Null value vs. True zero

Hi, I am trying to differentiate between a 'null' value versus an actual true zero (- vs 0) on a dashboard. Has anyone had any experience with this? I am looking at formula options to resolve this issue. Any help is appreciated! Thanks, Kaley

Accepted answers

All comments

Mark_W_Shemaria

set up a conditional formula which tests for <> 0, then use either conditional formatting or a boolean to highlight the result

peter_mcanena

Hi Kaley,

Anaplan doesn't really have a concept of null values for numeric fields. However, there are some workarounds, one of which should work for you:

1. Use a list. If your numeric field has a fixed set of values (even if it's a very large set of values such as all the percentages between 0% and 100% in steps of 0.1%), You can then have a blank value in the line item, which is different from the list member representing zero. But you'll then need additional code to convert the list members to meaningful numbers

2. Use a small non-zero value such as 0.00001 or -0.00001 to represent zero, and true zero to represent null

3. Use one of Anaplan's "numeric exception" values, such as NaN ("not a number") to represent null. You can get NaN with the expression DIVIDE(0, 0) and you can test for it by checking

IF x <= 0 or x >= 0 THEN  ELSE

4. Supplement your numeric line item with a boolean that indicates that the value is in fact null. Then your logic will need to check both line items

One of those should work for you.

Pete

harish_bk

Hi Kaley
I dont see difference being identified in null and zero values in anaplan if the line item is number formatted. In addition to ideas provided by Peter

Could you please let me know the reason for using the condition, may be we can come out with better solution. I assume Zero would be uploaded during data load.

If that is the case, we can create one more line item (Check Data)
Make it boolean format or text format
Load a fixed character (If its text format) to that line item
then use to define conditions in your other line items.

Thanks and Regards
Harish B K

sachinbhutani

One such use case is for override values

I do not want to add a boolean to maintain override as multiple clicks would be needed for user to override

but if I check for override value <> 0 for the override to occur, I cannot override the original value with 0 itself.

Regards

Sach!n

Quick Links

Can you help?

Unanswered questions

12_ [COMPLETE GUIDE] Uphold Support Number
At Uphold customer support ⭐+1-888-355-2348 accounts may be temporarily disabled or restricted for various reasons. Raise a concern on priority basis at Uphold support ⭐+1-888-355-2348 if you notice any suspected malicious activity, or a problem during account recovery. To contact Uphold support directly at…
New UX Filtering for Hierarchy sibling
I have A6 as the parent list and two sibling lists: A6.5 and A7. The A7 list includes an attribute that maps to A6.5. In the UX, the user will select A6.5 using a content selector, and the grid (dimensioned by A7) should display only the A7 items associated with that selected A6.5. Since the selector is a page context and…
A reminder of Bulk Copy - Current year to Prior year version for YoY analysis
A quick reminder of the Bulk Copy functionality. Bulk Copy allows you copy large volumes of data from one slice of a model to another in a single, optimised operation, instead of using formulas or imports. Use case: copy a version (RF1) into a prior year version (PY RF1) using a versions list to allow for year-on-year…