This article explains what a Logica model is and the core concepts every Logica model is built on: logic, time, views, and scenarios. It's written for users who are new to Logica and want to understand and work with existing models. Read it before you work in your first model.

A Logica model is a complete set of connected calculations, together with the inputs and results that go with them. If you've used a spreadsheet, a Logica model is similar to a workbook. Unlike a workbook, a Logica model handles the calculation, timing, and sharing work you'd normally build and maintain by hand.

Every Logica model is built on a few foundational concepts:

You'll find each concept in a different place in a Logica model. Time is set in the model settings, views and scenarios are selected at the top of the screen, and logic lives in the modeling canvas.

Yes. You can share a Logica model with other Logica users. Everyone works from the same Logica model, so changes one person makes are saved for the whole team, and there's one version of the numbers instead of copies passed around.

Logic is the set of inputs, outputs, and formulas that make up a Logica model's calculations. Logic is organized into components, nodes, and links.

Think of a component as a container for logic. Each component is usually focused on one business concept, like revenue, expenses, or the whole income statement. Components can be organized into groups, which act like folders.

Inside each component are two core building blocks: nodes and links.

For example, a node called Output 1 might be calculated as Input A × Input B, using one link from Input A and one link from Input B.

Each node has values across time, and those values can differ across scenarios. The time and scenario sections below explain both.

A Logica model calculates automatically. Whenever an input changes, whether someone types it or it comes from a connected data source, Logica updates every result that depends on that input. There are no formulas to copy down and no cell references to fix.

The modeling canvas is the visual workspace where a Logica model's components, nodes, and links are laid out. There is just one modeling canvas per Logica model. Components from the modeling canvas are pinned to views to display them.

To learn more about how nodes, links, and components work together, see Understanding how nodes, links, & components fit together.

Every Logica model has one timeline that all of its calculations follow, so you never build date columns yourself. The model timeframe sets the entire duration for what is actually calculated and saved for inputs and outputs. Three model settings define the model timeframe:

Together, the start date, end date, and Periods setting determine how many periods every node calculates. For example, a monthly Logica model with a start date of January 2023 and an end date of December 2024 has 24 periods. Every node and link in a Logica model follows the same timeframe, so all values line up by period automatically.

Logica handles time-based aggregation for you, for example adding up monthly values into quarters and years. By default, a node's values are aggregated as a sum. A view can show a shorter range of time than the model timeframe, but that only limits what's visible. It doesn't change what the Logica model calculates or saves.

Yes. When you extend your model's end date, Logica automatically adds the new periods to every node and calculates them, so adding time for a new budget cycle doesn't mean rebuilding your logic.

To change these model settings, see How to update a model's name and timeframe.

Views are how Logica turns logic into insight. A view is the presentation layer of a Logica model: the tables and charts where you see results, enter inputs, and share them.

In a spreadsheet, a formula lives in a single cell on a specific tab, and reusing that formula elsewhere is fragile. Logica separates logic from the presentation layer. The logic lives once on the modeling canvas, and any number of views can display it. You can build logic once and present it in many different ways depending on who's looking at it and why. Duplicating a view doesn't duplicate your data. It only creates a new presentation layer on top of the same logic.

Scenarios let you test what-if questions without creating an entirely new Logica model. Each scenario can hold its own input values, so you can test different assumptions side by side. Model logic is shared across scenarios by default, so a formula change applies everywhere. Inputs can either differ by scenario or stay in sync across all of them, depending on how each node is set up.

Yes. You can create multiple Logica models in your account, up to the limit included in your subscription plan. To see the limits for each plan, see Logica Subscription Plans & Features. You can start a new Logica model from scratch, from a template, or as a copy of an existing model.

These articles and courses cover the next steps for working with and building a Logica model.