# Window, nested and multi-directional table calculations

*Tableau Consultant Study Guide · Design and Troubleshoot Calculations and Workbooks · Last updated November 3, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-consultant/design-and-troubleshoot-calculations-and-workbooks/window-nested-and-multi-directional-table-calculations*

Set partitioning and addressing with Compute Using (including across then down and pane options), write window, running, PREVIOUS_VALUE and LOOKUP functions with offsets from the current row or from FIRST() and LAST(), and configure each layer of a nested table calculation separately.

- Certification: Salesforce Tableau Consultant
- Exam section: Design and Troubleshoot Calculations and Workbooks
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/tableau-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Implement advanced table calculations, such as window, nested table, or multi-directional.

## What the exam expects

- Choose the Compute Using option, including the multi-directional Table and Pane options, that moves a calculation in the direction a requirement describes.
- Write window functions with start and end offsets, and know what omitting them does.
- Pick between running, PREVIOUS_VALUE, LOOKUP and position functions (FIRST, LAST, INDEX, SIZE) for cumulative, recursive, shifted or position-based results.
- Configure a nested table calculation so each underlying calculation has its own Compute Using.
- Know which customizations need Specific Dimensions and which calculation types allow a secondary calculation.

Key terms:
- **Partitioning fields:** the dimensions that scope a table calculation; it runs separately in each partition.
- **Addressing fields:** the remaining dimensions, which set the direction the calculation moves.
- **Window:** the rows a WINDOW_ function covers, given as offsets from the current row.
- **Nested table calculation:** a calculated field that combines, or itself is, a table calculation built on another table-calculation field.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Local data | Table calculations ignore what is filtered out of the view | [Transform Values with Table Calculations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations.htm) |
| Table (across) and (down) | Restart after every partition | [Transform Values with Table Calculations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations.htm) |
| At the level | Specific Dimensions with more than one addressing field; Deepest by default | [Transform Values with Table Calculations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations.htm) |
| Window offsets omitted | The entire partition is used | [Table Calculation Functions](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/functions_functions_tablecalculation.htm) |
| INDEX() | Starts at 1, without sorting by value | [Table Calculation Functions](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/functions_functions_tablecalculation.htm) |
| LAST() | Rows from the current row to the last row of the partition | [Table Calculation Functions](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/functions_functions_tablecalculation.htm) |
| PREVIOUS_VALUE | Returns the given expression on the first row of the partition | [Table Calculation Functions](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/functions_functions_tablecalculation.htm) |
| LOOKUP target missing | Returns NULL | [Table Calculation Functions](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/functions_functions_tablecalculation.htm) |
| Nested table calculations | Compute Using set independently per calculation | [Customize Table Calculations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations_custom.htm) |
| Secondary calculation | Running Total and Moving Calculation only | [Table Calculation Types](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations_definebasic_runningtotal.htm) |
| Relative to default | Previous | [Table Calculation Types](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations_definebasic_runningtotal.htm) |

## Check yourself

- When is the At the level option available in the Table Calculation dialog?
- Why does a table calculation not count rows that a dimension filter removed from the view?
- Which button in the calculation editor opens a table-calculation field's settings in the Table Calculation dialog?
- Why can INDEX() differ from a rank of the same rows?

## Sources

- [Transform Values with Table Calculations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations.htm)
- [Table Calculation Functions](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/functions_functions_tablecalculation.htm)
- [Customize Table Calculations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations_custom.htm)
- [Table Calculation Types](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations_definebasic_runningtotal.htm)
- [Quick Table Calculations](https://help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/calculations_tablecalculations_quick.htm)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 9 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Tableau Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams