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

Sample Data

This data shows sales amounts for different fruit products.

Cell	Value
A1	Product
B1	Sales
A2	Apples
B2	300
A3	Bananas
B3	450
A4	Cherries
B4	200
A5	Dates
B5	450
A6	Elderberries
B6	150

Formula Trace

RANK_UNIQUE(SUM([Sales]))

Step 1: SUM([Sales]) for Apples

Step 2: SUM([Sales]) for Bananas

Step 3: SUM([Sales]) for Cherries

Step 4: SUM([Sales]) for Dates

Step 5: SUM([Sales]) for Elderberries

Step 6: Rank sales values uniquely from highest to lowest

Cell Reference Map

    A          B
1 Product    Sales
2 Apples     300
3 Bananas    450
4 Cherries   200
5 Dates      450
6 Elderberries 150

Arrows: Sales values in B2:B6 feed into RANK_UNIQUE calculation.

The rank calculation uses the Sales values from cells B2 to B6.

Result

    A          B       C
1 Product    Sales   Rank
2 Apples     300     3
3 Bananas    450     1
4 Cherries   200     4
5 Dates      450     2
6 Elderberries 150    5

The Rank column shows the unique rank of each product's sales, with 1 being the highest sales.

Sheet Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What is the sum of sales for Cherries used in the rank calculation?

A 150

B 200

C 300

D 450

Key Result

RANK_UNIQUE ranks values uniquely from highest to lowest, assigning distinct ranks even when values tie.