# Variable Basics

## Overview

**Variables** are the items that form the logic of your model. Imagine you're building a forecast budget for your business. Examples of Variables might be: **Total Revenues**; **Number of Employees**; **Office Costs.**

{% hint style="info" %}
If you're used to working in Excel, you can think of Variables as like the lines in your model, but a lot more powerful
{% endhint %}

Variables can reference inputs to the model (called [**Assumptions**](/assumptions/introduction-to-assumptions.md)), or they can reference other Variables, through [**Calculations.**](/calculations/introduction-to-calculations.md)

A Calculation might look something like:

```
Profits = Revenues - Costs
```

In this way, you can link Variables to each other and develop the structure of your model.

The rest of this section explains how to configure Variables and the huge range of ways you can work with them.

## The Variables list view

By default, Variables are shown in a [**Tree View**](/using-taglo-software/the-taglo-interface/list-views.md#view-types), but you can also view them in a flat list, or a grid.

<figure><img src="/files/jfdlkNynhFxvy02WVyR3" alt=""><figcaption><p>Variable Tree View</p></figcaption></figure>

In the Tree View, as shown above, the tree represents the relationships between the Variables. In this example, `Revenues by region` references `Revenues by region and membership type`, which in turn has a Calculation of `Gym members * Revenue per member`, hence these two Variables are shown as its children.

Using the Tree View, you can quickly navigate the relationships between Variables to understand and interrogate Calculations.

## The Variables preview

Each Variable in the list can be [**previewed**](/using-taglo-software/the-taglo-interface/previewing-and-editing.md) in detail, as per the example below:

<figure><img src="/files/B6c4ac0Ccz87mP02UFTM" alt=""><figcaption><p>Example Variable Preview</p></figcaption></figure>


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://help.taglo.io/variables/variable-basics.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.