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# How to Build Complex Metrics With a Formula Block
- URL: https://blog.jestor.com/complex-metrics-formula-block/
- Published: 2026-09-17T22:28:15.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-17T22:28:15.000Z
- Author: Bruno Bannach

To **build complex metrics with a formula block**, you drag the block onto the panel and configure the calculation there. The metric does not need to exist as a field anywhere first.

## Why useful metrics often go unmeasured

The gap is rarely conceptual. Everyone knows what they want to measure; the obstacle is that it requires a calculation.

- Ratios that would need a new field on every record
- Metrics recalculated in a spreadsheet each month
- Derived figures nobody maintains consistently
- Questions abandoned because answering them was too much work

## Field-based versus calculated metrics

| Approach          | How it works                            | Drawback                                                   |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Field-based**   | A field stores the value on each record | Needs maintaining, and changes require a data migration    |
| **Formula field** | Calculated per record on the table      | Right for per-record values, not panel-level metrics       |
| **Formula block** | Calculated on the dashboard itself      | Lives with the panel, so it is configured where it is read |

## How to configure it in Jestor

1. Press B in **Jestor** to enter build mode on the panel.
2. Drag in the block designed for complex metrics.
3. Configure the formula for the calculation you need.
4. Apply filters so only the relevant records are included.
5. Format the result — percentage, currency, or abbreviated — and set decimal places.

## Why choose Jestor for derived metrics?

**Jestor** supports formulas at both levels: per-record formula fields on tables, and panel-level calculations on the dashboard. That means a metric is defined where it belongs rather than forced into the wrong layer.

Composite indicators cover the common case of crossing two variables, and the formula block handles everything beyond it.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Do I need a field for every metric?

No, calculations can live on the panel. See [jestor.com](https://jestor.com/?ref=blog.jestor.com).

### Can formulas run at record level too?

Yes, tables support formula fields.

### Can I filter which records the formula uses?

Yes, filters apply to the calculation.

## Video Tutorial: Step by Step

Check out other practical tutorials on the Jestor YouTube channel.

## Get to know Jestor

With **Jestor**, you can automate workflows, connect teams, and build internal systems your way — all without code and powered by **AI**. Discover Jestor at [jestor.com](https://jestor.com/?ref=blog.jestor.com) and see how to take your company's operations to a new level of efficiency and control.