Operators (arithmetic)

Use arithmetic operators to designate the operational relationships between expressions in an equation. For example, to add two numbers, use the "+" operator (as in "5+5").

Unlike most other functions, arithmetic operators do not use an actual function word within syntax—they use arithmetic symbols instead. If an equation contains more than one arithmetic operator, your system evaluates the expressions in the following order of precedence:

1. functions and expressions in parentheses
2. multiplication and division ( * , / )

   Caution: The use of the asterisk as a multiplication symbol in the application requires that it be enclosed in quotation marks ("*"). An asterisk without quotation marks is interpreted by the system as a wildcard search character, and operations including it will not give the expected results.

3. addition and subtraction ( + , - )

If the arithmetic operations have equal precedence, your system calculates them from left to right.

Syntax

Expression1 OPERATOR Expression2        

where:

• Each Expression is a mathematical expression consisting of symbols, constants, values, and functions. You can use parentheses to nest one expression within another.
• OPERATOR is an arithmetic operator. Although extra spacing is not required, you should make the expression easier to read and edit by typing a space before and after each operator:

  Value	Description
  +	Addition
  -	Subtraction
  /	Division
  "*"	Multiplication

Div = 0.1 "*" NetInc        

Error messages caused by arithmetic calculations

If you use an invalid arithmetic operation in a statement, one of several error messages may appear:

These messages may appear as a result of unusual data or erroneous logic. For possible solutions to logic errors (for example, to limit calculations when the divisor would be equal to zero), see IRR and When...