RUNNINGSUM

In a visual calculation, the sum of a column from the first row along an axis to the current one.

A visual calculation works on the table behind a visual: a row for each group on the visual's axes and one for each of their totals. To try one in the OAX view, give a table that shape with DEFINE TABLE ... WITH VISUAL SHAPE: its axes, their groups, the TRUE/FALSE column that marks each group's totals and the order, and with DENSIFY a name for the column that marks rows the shape fills in. Then write the calculation as a COLUMN of that table, as Power BI's own queries do. The examples below are queries of that kind, small enough to check by hand.

Group: Window and visual calculations. Compatible with DAX.

Syntax

RUNNINGSUM ( <column> [, <axis>] [, <orderBy>] [, <blanks>] [, <reset>] )

Parameter	Type	Description
`column`	Column	A field of the visual, such as `[Liters]`. An expression is not allowed here: make it a visual calculation of its own and name that.
`axis`	Axis optional	Which way to go: `ROWS` or `COLUMNS`, or both, as `ROWS COLUMNS`, which goes down the rows first and then across the columns; `ROWPAGES` for small multiples. Left out, the visual's first axis.
`orderBy`	ORDERBY optional	`ORDERBY ( ... )` to take the rows in another order than the axis has.
`blanks`	Keyword optional	With an `ORDERBY`: where blank values go, `DEFAULT`, `FIRST` or `LAST`.
`reset`	Reset optional	Where it starts again: `NONE` (when left out) never; `HIGHESTPARENT` (or 1, or the axis's top column) at each value of the top group; `LOWESTPARENT` (or -1) at each row's own parent; another whole number, or a column of the axis, at that level.

Returns

Number. The total of the column from the first row along the axis to the current one.

Remarks

Each level of the visual is walked on its own: the quarters' rows among the quarters, the years' subtotals among the years, the grand total by itself. Without a reset the quarters' total runs on from 2025 into 2026; with HIGHESTPARENT it starts again each year.
A blank value adds nothing: that row shows the total so far.
With ORDERBY, the rows are added in that order instead of the axis's. A reset and an ORDERBY can't be given together.
To add up an expression, make it a visual calculation first and run the sum on that one: COLUMN Visual[Double] = [Liters] * 2, then RUNNINGSUM ( [Double] ).
It works only in a visual calculation; in a measure, a calculated column or a plain query it is an error.

Examples

Running total of four months

The shape says: months on the rows, in month order, and no totals.

DEFINE
    TABLE Visual =
        DATATABLE (
            "Month", INTEGER, "Liters", INTEGER,
            { { 1, 100 }, { 2, 150 }, { 3, 120 }, { 4, 90 } }
        )
        WITH VISUAL SHAPE
            AXIS ROWS GROUP [Month] ORDER BY [Month]
            DENSIFY "Added"
    COLUMN Visual[Running] = RUNNINGSUM ( [Liters] )
EVALUATE
SELECTCOLUMNS (
    Visual,
    "Month", [Month], "Liters", [Liters],
    "Running", [Running]
)
ORDER BY [Month]

Month	Liters	Running
1	100	100
2	150	250
3	120	370
4	90	460

Restarting each year

DEFINE
    TABLE Visual =
        DATATABLE (
            "Year", INTEGER, "Quarter", INTEGER, "Liters", INTEGER, "All years", BOOLEAN, "All quarters", BOOLEAN,
            {
                { 2025, 1, 100, FALSE, FALSE }, { 2025, 2, 120, FALSE, FALSE }, { 2025, BLANK (), 220, FALSE, TRUE },
                { 2026, 1, 130, FALSE, FALSE }, { 2026, 2, 150, FALSE, FALSE }, { 2026, BLANK (), 280, FALSE, TRUE },
                { BLANK (), BLANK (), 500, TRUE, TRUE }
            }
        )
        WITH VISUAL SHAPE
            AXIS ROWS
                GROUP [Year] TOTAL [All years]
                GROUP [Quarter] TOTAL [All quarters]
                ORDER BY [Year], [Quarter]
            DENSIFY "Added"
    COLUMN Visual[Running] = RUNNINGSUM ( [Liters] )
    COLUMN Visual[Within the year] = RUNNINGSUM ( [Liters], HIGHESTPARENT )
EVALUATE
SELECTCOLUMNS (
    Visual,
    "Year", [Year], "Quarter", [Quarter], "Liters", [Liters],
    "Running", [Running],
    "Within the year", [Within the year]
)
ORDER BY ISBLANK ( [Year] ), [Year], ISBLANK ( [Quarter] ), [Quarter]

Year	Quarter	Liters	Running	Within the year
2025	1	100	100	100
2025	2	120	220	220
2025	(blank)	220	220	220
2026	1	130	350	130
2026	2	150	500	280
2026	(blank)	280	500	280
(blank)	(blank)	500	500	500

From the largest month down

DEFINE
    TABLE Visual =
        DATATABLE (
            "Month", INTEGER, "Liters", INTEGER,
            { { 1, 100 }, { 2, 150 }, { 3, 120 }, { 4, 90 } }
        )
        WITH VISUAL SHAPE
            AXIS ROWS GROUP [Month] ORDER BY [Month]
            DENSIFY "Added"
    COLUMN Visual[Largest first] = RUNNINGSUM ( [Liters], ORDERBY ( [Liters], DESC ) )
EVALUATE
SELECTCOLUMNS (
    Visual,
    "Month", [Month], "Liters", [Liters],
    "Largest first", [Largest first]
)
ORDER BY [Month]

Month	Liters	Largest first
1	100	370
2	150	150
3	120	270
4	90	460

MOVINGAVERAGE, RANGE, WINDOW, TOTALYTD.

Last updated 3 November 2026 · OpenBI Studio 0.3.74