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This guide walks through a simple formula for Gross Profit.

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Before you begin

You need a target property and the properties it will reference. In this example:
  • Target property: Gross Profit
  • Referenced properties: Revenue and Cost of Goods Sold

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1. Open the target property

Open Gross Profit and go to its formula editor. The formula belongs to Gross Profit because that is the value it calculates.

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2. Enter the calculation

Write:
Use the property names shown in cfo.ai. Wrap names that contain spaces, punctuation, operators, or reserved words in backticks.

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3. Choose where it applies

For a first formula, use the broadest scope so it acts as the default calculation for the property. You can add more specific formulas later for a segmentation, a segment, Actuals, or Forecast.

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4. Check the formula

Before saving, confirm that:
  • Gross Profit is the target property
  • Revenue and Cost of Goods Sold are the intended inputs
  • The formula applies in the intended scenario
  • The scope is not more specific than you need
cfo.ai validates the syntax and property references when the formula is saved.

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5. Review the result

Open a table that contains Gross Profit. Check a few periods and, if the table is segmented, a few dimension values. For example, if Revenue is 100 and Cost of Goods Sold is 40, Gross Profit should be 60.

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Add detail when you need it

Once the default formula works, you can add a more specific formula without changing the default everywhere. Common next steps include:
  • Calculate Gross Profit differently for one department
  • Use a different formula in Forecast
  • Reference another period
  • Aggregate several dimension values
Use Choose where a formula applies before adding an override.
The source Notion page included an embedded interactive walkthrough (a short HTML walkthrough of this Gross Profit example) that could not be carried over automatically. Consider re-adding it here manually if it’s still useful.