Waterfall charts in Excel - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This data shows categories and their values for a waterfall chart. Column B has the changes, and column C will calculate the running total.

Cell	Value
A1	Category
B1	Value
A2	Start
B2	1000
A3	Sales
B3	300
A4	Returns
B4	-100
A5	Marketing
B5	-200
A6	Profit
B6
C1	Running Total
C2	1000
C3
C4
C5
C6

Formula Trace

=C2+B3

Step 1: C2

Step 2: B3

Step 3: C2 + B3

Cell Reference Map

    A       B       C
1 Category  Value  Running Total
2 Start     1000   1000  <-- Starting point
3 Sales     300    [=C2+B3]  <-- Running total adds Sales
4 Returns   -100   
5 Marketing -200   
6 Profit           

The formula in cell C3 uses values from C2 and B3 to calculate the running total after Sales.

Result

    A       B       C
1 Category  Value  Running Total
2 Start     1000   1000
3 Sales     300    1300
4 Returns   -100   
5 Marketing -200   
6 Profit           

Cell C3 shows 1300, which is the running total after adding Sales to the Start value.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the formula =C2+B3 calculate in cell C3?

A The running total after adding Sales

B The difference between Start and Sales

C The value of Sales only

D The starting value only

Key Result

Running total formulas add the current value to the previous running total cell (e.g., =C2+B3).