How does the Multi-Row Formula tool differ from the standard Formula tool in Alteryx?

The Multi-Row Formula tool is specifically designed to allow calculations that span across multiple rows of data, which is its key distinguishing feature compared to the standard Formula tool. While the standard Formula tool operates on a per-row basis, performing calculations or transformations on the data in the current row only, the Multi-Row Formula tool enables users to reference and manipulate data from adjacent rows. This capability is particularly useful for tasks like running totals, calculating moving averages, or performing comparisons within a defined window of rows.

In practical terms, this means that if you want to perform operations such as calculating a difference between the current row and the previous row, or summing values from a group of preceding rows, the Multi-Row Formula tool provides the necessary functionality, whereas the standard Formula tool would not be able to reference other rows in such a manner. This makes the Multi-Row Formula tool a powerful tool for more complex calculations where context from multiple rows is required.