$linearFill

The $linearFill operator interpolates missing values in a sequence of documents. The $linearFill operator performs linear interpolation for missing data, making it useful for datasets with gaps in values, such as time-series data.

Syntax

{
    $linearFill: {
        input: < expression > ,
        sortBy: {
            < field >: < 1 or - 1 >
        }
    }
}

Parameters

Parameter Description
input The field or expression to interpolate missing values for.
sortBy Specifies the field by which the data is sorted for interpolation, along with the sort order (1 for ascending, -1 for descending).

Examples

Consider this sample document from the stores collection.

{
    "_id": "0fcc0bf0-ed18-4ab8-b558-9848e18058f4",
    "name": "First Up Consultants | Beverage Shop - Satterfieldmouth",
    "location": {
        "lat": -89.2384,
        "lon": -46.4012
    },
    "staff": {
        "totalStaff": {
            "fullTime": 8,
            "partTime": 20
        }
    },
    "sales": {
        "totalSales": 75670,
        "salesByCategory": [
            {
                "categoryName": "Wine Accessories",
                "totalSales": 34440
            },
            {
                "categoryName": "Bitters",
                "totalSales": 39496
            },
            {
                "categoryName": "Rum",
                "totalSales": 1734
            }
        ]
    },
    "promotionEvents": [
        {
            "eventName": "Unbeatable Bargain Bash",
            "promotionalDates": {
                "startDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 6,
                    "Day": 23
                },
                "endDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 7,
                    "Day": 2
                }
            },
            "discounts": [
                {
                    "categoryName": "Whiskey",
                    "discountPercentage": 7
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Bitters",
                    "discountPercentage": 15
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Brandy",
                    "discountPercentage": 8
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Sports Drinks",
                    "discountPercentage": 22
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Vodka",
                    "discountPercentage": 19
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "eventName": "Steal of a Deal Days",
            "promotionalDates": {
                "startDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 9,
                    "Day": 21
                },
                "endDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 9,
                    "Day": 29
                }
            },
            "discounts": [
                {
                    "categoryName": "Organic Wine",
                    "discountPercentage": 19
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "White Wine",
                    "discountPercentage": 20
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Sparkling Wine",
                    "discountPercentage": 19
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Whiskey",
                    "discountPercentage": 17
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "Vodka",
                    "discountPercentage": 23
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Example 1: Interpolating missing sales data

To interpolate missing sales data, run a query to first partition the stores in the dataset by name. Then, use the $linearFill operator to interpolate the missing sales data across the stores within the partition.

db.stores.aggregate([{
        "$match": {
            "company": {
                "$in": ["First Up Consultants"]
            }
        }
    },
    {
        "$setWindowFields": {
            "partitionBy": "$name",
            "sortBy": {
                "storeOpeningDate": 1
            },
            "output": {
                "interpolatedSales": {
                    "$linearFill": "$sales.totalSales"
                }
            }
        }
    }
])

The first three results returned by this query are:

[
    {
        "_id": "0f4c48fe-c43b-4083-a856-afe6dd902077",
        "name": "First Up Consultants | Appliance Bargains - Feilmouth",
        "interpolatedSales": 26630
    },
    {
        "_id": "c4883253-7ccd-4054-a7e0-8aeb202307b5",
        "name": "First Up Consultants | Appliance Bargains - New Kari",
        "interpolatedSales": 31568
    },
    {
        "_id": "a159ff5c-6ec5-4ca8-9672-e8903a54dd90",
        "name": "First Up Consultants | Appliance Bargains - Schadenstad",
        "interpolatedSales": 59926
    }
]