Background
Using Tableau, we have to find the Running Total for a set of metric or metrics. This is a very common business scenario because Running Total in Tableau gives a crystal clear view of how a business is performing for that metric. Since Running Total uses a few values from the previous periods as well, it does not show drastic rise or fall in subtle cases, but instead gives a trend where the business is headed. Tableau provides flexible capabilities to analyze the performance trend of a business using rolling aggregated metrics like a Running Total.
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Steps to Create Tableau Running Total
The below step-by-step Tableau guide explains in details how to create a Running Total in Tableau. As we can see, Tableau provides efficient techniques to create Running Total. We can decide how many of the previous periods we would like to include based on our requirement. Accordingly the Tableau analysis will show the results. We can choose to show the value of the Running Total in mouse hover using Tableau Tooltips as well. We can also use Tableau Labels so that the Running Total values are easily readable without adding any extra step to select a particular dimension or period of time.

When to use Tableau Running Total
Tableau Running Total is useful in cases where the business wants to derive robust insights from it’s data. A Running Total gives a holistic view of how a business is performing. Once the data is fed to Tableau, a Running Total for any specific previous periods including or not including the current period can be calculated. Then using interactive or static Tableau visualizations, we can view the Running Total at any specific point of time. We can also add more dimensions to our Tableau analysis as required. Do you have any other technique you want to achieve? Feel free to contact us below.
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