Hi Alteryx Community,
I’m building an Alteryx-based version of a financial model that was originally developed in Excel. Most of the logic has translated well, but I’ve run into a challenge that I think lends itself best to an iterative macro — specifically around time-lagged allocation and cumulative rolling calculations.
What is Working So Far:
I've successfully created an iterative macro that:
-Calculates a rolling balance over time using the logic: End Balance = Begin Balance + Additions – Reductions
- Where each quarter’s end balance becomes the next quarter’s beginning balance
- Each iteration appends newly calculated rows to build the full time series
What I need Help With:
The next piece of logic involves calculating an allocation percentage for each entity based on its share of a derived base value, where:
Allocation % = (End Balance + Cumulative Net Value Impact) ÷ Total Across Entities
This percentage is used to allocate a shared input amount (interest expense) in the following quarter — this delay is key to avoiding a circular reference.
So for example:
-In Q1, I calculate allocation % for each entity
- Those percentages are then used to allocate Q2's interest expense
- Q2’s interest expense becomes a component of Q2’s Net Value Impact
- That net value is then added to the cumulative total, which influences Q3's allocation %, and so on
Rolling Cumulative Dependency
One additional complexity: each quarter’s Net Value Impact must be added to the cumulative value from the previous quarter to build a cumulative series. So the macro must:
1. Calculate current period interest expense (based on prior period %, which prior period is already provided)
2. Derive current period net value
3. Add current net value to prior cumulative to get updated cumulative
4. Use updated cumulative to determine next allocation basis
What I am Looking For:
-Advice on the best macro architecture (single iterative macro? nested logic? helper macro?)
- Best practice for managing time-lagged values inside the iteration
- Approaches to preserve state (e.g., cumulative value) while handling dynamic updates
Thanks in advance for any ideas or examples — especially if you’ve tackled anything similar involving quarter-based logic, allocation percentages, or lagged dependencies.
Thanks!
