Learn the operators and functions you can use to create formulas in ThoughtSpot.

ThoughtSpot allows you to create derived columns in worksheets using formulas. You create these columns by building formulas using the Formula Assistant. An individual formula is constructed from n combination of operators and functions.

This reference lists the various operators and functions you can use to create formulas.

Operators

Operator Description Examples
and Returns true when both conditions are true, otherwise returns false. (1 = 1) and (3 > 2) = true
lastname = 'smith' and state ='texas'
if…then…else Conditional operator if (3 > 2) then 'bigger' else 'not bigger'
if (cost > 500) then 'flag' else 'approve'
ifnull Returns the first value if it is not null, otherwise returns the second value. ifnull (cost, 'unknown')
isnull Returns true if the value is null. isnull (phone)
not Returns true if the condition is false, otherwise returns false. not (3 > 2) = false
not (state = 'texas')
or Returns true when either condition is true, otherwise returns false. (1 = 5) or (3 > 2) = true
state = 'california' or state ='oregon'

Aggregate functions (group aggregate)

Use the following functions to aggregate data.

Function Description Examples
average Returns the average of all the values of a column. average (revenue)
average_if Returns the average of all the columns that meet a given criteria. average_if(city = "San Francisco", revenue)
count Returns the number of rows in the table containing the column. count (product)
count_if Returns the number of unique rows in the table containing the column that meets the specified condition. count_if(region =’west’, region)
cumulative_average Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the average of the measure, accumulated by the attribute(s) in the order specified. cumulative_average (revenue, order date, state)
cumulative_max Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the maximum of the measure, accumulated by the attribute(s) in the order specified. cumulative_max (revenue, state)
cumulative_min Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the minimum of the measure, accumulated by the attribute(s) in the order specified. cumulative_min (revenue, campaign)
cumulative_sum Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the sum of the measure, accumulated by the attribute(s) in the order specified. cumulative_sum (revenue, order date)
group_aggregate Takes a measure and optional attributes and filters. Used to aggregate measures with different granularities and filters than the columns used in the search. Commonly used in comparison analysis.

This formula takes the following form:
group_aggregate (<aggregation(measure)>, <groupings>, <filters>)

Define lists using curly brackets, { }. Optional list functions query_groups or query_filters specify the lists or filters used in the original search. Use + (plus) and - (minus) to add or exclude specific columns for query groups.

See Flexible aggregation functions.

 group_aggregate (sum (revenue), {ship mode, date}, {} )

group_aggregate (sum (revenue), {ship mode , date}, {day_of_week (date) = 'friday'} )

group_aggregate (sum (revenue), query_groups(), query_filters() )

group_aggregate (sum (revenue), query_groups() + {date}, query_filters() )
group_average Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the average of the measure grouped by the attribute(s). group_average (revenue, customer region, state)
group_count Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the count of the measure grouped by the attribute(s). group_count (revenue, customer region)
group_max Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the maximum of the measure grouped by the attribute(s). group_max (revenue, customer region)
group_min Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the minimum of the measure grouped by the attribute(s). group_min (revenue, customer region)
group_stddev Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the standard deviation of the measure grouped by the attribute(s). group_stddev (revenue, customer region)
group_sum Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the sum of the measure grouped by the attribute(s). group_sum (revenue, customer region)
group_unique_count Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the unique count of the measure grouped by the attribute(s). group_unique_count (product , supplier)
group_variance Takes a measure and one or more attributes. Returns the variance of the measure grouped by the attribute(s). group_variance (revenue, customer region)
max Returns the maximum value of a column. max (sales)
max_if Returns the maximum value among columns that meet a criteria. max_if( (revenue > 10) , customer region )
min Returns the minimum value of a column. min (revenue)
min_if Returns the minimum value among columns that meet a criteria. min_if( (revenue < 10) , customer region )
moving_average Takes a measure, two integers to define the window to aggregate over, and one or more attributes. The window is (current - Num1…Current + Num2) with both end points being included in the window. For example, “1,1” will have a window size of 3. To define a window that begins before Current, specify a negative number for Num2. Returns the average of the measure over the given window. The attributes are the ordering columns used to compute the moving average. moving_average (revenue, 2, 1, customer region)
moving_max Takes a measure, two integers to define the window to aggregate over, and one or more attributes. The window is (current - Num1…Current + Num2) with both end points being included in the window. For example, “1,1” will have a window size of 3. To define a window that begins before Current, specify a negative number for Num2. Returns the maximum of the measure over the given window. The attributes are the ordering columns used to compute the moving maximum. moving_max (complaints, 1, 2, store name)
moving_min Takes a measure, two integers to define the window to aggregate over, and one or more attributes. The window is (current - Num1…Current + Num2) with both end points being included in the window. For example, “1,1” will have a window size of 3. To define a window that begins before Current, specify a negative number for Num2. Returns the minimum of the measure over the given window. The attributes are the ordering columns used to compute the moving minimum. moving_min (defects, 3, 1, product)
moving_sum Takes a measure, two integers to define the window to aggregate over, and one or more attributes. The window is (current - Num1…Current + Num2) with both end points being included in the window. For example, “1,1” will have a window size of 3. To define a window that begins before Current, specify a negative number for Num2. Returns the sum of the measure over the given window. The attributes are the ordering columns used to compute the moving sum. moving_sum (revenue, 1, 1, order date)
rank Returns the rank for the current row. Identical values receive an identical rank. Takes an aggregate input for the first argument. The second argument specifies the order, 'asc' | 'desc'. rank (sum (revenue) , 'asc' )
rank (sum (revenue) , ‘desc' )
rank_percentile Returns the percentile rank for the current row. Identical values are assigned an identical percentile rank. Takes an aggregate input for the first argument. The second argument specifies the order, 'asc' | 'desc'. rank_percentile (sum (revenue) , 'asc' )
rank_percentile (sum (revenue) , 'desc' )
stddev Returns the standard deviation of all values of a column. stddev (revenue)
stddev_if Returns a standard deviation values filtered to meet a specific criteria. stddev_if( (revenue > 10) , (revenue/10.0) )
sum Returns the sum of all the values of a column. sum (revenue)
sum_if Returns sum values filtered by a specific criteria. sum_if(region=’west’, revenue)
unique count Returns the number of unique values of a column. unique count (customer)
unique_count_if Returns the number of unique values of a column provided it meets a criteria. unique_count_if( (revenue > 10) , order date )
variance Returns the variance of all the values of a column. variance (revenue)
variance_if Returns the variance of all the values of a column provided it meets a criteria.. variance_if( (revenue > 10) , (revenue/10.0) )

Conversion functions

Use these functions to convert data from one data type into another data type.

ThoughtSpot does not support date data type conversion.

Function Description Examples
to_bool Returns the input as a boolean data type (true or false). to_bool (0) = false
to_bool (married)
to_date Accepts a date represented as an integer or text string, and a second string parameter that can include strptime date formatting elements.
Replaces all the valid strptime date formatting elements with their string counterparts and returns the result.
Does not accept epoch formatted dates as input.		 to_date (date_sold, '%Y-%m-%d')
to_double Returns the input as a double data type. to_double ('3.14') = 3.14
to_double (revenue * .01)
to_integer Returns the input as an integer. to_integer ('45') + 1 = 46
to_integer (price + tax - cost)
to_string Returns the input as a text string. To convert a date data type to a string data type, specify the date format you want to use. to_string (45 + 1) = '46'
to_string (revenue - cost)
to_string (date,('%m/%d/%y'))

Date functions

Function Description Examples
add_days Returns the result of adding the specified number of days to the given date. add_days (01/30/2015, 5) = 02/04/2015
add_days (invoiced, 30)
add_minutes Returns the result of adding the specified number of minutes to the given date/datetime/time. add_minutes ( 01/30/2015 00:10:20 , 5 ) = 01/30/2015 00:15:20
add_minutes ( invoiced , 30 )
add_months Returns the result of adding the specified number of months to the given date. add_months ( 01/30/2015, 5 ) = 06/30/2015
add_months ( invoiced_date , 5 )
add_seconds Returns the result of adding the specified number of seconds to the given date/ datetime/ time. add_seconds ( 01/30/2015 00:00:00, 5 ) = 06/30/2015 00:00:05
add_seconds ( invoiced_date , 5 )
add_weeks Returns the result of adding the specified number of weeks to the given date. add_weeks ( 01/30/2015, 2 ) = 02/13/2015
add_weeks ( invoiced_date , 2 )
add_years Returns the result of adding the specified number of years to the given date. add_years ( 01/30/2015, 5 ) = 01/30/2020
add_years ( invoiced_date , 5 )
date Returns the date portion of a given date. date (home visit)
day Returns the number (1-31) of the day of the month for the given date. day (01/15/2014) = 15
day (date ordered)
day_number_of_quarter Returns the number of the day in a quarter for a given date. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. day_number_of_quarter (01/30/2015) = 30

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

day_number_of_quarter (01/30/2015, 'fiscal') = 91
day_number_of_week Returns the number (1-7) of the day in a week for a given date. Monday is 1, and Sunday is 7. day_number_of_week(01/15/2014) = 3
day_number_of_week (shipped)
day_number_of_year Returns the number (1-366) of the day in a year from a given date. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. day_number_of_year (01/30/2015) = 30

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

day_number_of_year ( 01/30/2015, 'fiscal' ) = 275
day_number_of_year (invoiced)
day_of_week Returns the day of the week for the given date. day_of week (01/30/2015) = Friday
day_of_week (serviced)
diff_days Subtracts the second date from the first date and returns the result in number of days, rounded down if not exact. diff_days (01/15/2014, 01/17/2014) = -2
diff_days (purchased, shipped)
diff_time Subtracts the second date from the first date and returns the result in number of seconds. diff_time (01/30/2014, 01/31/2014) = -86,400
diff_time (clicked, submitted)
hour_of_day Returns the hour of the day for the given date. hour_of_day (received)
is_weekend Returns true if the given date falls on a Saturday or Sunday. is_weekend (01/31/2015) = true
is_weekend (emailed)
month Returns the month from the given date. month (01/15/2014) = January
month (date ordered)
month_number Returns the number (1-12) of the month from a given date. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. month_number (09/20/2014) = 9

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

month_number ( 09/20/2014, 'fiscal' ) = 5
month_number (purchased)
month_number_of_quarter Returns the month (1-3) number for the given date in a quarter. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. month_number_of_quarter (02/20/2018) = 2

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

month_number_of_quarter (02/20/2018,'fiscal' ) = 1
now Returns the current timestamp. now ()
quarter_number Returns the number (1-4) of the quarter associated with the given date. You can add an optional second parameter to specify 'fiscal' or 'calendar' dates. The default is 'calendar'. quarter_number ( 04/14/2014) = 2

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

quarter_number ( 04/14/2014, 'fiscal' ) = 4
quarter_number ( shipped )
start_of_month Returns MMM yyyy for the first day of the month. Your installation configuration can override this setting so that it returns a different format such as MM/dd/yyyy. Speak with your ThoughtSpot administrator for information on doing this. start_of_month ( 01/31/2015 ) = Jan FY 2015
start_of_month (shipped)
start_of_quarter Returns the date for the first day of the quarter for the given date. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. start_of_quarter ( 04/30/2014) = Apr 2014

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

start_of_quarter ( 04/30/2014, 'fiscal') = Feb 2014
start_of_quarter (sold)
start_of_week Returns the date for the first day of the week for the given date. start_of_week ( 01/31/2020 ) = 01/27/2020
start_of_week (emailed)
start_of_year Returns the date for the first day of the year for the given date. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. start_of_year (04/30/2014) returns Jan 2014

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

start_of_year (04/30/2014, 'fiscal') returns May 2013
start_of_year (joined)
time Returns the time portion of a given date. time (1/31/2002 10:32) = 10:32
time (call began)
today Returns the current date. today ()
week_number_of_month Returns the week number for the given date in a month. week_number_of_month(03/23/2017) = 3
week_number_of_quarter Returns the week number for the given date in a quarter. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. week_number_of_quarter (01/31/2020) = 5

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

week_number_of_quarter (05/31/2020, 'fiscal') = 5
week_number_of_year Returns the week number for the given date in a year. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. week_number_of_year (01/17/2014) = 3

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year.

week_number_of_year ( 01/17/2014, 'fiscal') = 38
year Returns the year from a given date. You can add an optional second parameter to specify whether a 'fiscal' or 'calendar' year is used to calculate the result. The default is 'calendar'. year (01/15/2014) = 2014

In the following example, May 1st is the start of the fiscal year. Per standard convention, the fiscal year is defined by the year-end date.

year (12/15/2013, 'fiscal' ) = 2014
year (date ordered)

Mixed functions

These functions can be used with text and numeric data types.

Function Description Examples
!= Returns true if the first value is not equal to the second value. 3 != 2 = true
revenue != 1000000
< Returns true if the first value is less than the second value. 3 < 2 = false
revenue < 1000000
<= Returns true if the first value is less than or equal to the second value. 1 <= 2 = true
revenue <= 1000000
= Returns true if the first value is equal to the second value. 2 = 2 = true
revenue = 1000000
> Returns true if the first value is greater than the second value. 3 > 2 = true
revenue > 1000000
>= Returns true if the first value is greater than or equal to the second value. 3 >= 2 = true
revenue >= 1000000
greatest Returns the larger of the values. greatest (20, 10) = 20
greatest (q1 revenue, q2 revenue)
least Returns the smaller of the values. least (20, 10) = 10
least (q1 revenue, q2 revenue)

Number functions

Function Description Examples
* Returns the result of multiplying both numbers. 3 * 2 = 6
price * taxrate
+ Returns the result of adding both numbers. 1 + 2 = 3
price + shipping
- Returns the result of subtracting the second number from the first. 3 - 2 = 1
revenue - tax
/ Returns the result of dividing the first number by the second. 6 / 3 = 2
markup / retail price
^ Returns the first number raised to the power of the second. 3 ^ 2 = 9
width ^ 2
abs Returns the absolute value. abs (-10) = 10
abs (profit)
acos Returns the inverse cosine in degrees. acos (0.5) = 60
acos (cos-satellite-angle)
asin Returns the inverse sine (specified in degrees). asin (0.5) = 30
asin (sin-satellite-angle)
atan Returns the inverse tangent in degrees. atan (1) = 45
atan (tan-satellite-angle)
atan2 Returns the inverse tangent in degrees. atan2 (10, 10) = 45
atan2 (longitude, latitude)
cbrt Returns the cube root of a number. cbrt (27) = 3
cbrt (volume)
ceil Returns the smallest following integer. ceil (5.9) = 6
ceil (growth rate)
cos Returns the cosine of an angle (specified in degrees). cos (63) = 0.45
cos (beam angle)
cube Returns the cube of a number. cube (3) = 27
cube (length)
exp Returns Euler’s number (~2.718) raised to a power. exp (2) = 7.38905609893
exp (growth)
exp2 Returns 2 raised to a power. exp2 (3) = 8
exp2 (growth)
floor Returns the largest previous integer. floor (5.1) = 5
floor (growth rate)
ln Returns the natural logarithm. ln (7.38905609893) = 2
ln (distance)
log10 Returns the logarithm with base 10. log10 (100) = 2
log10 (volume)
log2 Returns the logarithm with base 2 (binary logarithm). log2 (32) = 5
log2 (volume)
mod Returns the remainder of first number divided by the second number. mod (8, 3) = 2
mod ( revenue , quantity )
pow Returns the first number raised to the power of the second number. pow (5, 2) = 25
pow (width, 2)
random Returns a random number between 0 and 1. random ( ) = .457718
random ( )
round Returns the first number rounded to the second number (the default is 1). round (35.65, 10) = 40
round (battingavg, 100)
round (48.67, .1) = 48.7
safe_divide Returns the result of dividing the first number by the second. If the second number is 0, returns 0 instead of NaN (not a number). safe_divide (12, 0) = 0
safe_divide (total_cost, units)
sign Returns +1 if the number is greater than zero, -1 if less than zero, 0 if zero. sign (-250) = -1
sign (growth rate)
sin Returns the sine of an angle (specified in degrees). sin (35) = 0.57
sin (beam angle)
spherical_distance Returns the distance in km between two points on Earth. spherical_distance (37.465191, -122.153617, 37.421962, -122.142174) = 4,961.96
spherical_distance (start_latitude, start_longitude, start_latitude, start_longitude)
sq Returns the square of a numeric value. sq (9) = 81
sq (width)
sqrt Returns the square root. sqrt (9) = 3
sqrt (area)
tan Returns the tangent of an angle (specified in degrees). tan (35) = 0.7
tan (beam angle)

Text functions

Function Description Examples
concat Returns two or more values as a concatenated text string. Use single quotes around each literal string, not double quotes. concat ( 'hay' , 'stack' ) = 'haystack'
concat (title, ' ', first_name , ' ', last_name)
contains Returns true if the first string contains the second string, otherwise returns false. contains ('broomstick', 'room') = true
contains (product, 'trial version')
edit_distance Accepts two text strings. Returns the edit distance (minimum number of operations required to transform one string into the other) as an integer. Works with strings under 1023 characters. edit_distance ('attorney', 'atty') = 4
edit_distance (color, 'red')
edit_distance_with_cap Accepts two text strings and an integer to specify the upper limit cap for the edit distance (minimum number of operations required to transform one string into the other). If the edit distance is less than or equal to the specified cap, returns the edit distance. If it is higher than the cap, returns the cap plus 1. Works with strings under 1023 characters. edit_distance_with_cap ('pokemon go', 'minecraft pixelmon', 3) = 4
edit_distance_with_cap (event, 'burning man', 3)
similar_to Accepts a document text string and a search text string. Returns true if relevance score (0-100) of the search string with respect to the document is greater than or equal to 20. Relevance is based on edit distance, number of words in the query, and length of words in the query which are present in the document. similar_to ('hello world', 'hello swirl') = true
similar_to (current team, drafted by)
similarity Accepts a document text string and a search text string. Returns the relevance score (0-100) of the search string with respect to the document. Relevance is based on edit distance, number of words in the query, and length of words in the query which are present in the document. If the two strings are an exact match, returns 100. similarity ('where is the burning man concert', 'burning man') = 46
similarity (tweet1, tweet2)
spells_like Accepts two text strings. Returns true if they are spelled similarly and false if they are not. Works with strings under 1023 characters. spells_like ('thouhgtspot', 'thoughtspot') = true
spells_like (studio, distributor)
strlen Returns the length of the text. strlen ('smith') = 5
strlen (lastname)
strpos Returns the numeric position (starting from 0) of the first occurrence of the second string in the first string, or -1 if not found. strpos ('haystack_with_needles', 'needle') = 14
strpos (complaint, 'lawyer')
substr Returns the portion of the given string, beginning at the location specified (starting from 0), and of the given length. substr ('persnickety', 3, 7) = snicket
substr (lastname, 0, 5)

Embrace passthrough functions

Function Description Examples
sql_bool_aggregate_op Returns the boolean data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_bool_aggregate_op ( "booland_agg ({0})" , is_delivered )
sql_bool_op Returns the boolean data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_bool_op ( "is_decimal ({0})" , itemCount )
  • sql_bool_op ( "is_decimal ({0})" , itemCount )sql_bool_op ( "boolor ({0}, {1})" , 2 , 0 ) = True
sql_date_aggregate_op Returns the date data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_date_aggregate_op ( "max ({0})" , orderdate )
sql_date_op Returns the date data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_date_op ( "previous_day ({0})" , ship_date )
sql_date_time_aggregate_op Returns the timestamp data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_date_time_aggregate_op ( "max ({0})" , delivery_time )
sql_date_time_op Returns the timestamp data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_date_time_op ( "timestamp_sub ({0}, {1})" , sale_time , 'INTERVAL 30 MINUTE')
sql_double_aggregate_op Returns the double data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_double_aggregate_op ( "approx_percentile ({0}, {1})" , unrealised_gain , 0.99 )
sql_double_op Returns the double data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_double_op ( "acosh ({0})" , quantity )
  • sql_double_op ( "radians ({0})" , 180 ) = 3.141592654
sql_int_aggregate_op Returns the int data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_int_aggregate_op ( "approx_count_distinct ({0})" , sale_volume )
  • sql_int_aggregate_op ( "bitand_agg({0}) OVER ( [ partition by {1} ] )" , user_permissions , user_type )
sql_int_op Returns the int data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_int_op ( "ceil ({0})" , itemCount )
  • sql_int_op ( "charindex ({0}, {1})" , "qwerty" , "rty" ) = 4
sql_string_aggregate_op Returns the string data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_string_aggregate_op ( "min ({0})" , username )
sql_string_op Returns the string data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_string_op ( "soundex ({0})" , "Marks" )
sql_time_aggregate_op Returns the time data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_time_aggregate_op ( "max (time ({0}))" , delivery_time )
sql_time_op Returns the time data type. The first argument takes the signature of the external function to be executed against the datasource. Subsequent arguments take the values to be passed to the external function.
  • sql_time_op ( "time_from_parts ({0}, {1}, {2})" , 12 , 30 , 20 ) = 12:30:20