Waterfall charts in Power BI - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This data shows categories and their amounts for a waterfall chart. 'Start' is the initial value, followed by positive and negative changes, and 'End' is the final total to calculate.

Cell	Value
A1	Category
B1	Amount
A2	Start
B2	1000
A3	Sales
B3	300
A4	Returns
B4	-100
A5	Expenses
B5	-200
A6	End
B6	1000

Formula Trace

End = Start + Sales + Returns + Expenses

Step 1: Start

Step 2: Start + Sales

Step 3: 1300 + Returns

Step 4: 1200 + Expenses

Step 5: End

Cell Reference Map

    A       B
  +-------+-------+
1 |Category|Amount |
  +-------+-------+
2 | Start  | 1000  | <-- Start value
  +-------+-------+
3 | Sales  |  300  | <-- Sales increase
  +-------+-------+
4 | Returns| -100  | <-- Returns decrease
  +-------+-------+
5 |Expenses| -200  | <-- Expenses decrease
  +-------+-------+
6 | End    | 1000  | <-- End to calculate
  +-------+-------+

Cells B2 to B5 provide the amounts for the waterfall calculation. B6 is where the final total (End) is calculated by summing these values.

Result

    A       B
  +-------+-------+
1 |Category|Amount |
  +-------+-------+
2 | Start  | 1000  |
  +-------+-------+
3 | Sales  |  300  |
  +-------+-------+
4 | Returns| -100  |
  +-------+-------+
5 |Expenses| -200  |
  +-------+-------+
6 | End    | 1000  |
  +-------+-------+

The final result shows the End value as 1000 in cell B6, which is the sum of Start plus all changes (Sales, Returns, Expenses). This value is used in the waterfall chart to show the final total after all increases and decreases.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What is the value of the 'End' after adding Sales to Start?

A 300

B 1000

C 1300

D 1200

Key Result

Waterfall chart totals are calculated by starting with an initial value and adding or subtracting each category's amount step by step.