Pigment’s “Explain the Formula” Feature Redefines How FP&A Teams Learn and Build
Pigment’s “Explain the Formula”: The Beginning of Truly Intelligent Modeling
When Pigment launched its new “Explain the Formula” feature, we immediately tested it across a few complex models. The result was clear — this changes how planning teams learn, build, and govern their applications.
From Syntax to Semantic Understanding
Traditional FP&A platforms require tribal knowledge to understand why a formula exists or how it calculates something.
In contrast, Pigment AI interprets the formula in context — including the structure of the model, its dimensions, and applied filters — then produces a plain-language explanation that mirrors how a human analyst would describe it.
Example formula:
('Beginning Quarterly ARR' + 'Quarterly Net New ARR'[select: 'Booking Type'."New" or 'Booking Type'."Upsell / Expand"]) / 'Beginning Quarterly ARR'
Pigment AI’s explanation:
“This formula calculates a growth ratio for ARR, showing how much your ARR has grown in the quarter considering only new and upsell bookings.”
That’s not a static text lookup; it’s contextual reasoning. The platform understands what the metric represents.
Why It Matters for FP&A Teams
Faster onboarding: New builders can instantly understand model logic without chasing documentation.
Governance and transparency: Finance leaders can validate formulas directly within Pigment.
Knowledge retention: Institutional logic stays embedded in the system even when people move on.
For teams managing complex, multi-entity environments, this feature is a major leap toward self-documenting models.
Enabling AI in Your Pigment Workspace
If you don’t see this feature yet, your organization might not have Pigment AI enabled.
Reach out to your Pigment Customer Success Manager to activate AI capabilities and start exploring how “Explain the Formula” can accelerate your planning cycles.
