HOW TO ADD A RUNNING TOTAL COLUUM IN POWER BI

To add a running total in Power BI, you need to create a DAX measure. A measure is better than a calculated column for this because it remains dynamic when you use filters or slicers.

Assuming you have a Date table and a Sales measure already, follow these steps:

1. Create the Measure

Go to the Report or Data view, right-click your table in the Fields pane, and select New measure. Paste the following code:

Running Total = 
CALCULATE(
    [Total Sales], 
    FILTER(
        ALLSELECTED('Date'), 
        'Date'[Date] <= MAX('Date'[Date])
    )
)

Breakdown of the formula:

• [Total Sales]: Replace this with the name of the measure you are tracking (e.g., SUM(Sales[Amount])).
• ALLSELECTED('Date'): This ensures the running total respects any slicers or filters you have on your page. If you want the total to ignore all filters, use ALL('Date') instead.
• FILTER(...): This keeps the calculation moving forward, only including dates that are on or before the current row's date.

2. Visualize it

1. Select a visual (like a Line chart or Table).
2. Add your Date field to the X-axis (or Rows).
3. Add your newly created Running Total measure to the Y-axis (or Values).

A quick tip: Make sure your Date table is marked as a "Date Table" in Power BI to ensure the time-intelligence functions work perfectly. If you are using a simple column from your sales data instead of a proper Date table, simply replace 'Date'[Date] with your specific date column.