Application of functions

So far, we have covered the first of our two major questions: What is the function? Now we will proceed to the next question: How is the function applied?

Let’s try to understand that question via the following three options, which are all applications of the INDEX function:

Figure 5.15: Applications

The INDEX function is used in each of these three screenshots; however, it is applied differently in each. The first and second screenshots both display 1, 2, and 3, but differ directionally. The third screenshot ranges from 1 to 9. So, how is INDEX being applied in each case?

Answering this question can be confusing because Tableau uses different terminology. Within Tableau itself, the way a table calculation is applied may be referred to as running along, moving along, compute using, or partitioning (scoping) and addressing (direction). For our purposes, we will utilize the terms partitioning and addressing, which we will define here...