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I thought it might be a nice idea to expand the functionality of the Data Explorer, to allow the creation of basic formulas that could use values present in linked attribute columns to write values to other attribute columns.
I thought of this recently when working with AF to introduce CAVAT (Tree Civic Amenity Value) formulas against our arb assets. The formula that calculates the CAVAT value is quite simple, comprised of basic multiplication and division, but the creation process involved a significant talent stack of coding over API on the server that I imagine most users (including me) don't have. The thought occurred that this would be a 5 minute job in an Excel spreadsheet, and then I realised that the Data Explorer is basically a spreadsheet, so why not introduce the functionality in there? Most users will be familiar with Excel, and if they can implement these calculations themselves with a similar tool to one they are probably already using, it would relieve a burden from your implementation consultants.
Example:
To calculate the value of a tree using the quick method, you simply take the circumference of the tree, divide it by Pi, divide the result by 2, square the result, multiply that result by Pi, then multiply that result by Unit Value Factor (UVF), multiply by the CTI (community tree index), multiply by the Functional Value, multiply by the SULE (safe useful life expectancy), and then write the result to the CAVAT Attribute.
It sounds complicated, and to implement in Alloy using the API it is extremely complicated, but in reality it's a very simple formula using mostly multiplication and division, that most users could execute in Excel quite easily.
In the attached screenshot you can see the same attribute values in the Data Explorer, a red arrow points to the spot where the final CAVAT value is written. It would be intuitive to the user of average IT competence if they could select that column, and had an option to input a formula, which used the other linked attributes as component values - just like in Excel.
I understand that the computations as they exist provide a vast range of functionality, however enabling a simplified version of these tools in a way that can be more readily harnessed by the average user, might open up the power of the system to a wider proportion of the user base.
