Formula Designer overview

Formulae are referred to in Movement, Purchase, and Sales Types. All Movement Orders, Purchase Orders/Invoices and Sales Orders/Invoices make use of a definition and at the time the relevant entry functions are used, formulae specified in the types are applied to the transactions.

A simple invoice has at least three variables, i.e. the quantity, the price, and a tax amount. The quantity is multiplied by the price, to give a net of tax value. Then tax is calculated and added to the net value to give the total invoice value. A definition is created with each variable specified as a value label; quantity, price, tax, net value and total value. Each value label may have a formula code specified, in this case one for net value and another for total value. The method by which each formula is then calculated is defined in Formula Designer (FMD).

Formulae can be up to 150 characters in length and can contain a maximum of 26 operators. You can also accumulate the result of a calculation code into another code.

Within the formula you can use:

• paired brackets
• numeric values
• mathematical operators + - * /
  Note: Any of these arithmetic operators are available to use in formulae; add(+), subtract(-), multiply(*), divide(/), as well as the logical operator OR(|).
• percentage sign % (equivalent to /100)
• the | or 'OR' operator
• elements from the Formula Map
  Note: The Formula Map is the table holding the descriptions and lookup codes for the predefined variables which may be included in a formula. You cannot add new entries to this table.
• value labels from elsewhere on the current line
• value labels for totals from other lines on the order
• value books, price books or price book hierarchies.

Formula Designer (FMD) also allows you to invoke Report Manager from where reports on your formulae can be run. It is not responsible for evaluating formulae; that is done by the Formula Engine.