Tableau Funtion: RUNNING_SUM( )

Tableau Function: RUNNING_MIN( )

Category: Table Calculation Functions

What Is the Function?

Purpose

The RUNNING_SUM() function in Tableau is a table calculation that computes a cumulative (running) total of a numeric measure across rows in a partition. For each row, it adds the current value to the sum of all previous values, based on the defined sort order.

In simple terms, RUNNING_SUM() answers:
“What is the total value accumulated so far?”

Type of Calculation

• Table calculations

• Cumulative (running) calculations

• Order-dependent aggregations

• Trend and growth analysis

RUNNING_SUM() is evaluated after aggregation and is controlled by sorting, partitioning, and table calculation direction.

Practical Use Cases

• Tracking cumulative sales, revenue, or profit

• Monitoring growth over time

• Creating progress-to-goal metrics

• Building running balance or backlog views

• Supporting rate and average calculations when combined with other functions

How It Works?

Mathematical / Logical Principle

For each row n, RUNNING_SUM() computes:

Conceptually, it performs a rolling accumulation that expands forward as each new row is evaluated.

Example Formula

Calculates cumulative sales over the sorted view

What Does It

• Data Type: Numeric (same type as the expression)

• Meaning:

  • Returns the sum of values from the first row through the current row

  • The value monotonically increases or stays constant (unless negative values exist)

Example Output

Use RUNNING_SUM() when you need to:

• Track accumulation over time

• Measure progress or growth

• Analyze cumulative impact

• Build running balance or milestone dashboards

• Provide context for trend-based decision making

Basic Usage

Running total of a measure

Displays cumulative sales values

Column Usage

Running sum by date

Tracks profit accumulation over time

Calculate cumulative average

Produces a running average using two running functions

Advanced Usage

Progress-to-goal calculation

Shows cumulative progress as a percentage of total sales

Running sum within partitions

(with Compute Using set per Region)

Calculates independent cumulative totals per region

Tips and Tricks

• Always define sorting, especially for time-based views

• Verify Compute Using to control accumulation direction

• Combine with RUNNING_COUNT() or RUNNING_AVG() for derived metrics

• Incorrect sorting leads to misleading results

• Not usable in row-level or LOD expressions

Related Functions

Functions commonly used alongside or as alternatives to RUNNING_SUM():

• RUNNING_AVG()

• RUNNING_COUNT()

• RUNNING_MAX()

• RUNNING_MIN()

• WINDOW_SUM()

• PREVIOUS_VALUE()

We’ve got plenty of resources to help you master Tableau functions. For more details, check out the official Tableau documentation. Or, if you’re ready for more practice, let’s dive into related functions and build your Tableau skills further!

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