Dash0 Raises $35 Million Series A to Build the First AI-Native Observability Platform

Dec 18, 2025

Contributors

Duart Snel

Duart Snel

Brenda

Brenda

Visually explaining calculations

Calculations are an important element of many dashboard panels: they allow you to “summarize” a timeseries into one single data point, which is precisely what you need for Pie charts, Stats charts and more. But they are pretty difficult to understand. If you have ever wondered what "First non-null value" actually means for your panel calculations, you are not alone. We've added interactive visual examples to every calculation type selector, so you can see exactly how each option works before you choose it.

When configuring charts that support the calculation field, you can hover over any calculation type in the dropdown to see a visual example of how it processes your data points within the query window.

Each visualization clearly illustrates the behavior of the calculation, including how it treats numeric values, Not-a-Number (NaN) entries, and edge cases. Whether you're deciding between "First value" and "First non-null value", or wondering how "Instant" differs from "Last", these guides will help you pick which one to use.

all the examples

You can access these examples in Dash0 by hovering over the info icon next to the Calculation dropdown.

example of info button

The images are static, it does not adjust to the reality of the data. But let us know if you find this kind of visual hints useful!.