[PROGRESSO] Assessment formula definitions syntax

[Ditto]

Would anyone like to point out why the following is invalid according to progresso? It was entirely built by clicking selections in the command builder.

 

IF(((Count(Y7 2016 entry.Cur. Threshold * 1)) = (0)),Y8 2016 entry.Cur. Threshold * 1,Y7 2016 entry.Cur. Threshold * 1)

[djrscally]

Worked for me:

 

IF(((Count(test111.test 1 * 1)) = (0)),test111.test 1 * 1,test111.test 2 * 1)

 

Does it give you any clues? Or just call it invalid? What about in the audit log?

[Ditto]

Interesting... Nothing in the log but it's stalling at the saving in the template point with just 'invalid'. A couple of considerations

i) I'm trying in sandbox

ii) there are a few spaces in the field names, although yours looks the same.

[Ditto]

@djrscally - I have just tried again in the sandbox with the spaces removed - same error. Here's a screenshot just in case there's a silly error lurking!

 

Out of interest, when you tested, what field type are test111? I might brave the live environment now but it's looking as though I need to log with support. The funny thing is, the only reason I'm doing this is because the SRSS report I have that effectively does the same thing internally, works fine when I export to Word Docs, but blanks out the tabular report when exported to PDF, which of course I need when storing against pupil for parent portal access.

 

{Edit] and now confirmed as not working in live system

Edited January 24, 2018 by Ditto

[djrscally]

All three fields are lists, all three using the same Scale. Same for you?

 

There's weird differences between the exporting to PDF and Word from SSRS. It's horrifically slow to export multiple graphs to PDF, but lightning fast to Word...but then the formatting is rubbish!

[Ditto]

Yes, all lists ("Excellence,Secure,Developing,Foundation"). I noticed we don't have a Category selected but have not needed it to date.

 

For school reports we always PDF for the portal - we can't expect all parents to have Word. We have graphic for attendance and behaviour but and we do end up with huge filesizes. It wouldn't surprise if they re-engineered it to produce Word and then used a Word - PDF converter it would be better.

 

In terms of the actual output Word vs PDF, the reason I want this formula, is that current the logic I have in the form causes no issues for a Word export, but for the PDF, the whole subject/progress grid disappears for some pupils but not others. The logic I have is a bit convoluted, but basically covers the situation where pupils don't have data for last year, so we show current values instead. What I can see is is it looks likely where the logic is for the standard pupil having this years data and last, it blanks the grid. If it's this years data only, it displays fine. So we have the on screen display and a Word export fine, but the PDF version just making the grid disappear for a large number of pupils. As I was at BETT all day, I asked for an update by end of today pointing out the reports are due to go out Monday... diddly-squat feedback! This is where support really leaves us frustrated and ultimately is a serious threat to us remaining with them long term.

[djrscally]

We ought to do a Progresso users lunch at BETT. One for next year...

 

I'm at a loss I'm afraid now then, I can't see any substantive difference between my formula and yours...one for support to get to I suppose.

[Ditto]

Absolutely agree about a progresso users lunch. The account manager offered me lunch on Thursday, but I could not make that day. I don't think they help their cause not having a stand. I won;t be able to make the Birmingham session they run either due to part time and childcare responsibilities.

 

Support have had a look and suggested looking for punctuation marks etc. in the template. I'm not sure if they mean the template name or column names. We do have a full stop in "Cur. Threshold" so maybe that's it. I'll update the thread once I know.

[Ditto]

***sigh*** - having removed the full stops in a couple of the template column names, I've been able to save the template - apparently a known issue. After going in to record assessment screen and clicking Calculate, I get either a blank, +1 or +2. The threshold values are "Excellence,Secure,Developing,Foundation".

[Ditto]

Turns out I'd incorrectly picked the wrong scale for my receiving column . Would have been nice if it reported an error - quite how it could come up with +1, +2 or blank is beyond me!

[djrscally]

lol. Why have error messages when you can cause some serious head scratching for a while instead?!

[Ditto]

The pain continues... having finally got the formula to save, and understood the update process, the result are not as expected. Rightly or wrongly, I've concluded the COUNT function is not suited to this task, where we are processing character scales. So I switched to CASE statement. The results of this are i) the 'Exception' function never seems to work. The formula does not work when reference last years template. I'd be delighted to have it all explained as NOOB issues, but the logic is really this simple:

We have column A in last years template. We have column B in this years template. If

exists, return that value; if not return . A and B are of the same type(Scale), and are character fields. I thought I'd seen testing for was possible in the past, but that doesn't seem possible now. For this really simple formula, how would you achieve it?

[djrscally]

I'd be guessing I'm afraid; we actually don't use calculated columns at all. My Instinct was IF(ColA > -1, ColA, ColB), but I tried it and that doesn't work either (the 'if not, then column B' bit doesn't seem to trigger)