The Problem
Daily numbers are useful, but they often miss the bigger picture. A sales list can show what happened each day, while still making it hard to answer a simple question: how much have we built up so far?
Running totals solve that by carrying the story forward row by row. Each new entry adds to everything that came before it, so the worksheet shows both the individual activity and the cumulative position at that moment.
The flow below shows the idea as a chain. A running total is not just one final sum at the bottom. It is a growing result that updates at every step of the list.
The Problem: Seeing the Total Build Over Time Each row should show the cumulative position, not only the daily amount.
In this workbook, the daily sales values live beside a blank running total column. The task is to build the cumulative total from the first sales row down through the list, then finish the audit section so the sheet confirms both the number of records and the final sales total.
Daily sale + previous progress = current running total
First row starts the chain
Last row should match the final sales total
That structure helps catch mistakes. If a row in the middle is skipped or the starting reference moves, the running total will drift, and the final audit will no longer match the expected total.
How We Solve It
The most stable pattern is to lock the first value and let the end of the range grow as the formula is copied down. That is why the challenge solution uses a mixed reference inside SUM.
Each new row adds one more day into the same growing range, so the total keeps building naturally from the top of the list.
Method 1: Expanding SUM Range
Method 1: Anchor the start of the range and let the end expand as the formula moves down.
This is the clearest and most common running-total pattern because it makes the growing range visible. The start of the range stays locked at the first sales value, while the end of the range moves down with the formula.
That means row 2 sums only the first sale, row 3 sums the first two sales, and the final row includes the whole list. The key detail is the dollar signs on the starting cell; without them, the formula forgets where the running total should begin.
=SUM($B$2:B2)
Method 2: Previous Total Plus Current Row
Method 2: Add the current row to the previous running total to create a chain.
Another valid approach is to reference the previous running total and add the current row to it. That creates a chain where each row depends on the row above, which can feel very natural for balance-style sheets.
This works well when the sheet has a clear opening balance, but it can be fragile if a formula in the middle is overwritten. One broken link can affect every row below it, so the expanding SUM pattern is often safer for a simple challenge like this.
=C1+B2
Method 3: SUBTOTAL for Filtered Lists
Method 3: Use SUBTOTAL when filtering should affect the visible total.
If the table will be filtered and you want the total to reflect only visible rows, SUBTOTAL is worth knowing. It can ignore rows hidden by filters, which makes it useful for dashboards and review views.
That is not required for the challenge answer because this workbook uses the full sales list. Still, it is a useful variation when a running view should react to filtered data instead of always using every row.
=SUBTOTAL(9,$B$2:B2)
Function Explanation
1. SUM
SUM adds a range of values. In this challenge, it becomes more powerful because the range grows as the formula moves down the sheet.
That makes it the main engine behind the running total. The function itself is simple, but the reference pattern is what turns it into a row-by-row cumulative calculation.
Learn more this functionSUM
2. SUBTOTAL
SUBTOTAL can return sums and other aggregations while respecting filtering rules. It becomes useful when the visible rows are more important than the full raw list.
That is why it is often used in dashboards or filtered reports. It lets a summary respond to what the user is currently viewing instead of always summarizing everything.
The key detail in the challenge formula is the mixed reference. If the first cell is not locked with dollar signs, the running total will not build correctly from the start of the list.
Build the running total for the daily sales list so each row shows the cumulative amount up to that point. After the running totals are complete, finish the summary section so the worksheet also shows how many transaction rows were processed and what the final cumulative sales total looks like.