标签：#spreadsheets

One of those questions that looks like it should have a one-click answer and does not. Here is exactly what Confluence Cloud can and cannot do with numbers, and how to pick between the three ways out. Short answer. A normal Confluence table cannot add anything up: there is no formula engine behind it, and the number on the page is whatever somebody typed. A Confluence database can show a total at the bottom of a field, including Sum and Average. Neither can calculate a value per row, so nothing in Confluence Cloud gives you a column that multiplies price by quantity. You have three ways out, and the right one depends on how often the numbers change. What Confluence actually does It is worth separating two things that look similar on a page, because the answer is different for each. Tables The classic table you get from the editor is a layout element. It stores text, numbers, links and macros in cells, it merges cells, it sorts columns for the reader. It does not compute. There is no cell reference, no formula bar, nothing that recalculates when a value changes. If a total sits in the bottom row, a person put it there, and it stays wrong until a person notices. This is not an oversight anyone forgot about. The request to add spreadsheet behaviour to Confluence tables is one of the older open items in Atlassian's public tracker, and it is still open. Databases Databases are the newer structured-data feature, and they do calculate, within limits. Each field can show a calculation at the bottom, and for number fields the list is genuinely useful: Field type Calculations available Number Sum, Average, Min, Max, Count values, Count unique values, Count empty, Percent empty Everything else Count values, Count unique values, Count empty, Percent empty The calculation can be saved as part of a view, so the total is there for the next reader rather than something each person switches on. Worth knowing before you plan around them: databases are not available in the Atlassian G