YOY_ABS

Overview

The YOY_ABS function returns the absolute growth for each year compared to the previous year (year-over-year). The result is the difference current_year - previous_year in the same unit as the input.

Use this function when you need the absolute difference between consecutive years.

Syntax

YOY_ABS('Node' [, "MissingValueBehaviour"])

Example usage: YOY_ABS('Revenue')

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Type	Required	Default
Node	Input node, specified using the node name in single quotes (e.g.`'Revenue'`)	Node reference	Yes	--
MissingValue Behaviour	How missing values in the time series are treated	Keyword	No	IGNORE_ MISSING

MissingValueBehaviour options:

"IGNORE_MISSING": Missing rows are skipped. A result row is only produced where both the current year and the previous year have values. This is the default.
"MISSING_AS_ZERO": Missing rows are treated as 0.

Output Shape

Aspect	Behavior
Dimensionality	Same as input.
Time range	With IGNORE_MISSING, the first year is dropped and years adjacent to gaps are also removed. With MISSING_AS_ZERO, every year where either current or previous has data is included.
Values	Each value is `current_year - previous_year`. The result keeps the same unit as the input.
Row count	Reduced with IGNORE_MISSING. With MISSING_AS_ZERO, can include years beyond the input data range (within the project horizon).

Watch Out

The input must have a Year level. If the input does not contain a Year level, the function fails.
With MISSING_AS_ZERO, results appear at years where the input has no data. A missing current year treated as 0 produces a negative result equal to the previous year's value. A missing previous year treated as 0 produces a positive result equal to the current year's value.
With MISSING_AS_ZERO, years beyond the input data range (but within the project horizon) may appear in the result.

Examples

Default: ignoring missing values

This example shows YOY_ABS with the default behavior.

Input node: Profit

Year	Value
2025	200
2026	300
2027	450
2028	500
2030	100

Formula: YOY_ABS('Profit') = YOY_ABS('Profit', "IGNORE_MISSING")

Year	→ YOY_ABS Result
2026	300 - 200 = 100
2027	450 - 300 = 150
2028	500 - 450 = 50

The first year (2025) has no previous year to compare against. The gap at 2029 causes both 2029 and 2030 to be excluded.

Treating missing values as zero

With MISSING_AS_ZERO, gaps are filled with 0, producing results for every year including those without input data.

Formula: YOY_ABS('Profit', "MISSING_AS_ZERO")

Year	→ YOY_ABS Result
2025	200 - 0 = 200
2026	300 - 200 = 100
2027	450 - 300 = 150
2028	500 - 450 = 50
2029	0 - 500 = -500
2030	100 - 0 = 100
2031	0 - 100 = -100

Year 2025 now has a result because its previous year (2024) is treated as 0. Year 2031 (beyond the input data but within the project horizon) also appears because 2030 has a value.

Related Functions

Function	When to use instead
YOY_REL	When you need the percentage change year-over-year instead of the absolute difference.
DELTA_ABS	When you need the absolute change along any dimension, not just time (e.g. compare across products).
CAGR	When you need compound growth over multiple periods, not just a single-period comparison.