Understanding units and currencies in Scaler

This article explains how units and currencies are handled in Scaler, including where units are defined, how data is converted, and which settings affect reporting versus display.

Scaler is designed around a core principle: preserve data in its original form while enabling flexible analysis and standardised reporting.

This separation ensures:

Because of this approach, Scaler distinguishes between:

Understanding this separation helps explain why values may appear differently in different contexts.

Scaler uses three distinct unit contexts:

Additionally, Scaler handles currencies in two ways:

Each context serves a different purpose and does not interfere with the others.

Each asset has an Asset unit system, set to either metric or imperial.

Changing the asset unit system:

Example:

If an asset's data was entered in the wrong unit system, you must:

Failing to update the values will result in incorrect analytics and reporting.

Best practice: Always confirm the correct asset unit system before entering floor areas or other unit-locked fields.

Related article:

The Default unit system at portfolio level controls how data is processed and converted for reporting.

This setting determines whether reports are generated using:

Because reports must use one consistent unit system, Scaler converts all relevant data to the portfolio's default unit system when generating reports.

Important: The portfolio default unit system affects report calculations, not how data is entered or displayed during day-to-day use.

Related article:

Each user can choose how units are displayed in the Analytics Portal.

User display preferences affect analytics views only—they do not affect:

From the user profile, users can select preferred display units for Area, Energy, Emissions, Water, and Waste.

Users can also choose their preferred language and date format.

How user preferences affect the Data Collection Portal

User display preferences apply differently depending on where you are in the Data Collection Portal:

When editing field values:

When viewing meter statistics and visualizations:

This distinction preserves data integrity during editing while allowing flexible visualization in analytics contexts.

Related article:

Scaler supports multiple currency contexts, depending on the data type.

Portfolio currency applies only to specific financial fields, including:

These values must use a single portfolio-level currency because fields such as Gross asset value are often converted using client-specific methodologies and data sources. To avoid imposing a standardised conversion approach, Scaler does not apply currency conversion logic to these fields.

Related article:

For other cost-related inputs, such as roadmap measures:

This allows flexibility while still supporting consistent comparisons.

Consumption data (energy, water, waste) is entered using unit-specific measures, such as:

In addition, each consumption record can include an associated cost value, and:

Important

Portfolio currency does not control consumption costs. Each consumption cost is handled independently and converted as needed for analytics and reporting.

For data types where Scaler applies currency conversion (such as roadmap measures and consumption costs), conversions are performed using a standardised external exchange rate source.

The specific source, conversion logic, and update methodology are documented in detail in a dedicated methodology article.

Related article:

Note: Portfolio-level financial fields (such as Gross asset value) are excluded from Scaler's currency conversion logic and must be provided in a single portfolio currency.

Why do values look different in analytics vs reports?

Because:

Analytics views are personalised, while reports are standardised.

Why can assets use different unit systems?

Assets can use different unit systems to reflect how data is collected locally, while reports still standardise outputs at portfolio level.

Does changing display units change my data?

No. Display preferences never change stored data, calculations, or reports. This is intentional—Scaler preserves your original input values to maintain auditability and traceability.

Why don't user preferences affect data entry in the Data Collection Portal?

To maintain data integrity and traceability. When entering data, users must see values in their original unit context to avoid accidental conversion errors. This ensures that raw data input remains auditable and unchanged.

User preferences apply to analytics and visualizations where flexible display enhances usability without compromising data integrity.

If you are starting data entry:

If you are preparing reports: