Compute using (table across, down) in Tableau - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a sales analyst at a retail company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants to see the running total of sales by month and region to understand sales trends over time.

📊 Data: You have monthly sales data for three regions: North, South, and East. Each row shows sales amount for a specific month and region.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a Tableau dashboard showing a table with monthly sales and a running total of sales computed across months and down regions.

Sample Data

Month	Region	Sales
January	North	1000
January	South	800
January	East	600
February	North	1100
February	South	900
February	East	700
March	North	1200
March	South	950
March	East	750

1

Step 1: Connect your sales data to Tableau and drag 'Month' to Columns and 'Region' to Rows.

Drag 'Sales' to Text on the Marks card to show sales values in the table.

Expected Result

A table showing sales amounts for each Region (rows) and Month (columns).

2

Step 2: Create a calculated field for running total of sales across months for each region.

Use the table calculation: RUNNING_SUM(SUM([Sales])) with Compute Using set to 'Table (Across)'.

Expected Result

Running total of sales calculated left to right across months for each region.

3

Step 3: Add the running total calculated field to the table next to the sales values.

Drag the running total field to Text or Tooltip to display alongside sales.

Expected Result

Table shows both sales and running total by month and region.

4

Step 4: Create another calculated field for running total of sales down regions for each month.

Use the table calculation: RUNNING_SUM(SUM([Sales])) with Compute Using set to 'Table (Down)'.

Expected Result

Running total of sales calculated top to bottom down regions for each month.

5

Step 5: Add this second running total field to the table to compare running totals across and down.

Drag the second running total field to Text or Tooltip next to the first running total.

Expected Result

Table shows sales, running total across months, and running total down regions.

6

Step 6: Format the table for clarity: use colors or borders to separate sales and running totals, and add clear headers.

Use Tableau formatting options to highlight running totals and ensure readability.

Expected Result

A clear, easy-to-read table showing sales and running totals computed across and down.

Final Result

-------------------------------------------------------------
| Region | January Sales | Jan Run Across | Jan Run Down | ... |
|--------|--------------|----------------|--------------|-----|
| North  | 1000         | 1000           | 1000         | ... |
| South  | 800          | 800            | 1800         | ... |
| East   | 600          | 600            | 2400         | ... |
| Feb    |              |                |              |     |
| North  | 1100         | 2100           | 1100         | ... |
| South  | 900          | 1700           | 2000         | ... |
| East   | 700          | 1300           | 2700         | ... |
| Mar    |              |                |              |     |
| North  | 1200         | 3300           | 1200         | ... |
| South  | 950          | 2650           | 2150         | ... |
| East   | 750          | 2050           | 2900         | ... |
-------------------------------------------------------------

✓Running total across months shows cumulative sales growth over time for each region.

✓Running total down regions shows cumulative sales by region within each month.

✓This helps identify which regions contribute most to monthly sales and how sales accumulate over time.

Bonus Challenge

Create a visualization that dynamically switches the running total calculation between 'Table Across' and 'Table Down' based on user selection.

Show Hint

Use a parameter to let users choose the direction, then apply the parameter in the table calculation's Compute Using setting.