Area definition

The area definition tells TM1® which values to calculate by a rule statement.

Using areas you can specify different calculations for different parts of a cube. For example, in a tax application, formulas for margin may vary from location to location, in which case you would specify different areas (and accompanying formulas) for each location.

The following table provides all valid area definitions for the Purchase cube in the sample database that accompanies this guide.

Area Definition

Scope

[ ]

All cells in the cube.

['Purchase Cost - LC']

All cells identified by the Purchase Cost - LC element.

['Jan-01', 'Price/Kg - LC']

All cells identified by both the Jan - 01and Price/Kg - LC elements. This area definition might reflect special discount pricing available only on New Years Day.

['Salmon', 'Helsinki', 'Jan-13']

All cells identified by the Salmon, Helsinki, and Jan-13 elements.

Regardless of the scope of an area, you must follow these conventions when writing an area definition:

  • Enclose each element in single quotes.
  • Use commas to separate each element.
  • Enclose the entire area definition in square brackets.