Moving Calculation

Moving calculations apply a calculation over a sliding range of values. Instead of evaluating each value independently, the chart recalculates the result for each category based on the values around it.

Moving calculations are useful when you want to smooth out fluctuations, identify trends, or compare a value against its surrounding values. For example, a moving average can reduce short-term spikes and dips, making longer-term patterns easier to interpret.

In this section, moving calculations are demonstrated using a column chart titled Rolling Average Sales by Month. This example illustrates how moving calculations can be used to smooth monthly sales data and reveal broader performance trends over time.

Applying a moving calculation fundamentally changes how the chart is interpreted. The value axis no longer represents only the value for a single category. Instead, it represents a calculation based on a range of neighboring values. As a result, column heights reflect trends and patterns rather than isolated values.

Understanding Moving Calculation Settings

When you select Moving Calculation from the Quick Functions menu, a configuration panel appears with settings that determine how the moving calculation is applied.

Calculation Type

The Calculation Type setting determines which moving operation is used.

Sum calculates a rolling total across the selected range of values.
Average calculates a rolling average across the selected range of values.
Max displays the highest value found within the selected range.
Min displays the lowest value found within the selected range.

The selected calculation type determines how the moving result is calculated for each category.

Along

The Along setting determines the scope in which the moving calculation is applied.

Total Chart applies the moving calculation across the entire chart sequence.
Trellis Row applies the moving calculation independently within each trellis row.
Trellis Column applies the moving calculation independently within each trellis column.
Trellis Cell applies the moving calculation independently within each individual trellis panel when both trellis rows and trellis columns are present.

When a chart contains both trellis rows and trellis columns, the result is a grid of smaller charts. In that scenario, Trellis Cell limits the moving calculation to each individual chart in the grid, while Trellis Row and Trellis Column allow the calculation to continue across multiple charts in the same row or column.

Values Before

The Values Before setting determines how many preceding values are included in the moving calculation window.

For example, if Values Before is set to 2, the calculation includes the two previous values before the current category.

Values After

The Values After setting determines how many subsequent values are included in the moving calculation window.

For example, if Values After is set to 1, the calculation includes the next value after the current category.

Include Current Value

The Include Current Value toggle determines whether the current category value is included in the moving calculation window.

When enabled, the current value is included along with the preceding and following values defined by Values Beforeand Values After. When disabled, only neighboring values are used.

Moving Calculations on a Column Chart

In this example, a moving calculation is applied across the entire dataset to show a rolling average of monthly sales.

Create a column chart and bind Sales Amount to the Values data binding slot.
Bind Date (Year) and Date (Month) to the Axis (Category) data binding slot, in that order, to create a hierarchical time sequence.
Open the Quick Functions menu for Sales Amount (gear icon) and select Moving Calculation.
Use the following settings:
- Calculation Type: Average
- Along: Total Chart
- Values Before: 2
- Values After: 0
- Include Current Value: Enabled
In the Inspector panel, expand the Title section and set the title to Rolling Average Sales by Month.

In this configuration, the moving calculation is applied across all months in sequence. Each column represents the average of the current month and the two preceding months. This smooths out short-term fluctuations and makes it easier to identify broader sales trends over time.