Update Comparison Dates When Panel Date is Updated?

Did you check “Make date range components relative to panel calendar” in the panel date range settings?

I raised this with support. It definitely sucks. 

As a work around, I use the rolling date segments on the freeform table, above the metric. 

I know it can be a pain, because really, “compare to last month” with a panel set to this month, etc should work. I am sure it used to. It definitely does not work in CJA either. I never got a report of fixed from my support ticket on the matter. And we do just make the reports by clicking Compare time periods, which also does the percentage thing. So making sure a rolling report will .. well… roll… with this bug, it is a nightmare, and the interface can be slow, especially if it is a big report.

But complaining doesn’t solve your problem, so here is things I do to work around it.

Step 1

On the metric you want to have comparison, drop in the built in (or your own created) Date Range  segment.

Step 2

For ease, and to create the Percentage, column, right click and select “compare time periods”, and add the comparison you want.

If you don’t want the % change column in the table, select add instead. You can always add a % change Visualisation to a report, especially if it is a dashboard, without that column. But I will show some more tricks with column for this example.

Step 3

Now replace the fixed date segment on the column, by replacing it with the appropriate rolling date segment from Date Ranges. If there isn’t an appropriate one, create one. But I assume it will be “last month” or “2 months ago”. If you do create your own, take care with the rules, so you don’t make it break at the roll over of a new year. (sorry, google it, that one is a whole new story).

Step 4

The Percent Change is going to be calculating off what it did with the fixed date. You don’t want this. Also, if you have more then 1 metric and multiple Percent changes, it gets confusing. So now we are going to fix Percent Change and make sure we don’t forget what it is.

This amount of steps is truly what makes this a PAIN IN THE ARSE!!

Click on the “i” on the Percent Change column, and then click on the pencil icon to edit it.

Firstly, change the title to match the metric. For example, % chg people.

Then you need to edit all the stuff in the actual calculations.

Click on “i” in target date range to check it. I think it should be OK, because we used a rolling segment.. and in the bracket it shows (This month), but you can check by clicking edit, and seeing if it is set to rolling

If that looks good already, cancel out, no need to save and accidently break something.

Next click on the “i” of the “Compare date range”, and click on Edit. This is the one that needs to be fixed.

You see below it will be hard dated to whatever the hard date was.

So, go over to the Date Ranges segments and drop in the appropriate comparison segment, and remove the hard date one.

That should have also updated the third one, but you can go in and check anyway, just to be sure 

Also to note here, not every percent change up means good. You can change what up shows (arrow down and colour) within this calculation, and if you want percentage decimals or not.

Now save, and the Date, comparison date, and the % change column should Roll for you. (I guess you will find out next month if you got everything.)