Variable Editor Screen
This article explains the Variable Editor screen in Model Reef.
You will learn:
Where to find and open the Variable Editor.
What each part of the screen controls.
How changes you make flow through P&L, Balance Sheet, Cashflow and the Cash Waterfall.
The Variable Editor is where you define the behaviour of a single variable across the entire model timeline.
Opening the Variable Editor
You can open the Variable Editor from:
The variables list for a branch.
Drill down from a report or chart by clicking on a line item.
The Data Library, by opening a linked variable entry.
When you select a variable, the editor opens for that variable. You are now editing the full time series and rules for that line.
Core layout
The Variable Editor is usually divided into three main areas:
Header bar
Variable name.
Variable type (Revenue, COGS, Opex, Staff, Tax, Asset, Liability, Equity, Dividend).
Branch the variable belongs to.
Category and subcategory.
Central panel
The main grid or chart showing values over time.
You may see preset selections, formula inputs or time series depending on how the variable is configured.
Side panels
Timing settings (open the Timing modal).
Units and bounds panel.
Notes, tags and attachments.
Links into the Data Library entry that underpins the variable, if applicable.
Everything you see is for the currently selected variable only.
Editing basic properties
In the header you can usually:
Rename the variable to something clear and descriptive.
Change the variable type if it was misclassified.
Move the variable to a different branch.
Update category and subcategory for reporting.
Changes here affect how the variable appears in P&L, Balance Sheet, Cashflow and in dashboards, but do not change the underlying numbers by themselves.
Editing values, drivers and formulas
The central panel is where you define how the variable behaves over time. Depending on the variable you may:
Enter direct values by period.
Choose a preset formula such as fixed, recurring, seasonal or ML based.
Link the variable to drivers (economic, operational or modifiers).
Open the Formula modal to write a custom arithmetic formula using other variables or drivers.
The Variable Editor shows you a preview of the resulting time series so you can see the impact of your changes before you close.
Timing and cash behaviour
From the Variable Editor you can open the Timing modal.
There you control:
Start and end dates.
Frequency and schedules.
Payment terms and delays.
Seasonality.
These settings determine when the variable hits P&L and when cash moves, which also drives receivables and payables on the Balance Sheet.
Units, bounds and validation
The Units and bounds panel lets you:
Choose display units (for example whole units, thousands, millions or percentages).
Set sensible minimum and maximum bounds for manual entry.
Enable validation so that extreme or obviously incorrect inputs are flagged.
This helps keep assumptions realistic and consistent across the model.
Documentation and auditability
From the Variable Editor you can also:
Add notes explaining the logic or data source.
Upload attachments such as contracts, spreadsheets or PDFs.
Tag the variable for review, client input or ownership.
All of this stays attached to the variable so that future reviewers can quickly understand what it represents and why it behaves as it does.
Effect on financial outputs
Every change made in the Variable Editor:
Updates the variable's time series.
Reflows through P&L, Balance Sheet, Cashflow and the Cash Waterfall.
Updates dashboards, charts and valuation outputs for the scenario.
This is why the Variable Editor is the primary place to define and refine assumptions in Model Reef.
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