Unit Detection
This article explains how Model Reef detects units during PDF, Excel and CSV import and how you can confirm or correct them.
You will learn:
How unit detection works.
How scaling is applied.
How to handle percentages and mixed units.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid double scaling.
Why units matter
Financial tables often use shorthand units to keep numbers readable, for example:
All amounts in $000s.Figures in millions.Percentages such as
Gross margin %.
Model Reef needs to know whether the numbers represent whole currency units, thousands, millions or some other scale so that:
Internal values are consistent.
Aggregations and comparisons make sense.
Cash and valuation outputs are correctly sized.
How unit detection works
When you import a table, Model Reef looks for unit hints in:
Table titles or subtitles.
Column headers.
Footnotes and notes near the table.
Common patterns like
000,000s,millions,%.
It then proposes a unit scale for each table or column, such as:
1for full units.1 000for thousands.1 000 000for millions.Treated as a percentage if values clearly look like rates.
You will see the proposed units in the mapping interface and can accept or adjust them before the import is finalised.
How scaling is applied
Once units are confirmed, Model Reef:
Applies a single scaling factor when creating the Data Library series.
Stores the resulting values in consistent internal units.
Uses those internal values for all variables, statements and charts.
Important points:
Scaling is applied once at import time.
After import, you do not normally rescale the same series again.
Display formatting (for example showing values in thousands) is handled separately in reports and dashboards.
This keeps the internal model consistent while giving you flexibility in how you present the numbers.
Handling percentages
For percentage-style series such as margins or growth rates:
Model Reef attempts to recognise them based on headings and the numeric range.
These series are stored as numeric fractions or percentages depending on your design.
Typical patterns:
A column labelled
Gross margin %with values40,42,45can be interpreted as40 percent,42 percent,45 percent.You can use these series as drivers in formulas, for example
Gross profit = Revenue × Gross margin %.
If you import percentages that you intend to treat as simple multipliers, make sure you know whether they represent 0.4 or 40 internally and adjust formulas accordingly.
Mixed units in one table
Some tables combine:
Currency values in thousands or millions.
Percentage columns.
Count columns (for example units, headcount).
Model Reef may apply a unit scale at the column level rather than the entire table when the patterns are different. In the mapping step you should:
Confirm the units for each numeric column.
Correct any that have been misclassified.
Decide whether to import non-currency columns as drivers or ignore them.
If a table is too complex, it can be cleaner to break it into multiple imports, each with consistent units.
Avoid pre-scaling values in spreadsheets if you plan to rely on Model Reef's unit detection — doing both can lead to double scaling.
Avoiding double scaling
Common pitfalls include:
Importing a table that is already in full units but labelled incorrectly.
Manually scaling values in Excel before import and then letting Model Reef scale them again.
Misreading a table that says
in thousandsas if it werein millionsor vice versa.
To avoid these:
Check the totals and a few sample values after import against the original PDF or Excel.
Be explicit about units when you control the source format.
Avoid pre-scaling in spreadsheets unless you plan to import with unit detection switched off.
If you discover a unit error after import, you can either:
Fix the scaling in the Data Library entry directly.
Rerun the import with corrected settings if many series are affected.
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