Using Data Engine Syntax

Data Engine Syntax mode enables you to create formulas using the syntax of a specific database engine.

For general information on using the Formula Builder interface, see Overview of Formula Builder.

Create a Formula Using Data Engine Syntax Mode

1. Open the Formula Builder interface and select the Data Engine Syntax (Legacy).

2. Enter a name in the Formula Name box.
3. To add a function to the formula, type it directly in the editor. A suggestion box displays with columns and functions that fit your text. You may also use the following method:
   • Under Insert Functions, select the function that you want to insert. The description box displays helpful information about the function.
   • Click Add to Formula. The formula displays in the Formula box.
4. To add a column to the formula, type it directly in the editor. A suggestion box displays with columns and functions that fit your text. You may also use the following method:
   • Insert the cursor in the desired location in the formula.
   • Under Insert Columns, click on the column that you want to insert. The column displays in the Formula box.
5. Continue to add functions and columns until your formula is complete.
6. Before you can use the formula, you must test it. At any time while building your formula, click Test. The formula will be tested with random values from the dataset. An error displays if the formula has a mistake.
7. Click Save to save the formula.

Examples

The following examples describe typical scenarios for using formulas.

Extract a month from a date

You can use the dateFormat function to extract a month value from a date. For example, if you want to use the month for the x-axis of a bar chart.

| Function | dateFormat |
| Syntax | dateFormat(date_value, ‘format’) |
| Example | dateFormat([orderDate], ‘MM’) |

Aggregate values of all rows

You can create a formula to calculate the aggregate of all the rows in a column, and then use the result in a calculation. For example, to calculate the percentage of one product’s inventory to all product inventory.

| Function | agg_sum |
| Syntax | agg_sum(value) |
| Example | [quantityInStock]/agg_sum([quantityInStock])*100 |

Concatenate text columns

Formula Builder supports concatenation using the + sign. For example, to create a full name by concatenating the first name and last name columns.

| Function | + |
| Syntax | value1+value2+value3... |
| Example | [contactLastName]+’,’+[contactFirstName] |

Using an “if” statement

You can use “if” and other scripting functions to create more sophisticated formulas. For example, suppose you want to create a formula that determines whether your shipping department shipped customer orders within three days. To do this, you would create an if statement that compares two columns in your ERP system, orderDate and shippedDate. If the order was shipped within three days, it returns the word, “fast”. If not, it returns, “slow”. In the example below, notice that the isNull() statement is used to provide some error-handling by changing a null value into a date value (now).

| Function | if |
| Syntax | if (condition) {return result1;} else {return result2;} |
| Example | if(dateDiff([orderDate],isNull([shippedDate],now()),'DAYS')<=3) {return 'fast';} else {return 'slow';} |

Syntax Reference

This section is a reference for proper syntax of formulas in Data Engine Syntax mode.

Field/Column Syntax

Use [ ] around the field or column name. For example:

[Sales]

Function Syntax

Function names must be in lowercase and must be followed by a bracketed argument list. For example:

sum([Items]) avg([Temp])

Operator Syntax

The following table lists the available operators. Note that normal operator precedence applies.

Symbol	Operation
.	Apply the function following the dot to the string/text value before the dot.
*	Multiplication of two numbers.
/	Division of two numbers.
+	Addition of two numbers.
-	Subtraction of two numbers, or negation of a number.
==	Test equality of two values.
>	Test if the first value is greater than the second value.
<	Test if the first value is less than the second value.
>=	Test if the first value is greater than or equal to the second value.
<=	Test if the first value is less than or equal to the second value.
!=	Test inequality of two values.
^	Bitwise exclusive or (XOR) of two values.
AND	Logical and of two values.
OR	Logical or of two values.
NOT	Logical not of a value.
( )	Evaluate the bracketed expression before applying operators to it.

Supported Functions

Data Engine Syntax mode supports the following functions:

Numeric Functions

Formula Mode supports the Elasticsearch Math API.

Text Functions

Formula Mode supports the Elasticsearch Text API.

Date Functions

Supported date functions include:

• now
• dateFormat
• dateParse
• dateAdd
• dateSubtract
• dateDiff
• dateIsNull

Using dateFormat to display dates and times

The dateFormat function enables you to determine how to display the date and time. For example, the following function:

dateFormat(“07/04/2001”, "EEE, MMM d, ‘’yy")

Returns the following format:

Wed, Jul 4, ‘01

Note: You may use single, or double quotes around the format string.

Note: All dates are treated as GMT.

The following table lists the formatting arguments:

Letter	Date or Time Component	Presentation	Examples
G	Era designator	Text	AD
y, Y	Year	Year	1996; 96
M	Month in year	Month	July; Jul; 07
w	Week in year	Number	27
W	Week in month	Number	2
D	Day in year	Number	189
d	Day in month	Number	10
F	Day of week in month	Number	2
E	Day name in week	Text	Tuesday; Tue
e	Day number of week (1 = Monday, ..., 7 = Sunday)	Number	1
a	AM/PM marker	Text	PM
H	Hour in day (0-23)	Number	0
k	Hour in day (1-24)	Number	24
K	Hour in AM/PM (0-11)	Number	0
h	Hour in AM/PM (1-12)	Number	12
m	Minute in hour	Number	30
s	Second in minute	Number	55
S	Millisecond	Number	978
z	Time zone	General time zone	PST; GMT-08:00
Z	Time zone	RFC 822 time zone	-0800
x	Time zone	iso 8601 time zone	-08; -0800; -08:00