subtractTwoNumbers Documentation

Overview

The node is a component of the Vantage analytics and data platform that performs a subtraction operation on two numerical inputs. It is designed to take two numeric values and return their difference, facilitating numerical calculations and data processing in various analytical scenarios.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the node is to allow users to easily compute the difference between two numbers. It ensures that the inputs are valid and handles errors gracefully, making it a reliable utility for any calculations requiring subtraction.

Settings

The node has the following configurable settings:

1. input1

• Input Type: Numeric / String
• Description: This setting represents the first number from which the second number will be subtracted. It accepts both numerical and string representations of numbers.
• Effect of Changing the Setting: Modifying this setting will directly affect the value of the first operand in the subtraction operation. If input1 is set to a different numeric value, the output will change accordingly.
• Default Value: 0 (If neither inputs.input1 nor config.input1 are provided, the default is used.)

2. input2

• Input Type: Numeric / String
• Description: This setting represents the second number that will be subtracted from the first. Similar to input1, it can be a numeric or string value.
• Effect of Changing the Setting: Changing this setting alters the second operand in the subtraction, thus affecting the result of the operation. If input2 is altered, the difference produced will vary.
• Default Value: 0 (If neither inputs.input2 nor config.input2 are specified, this default is utilized.)

Function Behavior

• The function first retrieves the values of input1 and input2 from provided inputs or configuration, defaulting to 0 as needed.
• It converts both values to numbers and checks for validity. If either value is not a number, an error is thrown.
• It calculates the difference between input1 and input2 and returns it as output1.

Data Expectations

The node expects the following data format for its operation:

• Inputs: The function expects an object with keys input1 and input2, which can be either numeric values or strings that represent numbers.
• Output: The function returns an object containing the key output1, which holds the numeric result of the subtraction.

Example of expected input format:

{
  "inputs": {
    "input1": "10",
    "input2": "5"
  }
}

Error Handling

If either input1 or input2 is not a valid number, the function will throw an error:

This validation ensures that the operation does not proceed with invalid data, maintaining the integrity of the results.

Use Cases & Examples

Use Cases

1. Financial Calculation: A financial analyst needs to calculate the net profit by subtracting total expenses from total revenue for each transaction.
2. Data Transformation: In data preprocessing, a data engineer may need to adjust time duration by subtracting two time values for analysis.
3. Inventory Management: A product manager wants to assess stock changes by subtracting sold items from the total inventory count.

Example Configuration

Use Case: Calculating Net Profit

In this scenario, an organization wants to determine net profit by subtracting total expenses from total revenue. The values may be obtained from a dataset and passed to the node.

Sample Configuration Data:

{
  "inputs": {
    "input1": "15000",  // Total Revenue
    "input2": "5000"    // Total Expenses
  }
}

Expected Output:

The expected output after executing the node with the above input data would be:

{
  "output1": 10000  // Net Profit
}

This configuration efficiently calculates the net profit, which is vital for financial reporting and analytics. Each adjustment of input1 or input2 would allow for dynamic updates to net profit calculations as new data becomes available.