Calculation Sheets

In the previous section, we covered multiple ways of populating measurement value quantities. In this section, we will cover a final way of populating measurement value quantities, namely with the use of calculation sheets.

However, calculation sheets are not limited to being used for creating measurement value quantities, but can be used to calculate resource base allowables, resource loading factors, bill item selling rates, variables, and composite weighting factors.

When switching on table edit and clicking into any of the above, you will see a small square icon in the top right corner containing a plus, minus, multiplication, and equal sign.

Clicking on this icon will open up the calculation sheet for that specific quantity, rate, or value.

You are then able to enter any mathematical function, using for example variables or conditional statements to calculate the value of the quantity or rate that you are defining.

For example, say you wanted to do a simple area calculation, you could enter the following on the calculation sheet:

Length: {L}=100

Width: {W}=50

{@result}={L}*{W} =5000

Clicking Evaluate will calculate the answer, and clicking Done will then save that answer to the measurement value, rate, or variable that you are defining.

Two things to note here, we used variables here for the length and the width by defining them as {L} and {W} and then using the variables in the calculation. This is not necessary, you could also just use the numbers in the calculation, but this was just to demonstrate the fact that you can use variables in the calculation sheet.

You can also define variables on the fly within a calculation sheet, as we did here, by simply typing in an identifier between curly brackets, for example {L}, and entering its value after an equal sign.

The value of the variable can also be a calculation, so {L} could for example also be defined as follows:

{L}=10*10

When defining variables within a calculation sheet, those variables will be local to the specific calculation sheet where it was defined.

However, you can also use any previously defined global variables within any calculation sheet. For more information on global variables, please refer to Variables.