User manual

Creating databases 43
10. To select indexing and global storage options for the field, click
Storage Options, select options in the Storage Options dialog box,
then click
OK.
11. Click OK to close the Specify Calculation dialog box.
12. Continue to define fields, or click OK.
For more information about defining calculation fields and the use of
context in calculations, see Help.
Defining summary fields
Use summary fields to calculate values such as subtotals, averages,
and grand totals across multiple records. For example, a summary
field can display in a report the grand total of all sales in the month
of May.
Tip Use the New Layout/Report assistant to quickly create a report
with grouped data (data in a summary field). See
“Creating layouts
and reports” on page 48.
The value in a summary field can change depending on where you
place the field on a layout, how many records are in the found set,
whether the records are sorted, and which mode you’re using.
If you’re modifying a layout that contains a summary field, you must
know about layout parts to get the results you want (see
“Working
with parts on a layout” on page 59).
1. With the database open, choose File menu > Define > Database.
2. In the Define Database dialog box, click the Fields tab.
3. If your file contains more than one table, select the appropriate
table from the Table list.
4. For the Field Name box, type a name for the field.
See “About naming fields” on page 39.
5. For Type, select Summary, then click Create.
6. In the Options for Summary Field dialog box, select a summary
type, then select the name of the field you want to group by.
To Do this
Set the field type of the
result
Choose a data type for Calculation result is <value>.
Choose the correct type for the result you want. See
“About choosing a field type” on page 40.
Make a calculated
field repeating
Select Number of repetitions, then type the number of
repetitions.
Perform the calculation
only when all
referenced fields have
a value (so you don’t
display zero as a result)
Select Do not evaluate if all referenced fields are empty.
When enabled, FileMaker Pro does not evaluate a
calculation if all fields used by the calculation are
empty. This typically improves performance. Clear this
option if you always want FileMaker Pro to calculate a
result, even if a referenced field is empty or has never
been modified.
Select this type
of summary
To summarize values in a field
in the found set of records by
Total of Calculating the total of values in the field
Average of Calculating the average of values in the field
Count of Counting the number of records that contain a value for
the field. For example, if a field contains 100 values (one
value for each record), the result of the count is 100.
Minimum Finding the lowest number, or the earliest date, time, or
timestamp for a field
Maximum Finding the highest number, or the latest date, time, or
timestamp for a field
Standard Deviation of Finding how widely the values in a field differ from each
other. This option calculates the standard deviation from
the mean of the values in a field. (The formula is n-1
weighted, following the normal standard deviation.)