Adding a Formula to the Formula Table
To add a formula, follow these steps:
1 Select Override Object from the Edit menu, or click the override icon, green_dude.png, in the toolbar.
2 Click in the empty Formula Name field of the last line of the table.
3 Enter information in the following fields:
o Formula Name: enter name of the formula (one of the names listed above)
o Display Name: enter the name as you want it to appear in end user tables and reports.
o Unit Type Name: select the type of units for the formula value.
o Unit: units for the formula value. This field is not editable; it is determined by the Unit Type Name field.
o Inverted Goodness: set this to false. (This toggles the red/green arrows in the UI. By default ("false"), smaller values are considered desirable (as in the case of costs), and therefore are displayed with green arrows. However, a smaller value for an item such as feed rate could be considered a negative, and setting Inverted Goodness to "true" allows it to be displayed with a red arrow.)
o Display: set this to true if you want the formula value included in end user tables and reports; set this to false otherwise. See also Controlling Whether a Custom Output Appears in the Part Details Tab.
o Dependency Tree Visibility: Set this value to determine the behavior of the right-click Show Formula Dependencies command in the UI, so that it displays information that is relevant to the end user. Possible settings are ALWAYS, NEVER, WHEN_NONZERO, or unset. Currently the Formula Dependencies window is populated only for direct and indirect rates. The "correct" setting for a given formula is somewhat subjective, but here are some guidelines:
- WHEN_NONZERO – Use this if formula relevance is determined by another setting such as a cost model variable or a site variable. To have formula relevance be driven by these global toggles,you need to set the visibility to WHEN_NONZERO and (when it is irrelevant in the calculation) force it to evaluate to zero.
- NEVER – You would typically use this setting only when you have a formula that does not show up in the UI, but which could be referenced in a spreadsheet report. Or for a formula that will be used in PSOs and which is collected by a parent node. Other possible uses would be for a standard formula whose equations are not set up properly to display in the dialog, or for an insignificant calculation such as a "fudge factor".
- ALWAYS – This is the most typical selection for new formulas. The formula will show up in the dependency tree and the user will be able to see (and override) the value directly from the Formula Dependencies window even if it computes to zero.
Note: If Dependency Tree Visibility is unset, the behavior is the same as if it had been set to ALWAYS.
o Overridable: set this to true if users should be able to override the value for this formula in the UI.
Note: At the Site Cost Model level, this column is labeled Overridable At, and its values define contexts in which the result of the particular formula can be overridden: BRANCH, PROCESS, OPERATION, or UTILIZATION_PROCESS.
o Description: enter an optional description of the formula.
4 Select Save from the File menu, or click save_icon.png in the toolbar, to save your changes.
5 To incorporate your changes into the cost model, select Publish Cost Model and VPE from the File menu, or click publish_icon.png in the toolbar.
Note that if you’ve already defined a process setup option that refers to a formula, the formula is automatically added to the formula table.