Conditional Calculation vs. Calculate on Condition
You have two powerful options for configuring conditions in your media fields:
Conditional Calculation: This option allows the field to perform different calculations based on specific conditions.
Calculate on Condition: This option enables calculations only under certain conditions, reverting the field to a simple input field in other scenarios.
In this article, you will learn how to set up and manage both of these options to enhance the flexibility and accuracy of your data entries.
💡 Editing an existing calculation: If you change the formula on a calculation field that's already in use, the update applies to every plan currently using that field. This is different from something like the Plan Naming Convention, where changes only apply going forward.
Money or plain number
💡 Note: This section applies only if your organization uses Money fields. If you record amounts in Number fields and use a calculation to convert them into your main reporting currency, the settings below will not appear and nothing here affects you.
When your formula references a Money field, such as Cost or Agency Fee, Camphouse asks how the result should be treated. You will see a Calculate as setting with two options.
Money: the result carries a currency, converts with your exchange rates, and displays with a currency symbol. Choose this for costs, fees, savings, and anything else that is an amount of money.
Number: the result is a plain number with no currency. Choose this for counts and ratios, such as impressions or units, even though the formula uses money to work them out.
Why a calculation that uses money can give a plain number
Some calculations use money without producing money. When you divide an amount by a price, the money cancels out and you are left with a quantity. If you have a budget of 100 and each item costs 4, you can buy 25 items: both figures going in are amounts of money, but 25 is a count.
Planning works the same way. A spend of 20,000 divided by a CPM of 5 tells you how many thousands of impressions you can afford, so (Spend / Est. CPM) * 1000 gives you a number of impressions, not a sum of money.
A quick way to decide: if the result is something someone could be invoiced for, choose Money. If it is a count or a ratio, choose Number.
Choosing Number
If you choose Number, a second setting appears: Calculate from. Pick one of the currencies set up for your organization.
You may be wondering why a value with no currency needs you to pick one. A money value in Camphouse is not a single number. When you enter 200 in a Cost field, Camphouse also stores that amount converted into every currency your organization uses, based on the exchange rates for the entry's start date. That is what lets you report on the same plan in any currency.
This means a calculation that uses a Money field is worked out once for every currency. For a cost that is exactly what you want. For a count it is not, because you would end up with one impressions figure in EUR and a different one in SEK, and impressions are impressions.
Calculate from tells Camphouse which currency to read the amounts from while it works the calculation out. The result itself has no currency. Think of it as the currency the maths is done in, not the currency of the answer.
The currencies cancel out, so the answer is the same whichever you pick: 200 EUR divided by 4 EUR is 50, and so is 2,200 SEK divided by 44 SEK. Your main reporting currency is a safe choice.
Set Total is to Sum
A calculation set to Calculate as: Number needs Total is set to Sum. Average and None will not total these fields correctly, in Sheet view or in Reports. This applies even to rates like CPM, where you would normally reach for Average.
Good to know
Entries with no amount in the chosen currency are left empty. There is no fallback to another currency.
A plain-number calculation still updates when exchange rates change, because it reads converted amounts. It simply does not show a currency.
You reference a number-output calculation in other calculations and in calculation conditions. It behaves as a plain number wherever it is used.
Calculate as and Calculate from are set when you create the field and cannot be changed afterwards. This is not a formatting option: it changes how the value is stored. If you need a different output, create a new field.
Conditional Calculation
Fields configured as conditional calculations can perform different calculations based on conditions related to entries made in other fields within the same row. This feature provides flexibility, allowing calculations to be tailored to various scenarios using IF, AND, and OR functions, as well as conditions like =, ≠, >, ≥, <, and ≤.
💡Condition options
Non-Numerical Fields
= Equals: Use when the condition must precisely match your criteria.
≠ Not Equals: Use when the condition must not match your criteria.
∈ In: Choose this option to include multiple criteria in one condition, minimizing the need for separate rules.
Numerical Fields
= Equals: Use when the condition must precisely match your criteria.
≠ Not Equals: Use when the condition must not match your criteria.
> Greater Than: Use when the value needs to be greater than a specified number.
≥ Greater Than or Equal To: Use when the value needs to be greater than or equal to a specified number.
< Less Than: Use when the value needs to be less than a specified number.
≤ Less Than or Equal To: Use when the value needs to be less than or equal to a specified number.
These options allow you to tailor conditions effectively based on the type of field you are working with.
Conditional calculations can be used in numerous ways, including but not limited to:
Differentiated cost calculations based on Market and/or Agency.
Varying calculations for estimated reach, clicks, and impressions based on the selected Buying Objective.
Enabling Conditional Calculation
To enable conditional calculations for a media field, follow these steps:
Create a New Media Field: For instructions on how to create a new media field, please refer to this article.
Select the calculation field type when creating the field.
Existing Fields: Ensure the field type is already set as a calculation. Note that number, date, or text fields cannot be directly edited into calculation fields.
Enable Conditional Calculation: In the Calculation row, choose Conditional Calculation.
Configure Conditions: Click "Edit Calculations" to access the configuration settings for your calculation.
Configuring Your Calculation: Conditional calculations can be based on any text or number field.
Tag Fields: When a tag field is selected, tag options will appear as a dropdown list. The condition can be set based on an entry being equal or not equal to one of the tag options.
Text Fields: For non-tag text fields, the condition can be set based on an entry being equal or not equal to the text value you specify.
Number Fields: Conditions for number fields can be set using =, ≠, >, ≥, <, or ≤ in relation to the number entry in that field.
Once the IF condition is configured, proceed to the THEN calculation. Type @ to bring up field options, then establish your desired calculation using + (add), - (subtract), * (multiply), and / (divide).
You can also use brackets to ensure that complex calculations are evaluated correctly and in the intended order.
Mixing money and plain numbers across branches
A conditional calculation can have one branch that returns money and another that returns a plain number. For example: if Media type is Online then @spend + 1000, otherwise 1000.
Because the branches produce different kinds of value, the field has to give one consistent result, so it needs to be set to Calculate as: Number. The conditional calculation window will tell you when your branches mix the two, and the field cannot be saved until Calculate as is set to Number.
Adding Multiple Conditions
Click the plus sign that appears when hovering over the center of an IF condition or THEN calculation to add multiple conditions.
Using AND/OR Functions
Expand on an IF condition by incorporating AND/OR conditions. Click the plus sign that appears between the IF condition and the THEN calculation on the left side of the window to add these functions.
Calculate on Condition
The "Calculate on Condition" setting allows you to specify when a field should function as a calculation field and when it should act as a simple input field. This feature is useful for fields that need to perform calculations under certain conditions while allowing manual input in other scenarios.
Enabling "Calculate on Condition"
To enable the "Calculate on Condition" feature for a media field, follow these steps:
Create a New Media Field: For detailed instructions on creating a new media field, please refer to this article. Be sure to select the calculation field type when creating the new field.
Existing Fields: Ensure the field type is already set as a calculation. Note that number, date, or text fields cannot be directly edited into calculation fields.
Enable "Calculate on Condition": In the Calculation Condition row, choose Calculate on condition instead of Always calculate.
Define Conditions: Click "Edit Condition" to set up the specific conditions under which the field should function as a calculation field. You can define conditions in the same manner as described above for conditional calculations.
Specify how the calculation should be performed and when the field should revert to a simple input field based on your unique requirements.
Add Multiple Conditions: Hover your cursor below the last condition. Click on the blue plus sign (+) that appears to add more conditions.
You can also incorporate AND/OR functions to expand your conditions as necessary. For more detailed instructions on using AND/OR functions, please refer to this section.
⚠️ When the condition isn't met: the field simply behaves as a plain input field, ready for manual entry. Your calculation setup stays in place behind the scenes, so as soon as the condition is met again, the field goes back to calculating automatically.