# WOW_ABS
URL: https://docs.valsight.ai/wow-abs/
Description: Default: ignoring missing values
**Category:** [Compare periods](/compare-periods/)

## Overview

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

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

## Syntax

`WOW_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 WOW\_ABS with the default behavior. The missing week W05 is skipped and no result is produced for it.

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

| Week     | Value |
| -------- | ----- |
| 2025-W01 | 200   |
| 2025-W02 | 300   |
| 2025-W03 | 450   |
| 2025-W04 | 500   |
| 2025-W06 | 100   |

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

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

| Week     | WOW\_ABS Result |
| -------- | --------------- |
| 2025-W02 | 100             |
| 2025-W03 | 150             |
| 2025-W04 | 50              |

### Treating missing values as zero

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

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

| Week     | WOW\_ABS Result |
| -------- | --------------- |
| 2025-W01 | 200             |
| 2025-W02 | 100             |
| 2025-W03 | 150             |
| 2025-W04 | 50              |
| 2025-W05 | -500            |
| 2025-W06 | 100             |
| 2025-W07 | -100            |

## Related

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