Arithmetic calculations in Tableau - Cell-by-Cell Formula Trace

Sample Data

This data shows sales and cost values for three products.

Cell	Value
A1	Sales
B1	Cost
A2	1000
B2	400
A3	1500
B3	700
A4	1200
B4	500

Formula Trace

[Sales] - [Cost]

Step 1: [Sales] - [Cost] for row 2

Step 2: 1000 - 400

Step 3: [Sales] - [Cost] for row 3

Step 4: 1500 - 700

Step 5: [Sales] - [Cost] for row 4

Step 6: 1200 - 500

Cell Reference Map

     A       B
1  Sales    Cost
2  1000     400
3  1500     700
4  1200     500

The formula subtracts the Cost column (B) from the Sales column (A) for each row.

Result

     A       B       C
1  Sales    Cost   Profit
2  1000     400     600
3  1500     700     800
4  1200     500     700

The Profit column (C) shows the result of Sales minus Cost for each product.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What is the profit for the first product?

A 400

B 600

C 1000

D 1400

Key Result

Subtract one column from another to find the difference per row.