The POST function offsets, or posts, a numeric value into the past or the future by a given number of periods. If multiple values are offset to the same period, the POST function adds them together.

You could use POST to determine when stock arrives at a warehouse given a certain lead time.

POST(Value to post, Offset amount) 

ArgumentData TypeDescription
Value to postNumberThe value to post to another period.
Offset amountNumber

The number of periods to post into the past or future. Can be a positive or negative number, or zero.

A positive number posts a value into a future period. A negative number posts a value into a past period. A zero value keeps the value in the associated period. 

The POST function returns a number.

In Polaris, you cannot use POST in formulas of line items with a formula summary method. In the Classic Engine, you can.

POST(Order Volume, Shipping Lead Time)

  • The result line item must have a Time Scale.
  • The time range used for any values used as an argument for the POST function must be the same time range used for the result line item.

This example uses the POST function to offset the Order Volume line item for each month by a Shipping Lead Time line item. The value of the Shipping Lead Time changes each period, which means the value of the Order Volume line item that the POST function returns also changes each period.


Jan 22Feb 22Mar 22Apr 22May 22Jun 22Jul 22Aug 22
Order
Volume
1005003000175500
Shipping
Lead Time
32000030

Monthly Stock
Received

POST(Order Volume, Shipping Lead Time)

000450017500

You can use the POST function with the IF THEN ELSE function to create a conditional formula. However, if you do this, ensure to position the two functions appropriately within your formula.

In this example, separate line items contain the Value to post, Offset amount, and the Boolean condition that determines if a value should be posted.

The formula can contain the POST function within the IF THEN ELSE function. In this case, a value is only posted in periods where the Boolean condition is TRUE. However, the posted value can come from any of the values of the Value to post argument, irrespective of the Boolean condition.

Alternatively, the formula can contain the IF THEN ELSE function as part of the Value to post argument of the POST function. In this case, values are posted into all periods. However, the posted value can only come from periods where the Boolean condition is TRUE.


Jan 22Feb 22Mar 22Apr 22May 22Jun 22Jul 22Aug 22Sep 22Oct 22Nov 22Dec 22
Value to post   1   2   41020 40100200400     02,0004,000
Offset amount   2   1   0  2  1   0    2   1    0     2  1  0
Boolean condition                
IF Condition THEN POST
(Source, Offset) ELSE 0
 0 0  7 0 0 0 0 0700  0  0  0
POST(IF Condition THEN
Source ELSE 0, Offset) 
 0 0  5 0 0  20   0  0500   0   02,000