◆ Applies to: TBM Studio 12.0 and later
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A Weighted Value allocation distributes value based on the ratio (relative size) of the values in a column you select from the target table. This is one of the most common types of allocations (Learn more). For example, you might distribute the allocation based on the number of employees in a business unit, the number users of an application, the number of servers in a data center, or the number of square feet in a data center.
The following is an example weighted value by allocation:
Distribution options
There are three distribution options:
- Even
- Weight By
- Data Relationship
Even distribution
The Even distribution option is the default option and is in effect when the Weight By and Data Relationship options are not selected.
This option distributes the allocation evenly across all units identified in the target table by the To property. For example, if there is an Applications Target table with five applications and $100,000 is being allocated, $20,000 will be allocated to each application.
Weight By distribution
Adding a weighting to an allocation imposes an uneven distribution of currency by referencing a field or metric that captures the desired distribution across records in the destination object of the allocation. Allocation weightings are used in two distinct situations:
- When there is a column in a dataset that more accurately captures how units (usually dollars) should distribute across the records in a dataset. An example of this is using depreciation dollars from the fixed asset ledger to weight allocations into Fixed Assets.
- When there is a lack of relevant data points by which to accurately allocate. In this case, weightings are used to make allocations more accurate than they otherwise would be by using data relationships.
Example
Assume there are five applications with various numbers of users as shown in the table below and $100,000 to be allocated. If no weighting is used and the dollars are evenly distributed, then each application gets an even share of the $100,000.
In this next case, however, you want to weight the distribution by the number of users. Then, the $100,000 would be distributed as shown below in the Allocation column:
IMPORTANT: There are two common issues when weighting allocations:
- Weight by non-numeric: If you try to weight an allocation by a numeric column that contains at least one non-numeric value, the weighting will be ignored. To correct the problem, remove the non-numeric values from the column.
- Weight by negative: If you try to weight an allocation by a negative value, the allocation will fail due to a guardrail put in place to prevent calculation issues arising from weighing by negative values. For more information, see About weighting and negative numbers.
There are three options by which to weight allocations:
| Weighting option |
Summary |
Example |
| Table |
Distributes the allocation based on the ratio of the values in a column from the dataset backing the destination object in the allocation. |
You could use the Depreciation column from your Fixed Asset Ledger to weigh your Cost allocation from the Cost Source to Fixed Assets. |
| Metric |
Distributes the allocation based on the ratio of the values in the same destination object, but for a different metric.
NOTE: This is available only in TBM Studio 12.5 and later.
|
You could use the Cost allocation distribution to weigh a Budget allocation. |
| Other Driver |
Distributes the allocation based on the ratio of the values in a specific driver or set of drivers into the destination object.
NOTE: This is available only in TBM Studio 12.5 and later.
|
You could use your Labor allocation into IT Resource Towers to weigh the Project allocation into IT Resource Towers |
Data Relationship
The Data Relationship option distributes the allocation evenly across the units that match the values in a column in the source table with the values in a column in the target table. For example, assume the source table includes information about applications. Both the source and destination tables include an Application Category column. One of the categories is identified as Databases, but there are two database applications: Oracle and SAP. The value from the Database entries in the source table would be aggregated and allocated evenly to the Database entries in the target table. If $20,000 was being allocated, it would be divided into $10,000 for Oracle and $10,000 for SAP.
Finally, you can specify more than one relationship. If you specify more than one relationship, all the relationships must match for the value to be allocated.