Frequently Asked Questions About the Cube Portal

In this FAQ:

• What's the Difference Between the Library and Templates/Reports?
• What's the Difference Between Tags and Formulas?

What's the Difference Between the Library and Templates/Reports?

The Library houses pre-created spreadsheets with specific data.

Templates/Reports are shells for you to pull data into routinely.

You can think of the Library as a centralized location to keep track of all the spreadsheets you want non-finance users or budget owners to utilize. The Library allows users to store data in the cloud and pull reports directly from the Cube Portal. Cube users can navigate to the Library, open a saved report, and fetch or publish data in the spreadsheet. 

Templates/Reports are for more general reports you routinely use and would like to pull into a spreadsheet. You can create a Template/Report by publishing via your Cube Add-on. Templates/Reports can be stored on an individual user basis or shared with all Cube users. 

Learn more about Templates and Reports.

What's the Difference Between Tags and Formulas?

Tags are custom groupings of dimension members that may differ from the hierarchy defined within the top-level dimension (for example, defining certain Accounts as “Fixed” vs. “Variable” Costs).

Tags will not appear on your Dimension page and cannot be used in formulas but can be fetched like a dimension.

Learn how to create tags.

Formulas are associated with a given dimension whose value is calculated based on other Cube dimensions.

For instance, Gross Profit can be added as a formula in Cube by subtracting "Cost of Goods Sold" from "Revenue". Formula dimensions, such as "Gross Profit", can be used in other formulas. 

The formulas page shows all dimensions that contain formulas, saving you time from having to scroll through the Dimensions page and click on each dimension to see the underlying formula.