Top Questions of the Month - January

Month after month, Pigmenauts share challenges, ideas, and solutions that help us all learn and grow together.

To celebrate this knowledge sharing, here are January’s top 5 questions. We’re highlighting the ones that sparked the most interest and views from fellow members 💡.

Whether you faced the same challenge or want to learn new tips, these threads are a great place to explore, contribute, and connect.

1. Referencing a source metric containing when target contains a subset

Question - ​@Chris Heathcote:

“I have a target metric containing a subset. This dimension is a subset of a list present in a source metric. When I reference the source metric the data does not allocate over the subset list items as I would expect. Do I need to map the complete list into the subset?”

Best Answer (self-answer) - ​@Chris Heathcote:

Subsets and parent lists are treated as separate dimensions in Pigment, so values don’t automatically remap between them when used in formulas.
To reference data correctly, subset items must be explicitly remapped back to their parent list when needed.

The solution and explanation are covered in Pigment’s documentation on working with list subsets, specifically the section on remapping subset items to the parent list.

Read the full discussion here:

2. Restore application to a previous version

Question - ​@tjain02:

“Is there a way to rollback an application to a previous version before a certain change was made?”

Best Answer - ​@Benoit:

You can use Recovered Applications to restore applications to a previous point in time and reference earlier versions after accidental changes. Recoveries create separate applications, require Security Admin rights, and automatically expire after 30 days.

https://kb.pigment.com/docs/recover-an-application-from-backup

Read the full discussion here:

3. Automation: Dynamic "Last Month" data export to non-users

Question - ​@andyzilla:

“I’m trying to set up an automation that sends a snapshot of our Headcount by Country MoM metric, with these requirements: dynamic data only for the last closed month, PDF (or image) format, and delivery to external recipients without Pigment accounts. Is this supported natively?”

Best Answer - ​@Johnson Akinpelumi:

Short answer: no, this specific combination isn’t natively supported in Pigment today. While you can dynamically set a Board to always open on the Last Closed Month using dynamic variables, Pigment doesn’t currently support scheduled PDF/image exports or automated email delivery to external (non-licensed) users.

Suggested workarounds:

• Manual: Keep the Board dynamically filtered, export to PDF from the Board menu once a month, and email it manually.

• Automated (advanced): Use the Pigment Connector (Google Sheets or Excel) to extract the data, then rely on a third-party tool (e.g. Zapier or Make) to generate and distribute the PDF automatically.

Read the full discussion here:

4. Dimensionality Hints

Question - ​@Chris Heathcote:

“The new feature whereby hints are offered directly in the formula bar are a little confusing. Are they simply highlighting where I have used the ‘BY’ modifier and explaining what is happening or does the formula need to be updated?”

Best Answer - ​@AndresRod:

No action is needed if the formula icon (f) is not yellow. The Dimensionality Indicator (💡) only appears when the dimensions resulting from a transformation do not match the metric’s defined dimensions. When they do match, no hint is shown.

If the f turns yellow, that’s when action needs to be taken. The behavior and examples are explained in the Dimensionality Hints documentation.

Read the full discussion here:

5. How to sync Dimensions in the Page section of a table

Question - ​@MKSMPB:

“I have a table with metrics dimensioned by Company & Department or Employee. The employee dimension has properties using Company and Department. When I select direct Company/Department pages, the metrics don’t filter properly. How do I get them to filter correctly in both setups?”

Best Answer - ​@Min Li:

In your case, I think you may need to add Company and Department dimensions in your metric through the employee properties so that each metric has Company and Department dimensions.

Read the full discussion here:

These questions reflect the curiosity and creativity of the Pigment Community, and your insights can make them even more valuable. If you’ve faced similar challenges, drop your ideas, solutions, or tips in the threads.

Have your own question? Start a new thread and let the community help!