# Working with Values in Dashboard Pivots
Dashboard Pivots in Hive give you powerful ways to analyze your data by adding Values to your pivot table. Values are the metrics you want to measure, and they appear in the cells of your pivot table. This guide will walk you through everything you can do with Values, from simple field selections to advanced custom formulas.
## Understanding Values
Values are the heart of your pivot table. They're the actual data points you want to analyze, whether that's counting actions, summing time estimates, calculating averages, or creating custom calculations. When you add Values to your pivot, Hive automatically aggregates them based on your Rows and Columns settings.
<placeholder image: Pivot table showing Values section with multiple values configured>
## Adding a Value
To add a Value to your pivot:
1. Click the **Add Value** button in the Values section of your pivot configuration
2. Select the field you want to measure from the dropdown
3. Choose how you want to aggregate that field (Count, Sum, Average, etc.)
4. Optionally, give your value a custom name to make it more meaningful
<placeholder image: Add Value dropdown showing available fields>
## Value Types
Hive supports different types of values depending on your data:
**Number Fields**: Perfect for summing estimates, calculating averages, or finding min/max values. Examples include time estimates, story points, or custom number fields.
**Date Fields**: Use date fields to analyze when actions were completed, when deadlines are set, or any other date-based metric. You can count dates, find the earliest or latest date, or calculate date ranges.
**Text Fields**: Count instances, find unique values, or aggregate text-based data like status, assignees, or labels.
**Today**: A special value type that always references the current date, useful for calculating how many days until a deadline or how long since an action was created.
<placeholder image: Different value types displayed in a pivot table>
## Aggregation Methods
When you add a Value, you choose how to aggregate it:
**Count**: Counts the number of items. Use this when you want to know "how many."
**Sum**: Adds up all the numbers. Perfect for total time estimates or total budget.
**Average**: Calculates the mean value. Great for understanding average completion time or average story points.
**Min**: Finds the smallest value. Useful for finding the earliest deadline or lowest estimate.
**Max**: Finds the largest value. Use for finding the latest deadline or highest priority.
**Count Unique**: Counts distinct values, eliminating duplicates.
<placeholder image: Aggregation method dropdown menu>
## Custom Formulas: Unlocking Advanced Calculations
This is where Dashboard Pivots become truly powerful. Instead of selecting a simple field, you can create custom formulas to perform calculations across multiple fields.
### Creating a Custom Formula
To create a custom formula, start by typing `=` in the Value field. This triggers the formula editor and tells Hive you want to write a custom calculation.
<placeholder image: Value input showing "=" typed to trigger formula mode>
### Formula Syntax
Custom formulas in Hive use formula.js syntax, which is similar to Excel formulas. Here are the key rules:
**Field References**: To reference a field in your formula, use the `field("fieldName")` syntax. Always wrap the field name in quotes.
=field("EstimatedTime")
**Mathematical Operations**: You can use standard operators like +, -, *, /
=field("ActualTime") - field("EstimatedTime")
**Functions**: Use built-in functions like SUM, AVERAGE, IF, and many more
=SUM(field("EstimatedTime"), field("ActualTime"))
=IF(field("Status")="Completed", field("ActualTime"), 0)
<placeholder image: Formula editor showing a custom formula with field references>
### Common Formula Examples
**Calculate variance**: See the difference between estimated and actual time
=field("ActualTime") - field("EstimatedTime")