Creating and Managing Calculated Fields

Performing Standard Data Operations > Creating Calculations > Creating and Managing Calculated Fields

A calculated field is a "virtual" field that shows the result of a formula in a table. This section will discuss opening, editing and deleting calculated fields. It will also discuss converting the "virtual" field into a regular, "fixed" one.

Opening Calculated Fields

Calculated fields are created by opening the formula builder dialog and creating your calculation. You can open this dialog by doing one of the following:

1.	Select "Insert Calculated Field" from the Columns option in the Data menu.

2.	Right-click on any field header and select "Insert Calculated Field."

3.	Click on the Calculated Field icon (lightning bolt) from the Bookmarks Toolbar.

Editing Calculated Fields

The values in a calculated field are generated based on the formula created for the field. For this reason, it is not possible to edit individual data values per cell but it is possible to edit the underlying formula at any time.

To edit a calculated field, click on the field header and do one of the following:

1.	Select "Edit Calculated Field" from the Columns option in the Data menu.

2.	Right-click on the calculated field header and select "Edit Calculated Field."

The formula builder will appear and you can edit your formula as you wish.

NOTE: If you convert a calculated field into a fixed field (see last section below), you will no longer be able to edit the formula. However, you can edit any of the individual cell values in it.

Deleting Calculated Fields

Since calculated fields are "virtual," it is easy to simply add and delete them at any time without requiring additional data processing.

To delete a calculated field, click on the field header and do one of the following:

1.	Select "Delete Calculated Field" from the Columns option in the Data menu.

2.	Right-click on the calculated field header and select "Delete Field(s)."

After confirming your choice, the calculated field will immediately be removed from the table.

Convert to Fixed Field

As discussed previously, the calculated field is a "virtual" field, which makes it particularly dynamic and flexible for performing data analysis. However, sometimes it is useful to convert this type of field into a regular field that is "fixed" or "static." Basically, once the field is "fixed" is it no longer defined by a formula but, instead, the values generated by the formula become static.

To turn a calculated field into a regular "fixed" field, select the field header and do one of the following:

1.	Select "Convert to Fixed Field" from the Columns option in the Data menu.

2.	Right-click on the calculated field header and select "Convert to Fixed Field(s)."

Once this option is selected, Strata will perform the necessary structure change on the field. Once the processing is finished, the field will be available to use like all other standard fields.