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Core path

Reading the calculation

Trace a KPI back through the things it is built from.

Three kinds of building block, four operators, and brackets. That is the whole language.

A query canvas holds components joined by operators.

There are three components. A Subquery pulls in another KPI, so following it takes you a level deeper. A Source Table reads directly from imported data. A Constant is a fixed number.

The operators are +, −, ×, ÷ and [ ] brackets. Brackets are worth attention: they decide the order things happen in, and a misplaced pair produces a number that is wrong without looking wrong.

Following subqueries down is how you answer "what would change this KPI". If a query is a chain of subqueries, the thing to fix is rarely the KPI you started on.

An open query showing the Assigned KPI dropdown and three component chips joined by plus operators, with the Subquery, Source Table and Constant palette and the operator palette beneath.
  1. 1Assigned KPI — the KPI this query populates
  2. 2Component chips, each carrying the id of the KPI it pulls
  3. 3The operators joining them
  4. 4Components — Subquery, Source Table, Constant
  5. 5Operators, including brackets

ValueWorks 2026.08

Takeaways

  • Three components: Subquery pulls another KPI, Source Table reads imported data, Constant is fixed.

  • Operators are + − × ÷ and brackets, and brackets decide the order.

  • Following subqueries down is how you find what actually moves a KPI.

Surfaces covered

  • Query Builder

Also taught in the Academy

Module 3 · Investigate a number

Take it as lesson 3.4 in Business Analyst & FP&A