure: Ask your administrator to check your user maintenance settings to ensure that the measure is visible to you. User restrictions override the database default restrictions. Administrators, see Manage a user's database access and restrictions. The default database restrictions are preventing you from seeing the measure. Ask your administrator to check the database’s default restrictions to ensure that the measure is visible. These restrictions apply to all users unless overridden by the user’s individual restrictions. Administrators, see Manage a database's default restrictions.