Creating/Referencing Assumptions

How to generate new Assumptions and reference them from Variables

Creating Assumptions from Variables

The easiest way to create new Assumptions, is from the Time Segments of a Variable.

Any Time Segment of formula type Assumptions will show you how many Assumptions are required for that Time Segment, how many have been selected, and how many are valid.

You will see these indicators in the Time Segment like in the screenshot below.

A Time Segment with six valid Assumptions

When a Time Segment does not have correctly selected Assumptions it will show you a warning, and you will have two options:

1. Use the Create Missing Assumptions shortcut (the fastest method)

2. Edit the Time Segment manually

Create Missing Assumptions shortcut

Time Segment with six missing Assumptions

Any Time Segment with missing assumptions will show a Create Missing Assumptions button, as shown in the screenshot above.

In the above example, our Variable has two Dimensions applied, with a total of 6 line items, and the Unit is of Constant Time Type, meaning that only one Assumption is required for each item.

Pressing Create Missing Assumptions will bring up an Assumption value entry wizard, in which you can directly enter values. After entering the values and pressing Finish, an Assumption will be created for each value and added to the Time Segment.

Time Segment Editing

You can also Edit the Time Segment directly, in the Time Segment step of the Variable wizard, as in the screenshot below (1).

Edit Time Segment directly

In the Formula step of the Time Segment dialog, you can select existing Assumptions for the Time Segment if they have already been created, or create new ones, as per the steps shown in the screenshot below:

1. Use the Item Status grid (1) to select the items that you want to create assumptions for - by default, all items are selected (selected items are indicated by the filter symbol)
2. Press the New button (2), which will bring up an Assumptions wizard, in which you can enter values for the new Assumptions
3. On finishing the Assumptions dialog you will see the newly created Assumptions in the Time Segment wizard (3). The Item Status grid (4) will now show a green background for each item, indicating that a matching Assumption is available.

4. Select the newly created Assumptions in the Assumptions list (3), and note that each item in the Item Status Grid (4) now has a tick to indicate that an item has been selected.

5. Click finish

Adding Assumptions in the Formula step of the Time Segment wizard

Creating standalone Assumptions

You can create Assumptions without an associated Variable. To do this, go to the Assumptions Tab of the Model Editor, and open a new Assumptions wizard.

Read on to learn more about the Assumptions Wizard.