Crunch Analysis
Written by Anthony Hodge
Updated at August 11th, 2025
Compile action grid data based on multi-column sort selection into a summarized table, displaying number of instances, percentages and total quantities. The Crunch console allows you to filter and sort the results and/or render them in the form of a graphical chart. Save Crunch and Chart settings to MyViews.
Crunches are smart and powerful tools that provide the means for compiling records selected from the action grid, in a variety of ways and for several different purposes. When compiled as a Crunch, the data from selected text or date columns (Reference columns) are consolidated based on each unique instance. The data from numeric columns are added together for each unique instance defined by the Reference columns.
The results can be further edited using basic action grid functionality and converted to a Chart (click to enlarge):
Crunches take seconds to invoke and once you understand the general concept, you will have no problem using them all the time especially now that you can save your settings to MyViews or OneClick controls. Practice performing different Crunches to see which data compares well to present the information you need, then show it as a Chart.
As you can see in the sections that follow, there are numerous options available.
Performing a Simple Crunch
Following is the procedure for setting up, performing and saving a simple Crunch.
- Select one or more columns from the action grid using the Sort Indicator Box as follows (click to enlarge):
For example, to use the Crunch for calculating total weight of orders placed by each client, select the Client column and then the Weight column. The Sort Indicator Box would show a 1 for Client, and a 2 for Weight. - For best results, ensure that the first column selected for the Crunch is non-numeric (containing only text or date values). See below, for details on selecting Different Data Types.
- To perform a Crunch (once columns are selected) open the Specials tab, then click on one of the two Crunch options:
or 
. The compiled results appear in the Crunch console action grid. - The console includes some basic action grid functionality that will permit you to filter and sort the results as well export them to a Spreadsheet. Click the
option to render these results in the form of a Graphical Chart. - Save your Crunch or Chart to MyViews, which will allow you to re-invoke saved settings (for updated calculations) whenever you need them.
Different Data Types, Different Crunch Results
When selecting data for a Crunch (via Multi-Column Sort) the data types, the number of columns, and the order in which they are selected will decide how the results are consolidated and displayed.
- Text or date columns are used as Reference columns (selected at the beginning of the Sort sequence) to determine how records from the source action grid are consolidated in the results.
- Numeric columns (selected last in the Sort sequence) will be added together based on how the Reference columns consolidate the records from the source action grid.
- While you have the option to select numeric columns at the beginning (as Reference columns), there are few reasons to. Remember that Crunch results consolidate unique instances. Therefore, if every value in a numeric column is unique, no records would be consolidated in the results.
- Also, there is no limit to the number of columns that can be used in a Crunch; however, be aware that the more Reference columns you select, the more fractional your results will turn out.
- A typical Crunch is based on 1 or 2 Reference columns followed by 1 or 2 Numeric columns.
VL provides two options for calculating Crunch results:
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Compiles data elements from selected columns, collating unique instances (for text and dates), adding quantities together (for numeric values). The percentage associated with each instance is calculated against the grand total of all the data within each of the selected columns. |
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Same as the Grand Total Crunch, only the percentages are calculated against a sub-total broken down by each unique instance of the data listed in the reference columns. |
A Crunch can be performed based on a single column, multiple columns, or several columns of mixed data types. Following are some examples of the different types of Crunch results:
Single Column Crunch(click to enlarge):
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Multi-Column Crunch: (click to enlarge):
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Mixed Data-Types Crunch: (click to enlarge):
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Crunch % Grand Totals
To apply this Crunch option (after selecting columns from an action grid) open the Specials tab, then click 
. This launches the Crunch console as follows (click to enlarge):
To apply this Crunch option (after selecting columns from an action grid) open the Specials tab, then click .png)
. This launches the Crunch console as follows (click to enlarge):
Crunch % SubTotals
To apply this Crunch option (after selecting columns from an action grid) open the Specials tab, click
, then select a reference column in which to break down the sub-totals, as follows (click to enlarge):
Note that the first column selected from the action grid can be different than the column being used to reference the sub-totals. Click to launch the Crunch console as follows (click to enlarge):
Rendering as a Chart
Depending on the type of Crunch and the data being compiled, it may be useful to display your results in graphical form. Sometimes the visual representation of the data can make it easier for readers to understand because it illustrates the substance behind the numbers rather than the details. Crunch results are rendered in graphical form by selecting the 
button at the bottom of the Crunch console. This launches the Chart console (click to enlarge):
The Chart console includes several options for changing, exporting, and saving Crunch results as a Chart.
Selecting Numeric Source ... This dropdown allows you to select which Numeric column is to be used for showing the discrete ranges (or quantities) to be compared in the Chart. The categories being compared are determined by the Reference column(s) in the Crunch results.
Chart Types ... By default, the Chart console displays a 3D chart where the horizontal axis lists categories (Reference columns) and the vertical axis lists the discrete ranges (Numerc columns) being compared. There are 5 Chart types to choose from (click to enlarge):
| Column3D: | Column Chart: |
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| Line Chart: | Area Chart: |
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| Pie Chart: | |
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Number of References... Depending on your Crunch, sometimes the number of categories displayed will render the Chart virtually unreadable. Some of the data may be useless for illustration purposes. The Show # option lets you change the number of instances (based on Reference Columns) to display in the Chart; e.g., just show the top ten.
Invoking the Changes... When finished with these settings, click the 
button to invoke the changes. A new Chart will be displayed based on the changed settings.
Exporting to an Image File ... The currently displayed Chart can be exported to a JPG, PNG, or PDF image file. Clicking on one of the Export To options will launch the Windows Save As dialog for selecting the name and location of the new file.
Click the 
button to exit the chart and return to the, Crunch console.
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Screen Shot Instructions |
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Saving to a View
To save a Crunch or Chart for future use, click on the 
button at the bottom of the console. The View created will also include any Query, Sort, and Column settings used to define the action grid. See MyViews for more information.
