Quick table calculations

A table calculation is a second calculation Tableau runs on top of the numbers already shown in the chart: a running total, the difference from the previous month, percent of total, rank and more. You don’t write any formula; just pick one from the Quick Table Calculation menu on the measure pill.

123 Zoom

Click a number on the picture or in this list to highlight that area.

1. 1Quick Table Calculation menu Holds Running Total, Difference, Percent of Total, Rank and more.
2. 2Triangle (Δ) icon Shows that this pill uses a table calculation.
3. 3Running total result The line climbs every month; the June 2026 point reads 747,003,000 (about 747M).

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Set up a 2026 monthly line chart on a new sheet. Drag Date to Columns, right-click the YEAR(Date) pill, then choose Month in the lower group (its example shows a month and a year) so it becomes a continuous line. Drag Revenue to Rows. Finally, drag Date to Filters → choose Years → Next → make sure only 2026 is ticked (click None first if needed) → OK.

2. 2

   Step 2: Click the small arrow on the right of the SUM(Revenue) pill on Rows (or right-click that pill) → Quick Table Calculation (number 1) → Running Total.

   Tip: The menu lists, in order: Running Total, Difference, Percent Difference, Percent of Total, Rank, Percentile, Moving Average, YTD Total, Compound Growth Rate, Year over Year Growth, YTD Growth. The last four need a date field in the view.

3. 3

   Step 3: The pill now shows a small triangle (Δ, number 2), the sign of a table calculation. To read the numbers, hover over the June 2026 point (number 3; its value appears in the tooltip), or click Show Mark Labels on the toolbar to write the values on the line, as in the picture. Want the plain monthly numbers back? Open the pill menu again → Clear Table Calculation.

   Tip: Also try Difference from the same menu: February 2026 becomes −18,390,000 (106,117,000 − 124,507,000), and January is empty because the previous month is not in the view.

   Watch out: A table calculation only uses the data shown in the view. Without the 2026 filter, the line starts in January 2025 and ends at 2,366,830,000 (the total of all data). For a total that restarts from zero every year, pick YTD Total.