pf_app/CLAUDE.md
Paul Trowbridge 64f3cc58e8 Add PERSPECTIVE.md config/deploy reference; fix CLAUDE.md distribution link
Document the @perspective-dev distribution (not FINOS @finos/perspective):
loader (npm /inline vs CDN), the version trilemma (inline needs 4.5.x,
viewer-d3fc caps at 4.4.1, charts need 4.4.1 — can't have all three),
Arrow vs JSON delivery constraints, deploy pattern, and an upgrade smoke
test. Correct CLAUDE.md's stale perspective.finos.org link to the actual
@perspective-dev repo.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-06-15 23:49:53 -04:00

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# Pivot Forecast — CLAUDE.md
## What this app is
A web app for building named forecast scenarios against any PostgreSQL table. The workflow: load historical actuals as a baseline (optionally date-shifted into the forecast period), then apply incremental adjustments (scale, recode, clone) to build a plan. All changes are append-only, fully audited, and reversible by log entry.
Full spec: `pf_spec.md`
Data transport architecture options: `pf_perspective_options.md`
UX mockup: `pf_ux_mockup.md`
---
## Tech stack
- **Backend:** Node.js / Express (`server.js`)
- **Database:** PostgreSQL — isolated `pf` schema
- **Frontend:** React + Vite + Tailwind CSS in `ui/`; built output lands in `public/app/`
- **Pivot:** [Perspective](https://github.com/perspective-dev/perspective) (`@perspective-dev/*` distribution, **not** FINOS `@finos/perspective`) 4.4.0 loaded from CDN at runtime — see `PERSPECTIVE.md` for config/deploy guidance
- **Dev:** `npm run dev` (nodemon) in root; `npm run build` in `ui/`
---
## Project layout
```
server.js Express entry point; pg pool; type parsers for bigint/numeric
routes/
tables.js GET /api/tables, /api/tables/:schema/:tname/preview
sources.js Source registration, col_meta, SQL generation
versions.js Version CRUD, baseline/reference load, data stream
operations.js scale, recode, clone, undo — the core forecast ops
log.js GET /api/versions/:id/log, DELETE /api/log/:logid
lib/
sql_generator.js buildFilterClause, token substitution helpers
utils.js
setup_sql/
01_schema.sql pf schema DDL — run once to install
ui/src/
views/
Setup.jsx DB browser, source registration, col_meta editor
Baseline.jsx Version management, baseline workbench, reference load
Forecast.jsx Perspective pivot + operation panel (Scale/Recode/Clone)
Sidebar.jsx 3-step collapsible nav
StatusBar.jsx Source · version · row count · status
Timeline.jsx Date-range preview bar for baseline segments
```
---
## Database schema (`pf`)
- **`pf.source`** — registered source tables
- **`pf.col_meta`** — column roles: `dimension` | `value` | `units` | `date` | `filter` | `ignore`; `is_key` marks dimensions used in slice WHERE clauses; `dim_group` groups functionally dependent columns (e.g. date + its derived year/month dimensions); `dim_period_col` maps a dimension to a `pf.dim_period` column so date-adjacent values are derived at load time rather than copied raw
- **`pf.version`** — named forecast scenarios; `exclude_iters` (default `["reference"]`) blocks those iter values from all operations
- **`pf.fc_{tname}_{version_id}`** — one forecast table per version; contains both operational rows (`pf_iter = baseline|scale|recode|clone`) and reference rows (`pf_iter = reference`)
- **`pf.log`** — audit log; every write gets one entry; `slice` + `params` stored as jsonb
- **`pf.sql`** — generated SQL templates per source/operation; tokens substituted at request time
- **`pf.dim_period`** — calendar lookup table (20182035); one row per month keyed on `sdat` (month start date); provides cal/fiscal year, quarter, and month columns; populated by `setup_sql/gen_dim_period.sql` with a configurable fiscal year start month
### Key token substitution tokens
`{{fc_table}}`, `{{where_clause}}`, `{{exclude_clause}}`, `{{logid}}`, `{{pf_user}}`, `{{value_incr}}`, `{{units_incr}}`, `{{pct}}`, `{{set_clause}}`, `{{scale_factor}}`, `{{date_offset}}`, `{{filter_clause}}`
---
## Core data flow
### Initial load (Forecast view)
`GET /api/versions/:id/data` → Arrow IPC binary stream → `worker.table(buffer)` in Perspective WASM
**Why one batch (not streaming):** pg returns `bigint`/`numeric` as strings by default — type parsers in `server.js` coerce them to numbers. Per-batch Arrow encoding creates independent dictionaries that cause Perspective WASM to crash on dictionary replacement messages. Server accumulates all rows, emits one record batch.
### Forecast operations
POST to `/api/versions/:id/{scale|recode|clone}` → SQL executed with `RETURNING *` → new rows returned as JSON → `pspTable.update(rows)` — no full reload.
### Undo
`DELETE /api/log/:logid` → removes rows by logid → **full Perspective reload** (known wart).
---
## Slice mechanics
When the user clicks a pivot cell, `perspective-click` fires. The handler in `Forecast.jsx` extracts `[col, '==', value]` filters from `detail.config.filter` — only `role = dimension` columns are kept as the slice. This slice populates the operation panel and is sent as the `slice` object in all operation POST bodies.
**Limitation:** computed columns created by Perspective's split_by (e.g. Month, YearDate) don't map back to raw rows — only native dimension columns work for slice extraction.
---
## Operation SQL patterns
All three operations follow the same structure: insert a `pf.log` row in a CTE, then insert forecast rows referencing its id. `{{where_clause}}` is built from the slice; `{{exclude_clause}}` blocks `exclude_iters` rows.
- **Scale** — distributes `value_incr`/`units_incr` proportionally across rows in the slice using window functions
- **Recode** — inserts negative rows (zero out original) + positive rows with `{{set_clause}}` dimension overrides; both share the same logid
- **Clone** — copies the slice with `{{set_clause}}` overrides and `{{scale_factor}}` multiplier; original untouched
`build_where()` validates every slice key against col_meta (only `role = dimension` allowed). Values are escaped but not parameterized — consistent with existing patterns, debuggable in pg logs.
---
## Light / dark mode
Theme state lives in `ui/src/theme.jsx` — a React context (`ThemeContext`) with a `ThemeProvider` that wraps the app in `main.jsx`.
- **Storage key:** `pf_dark` in `localStorage`; falls back to `window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)')` on first visit
- **Toggle:** `setDark(d => !d)` in `StatusBar.jsx`; effect writes `localStorage` and toggles the `.dark` class on `<html>`
- **CSS:** `ui/src/index.css` defines CSS custom properties under `:root` (light) and `.dark`. All Tailwind color overrides are written as `.dark .bg-white { ... }` etc. — no Tailwind dark-mode config needed
- **Palette:** dark mode uses Perspective's "Pro Dark" colours (`--bg-primary: #242526`, panels `#2a2c2f`, gridlines `#3b3f46`, text `#c5c9d0`)
- **Perspective viewer:** `Forecast.jsx` calls `viewer.setAttribute('theme', dark ? 'Pro Dark' : 'Pro Light')` both on initial load and in a `useEffect([dark, versionId])` so the viewer stays in sync when the toggle fires
- **Consuming the theme:** `import useTheme from '../theme.jsx'` then `const { dark, setDark } = useTheme()`
## Known issues / active work
- Operation panel (Scale/Recode/Clone) SQL generation and dim_period JOIN are complete; UI wiring to API still needs completion
- Load progress bar is jittery — needs throttle (~10 updates/sec)
- Default pivot layout should be configurable per source (currently hardcodes first 2 dimensions)
- Source/version selection doesn't persist across page reload
- Col_meta / version schema drift: if col_meta roles change after a version's forecast table is created, SQL and DDL go out of sync — workaround is to delete and recreate the version
## Deferred (not in v1)
Baseline replay (`replay: true` returns 501), approval workflow, territory filtering, export, version comparison, multi-DB connections.