12.18. Comparisons and Running Calculations (Looker Studio Tutorial / Advanced Data Studio Course)

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In this tutorial, we'll dive into running calculations in Looker Studio. These calculations can be applied to tables and time series to provide useful insights into your data.

*Learning objectives*

Understand the difference between comparison and running calculations in Looker Studio.
Learn how to apply running calculations to tables and time series.
Explore various types of running calculations and their use cases.
Discover the impact of sorting data on running calculations.

*Main concepts and topics*

In this lesson, you will learn about comparison and running calculations in Looker Studio. Comparison calculations compare a value with the total, maximum, or minimum, while running calculations perform cumulative calculations, such as adding values together over time.

Running calculations can be applied to tables and time series to provide deeper insights into data trends. However, running calculations are only shown and cannot be used in further calculations. Sorting data can also impact the way running calculations are displayed.

Comparison & Running Calculations

In Looker Studio, there are two types of calculations: *comparison* *calculations* and *running calculations.*

Comparison Calculations

Comparison calculations compare the value with the total, maximum, or minimum. For example, you can apply a percentage of the total calculation to see what percentage a certain value represents of the total. This can be helpful in understanding how different values relate to the whole dataset.

Running Calculations

Running calculations, on the other hand, allow you to perform cumulative calculations, such as adding values together over time. For example, you can calculate the running total of new users by date. This can be useful in identifying trends and understanding how metrics change over time.

*Running Sum*: This calculation adds up the values cumulatively, providing a running total.

*Running Min, Max, or Count*: These calculations display the minimum, maximum, or count of values as you go through the data.

*Running Average*: This calculation shows the average of the dataset as a whole or a specific subset.

*Running Delta*: This calculation displays the difference between the current value and the one before it.

**Note**: The running calculations are only shown and cannot be used in further calculations. The actual value remains unchanged.

Sorting Data

Sorting your data can impact the way running calculations are displayed. For example, sorting data in ascending order will show running calculations differently than when sorted in descending order. Keep this in mind when analyzing your data.

In this lesson, you've learned about running calculations in Looker Studio and how they can be applied to tables and time series to provide deeper insights into your data. Remember that running calculations are only for display purposes and cannot be used in further calculations.