The “Minus” Expression

The Assette Data Object Editor provides a range of expressions and functions that enable you to manipulate and calculate data effectively. One of the fundamental mathematical operations available is the “Minus” expression, which is performed using the “-" operator.

Mathematical Operators Overview #

Before exploring the “Minus” expression in detail, it’s helpful to review the basic mathematical operators supported by the Data Object Editor:

• Addition (+): Adds two or more numbers together.
  • Example: 1 + 2 + 3 returns 6.
• Subtraction (-): Subtracts one number from another.
  • Example: 10 - 9 - 8 returns -7.
• Multiplication (*): Multiplies two or more numbers.
  • Example: 1 * 2 * 3 returns 6.
• Division (/): Divides one number by another.
  • Example: 1000 / 10 / 10 returns 10.

The “Minus” Expression Using the - Operator #

In the Assette Data Object Editor, subtraction is performed using the - operator. This operator allows you to subtract numerical values from each other to calculate differences.

value1, value2, value3: Numeric values or variables you wish to subtract in sequence.

value1 - value2 - value3 - ...

How It Works #

• Left-to-Right Evaluation: Subtraction is performed from left to right.
• Negative Results: If the result of the subtraction is less than zero, the result will be a negative number.
  Examples

Simple Subtraction
Subtract one number from another. Result: 10

15 - 5

Subtracting Multiple Numbers

Subtract several numbers in sequence. Result: 10

20 - 5 - 3 - 2

Using Variables
If you have variables representing data points, you can subtract them directly

totalRevenue - totalExpenses

Combining with Other Operators
You can combine subtraction with other mathematical operations. Result: Total cost after discount for a given quantity.

(price - discount) * quantity

Grouping with Parentheses
Use parentheses "(" and “)" to group expressions and control the order of operations.
For example, calculate the remaining budget:

initialBudget - (expensesTravel + expensesLodging + expensesMeals)

Without Parentheses:

This would incorrectly add expensesLodging and expensesMeals to the result of initialBudget - expensesTravel.

initialBudget - expensesTravel + expensesLodging + expensesMeals

Order of Operations:

The Data Object Editor follows standard mathematical order of operations. Operations inside parentheses are evaluated first, followed by multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction.

value1, value2, value3

value1 - (value2 - value3) * value4 + value5

Negative Numbers:

If the subtracted value is larger than the initial value, the result will be negative. Result: -5

5 - 10

Data Types #

Ensure that the values you are subtracting are numerical. Subtracting non-numeric data may result in errors.

Null and Undefined Values:

• Null: Represents a null value (e.g., data point not available).
• Undefined: Represents an undefined or unassigned value.

Use the HasValue function to check if a value is neither null nor undefined before performing subtraction:

HasValue(value1) and HasValue(value2) ? (value1 - value2) : defaultValue

Using Subtraction in Expressions #

You can use the subtraction operator in various expressions to perform calculations relevant to your data.
Calculating Differences

Difference Between Two Dates
Calculate the number of days between two dates. Note for a more accurate calculation, consider using date difference functions if available.

Day(endDate) - Day(startDate)

Variance Analysis
Determine the variance between actual and budgeted amounts: Result: Positive result indicates over budget, negative result indicates under budget.

actualAmount - budgetedAmount

Percentage Change
Calculate the percentage decrease. Result: Percentage of the discount.

((originalPrice - salePrice) / originalPrice) * 100

Practical Use Cases #

Financial Calculations
Compute net profit:

totalRevenue - totalExpenses

Date Manipulation
Determine the remaining time for a task:

totalDuration - timeElapsed

Data Analysis
Find the deviation from an average:

dataPoint - averageValue