> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://intuitem.gitbook.io/ciso-assistant/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://intuitem.gitbook.io/ciso-assistant/features/metrics/editing.md).

# Edit a formula

Change a computed metric's formula in the drawer beside it, compare the new results with the current ones, and know what a save changes

**Edit formula** opens a drawer on the right of the page. The metric stays in view while you work, and the drawer draws the results of your edit against the ones the metric holds now, before anything is saved.

<figure><img src="https://629777851-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FCqFeU3oPCgDWkkR386NK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-cc2441d8d769c466b387e7b3a190e608dd3cd626%2Fmetrics-drawer-page.png?alt=media" alt="A computed metric&#x27;s page with the formula drawer open on the right, an edited formula and its result"><figcaption><p>The drawer sits beside the metric: nothing to leave, nothing to lose</p></figcaption></figure>

The button is in two places:

* on the metric's page, next to **Refresh now**;
* on the metric's edit form, in the **Formula** card at the top.

## What the drawer shows

The drawer shows the steps of the [New computed metric](/ciso-assistant/features/metrics/creating.md) window you already know, **Metrics to combine** and **Formula**, and a third, **How to read it**, holding the unit and the **Direction**.

The metric's name, domain, collection frequency and target are not in the drawer: they stay on the metric's edit form, which is where you change them.

<figure><img src="https://629777851-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FCqFeU3oPCgDWkkR386NK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-60ac1a4f3c6811b6ad5762e65364d7ff46119df2%2Fmetrics-drawer.png?alt=media" alt="The drawer with an edited formula; the chart shows the current results as a dashed line and the new ones as a solid line on the same scale"><figcaption><p>Dashed: what the metric holds now. Solid: what it would hold with this formula</p></figcaption></figure>

### Compare before you save

The chart under **Latest result** draws two lines over the last 24 periods, on one scale:

* **Now**, dashed: the results the metric holds today;
* **With this formula**, solid: the results your edit would give.

Hover a point to read both values for that period. When the two lines meet, the edit does not change that period.

### What you can change

* **Swap a metric** for another one, for example the same indicator in another country: remove the row, search, pick. The formula keeps its names.
* **Add, remove, rename or reorder** metrics, as when creating.
* **Rewrite the formula**, or switch its result between **Number** and **Level**.
* **Change the unit or the direction.**

**Save** stays off until something changes.

### What a save does

* The metric's past results are recomputed with the new formula. The drawer says so above **Save**: "Saving recomputes this metric's past results with the new formula."
* The drawer closes. On the metric's page, the value and the chart update by themselves once the computation is done. On the edit form, you stay on the form, and it takes the change in: saving the form afterwards keeps your new formula.

### When other metrics share the definition

A definition can be shared, for example when the same indicator computed in two countries reuses one definition. Editing one metric never changes the others: the drawer warns "Other metrics use its definition (2): saving gives this metric a definition of its own and leaves them unchanged", and the confirmation reads "Saved: this metric now has a definition of its own".

A few edits are refused rather than surprise someone:

| Message                                                                                                                 | Why                                                                       | What to do                                                                      |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "Other metrics read this one (…); its definition is shared, so its formula can only change once they no longer read it" | Giving this metric a new definition would change what those formulas read | Edit those formulas first, or create a new computed metric instead              |
| "Other formulas read this metric as a number: its result type cannot change while they do"                              | A level cannot be read by a formula                                       | Keep the result a number, or create a separate level metric that reads this one |
| "*Domain* does not hold every picked metric: pick metrics within it, or move this metric to a higher domain first."     | The metric can only read metrics in its domain and below                  | Pick metrics within it, or change the metric's domain on its edit form first    |

Making a copy of a shared definition needs the right to add metric definitions in the metric's domain.

### When a picked metric is gone

If a metric the formula read was deleted, or is no longer visible to you, its row is missing and the drawer says "Pick again the instances of: *name*". Pick a replacement under the same name, or rewrite the formula without it.

### A formula that comes with its definition

A metric whose formula comes with its definition, for example from a library, opens that formula in the drawer instead. Saving it changes every metric using the definition, and the drawer says how many before you save.

## Closing the drawer

* **✕**, **Cancel** or **Escape** close it. Escape first closes whatever list is open inside the drawer, such as the search results or the formula suggestions.
* With changes not saved, closing asks first:

<figure><img src="https://629777851-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FCqFeU3oPCgDWkkR386NK%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-10da793fd374e3358ce41446c1a4db540be59add%2Fmetrics-drawer-discard.png?alt=media" alt="The drawer footer asking about unsaved changes, with Keep editing and Discard"><figcaption><p>Keep editing, or Discard the changes</p></figcaption></figure>

* **Cmd+Enter** (macOS) or **Ctrl+Enter** saves from anywhere in the drawer, the formula field included.

On a phone, the drawer takes the full width of the screen.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://intuitem.gitbook.io/ciso-assistant/features/metrics/editing.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.