How to Create a Cumulative Graph in Power BI

Creating a cumulative graph in Power BI is one of the most practical skills you can learn for tracking performance over time. Often called a running total, this type of chart shows you how a value accumulates, giving you a clear picture of year-to-date revenue, quarterly lead growth, or project budget spend. This tutorial will walk you through the essential steps to calculate and visualize a cumulative total using DAX formulas.

What is a Cumulative Graph and Why Is It Useful?

A cumulative graph, or running total chart, displays the sum of a metric as it grows over a period. Instead of showing the value for each individual period (like sales per day), it shows the total sum up to that period. For instance, on day three, the chart shows the sum of sales from days one, two, and three.

This type of visualization is incredibly valuable for a few key reasons:

• Tracking Progress Towards Goals: Are you on track to hit your quarterly sales quota? A cumulative revenue chart immediately shows your progress against your target.
• Spotting Trends in Growth: A steep line indicates rapid growth, while a flattening line signals a slowdown. It's much easier to see long-term momentum on a cumulative chart than on a daily bar chart with lots of noisy ups and downs.
• Comparing Performance to Past Periods: You can overlay cumulative totals from different years (e.g., 2023 YTD vs. 2024 YTD) to quickly see if you're ahead of or behind last year's pace.

Common examples include tracking year-to-date revenue, total user signups since a product launch, or the number of support tickets closed over a month.

Step 1: Prepare Your Data Model

Before you can write any formulas, you need a solid data foundation. For time-related calculations in Power BI, two things are essential: a facts table and a date table.

Your Facts Table (e.g., Sales Data)

This is the table that contains the numbers you want to accumulate. It could be a sales table, a marketing leads table, or web traffic data. The crucial columns here are:

• A date column (e.g., OrderDate)
• A numeric column to sum (e.g., Revenue or UnitsSold)

Here’s a simple example of a Sales table:

Your Date Table

While you might be tempted to use the date column directly from your facts table, it's a strongly recommended best practice in Power BI to create a separate, dedicated "Date" or "Calendar" table. A date table acts as a master reference for all things time-related, ensuring your DAX time intelligence functions work correctly and consistently.

Your date table should contain a unique row for every single day in the period you're analyzing. It should include columns like Date, Year, Quarter, Month, and DayOfWeek.

You can create one easily using DAX. From the "Table tools" ribbon, click "New table" and enter a formula like this:

Date Table = CALENDARAUTO()

After creating this table, make sure to go to the "Model" view in Power BI and create a relationship (a drag-and-drop line) between the date column in your Date Table and the date column in your Sales table. This step is critical, it’s what connects your sales events to a continuous timeline.

Step 2: Write the Cumulative Total DAX Measure

Now for the fun part: writing the formula. In Power BI, reusable formulas are called measures. We’ll create a new measure that calculates the running total of revenue.

Navigate to the "Report" view, click on your Sales table in the "Data" pane, and then select "New measure" from the "Table tools" ribbon. A formula bar will appear at the top.

Enter the following DAX formula:

Cumulative Revenue = 
 CALCULATE(
    SUM('Sales'[Revenue]),
    FILTER(
        ALL('Date Table'[Date]),
        'Date Table'[Date] <= MAX('Date Table'[Date])
    )
)

Breaking Down the Formula

This might look complicated, but let's break it down piece by piece. It's actually quite logical.

• SUM('Sales'[Revenue]): This is the simple part. It’s the base calculation we want to perform—summing up the values in the Revenue column.
• CALCULATE(...): This is arguably the most important function in DAX. It modifies the "context" in which other calculations are performed. In simple terms, it tells Power BI: "Do this calculation, but change the filters in this specific way first."
• FILTER(...): This part is the "filter change" we are telling CALCULATE to apply. Here’s what it does:

In essence, for each date on your graph, this measure tells Power BI to sum all revenue from the very beginning of your dataset up to and including that specific date.

Step 3: Build the Cumulative Graph Visualization

With your measure created, visualizing it is the easy part.

1. Select a Visualization: In the "Visualizations" pane, click on the Line chart icon. An empty chart will appear on your report canvas.
2. Set the Axis: Drag the Date column from your Date Table into the "X-axis" field of the visualization.
3. Set the Values: Find your new Cumulative Revenue measure (it will have a small calculator icon next to it) and drag it into the "Y-axis" field.

Instantly, you should see a line chart that trends upwards, representing your running total over time. Each point on the line is the total revenue accumulated up to that date.

Tip: Combine Cumulative and Periodic Values

A cumulative line on its own is great, but it's even more powerful when you see it alongside the individual periodic values (e.g., the actual sales for each day or month). This helps you understand what's driving the growth of the cumulative total.

To do this:

1. Click on your chart to select it.
2. In the "Visualizations" pane, choose the "Line and stacked column chart" icon.
3. You'll notice a new field well has appeared called "Column y-axis."
4. Create a new, simple measure for daily sales:

Total Revenue = SUM('Sales'[Revenue])

1. Drag this new Total Revenue measure into the "Column y-axis" field.

Now your visual will show a bar for each period's revenue, with the cumulative line soaring over them. This provides a rich, comprehensive view of your performance.

Common Issues and Quick Fixes

• My line is flat! This often happens if the relationship between your Date table and your Sales table is missing or inactive. Go to the "Model" view and ensure there is a solid line connecting your two date columns.
• The DAX formula gives an error. Double-check your table and column names for typos. Common mix-ups are Sales[Revenue] vs Sale[Revenue]. Names must be exact.
• My dates are grouped by year/quarter. On your chart's x-axis field, click the little dropdown arrow next to your date field and select "Date" instead of "Date Hierarchy" to see a continuous timeline.

Final Thoughts

You've now successfully built a cumulative total graph using a DAX measure in Power BI. This is a fundamental skill that moves you beyond simple summaries, allowing you to effectively track progress and analyze trends over time on any key business metric.

While mastering DAX can open up a world of possibilities, we know that there's a steep learning curve and sometimes you just need to get quick answers from your data. At Graphed, we've focused on eliminating that friction. You can connect your marketing and sales data sources (like Google Analytics, Shopify, or Salesforce) and simply ask in plain language, "Show me my cumulative revenue from Shopify this quarter vs. last quarter." We build the dashboard for you in seconds, no formulas required, so you can spend less time wrangling visuals and more time acting on the insights.