Out of scope segments in Datama Compare
Related: Settings › Dimensions · Covariance · What If
Purpose
Some segments exist on one side of the comparison only: a country opened, a store closed, a product launched or discontinued. Left in the analysis, they distort every step — their whole weight lands in volume, then in mix and performance effects that mean nothing (a discontinued product looks like a price drop).
Out of scope segments takes them out of the steps and shows their contribution as one bar right after Start, the way controlling teams show a perimeter or scope effect before the like-for-like analysis:
Start → Out of scope (New + Discontinued) → [Comparable Start] → Volume → Price → … → End
The market equation steps, mix / performance and covariance are then computed on the comparable (in-scope) rows only. Start and End keep the whole population, so the waterfall still adds up:
In-scope gap + Out of scope = Total gap
Turn it on
In Settings › Dimensions › Out of scope segments:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligible dimensions | Dimensions used to detect segments present on one side only. Leave empty to disable (default) — nothing is computed and your analysis is unchanged. |
| Scope label | Rename the bar (default Out of scope, e.g. Perimeter effect or Store openings / closures). Shown once a dimension is selected. |
| Add comparable pillar | On by default: adds a Comparable {Start} pillar right after the block, so you read the like-for-like starting point. |
Click Apply to recompute.
How segments are classified
A segment is a combination of the values of the eligible dimensions (e.g. Country × Store).
| Class | Rule |
|---|---|
| New | Every metric is absent or 0 on the Start side |
| Discontinued | Every metric is absent or 0 on the End side |
| In scope | Present on both sides — even with 1 unit at Start and 1 000 at End (the change then shows as volume / mix) |
The eligible dimensions define the perimeter. With Country eligible, a country opening is out of scope; with only Zone eligible, the same opening stays inside its zone (the zone exists on both sides), so no block appears.
Detection runs after your dashboard filters: a segment filtered out on one side counts as absent there.
How to read it
- Out of scope bar: net contribution of the perimeter change. Click it to open New segments and Discontinued segments, then click again to list the segments themselves.
- Comparable pillar: Start restated on the comparable perimeter.
- Steps: explain the like-for-like change only.
- Smart comment: a paragraph right after the introduction describes the block (weight, number of new / discontinued segments, main contributors) when it is significant.
- Dimensions then Steps analysis: the block is a root bar, and out-of-scope segments are removed from the other segments, so both analysis methods tell the same story.
Example
Italy opens, Canada closes, no price changes, eligible dimension = Country:
| Without the block | With the block | |
|---|---|---|
| Out of scope | — | −23 500 (New IT +4 500, Discontinued CA −28 000) |
| Volume | +4 000 | +12 133 |
| Average selling value | −25 048 | −8 865 |
| Country performance (price) | −12 844 | 0 |
| Total gap | −22 300 | −22 300 |
Without the block, the closure of Canada shows up as a false price drop of −12 844. With the block, price performance is correctly 0.
Tips
- Choose the finest dimension at which openings / closures happen (store, SKU, country) — not a grouping level.
- Combine with Cascade mix effects along the hierarchy (Settings › Dimensions): the cascade then runs on the comparable perimeter.
- There is no materiality threshold: a segment is out of scope only when it is strictly absent on one side.