# MOM_ABS
URL: https://docs.valsight.ai/mom-abs/
Description: Returns the absolute month-over-month growth by calculating the difference between the current and previous month. Missing months can be skipped or treated as zero, depending on the selected behavior.
**Category:** [Compare periods](/compare-periods/)

## Overview

The **MOM\_ABS** function **returns the absolute growth for each month compared to the previous month** (month-over-month).

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

## Syntax

`MOM_ABS('Node' [, "MissingValueBehaviour"])`

## Parameters

| Parameter                 | Description                                                                  | Type           | Required | Default            |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | -------- | ------------------ |
| **Node**                  | Input node, specified using the node name in single quotes (e.g. `'Profit'`) | Node reference | Yes      | --                 |
| **MissingValueBehaviour** | How missing values are treated.                                              | Keyword        | No       | `"IGNORE_MISSING"` |

**MissingValueBehaviour options:**

* `"IGNORE_MISSING"`: Missing rows are skipped. This is the default.
* `"MISSING_AS_ZERO"`: Missing rows are treated as 0.

## Examples

### Default: ignoring missing values

This example shows MOM\_ABS with the default behavior. The missing months are skipped and no result is produced for them.

**Input node:** `'Profit'`

| Month   | Value |
| ------- | ----- |
| 2025-01 | 200   |
| 2025-02 | 300   |
| 2025-03 | 450   |
| 2025-04 | 500   |
| 2026-02 | 100   |

**Formula:** `MOM_ABS('Profit')`

**Equivalent to:** `MOM_ABS('Profit', "IGNORE_MISSING")`

| Month   | MOM\_ABS Result |
| ------- | --------------- |
| 2025-02 | 100             |
| 2025-03 | 150             |
| 2025-04 | 50              |

### Treating missing values as zero

With MISSING\_AS\_ZERO, gaps are filled with 0, producing results for every month including those without input data.

**Formula:** `MOM_ABS('Profit', "MISSING_AS_ZERO")`

| Month   | MOM\_ABS Result |
| ------- | --------------- |
| 2025-01 | 200             |
| 2025-02 | 100             |
| 2025-03 | 150             |
| 2025-04 | 50              |
| 2025-05 | -500            |
| 2026-02 | 100             |
| 2026-03 | -100            |

## Related

| Function                  | When to use instead                                                                      |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [MOM\_REL](/mom-rel/)     | When you need the percentage change month-over-month instead of the absolute difference. |
| [YOY\_ABS](/yoy-abs/)     | When you need the absolute difference on a yearly basis instead of monthly.              |
| [DELTA\_ABS](/delta-abs/) | When you need the absolute change along any dimension, not just time.                    |