# Documentation for Writing Expressions?

**URL:** <https://pug.phocassoftware.com/t/documentation-for-writing-expressions/1253>\
**Category:** Ask the Community\
**Created:** [September 10, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://pug.phocassoftware.com/t/documentation-for-writing-expressions/1253 "2019-09-10T14:06:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@Justin](https://pug.phocassoftware.com/u/Justin)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 2:06pm UTC](https://pug.phocassoftware.com/t/documentation-for-writing-expressions/1253/1 "2019-09-10T14:06:02Z")

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Is there additional documentation for writing expressions? I have been doing a lot of my data manipulation in SQL but would like to get better at writing expressions in Phocas. I found some examples in the provided documentation, but it doesn’t get very deep and I am guessing there is a lot more that can be done in regards to writing expressions.

I would like to create calculated columns in Custom Mode but need to get better at the Syntax when writing expressions.

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**Author:** ![StuartH](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/pug.phocassoftware.com/stuarth/32/394_2.png) [@StuartH](https://pug.phocassoftware.com/u/StuartH)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 7:56am UTC](https://pug.phocassoftware.com/t/documentation-for-writing-expressions/1253/2 "2019-09-11T07:56:26Z")

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I’d be inclined to encourage you to continue to do as much as possible in SQL. My view of a reporting system is that it should easy to use, hence the data should be formatted and manipulated as cleanly as possible before it is given to the user to build a report from.

If there’s a one off report or something that needs something creative that’s fine, but if likely to be useful to all or used more regularly then get it in as a measure, dimension or property.

I’m not sure how flexible the calculations are in Phocas outside of standard calcs and the odd SQL statement.

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**Author:** ![rsavage16](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/pug.phocassoftware.com/rsavage16/32/392_2.png) [@rsavage16](https://pug.phocassoftware.com/u/rsavage16)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 11:06pm UTC](https://pug.phocassoftware.com/t/documentation-for-writing-expressions/1253/3 "2019-09-17T23:06:54Z")

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I agree. There are some expression i want to do in Phocas (I wish i could think of the exact expressions but can’t seem to remember now)

There are some basic ones that i think are not described properly.