Related: Market equation Sub-steps · Settings


Purpose

What If lets you simulate what happens to my KPI if I improve step X by N% on segment Y, then read the answer through the normal Compare / Explore / Assess views — not a bespoke simulation chart.

Under the hood, each scenario is materialised as extra rows tagged by a synthetic Scenario dimension (baseline label vs scenario name). Downstream charts keep working unchanged.

The Datama web app also offers a What If block in Prep, which writes a transformed dataset. In Light, scenarios are applied inside the extension instead.


Where it is available

Solution Settings tab Right-click create
Compare Yes Waterfall bars / variations
Explore Yes Dimension bars
Assess Yes — (settings only)
Detect No — (out of scope)

When a scenario is enabled and marked Use as comparison, Compare switches the default comparison to baseline vs scenario.


Create a scenario

From settings

  1. Open the side settings panel → What If.
  2. Add a scenario: name, active flag, Use as comparison.
  3. Define the baseline:
    • whole dataset, or
    • one dimension + selected segments, or
    • a date range baseline when the comparison axis is time-based.
  4. Add one or more KPI impacts:
    • target = a market-equation step (or its numerator),
    • optional scope (dimension → segments; empty = all),
    • relative (%) or absolute impact,
    • optional pin to surface the impact as a live plot shortcut.
  5. Apply. The waterfall / tree / chart recompute on the simulated source when the analysis axis can read scenarios (see below).

A sentence summary at the bottom of each scenario block describes what is being simulated (same wording appears on the Compare End-bar hover when relevant).

From the context menu

Right-click a waterfall step or an Explore bar → create / open a scenario with baseline, step, and segment scope prefilled from the selection.


How to read a scenario

Scenarios only appear in the rendered source when the analysis axis can separate baseline rows from simulated copies. Otherwise baseline and scenario would be summed and inflate every aggregate.

Solution Axis that makes scenarios readable
Compare Comparison context = Scenario (usually via Use as comparison)
Explore Context / primary / secondary axis includes Scenario
Assess Context / second dimension includes Scenario

The Scenario dimension stays selectable in Start / End (or Explore axes) even before it is materialised, so you can switch back to a scenario comparison without reopening the What If tab.

Pinned impact shortcuts are shown only when the current view actually reads scenarios — otherwise they would move nothing on screen.


Impact cascade

Impacts are applied to step ratios, then metrics are rebuilt in market-equation order so upstream changes cascade into downstream denominators (same idea as the Prep What If transform in the Datama web app).

  • Relative: ratio × (1 + value / 100)
  • Absolute: ratio + value

Zero-impact or out-of-scope rows are left unchanged. Rows outside every scenario baseline are tagged Out of scope when needed.


Limits and tips

  • Not Detect — What If is not exposed there.
  • Prefer Use as comparison when you want the waterfall to answer the scenario question immediately.
  • Distinguish from Prep › What If in the Datama web app, which writes a transformed dataset for the whole workbook rather than simulating inside one extension.
  • Distinguish from Sub-pillars (visual checkpoints on the waterfall) and from Sub-steps (nested market-equation structure) — What If changes the numbers, not the equation tree or the chart decorations.


See also