Share your thoughts on visual calculations (preview)

[jeroenterheerdt]

Hit "Reply" and let us know what you think of visual calculations! To learn more about this feature, please visit the blog post or our documentation.

Here are some areas that we'd like to hear about in particular:

• errors / issues you are experiencing
• functionality that is missing / does not work as you expected that is not listed as limitations in our documentation.
• suggestions on governance capabilities
• sorting behavior of visual and visual matrix

Thanks and we look forward to hearing your feedback!

[Idrissshatila]

Hello @jeroenterheerdt ,

I saw people asking about value formatting.

[ToddChitt]

Agreed. The value formatting for new Visual Calculations appears to be two decimal places, regardless. I have an INT value formatted as "Whole Number" and Visual Calculations using it default to two decimals. 

Frustrating to have to go and format every calculation I create.

[jeroenterheerdt]

thanks for the feedback @ToddChitt . What do you prefer we would do? Detect the type of the parameter you are referring to and default to that? What would happen if there are conflicting types or multiple types?

Right now, I believe the default choice is the same as for a measure.

[ToddChitt]

Hello @jeroenterheerdt and thanks for the reply.

First: I think I would prefer that the Visual Calculation take on the formatting of any *single* measure or column on which it is based.

Second: If it is based on two columns or measures, pick one, or use, as you say, the "default choice for a measure".

Third: I created a new simple measure based on the one column in my VC, and THAT was formatted as whole number, no commas, no decimals, yet the VC has 2 decimals. It is obviously NOT looking at the "default choice for a measure".

Fourth: Where do I find and set the "default choice for a measure"? I didn't see anything in Options and Settings. Is it ONLY in the Theme file? I have no theme applied so where is the VC picking up two decimals setting?

[jeroenterheerdt]

hey @ToddChitt . With "default choice" I meant our product makes measures decimal numbers by default and there is nothing you can do to influence that default choice. You can, of course, change the format, but by default every measure starts off like a decimal number and so does a visual calculation. I am sorry if my words caused confusion.

However, you do raise a valid point here about what should be default choice for visual calculations and making that more dependent on the usage. I will make a note and discuss this with the team.

[ToddChitt]

>> With "default choice" I meant our product makes measures decimal numbers by default and there is nothing you can do to influence that default choice.<<

I know it's your product, but please check the default behavior. I have an INT column that is formatted as "Whole number" with 0 decimals. I create a measure from that column and that defaults to Whole number with 0 decimals. I l like it! But then I create a Visual Calculation from the measure or the base column and get 2 decimals. 

The product is not doing what you think it is doing in regard to default formatting of Measures. Even if the column is Currency with 2 decimals, the Measure comes out as Currency with Auto decimals. 

[jeroenterheerdt]

thanks, that is on the list of limitations which will be published in the docs (Tuesday)