Net-Bench Help Manual

1. Getting Started
2. Building Custom Reports
3. Advanced Instructions for Power Users
Table of Contents

Advanced Instructions

 

Changing Report Properties (Back to Top) (Table of Contents)

  • Net-Bench allows you to move reports to new folders, share reports with other users in your company and delete reports.
  • Reports automatically save to the Private folder.
  • After saving a new custom report, click the Reports icon to get back to the Reports Page and open your Private folder. You should see the new report title listed.
  • Hold down the Shift key and click on the title of your report.
  • The Report Properties box shown here will become visible.
 
Changing Folders
  • Type in a new folder name in the text box labeled Folder.
  • If you are not the author of a report, you will only be able to save a copy. You will be the author of this copy.
  • Note: You must use the exact same syntax when naming the same folder for multiple reports. Net-Bench considers "My Reports" and "my reports" to be two different folders.
  • You can now save reports in subfolders of folders. Simply add a backslash "\" between folder and subfolder e.g. Joe's Reports\Brand Ranking or Joe's Reports\Item Ranking

Changing Permissions

  • Change Permissions by using the Set Permissions options.
  • "Public" will make your report accessible by every user in your company.
  • "By List" will allow you to select individual users in your company to share your report with.
  • Open the folders under User Groups and highlight the individuals you want to share with from the list.
  After making any modifications, YOU MUST click the Save Changes icon.
  Click the Delete Report icon to delete any report.
 

Creating Dictionary Items (Back to Top) (Table of Contents)

You can save your selections in any dimension as a Dictionary Item.

 
  • Make the selections you want saved to the dictionary in the normal fashion.
  • After making your selections, click on the Dictionary icon.
  • Note: all the items in your right hand selection list will be saved as a single dictionary item.
 
  • A dictionary pop-up box will appear after you click the Dictionary icon.
  • Type in a name for the Dictionary item in the text box labeled Name.
  • Type in a Folder name in the text box labeled Folder. The default Folder is "Dictionary."
  • Note: You must use the exact same syntax when naming the same folder for multiple dictionary items. Net-Bench considers "My Dictionary" and "my dictionary" to be two different folders.
  • Net-Bench now has the capability to create subfolders by placing a backslash "\" in the folder name. For example, "Individual Calculated Measures\Item Level" and "Individual Calculated Measures\Share Measures."
  • You can Set Permissions in the same way as you would for Reports.
  • Save your item by clicking the "Save to dictionary" icon
  • Note: Net-Bench doesn't do anything to notify you that your item has been saved. You may Close the pop-up box after clicking the save icon. You will see the new dictionary item under the appropriate folder.
  • Delete an item from your dictionary by clicking the "Delete from dictionary" icon. It is necessary to first select the dictionary item you wish to delete. You must be the Author of a given item to be able to delete it.
  • Use Dictionary Items by selecting them from their folder in the selection tree.
  • Edit already existing Dictionary Items by highlighting them in your selection tree and clicking the Dictionary icon. Make desired changes in the Dictionary pop-up box and save by clicking the "Save to dictionary" icon.
 

Advanced Product Selections (Back to Top) (Table of Contents)

  • Net-Bench allows you to make both individual product selections and Hierarchical Product selections.
  • Hierarchical Selections enable you to maintain the level structure in your reports.
 
  • You make Hierarchical selections by clicking on the description for a particular level. This will select all items under that level while maintaining the level structure for your report.
  • The example here shows making a Hierarchical selection of all items for all brands of the Energy Bars & Gels Category.
  • Such a report will show the Category total at the top, followed by the top brand with all its items, followed by the next brand with all its items, and so on.
  • The report will maintain this structure even after sorting or otherwise manipulating the report format.
 

Custom Product Aggregations

  • Net-Bench enables you to make custom product aggregations that aren't part of the SPINS Category structure.
  • Make your Product selections for the items you wish to aggregate. Be sure to click the Sum button before clicking the Select button.
  • Re-name your selection by clicking on the Description field in the selection list and typing the name in the Edit box.
  • You can save your custom aggregation as a Dictionary item by clicking the Dictionary icon.
  • This will enable you to create Custom Share Calculations to your custom aggregate.

 

 
 
  • The example above illustrates making an aggregate selection for all Refrigerated Non-Dairy Beverages.
  • Creating Custom Product Aggregations enables you to get Share totals for any Attribute your company purchases from SPINS.
 

Re-ordering Selections (Dragging and Dropping) (Back to Top) (Table of Contents)

  • You can now re-order the items in your selection lists after having made your selections.
  • Left-click on the item you want to move. That item description will become bolded or highlighted.
  • Then "grab" that item by left clicking on it and holding the mouse button down.
  • Drag the item to where you want it moved and drop it by releasing the mouse button.
  • Note: re-ordering your selections in the Products dimension will cause your report to lose the Hierarchical structure.

 

 

Advanced Measure Selections (Back to Top) (Table of Contents)

  • Net-Bench enables you to create your own measures.
  • Start by selecting any measure, though we recommend you use a measure that contains part of the measure you want to create ie. use Dollar Volume to create a Dollar Share measure.
  • You can then edit any part of the selected measure by clicking on the desired field and making changes in the Edit box.
  • Description changes the name of the measure; Expression changes the calculation for the measure; and Format changes the numerical format for the measure.
  • Net-Bench uses standard mathematical symbols for its Expressions ie. + for addition, - for subtraction, * for multiplication and / for division. You can also use parentheses.
  • It's necessary to use exact syntaxt when editing the Expression field. For example, Net-Bench will only recognize "Dollar Volume", but not "dollar volume" or "DollarVolume."

 

 
  • This example shows using the Avg % ACV measure to build a Custom Measure.
 

Custom Share Calculations (Back to Top) (Table of Contents)

  • You can create your own custom Share Calculations by using the Ref () function.
  • The Ref() function enables you to obtain the value of a specific data point (a single measure from a particular row) within a selection.
  • The basic formula or Expression for the Ref() function is: Ref (Measure Name, Dimension Name = Dimension Label)
  • Measure Name is the exact name of the Measure you want to reference ie. Dollar Volume. You can get the proper names for measures from the "Measures List" folder in the Measures Dimension.
  • Dimension Name is the exact name of the Dimension on the left side of your screen.
  • Dimension Label is the exact name you see in the Label field in the right hand selection list.
  • Alternatively, you can use the exact name for a Dictionary Item for the Dimension Label.
  • You must use exact syntax when using the Ref() function. To Net-Bench, "Products" and "products" are two different values. The second will give you an error.
  • All the Measures in your "Individual Calculated Measures\Share Measures" folders have been built using the Ref() function. You can use any one of them as a template by simply changing the Dimension Label in the Expression.

 

 
  • The example here is of a Dollar Share calculation for the Condiments category.
  • To change this to your own Custom Share Calculation, you would replace the "GRCNDT" in the Expression field with the exact Dictionary Item name of your Custom Product Aggregation.
  • You can use Ref() with the Periods Dimension to define specific periods in the past.
  • The formula for Year Ago Dollar Volume for the above example would be: Ref (Dollar Volume, Products = GRCNDT, Periods = +13)
  • By this method you can get prior values for any time interval e.g. prior 12-Weeks would be "Periods = +3."
 

Attribute Measures (Back to Top) (Table of Contents)

  • You can insert columns into reports with the textual values for a specific characteristic of any Dimension using the Cref() function.
  • Cref() uses a slightly different formula or Expression from the Ref() function: Cref (Dimension Name, Characteristic Name)
  • Dimension Name is the exact name of the Dimension on the left side of your screen.
  • Characteristic Name is the exact name of the characteristic as it appears in the selection tree for the appropriate dimension.
  • You must use exact syntax when using the Cref() function. To Net-Bench, "Products" and "products" are two different values. The second will give you an error.
  • The most common use of Cref() is in the Products Dimension to create Measures for Attributes your company purchases from SPINS.
  • If your company does purchase Attributes, you will have a folder labeled "Attribute Measures." All of these Measures have been built with the Cref() function and can be used as a template for creating your own custom measures.
 
  • This is an example of Cref() measures for the Organic attribute and for Brand.
  • A report run with these measures will have columns inserted with Brand name and Organic Content description.
  • Using Cref () for Brand is particularly useful when you want to populate a pivot table in Excel. Having the Brand column will enable you to get Brand level totals for Item level facts (like Organic Content) after exporting.
 

Batch Processing (Back to Top) (Table of Contents)

  • A future enhancement of Net-Bench will enable automated processing of reports, running a report straight to Excel and automated e-mailing of reports.
  • Instructions for using Batch Processing will be added to this document when this feature is fully functional.

1. Getting Started
2. Building Custom Reports
3. Advanced Instructions for Power Users
Table of Contents