The Definitive Guide to LX | Lumonic Help Center

Word count: 2,186 Reading time: 11 minutes

Quick Start

@reporter.net_income                         // Get a metric
@reporter.net_income[scenario=budget]        // Compare to budget
@reporter.net_income[period=M::LTM]         // Last twelve months

Skip to a list of all syntax

Finding Your Configuration (1 minute)

Your Global Object

1. Visit deliverable tracker and look for name above companies

- "Reporters" → use `@reporter`

- "Companies" → use `@company`

- "Entities" → use `@entity`

Your Metric Names and Scenarios

1. Left sidebar → REPORTERS → "Metrics"

2. Open METRIC GROUPS

3. Browse categories (BALANCE SHEET, etc.), browse scenarios (actuals, budget, etc)

4. Use these exact names in your queries

[Your specific scenarios and metrics will be configured during setup]

Core Concepts (2 minutes)

Basic Structure

@reporter.metric_name[modifiers]

Modifiers

Modifiers add specificity to pointers using key-value pairs enclosed in square brackets []. They help you target specific dimensions of your data.

Period Modifiers: Represent the periodicity of a metric (e.g., q, y, ltm, ntm, ytd, fq, fy, qtd, fqtd).
- Syntax: period={source_period}::{target_period}
- Example: @entity.example-1[period=m::ltm] resamples monthly data to Last Twelve Months (LTM).
- Note: Resampled periods can be any valid period type. Prefer fiscal periods over calendar ones if ambiguous.
Scenario Modifiers: Represent different versions of a metric, such as estimates or origination cases.
- Example: @entity.example-1[period=m, scenario=actual]

Smart Defaults

@reporter.net_income
// Same as
@reporter.net_income[scenario=actuals, period=M]

Real-World Examples (3 minutes)

Accessing LX

Go to any Dashboard, Formula, Mapping, or excel calculation to see the LX

Scenario Comparisons

// Compare actual to budget
@reporter.net_income - @reporter.net_income[scenario=budget]

// Variance with scaling (shows in thousands)
scale(
    @reporter.net_income[period=M::fytd] - 
    @reporter.net_income[scenario=budget, period=M::fytd],
    1000
)

Growth Calculations

// Year over year growth
(@reporter.net_income[period=M::LTM] / 
 @reporter.net_income-close) - 1

Asset Coverage

(@reporter.accounts_receivable[scenario=actuals, period=M] * .85 + 
 coalesce(@reporter.inventory[scenario=actuals, period=M], 0) * .5) / 
 coalesce(@reporter.total_syndicated_outstanding[], 
          @reporter.total_debt_outstanding[scenario=actuals, period=M])

Making Numbers Look Right (1 minute)

Scaling

scale(@reporter.net_income, 1000)  // Display in thousands

Available Formats

- Currency ($)

- Percent (%)

- Decimal places (0-2 typical)

- Thousands separator

Handling Missing Data (1 minute)

Use coalesce ONLY when you need fallback behavior:

// If adjusted EBITDA missing, use regular EBITDA
coalesce(
    @reporter.adjusted_ebitda,
    @reporter.ebitda
)

Complete Syntax Reference

Basic Period Types

@reporter.revenue[period=M]                    // Monthly (base period)
@reporter.revenue[period=M::LTM]              // Last Twelve Months
@reporter.revenue[period=M::YTD]              // Year to Date
@reporter.revenue[period=M::FYTD]             // Fiscal Year to Date
@reporter.revenue[period=M::CQ]               // Current Quarter
@reporter.revenue[period=M::CY]               // Current Year
@reporter.revenue[period=M::FQ]               // Fiscal Quarter
@reporter.revenue[period=M::FY]               // Fiscal Year
@reporter.revenue[period=M::FH]               // Fiscal Half
@reporter.revenue[period=M::CW]               // Current Week

Time Shifting

 0CM                                          // Current month
-1CM                                          // Prior month
-1CY                                          // Prior year 

*Note this is used in the "effective date" field in dashboards, not directly in LX formulas

Rolling Calculations

rolling_sum(@reporter.revenue, 3)             // Sum of last 3 periods
rolling_average(@reporter.revenue, 12)        // Average of last 12 periods
rolling_min(@reporter.revenue, 6)             // Minimum over last 6 periods
rolling_max(@reporter.revenue, 6)             // Maximum over last 6 periods

Period Comparisons

prior_period(@reporter.revenue)               // Previous period value
prior_period_delta(@reporter.revenue)         // Change from previous period
prior_period_percent_change(@reporter.revenue) // % change from previous period

Aggregations

sum(@reporter.revenue)                        // Total sum
average(@reporter.revenue)                    // Average
min(@reporter.revenue)                        // Minimum value
max(@reporter.revenue)                        // Maximum value

Special Aggregations

aggregate_mode(@reporter.revenue)             // Most frequent value
aggregate_median(@reporter.revenue)           // Median value
aggregate_weighted_average(@reporter.revenue)  // Weighted average

Time-Based Sums

year_to_date_sum(@reporter.revenue)           // YTD sum
quarter_to_date_sum(@reporter.revenue)        // QTD sum

Conditionals

when(@reporter.revenue > 0, true, false)      // Conditional value
if(@reporter.revenue > 0, 'Positive', 'Negative')

Data Handling

coalesce(@reporter.revenue, @reporter.sales, 0) // Use first non-null value
scale(@reporter.revenue, 1000)                 // Scale values
absolute(@reporter.revenue)                    // Absolute value

Logical Operations

@reporter.revenue > 100                       // Greater than
@reporter.revenue >= 100                      // Greater than or equal
@reporter.revenue < 100                       // Less than
@reporter.revenue <= 100                      // Less than or equal
@reporter.revenue = 100                       // Equal to
@reporter.revenue != 100                      // Not equal to

Multiple Conditions

and(@reporter.revenue > 0, @reporter.profit > 0)   // Both true
or(@reporter.revenue > 0, @reporter.profit > 0)    // Either true
not(@reporter.revenue < 0)                         // Inverse condition

Complex Example

scale(                                              // Display in 1000s
    when(                                          // If/then logic
        @reporter.revenue[period=M::LTM] >         // Is LTM revenue
        rolling_average(                           // greater than
            @reporter.revenue[scenario=budget],     // the rolling average
            12                                     // of last 12 months
        ),                                         // of budget
        prior_period_percent_change(               // If YES: show % change
            @reporter.revenue                      // from prior period
        ),
        coalesce(@reporter.revenue, 0)            // If NO: show revenue or 0
    ),
    1000                                          // Scale to thousands
)

This complex example reads as: "If LTM revenue is beating our 12-month budgeted average, show the growth rate. Otherwise, show current revenue. Display everything in thousands."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Wrong Time Period Syntax

   // WRONG
   @reporter.revenue::LTM
   
   // RIGHT
   @reporter.revenue[period=M::LTM]

2. Unnecessary coalesce

   // WRONG (scenarios don't need fallbacks)
   coalesce(@reporter.revenue[scenario=budget])
   
   // RIGHT
   @reporter.revenue[scenario=budget]

3. Missing Base Period

   // WRONG
   @reporter.revenue[period=LTM]
   
   // RIGHT
   @reporter.revenue[period=M::LTM]

Need Help?

1. Check Your Configuration

- Homepage → Recently visited (for global object)

- Left sidebar → METRIC GROUPS (for metric names)

- Check your configured scenarios

2. Build Step by Step

- Start with basic metrics

- Add time periods

- Add scenarios

- Add calculations

3. Contact Support@lumonic.com

- Metric configuration questions

- Scenario setup help

- Custom calculation support

- Additional training needs