# Can formulas access historical data? **URL:** \ **Category:** Get Help\ **Created:** [December 9, 2022, 10:38am UTC](https://community.fibery.io/t/can-formulas-access-historical-data/3677 "2022-12-09T10:38:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HSinger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.fibery.io/hsinger/32/4059_2.png) [@HSinger](https://community.fibery.io/u/HSinger)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 10:38am UTC](https://community.fibery.io/t/can-formulas-access-historical-data/3677/1 "2022-12-09T10:38:09Z")
Reports have access to historical data… do formulas? It would be very useful to track the change in a numerical value over a particular timescale. Some of the cumulative flow charts I produce (historical data) show this change in numerical value on mouseover (green/red numbers with up or down arrow). Can I calculate these values and get them into a table? ---
**Author:** ![Chr1sG](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.fibery.io/chr1sg/32/3941_2.png) [@Chr1sG](https://community.fibery.io/u/Chr1sG)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 11:57am UTC](https://community.fibery.io/t/can-formulas-access-historical-data/3677/2 "2022-12-09T11:57:16Z")
I’m afraid formula fields can only access current data, sorry. It is possible to add extra fields and define automations (triggered on a schedule or on updates) to log values just for this purpose, but this requires a bit of work I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![HSinger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.fibery.io/hsinger/32/4059_2.png) [@HSinger](https://community.fibery.io/u/HSinger)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 12:51pm UTC](https://community.fibery.io/t/can-formulas-access-historical-data/3677/3 "2022-12-09T12:51:54Z")
Hi Chris, thanks for your response! Have you got any resources to guide me through? Any backlog items to enable access to historical data without workarounds? If so… +1 from me please! Happy Friday 👍 ---
**Author:** ![Chr1sG](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.fibery.io/chr1sg/32/3941_2.png) [@Chr1sG](https://community.fibery.io/u/Chr1sG)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://community.fibery.io/t/can-formulas-access-historical-data/3677/4 "2022-12-09T14:54:59Z")
> [@HSinger](#): > > Any backlog items to enable access to historical data without workarounds? If so… +1 from me please! Consider it +1 'ed 🙂 > [@HSinger](#): > > Have you got any resources to guide me through? What is the specific need you have? Perhaps we can figure out something. Do you need the most recent delta (change in a numerical value) for example? ---
**Author:** ![HSinger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.fibery.io/hsinger/32/4059_2.png) [@HSinger](https://community.fibery.io/u/HSinger)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 3:16pm UTC](https://community.fibery.io/t/can-formulas-access-historical-data/3677/5 "2022-12-09T15:16:08Z")
Hi Chris, 🤓 PROBLEM SOLVED Thanks but I think I’ve worked it out. The difficult bit was recognising you have to reference [**Step 1** …].[Thingy] in the automation formula. If it isn’t already, you might consider an automations use case that uses **step 1** in a formula. Other than that, my first attempt at automations was pretty straight forward 👍 ---
**Author:** ![Chr1sG](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.fibery.io/chr1sg/32/3941_2.png) [@Chr1sG](https://community.fibery.io/u/Chr1sG)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://community.fibery.io/t/can-formulas-access-historical-data/3677/6 "2022-12-09T16:28:09Z")
> [@HSinger](#): > > Other than that, my first attempt at automations was pretty straight forward You’ll be an automations ninja before you know it 🙂