Apply a custom period

If the dates you want aren't listed in the period dropdown, you can apply a custom period to current analysis. This is a temporary date range and isn't added to your period dropdown, but if you save the results of your query as a favorite the custom period will be included. To add your own date range to the dropdown, choose 'Add' instead of 'Custom'.

Fixed and dynamic dates

Custom period dates are fixed, i.e., you can set a date as 'January 2016', for example, but you can't define, say, 'last month''.

If you want a dynamic date range you can use offset dates, which are available when you add your own defined period in Phocas. This option allows you to set a date (or date range) based on today's date, so that the data updates.

Uses of a custom period

Applying a custom period is a useful way of seeing data for a one-off timeframe (such as the duration of a sales promotion), e.g., a range of months, sections of months, one month at a time, and so on, depending on what period types are available in the database.

How to apply a custom period

Step 1. Select Period > Custom, as shown below.

Step 2. In the custom period window:

Select a time unit (e.g., month, day, etc). The available period types will depend on what was set up by your administrator when the database was created.
Select a start and end date for your current period. The previous period automatically adjust to these dates, but one year earlier. You can keep these dates or enter a different previous period.
Apply.

The data in the grid will update accordingly and the Period button will display 'Custom'. The period range(s) you have set will appear in the status bar.
If you save the results as a favorite, the custom period will be included.

View a range of months

You may want to view customers who have purchased during a particular season. To do this:

Select a database and a dimension.
Make sure you are in period mode, then select Period > Custom.
Choose Month and set your start and end dates. E.g., if you want to see data just for summer (in the northern hemisphere), set current period to start in June and end in August. (The previous period will default to Jun-Aug in the previous year.)
Apply.
Only customers who have purchased during the summer will be displayed on the grid. The columns will be June, July and August, from left to right (unless you have ticked reverse order). The Period button changes to Custom and the actual dates will appear in the status bar.

Compare data for sections of months

You can compare products sales for part of a month, e.g., first half of October compared with the first half of September.

The period types available

Select a database and a dimension.
Make sure you are in period mode, then select Period > Custom.
Choose Day and set your start and end dates. In the example below, we have set current period to start on 1 October 2016 and end on 16 October, and the previous period to start on 1 September and end on 16 September.
Apply.

The grid will display all products sold during the first half of October (Current Period column) and the first half of September (Previous Period column). The Period button changes to Custom, and the actual dates will appear in the status bar.

View one month at a time

To view a single month the start and end need to be the same, as shown in the example below.

How stream mode affects period settings

In Use Stream mode, you see different options in the settings window.

E.g., if you are in Stream mode with 'Sales' and 'Budget' selected, the dialog will contain options that allow you to set a start and end date for each of the streams. It also allows you to choose between day, month or year.