percentile(), percentiles() (aggregation function)
Applies to: ✅ Microsoft Fabric ✅ Azure Data Explorer ✅ Azure Monitor ✅ Microsoft Sentinel
The percentile() function calculates an estimate for the specified nearest-rank percentile of the population defined by expr.
The accuracy depends on the density of population in the region of the percentile.
percentiles() works similarly to percentile(). However, percentiles() can calculate multiple percentile values at once, which is more efficient than calculating each percentile value separately.
To calculate weighted percentiles, see percentilesw().
Note
This function is used in conjunction with the summarize operator.
Syntax
percentile(expr, percentile)
percentiles(expr, percentiles)
Learn more about syntax conventions.
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| expr | string |
✔️ | The expression to use for aggregation calculation. |
| percentile | int or long | ✔️ | A constant that specifies the percentile. |
| percentiles | int or long | ✔️ | One or more comma-separated percentiles. |
Returns
Returns a table with the estimates for expr of the specified percentiles in the group, each in a separate column.
Note
To return the percentiles in a single column, see Return percentiles as an array.
Examples
Calculate single percentile
The following example shows the value of DamageProperty being larger than 95% of the sample set and smaller than 5% of the sample set.
StormEvents | summarize percentile(DamageProperty, 95) by State
Output
The results table shown includes only the first 10 rows.
| State | percentile_DamageProperty_95 |
|---|---|
| ATLANTIC SOUTH | 0 |
| FLORIDA | 40000 |
| GEORGIA | 143333 |
| MISSISSIPPI | 80000 |
| AMERICAN SAMOA | 250000 |
| KENTUCKY | 35000 |
| OHIO | 150000 |
| KANSAS | 51392 |
| MICHIGAN | 49167 |
| ALABAMA | 50000 |
Calculate multiple percentiles
The following example shows the value of DamageProperty simultaneously calculated using 5, 50 (median) and 95.
StormEvents | summarize percentiles(DamageProperty, 5, 50, 95) by State
Output
The results table shown includes only the first 10 rows.
| State | percentile_DamageProperty_5 | percentile_DamageProperty_50 | percentile_DamageProperty_95 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATLANTIC SOUTH | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FLORIDA | 0 | 0 | 40000 |
| GEORGIA | 0 | 0 | 143333 |
| MISSISSIPPI | 0 | 0 | 80000 |
| AMERICAN SAMOA | 0 | 0 | 250000 |
| KENTUCKY | 0 | 0 | 35000 |
| OHIO | 0 | 2000 | 150000 |
| KANSAS | 0 | 0 | 51392 |
| MICHIGAN | 0 | 0 | 49167 |
| ALABAMA | 0 | 0 | 50000 |
| ... | ... |
Return percentiles as an array
Instead of returning the values in individual columns, use the percentiles_array() function to return the percentiles in a single column of dynamic array type.
Syntax
percentiles_array(expr, percentiles)
Parameters
| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| expr | string |
✔️ | The expression to use for aggregation calculation. |
| percentiles | int, long, or dynamic | ✔️ | One or more comma-separated percentiles or a dynamic array of percentiles. Each percentile can be an integer or long value. |
Returns
Returns an estimate for expr of the specified percentiles in the group as a single column of dynamic array type.
Examples
Comma-separated percentiles
Multiple percentiles can be obtained as an array in a single dynamic column, instead of in multiple columns as with percentiles().
TransformedSensorsData
| summarize percentiles_array(Value, 5, 25, 50, 75, 95), avg(Value) by SensorName
Output
The results table displays only the first 10 rows.
| SensorName | percentiles_Value | avg_Value |
|---|---|---|
| sensor-82 | ["0.048141473520867069","0.24407515500271132","0.48974511106780577","0.74160998970950343","0.94587903204190071"] | 0.493950914 |
| sensor-130 | ["0.049200214398937764","0.25735850440187535","0.51206374010048239","0.74182335059053839","0.95210342463616771"] | 0.505111463 |
| sensor-56 | ["0.04857779335488676","0.24709868149337144","0.49668762923789589","0.74458470404241883","0.94889104840865857"] | 0.497955018 |
| sensor-24 | ["0.051507199150534679","0.24803904945640423","0.50397070213183581","0.75653888126010793","0.9518782718727431"] | 0.501084379 |
| sensor-47 | ["0.045991246974755672","0.24644331118208851","0.48089197707088743","0.74475142784472248","0.9518322864959039"] | 0.49386228 |
| sensor-135 | ["0.05132897529660399","0.24204987641954018","0.48470113942206461","0.74275730068433621","0.94784079559229406"] | 0.494817619 |
| sensor-74 | ["0.048914714739047828","0.25160926036445724","0.49832498850160978","0.75257887767110776","0.94932261924236094"] | 0.501627252 |
| sensor-173 | ["0.048333149363009836","0.26084250046756496","0.51288012531934613","0.74964772791583412","0.95156058795294"] | 0.505401226 |
| sensor-28 | ["0.048511161184567046","0.2547387968731824","0.50101318228599656","0.75693845702682039","0.95243122486483989"] | 0.502066244 |
| sensor-34 | ["0.049980293859462954","0.25094722564949412","0.50914023067384762","0.75571549713447961","0.95176564809278674"] | 0.504309494 |
| ... | ... | ... |
Dynamic array of percentiles
Percentiles for percentiles_array can be specified in a dynamic array of integer or floating-point numbers. The array must be constant but doesn't have to be literal.
TransformedSensorsData
| summarize percentiles_array(Value, dynamic([5, 25, 50, 75, 95])), avg(Value) by SensorName
Output
The results table displays only the first 10 rows.
| SensorName | percentiles_Value | avg_Value |
|---|---|---|
| sensor-82 | ["0.048141473520867069","0.24407515500271132","0.48974511106780577","0.74160998970950343","0.94587903204190071"] | 0.493950914 |
| sensor-130 | ["0.049200214398937764","0.25735850440187535","0.51206374010048239","0.74182335059053839","0.95210342463616771"] | 0.505111463 |
| sensor-56 | ["0.04857779335488676","0.24709868149337144","0.49668762923789589","0.74458470404241883","0.94889104840865857"] | 0.497955018 |
| sensor-24 | ["0.051507199150534679","0.24803904945640423","0.50397070213183581","0.75653888126010793","0.9518782718727431"] | 0.501084379 |
| sensor-47 | ["0.045991246974755672","0.24644331118208851","0.48089197707088743","0.74475142784472248","0.9518322864959039"] | 0.49386228 |
| sensor-135 | ["0.05132897529660399","0.24204987641954018","0.48470113942206461","0.74275730068433621","0.94784079559229406"] | 0.494817619 |
| sensor-74 | ["0.048914714739047828","0.25160926036445724","0.49832498850160978","0.75257887767110776","0.94932261924236094"] | 0.501627252 |
| sensor-173 | ["0.048333149363009836","0.26084250046756496","0.51288012531934613","0.74964772791583412","0.95156058795294"] | 0.505401226 |
| sensor-28 | ["0.048511161184567046","0.2547387968731824","0.50101318228599656","0.75693845702682039","0.95243122486483989"] | 0.502066244 |
| sensor-34 | ["0.049980293859462954","0.25094722564949412","0.50914023067384762","0.75571549713447961","0.95176564809278674"] | 0.504309494 |
| ... | ... | ... |
Nearest-rank percentile
P-th percentile (0 < P <= 100) of a list of ordered values, sorted in ascending order, is the smallest value in the list. The P percent of the data is less or equal to P-th percentile value (from Wikipedia article on percentiles).
Define 0-th percentiles to be the smallest member of the population.
Note
Given the approximating nature of the calculation, the actual returned value may not be a member of the population. Nearest-rank definition means that P=50 does not conform to the interpolative definition of the median. When evaluating the significance of this discrepancy for the specific application, the size of the population and an estimation error should be taken into account.
Estimation error in percentiles
The percentiles aggregate provides an approximate value using T-Digest.
Note
- The bounds on the estimation error vary with the value of the requested percentile. The best accuracy is at both ends of the [0..100] scale. Percentiles 0 and 100 are the exact minimum and maximum values of the distribution. The accuracy gradually decreases towards the middle of the scale. It's worst at the median and is capped at 1%.
- Error bounds are observed on the rank, not on the value. Suppose percentile(X, 50) returned a value of Xm. The estimate guarantees that at least 49% and at most 51% of the values of X are less or equal to Xm. There is no theoretical limit on the difference between Xm and the actual median value of X.
- The estimation may sometimes result in a precise value but there are no reliable conditions to define when it will be the case.