---
title: movingAverage() function
description: movingAverage() calculates the mean of non-null values using the current value and n - 1 previous values in the _values column.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/flux/v0/stdlib/universe/movingaverage/
estimated_tokens: 1598
product: Flux
version: v0
publisher: InfluxData
canonical: https://docs.influxdata.com/flux/v0/stdlib/universe/movingaverage/
date: '2024-04-08T16:01:02-06:00'
lastmod: '2024-04-08T16:01:02-06:00'
---

* Flux 0.35.0+

InfluxDB support

`movingAverage()` calculates the mean of non-null values using the current value
and `n - 1` previous values in the `_values` column.

### Moving average rules

* The average over a period populated by `n` values is equal to their algebraic mean.
* The average over a period populated by only `null` values is `null`.
* Moving averages skip `null` values.
* If `n` is less than the number of records in a table, `movingAverage()`returns the average of the available values.

##### Function type signature

```js
(<-tables: stream[{A with _value: B}], n: int) => stream[{A with _value: float}] where B: Numeric
```

For more information, see [Function type signatures](/flux/v0/function-type-signatures/).

## Parameters

### n

(Required)
Number of values to average.

### tables

Input data. Default is piped-forward data (`<-`).

## Examples

* [Calculate a three point moving average](#calculate-a-three-point-moving-average)
* [Calculate a three point moving average with null values](#calculate-a-three-point-moving-average-with-null-values)

### Calculate a three point moving average

```js
import "sampledata"

sampledata.int()
    |> movingAverage(n: 3)
```

[](#view-example-input-and-output)

View example input and output

#### Input data

|       \_time       |\_value|\*tag|
|--------------------|-------|-----|
|2021-01-01T00:00:00Z|  \-2  | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:10Z|  10   | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:20Z|   7   | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:30Z|  17   | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:40Z|  15   | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:50Z|   4   | t1  |

|       \_time       |\_value|\*tag|
|--------------------|-------|-----|
|2021-01-01T00:00:00Z|  19   | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:10Z|   4   | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:20Z|  \-3  | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:30Z|  19   | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:40Z|  13   | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:50Z|   1   | t2  |

#### Output data

|       \_time       |     \_value      |\*tag|
|--------------------|------------------|-----|
|2021-01-01T00:00:20Z|        5         | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:30Z|11.333333333333334| t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:40Z|        13        | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:50Z|        12        | t1  |

|       \_time       |     \_value     |\*tag|
|--------------------|-----------------|-----|
|2021-01-01T00:00:20Z|6.666666666666667| t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:30Z|6.666666666666667| t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:40Z|9.666666666666666| t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:50Z|       11        | t2  |

### Calculate a three point moving average with null values

```js
import "sampledata"

sampledata.int(includeNull: true)
    |> movingAverage(n: 3)
```

[](#view-example-input-and-output)

View example input and output

#### Input data

|       \_time       |\_value|\*tag|
|--------------------|-------|-----|
|2021-01-01T00:00:00Z|  \-2  | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:10Z|       | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:20Z|   7   | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:30Z|       | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:40Z|       | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:50Z|   4   | t1  |

|       \_time       |\_value|\*tag|
|--------------------|-------|-----|
|2021-01-01T00:00:00Z|       | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:10Z|   4   | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:20Z|  \-3  | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:30Z|  19   | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:40Z|       | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:50Z|   1   | t2  |

#### Output data

|       \_time       |\_value|\*tag|
|--------------------|-------|-----|
|2021-01-01T00:00:20Z|  2.5  | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:30Z|   7   | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:40Z|   7   | t1  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:50Z|   4   | t1  |

|       \_time       |     \_value     |\*tag|
|--------------------|-----------------|-----|
|2021-01-01T00:00:20Z|       0.5       | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:30Z|6.666666666666667| t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:40Z|        8        | t2  |
|2021-01-01T00:00:50Z|       10        | t2  |

#### Related

* [Calculate the moving average](/influxdb/v2/query-data/flux/moving-average/)
* [timedMovingAverage() function](/flux/v0/stdlib/universe/timedmovingaverage/)
* [exponentialMovingAverage() function](/flux/v0/stdlib/universe/exponentialmovingaverage/)
* [doubleEMA() function](/flux/v0/stdlib/universe/doubleema/)
* [tripleEMA() function](/flux/v0/stdlib/universe/tripleema/)
* [InfluxQL MOVING\_AVERAGE()](/influxdb/v1/query_language/functions/#moving-average)

[transformations](/flux/v0/tags/transformations/)
| _time | _value | *tag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| _time | _value | *tag |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z | -2 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:10Z | 10 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:20Z | 7 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:30Z | 17 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:40Z | 15 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:50Z | 4 | t1 |

| _time | _value | *tag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| _time | _value | *tag |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z | 19 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:10Z | 4 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:20Z | -3 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:30Z | 19 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:40Z | 13 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:50Z | 1 | t2 |

| _time | _value | *tag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| _time | _value | *tag |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:20Z | 5 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:30Z | 11.333333333333334 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:40Z | 13 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:50Z | 12 | t1 |

| _time | _value | *tag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| _time | _value | *tag |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:20Z | 6.666666666666667 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:30Z | 6.666666666666667 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:40Z | 9.666666666666666 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:50Z | 11 | t2 |

| _time | _value | *tag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| _time | _value | *tag |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z | -2 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:10Z |  | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:20Z | 7 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:30Z |  | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:40Z |  | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:50Z | 4 | t1 |

| _time | _value | *tag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| _time | _value | *tag |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z |  | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:10Z | 4 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:20Z | -3 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:30Z | 19 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:40Z |  | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:50Z | 1 | t2 |

| _time | _value | *tag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| _time | _value | *tag |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:20Z | 2.5 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:30Z | 7 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:40Z | 7 | t1 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:50Z | 4 | t1 |

| _time | _value | *tag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| _time | _value | *tag |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:20Z | 0.5 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:30Z | 6.666666666666667 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:40Z | 8 | t2 |
| 2021-01-01T00:00:50Z | 10 | t2 |