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Periods are time and date ranges (often months and years) for the information that displays in the statements grid. Typically, the Current and Previous period columns display side by side in the statement grid. You can change the period that applies to these columns, to view the information over different timeframes. For example, you might want to view numbers for the rolling 12 months, then change the period to view the numbers for the year to date.

There are two types of periods:

Defined

  • A list of defined (preset) periods that you can select from, including current period and previous period.

  • Defined periods are usually dynamic, meaning they adjust according to today's date.

Custom

  • Useful option, if none of the defined periods include the dates you want. You can either apply a custom period to your current analysis or, if you have permission, add a new period to the list.

  • A custom period is a temporary date range; it is not added to the list of periods. Applying a custom period is a useful way of seeing data for a one-off timeframe, such as the duration of a sales promotion. For example, 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.

  • Custom period dates are fixed, for example, 'January 2022' as opposed to 'last month'', which dynamically update as you move into a new month. If you want a dynamic date range, use the offset option. This option allows you to set a date (or date range) based on today's date, so that the data updates.

If you save your view as a favorite, your defined or custom period will be included.

You can set a default period so that a certain date range is applied each time you view a statement.

Apply a defined period

Click the Period menu and select the period you want to apply. The statement grid updates automatically.

Compare the examples in the images below; in the first example, the financial year to date (FYTD) period is applied and in the second, the financial quarter period is applied.

Change the columns to complement the period

When you change the period, it is likely you will also want to add or remove columns, to enhance your view of the financial statement.

Continuing with the example in the second image above, click the Columns menu, then clear the Budgets checkbox and select the All checkbox in the Periods section. ​The statement grid updates to give you a quarter-on-quarter view of performance.

Check what dates are in a period

To check what dates a particular defined period refers to, apply the period, then when the statement grid updates, click the Period menu and select Custom. The Custom Period window displays the dates for that period.

Apply a custom period

  1. Click the Period menu and select Custom.

  2. In the Custom Period window, select the period type, such as year, month or day. The period types that are available depend on what was set up by your administrator when the database was created.

  3. Clear or select the Reversed checkbox, as required. Time units (months, days, weeks, years) display in the grid in chronological order from left to right. To avoid having to scroll across to the most recent time unit, you can reverse the display order. Some defined periods may already be set as reversed.

  4. Select a start and end date for your current period. The previous and budget periods automatically update to these dates but you can change those dates too, if required.

  5. Select the Offset checkbox(es) if you want to define a date range based on today's date, so that the data continues to update dynamically.

  6. Click Apply. The statement grid updates automatically.

To conduct a calendar year Profit and Loss analysis for the last 12 months, set the current period to start at Jan [this year] and end at Dec [this year]. The previous will automatically set to Jan and Dec [previous year].

Add a user defined period

If you have permission, you can add a period to the defined list of periods. This period will then be available for you to select the next time you view a financial statement.

  1. Click the Period menu and select Add at the bottom of the list.

  2. In the User Defined Period window, enter a name for the period.

  3. Set up the period as required (see Apply a custom period above for details, as the settings are similar).

  4. Click Save & Apply.

If you think a defined period would be useful to other users, ask your administrator to set a new period type in the database, so all users (provided they have permission) can see it in the Period list.

Edit or delete a user defined period

You can change the setup of a defined period you add or delete it, if you no longer need it.

Click the Period menu and locate the period in the list, then either:

  • Click the Edit button next to the period name, make your changes and click Save & Apply.

  • Click the Delete button next to the period name and click Yes to confirm.

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