Using the Running Pivot View for Cumulative‐Sum Analysis in Omniscope

Omniscope’s Running Pivot View makes it effortless to turn any pivot into a cumulative‐sum analysis. Instead of just showing isolated sums for each intersection of rows and columns, this view continuously accumulates values down each column, letting you see how totals build up over time, category, or any other grouping. Whether you’re tracking year-to-date sales by region, monitoring inventory receipts by warehouse, or flagging when expenses exceed a threshold, the Running Pivot View reveals trajectories at a glance.

Why a Cumulative‐Sum Pivot Matters

A standard pivot table gives you the sum of a measure for each combination of “row” and “column” groupings. But often you need to know not only “How much was sold in Q2?” but also “How much has been sold from Q1 through Q2?” By switching to a cumulative perspective, you answer questions like:

• “Has Product A in Region West passed $1 million in total sales by mid-year?”
  Instead of scanning two separate cells (Q1 vs. Q2), you see a single “YTD” cell for Q2 that already incorporates Q1.

• “Which channels are slowing down YTD growth?”
  If Q3’s running total minus Q2’s is smaller than Q2 minus Q1, you immediately know growth has decelerated. no extra calculations required.

• “At what week did warehouse Nibble reach 500 units shipped?”
  The week‐by‐week running totals highlight the exact point when the cumulative line crosses your threshold.

Because the Running Pivot View updates live, you can apply filters (“Only Electronics after Jan 1”) or drill into subcategories immediately, and the cumulative columns recompute on the fly.

How to Add the Running Pivot View

1. Open View Palette

   • In your Omniscope, click the View Palette icon (+)

2. Find “Running Pivot View”

   • Scroll through the list of available Custom Views until you see Running Pivot View.

3. Drag-and-Drop onto Your Canvas

   • Drag “Running Pivot View” from the palette onto your dashboard. 

4. Configure Options

   • Under Options -> Settings , pick:

     • Measure: The numeric field to sum (e.g. “SalesAmount,” “UnitsShipped,” “Expense”).

     • Pane X (Column Grouping): One or more fields that define how columns are split (e.g. “Year,” “Quarter,” “Category”).

     • Pane Y (Row Grouping): One or more fields that define rows (e.g. “Region,” “ProductLine,” “Warehouse”).

   • Click Apply.

Within moments, the Running Pivot View executes a pivot query behind the scenes, then builds a table where:

• The leftmost columns list each combination of your Pane Y fields (e.g. “North Region ▶ Electronics”).

• The top headers show each level of your Pane X fields in a multi-row header (e.g. “Year 2023 ▶ Q1, Q2, Q3…”).

• Each data cell under “Q2,” for example, displays the sum of Q1+Q2. In other words, the view continuously accumulates the measure as you move from left to right.

Typical Use Case: YTD Sales by Region & Category

Imagine a retail chain wants one glance at how each product category is performing in each region, year-to-date:

1. Pane Y (Rows) = [ Region, ProductCategory ].

2. Pane X (Columns) = [ Year, Quarter ].

3. Measure = SalesAmount (SUM).

After adding Running Pivot View:

• The top header shows “Year ▶ 2023” and beneath it “Quarter ▶ Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4.”

• The leftmost columns show “Region” and “ProductCategory” (for example, “West ▶ Electronics”).

• The cell under (
  “West ▶ Electronics,” Q2) no longer reads “Sales in Q2”; it reads “Sales in Q1+Q2”, the running total through the second quarter.

• If you filter to only “Online” orders or to a subset of products, those cumulative sums update instantly.

This approach instantly reveals:

• Which Regions and Categories have already exceeded budget by Q2.

• Whether growth in Q3 is slowing or accelerating, by comparing Q3’s cumulative minus Q2’s.

• How each category stacks up at each quarter without having to manually calculate year-to-date sums.

Another Example: Weekly Inventory by Warehouse & Item Type

Manufacturers often need to track how many units have arrived or shipped over time to avoid stockouts. With Running Pivot View:

1. Pane Y = [ Warehouse, ItemType ].

2. Pane X = [ Year, WeekNumber ].

3. Measure = UnitsReceived (SUM).

After configuring:

• The header shows “Year ▶ 2023, then Week 1, 2, 3…” across multiple columns.

• The left side shows “Warehouse ▶ ItemType” (e.g. “North Plant ▶ WidgetA”).

• Each cell under “Week 4” reads “UnitsReceived in Weeks 1+2+3+4,” so you instantly see that by Week 4, the plant has 1,000 units on hand.

• If you then apply a filter for a particular item family or exclude returns, the running totals recalculate on the fly.

You no longer need to slice out each week and cumulatively add them in Excel, Omniscope’s Running Pivot View does it automatically.

Why the Running Pivot View Simplifies Analysis

• No Manual Formulas: Once you set Measure, Pane X, and Pane Y, the view queries, pivots, and cumulatively sums for you automatically.

• Live Interactivity: Change filters or groupings, and the pivot with running totals updates instantly, no re‐exporting to spreadsheets.

• Multi-Level Groupings: Support for multiple Pane X and Pane Y fields means you can nest region → category on rows and year → quarter → month on columns, all with proper hierarchical headers.

• Threshold Alerts (Optional): Because each cell is a running total, you can easily detect when a particular column crosses a budget or inventory threshold. (You can even add custom CSS in the HTML or JavaScript to highlight cells that exceed a certain value.)

Getting Started

1. Open the View Palette (+)

2. Drag “Running Pivot View” onto your dashboard 

3. Select Your Table and pick one Measure, one or more Pane X fields, and one or more Pane Y fields.

4. Click Apply, the cumulative‐sum pivot appears.

Now, you have a fully interactive pivot that shows how totals accumulate over each column grouping. Use it for financial reporting, inventory tracking, customer cohort comparisons, or any scenario where accumulating data across a dimension reveals deeper insights.

With the Running Pivot View, your Omniscope dashboards gain instant “running total” intelligence,no coding, no manual Excel formulas, just drag-and-drop configuration and live results.