Allow hashing out of lines in the formula editor

m.angeles11
edited February 2 in Modeling Ideas

Issue: As a model builder, we sometimes need to alter lines of code in the formula of a module. It would be really helpful if there was a character (e.g. hash symbol "#") that Anaplan can ignore so that model builders are able to quickly remove certain lines of code from being used in the calculation without having to delete them.

Use Case: This feature could be used to write notes within the formula that might assist another model builder as to why a formula was changed and when. It is also helpful when the model builder is testing variations of the formula and not having to copy and paste previous iterations of a formula.

Example:

Original calculation:

Amended calculation:

In the example above, only the calculation outlined in GREEN would be used in the formula and all rows with a "#" at the beginning of the row are ignored.

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Comments

  • I like it - would definitely improve the modelling experience when:

    • Ttrying to debug formulas that aren't working
    • When copying modules and changing the 'applies to' (often you have to copy the formulas out to a file and add them back in step by step which can be slow)
  • Great suggestion, Michael!

    This functionality exists within many other coding languages (e.g. MS VBA, sql) and its presence assists with development and transparency.

  • Hello,
    The post is composed of 2 different ideas:

    • Commenting on the settings and,
    • Testing the variables of the formula.

    I will speak from my own experience,
    When I take over a model, I rarely see comments in the "Notes" column, whether in the "module", "line item", "general lists", "actions", etc.
    And yet, feeding the "Notes" column is a best practice!


    I'm more and more convinced of the use of this column for all sorts of comments.

    Finally, for testing variables, I would have added my "+1" to this idea, fortunately for us, now we have indentation in the new interface.
    It becomes much easier to add "AND/OR" + "FALSE/TRUE" or "*0" to test variables (at least, that's my method).
    Don't forget to clean up!

    I hope to have helped,
    //
    I think that the formula is always stored in "raw", and not indented (it is just a display),
    I imagine that adding such a feature would risk a lot of unwanted effects or regression.

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