Detect indicators with no scores in a formula

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 1 minute to read

    • As the formula creator, you can handle contributing indicators that have null scores. First set the formula indicator to calculate the formula even when it contains a null score.

    Before you begin

    Role required: pa_power_user, admin

    About this task

    The formulas in formula indicators typically contain one or more other indicators. If one of those indicators has no score, by default the formula is not calculated and the formula indicator returns no score. However, several use cases exist for identifying the indicator that has no score instead of having the formula indicator return null. First enable the formula to be calculated when an indicator in the formula has no score. Then you can assign a value to an indicator with no score.

    Procedure

    1. Open the formula indicator of interest.
    2. Select Allow formula component to be null.
    3. In the Formula, add an if{} else {} statement that ascribes a value to an indicator when it has no score.

    Field indicator with Allow formula component to be null

    Consider the following formula indicators for a collection period when there are no closed incidents, so the indicator Number of closed incidents has no score.

    Formula 1:
    [[Number of open incidents]] / [[Number of closed incidents]]
    Formula 2:
    
[[Formula 1]] + 23
    Formula 3:
    
if ([[Formula 1]] == null) { 23 } else { 11 }
    Formula 4:
    
[[Formula 2]] || 64
    Formula 5:
    
(([[Formula 1]] == null && [[Formula 2]] == null) ? 11 : 18)

    If Allow formula component to be null is not selected for any of the formula indicators, none of them have scores.

    If Allow formula component to be null is selected for all of the formula indicators, they have the following scores:
    • Formula 1 = null
    • Formula 2 = 23
    • Formula 3 = 23
    • Formula 4 = 64
    • Formula 5 = 11

    Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 4, and Formula 5 represent four different ways to handle the null score.