Topology
Three sources, one truth.
Two upstream sources feed one downstream. Edit either upstream. The downstream redraws cleanly.
Cross Source Refs
Reference any source, anywhere.
A formula in one source can read a column in another.
Quarterly Revenue
source · A| Quarter | Total |
|---|---|
| Q1 | $47,700 |
| Q2 | $56,700 |
| Q3 | $64,600 |
| Q4 | $75,300 |
Q4 row publishes downstream
Forecast Plan
source · BQ1_target = [Quarterly Revenue!Total] * 1.18
| Quarter | Target |
|---|---|
| Q1 next | $88,854 |
| Q2 next | $99,000 |
The syntax
Square brackets, one pipe.
A reference reads like a sentence. Open the brackets, name the source, name the column.
[Quarterly Revenue!Total]
that is the whole grammar
// Plain reference, single value.forecast = [Quarterly Revenue!Total] * 1.18// Aggregate across the column.year_total = SUM([Quarterly Revenue!Total])
The shape
A small grammar, that holds it all.
Spaces are fine. Casing is fine. The bracket carries the source. The pipe carries the join.
- Pull a single cell, an entire column, or an aggregate. The engine treats them as one expression.
- A change upstream propagates downstream in the same beat. No build step. No publish.
- The bracket also reads inside any function. SUM, AVG, IF, ROUND all accept cross source values.
The graph
Sources hold, hands.
A workspace settles into a few sources and a web of references between them.
forecast = [Revenue!Total] * 1.18
cap = [Plan!Ceiling]
health = [Churn!Mean]
Stack
Three lines, three feeds.
A formula bar stacks references in plain text. Comments are welcome. Diff history is per source.
// engine guard
[A!x] → [B!y]
[B!y] → [A!x]
cycle caught · #ERROR
Cycle guard
Loops fail loudly.
The engine watches the graph during evaluation. The first cycle short circuits. The rest of the sheet keeps running.
Why
One workspace, one truth.
∞
depth, with cycle guard
1
source, many references
0s
wait, on propagation
A pipeline rebuilds the whole report on every change. Cross source references rebuild only the cells that depend on the change. The page stays calm.
In short
Questions, answered.
How do I write the reference?+
Wrap the source name and column with a pipe between them, like [Quarterly Revenue!Total]. Spaces are fine.
Will it loop forever?+
No. The engine watches the dependency graph and short circuits a cycle the moment it sees one.
Do aggregates work across sources?+
Yes. SUM([Quarterly Revenue!Total]) totals the column from the other source.
Will charts see the updated value?+
Yes. A change upstream propagates through every reference and every chart in one pass.