Defining Time Frames
If you are new to setting up time frames, be sure to first read the topic Time Frames Overview.
To create a new custom time frame:
In Administration, select System Setup > Reporting Configuration > Time Frames.
Click the New Code button.
In the New Category Code dialog box, type an ID for the new Time Frame. Click Ok.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Time Frame | This is the name of the time frame that was entered when the time frame was created. It cannot be changed. |
Description | This is a description for the time frame. It is for reference purposes only and is not used by the system. |
Drill To Time Frame | If this time frame is used on the Chart Report, you can allow users to drill down to the next, more granular time frame by entering its name here. For example, in the standard time frames, "Quarter" drills down to "Month" and "Month" drills down to "Week." If you are creating multiple time frames for things such as "Fiscal Year," "Fiscal Quarter," and "Fiscal Month," you should consider setting this field appropriately on each of the time frame definitions. |
Type | This is a display only field. When creating new time frames, this is automatically set to "custom". You cannot modify this value on built-in time frames. |
Time Frame Type | This setting applies only to built-in time frames to determine the granularity of the time frame. For custom time frames, you could set it to the closest approximation, but it would be only for your reference purposes. |
Seq | This is a display sequence number that is automatically assigned by the system. Its purpose is to determine the order in which the time frames appear in the function bar, or when browsing time frames. |
Start Day | This applies only to the built-in "Week" time frame. It determines the day of the week which your company considers to be the first day of the business week. This field does not display for all other time frames. |
Time Period Tab
When adding a time period to a report, add the time period on the Options tab rather than the Filters tab. Adding it to the Filters tab uses the time you submit the report as the end time. Adding it to the Options tab allows the report to run through midnight of that same day; therefore, the Options tab gives you a more accurate report.
The Time Period tab is only visible for custom (non-built-in) time frames.
To add periods to a custom time frame:
Click the New Time Period button on the banner.
The system prompts you to enter a name for the new time frame. You can create multiple time frames in this step by separating the names with semicolons.
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Time Period | This is a descriptive name for the time period. It is assigned when you create the time period and cannot be changed. We recommend that you keep the names short so that they will display properly on reports. Names longer than about 8 characters may get cut off when displayed. Consider names such as the following:
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Time Period Start | This defines the date and time on which the time period begins. Use the Calendar button to view the calendar and to select the date and time. |
Time Period End | This defines the date and time on which the time period ends. This should usually be identical to the Time Period Start for the following time period. Use the Calendar button to view the calendar and to select the date and time. It may be easier to leave these values blank initially and instead have the system automatically calculate the correct values. After filling in all of your time periods and start dates, simply click the Set End button on the banner. The system will automatically calculate the end date for each period based on the start date of the subsequent period.
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When you select the Set End button, the Reorder Time Periods function is automatically run.Reordering Time Periods
When you have finished adding or changing time periods, you can reorder them. After adding or changing time periods, select the Reorder Time Periods button on the banner. This will automatically reassign each time period based on the Time Period Start dates.
Saving Time Periods
When you have finished adding or making changes to time periods, click the Save button on the banner. The system will automatically check your data for any errors that could prevent the time periods from working properly. If an error occurs, you will receive an error message. The system will check the following conditions and notify you of any problems:
All time periods must have both a Start and End date.
All time periods have an End date that comes after the Start date.
Deleting Time Periods
On the Time Period tab, when you select one or more time period check boxes, then select the Delete button, only the selected time periods are deleted.