Date Parameters for Ad Hoc and Scheduled Reports

Date parameters can be used in filters to limit the data selected by ad hoc and scheduled reports for the desired period. The table below lists variables for configuring sets of filters for common reporting periods like “This Week,” “This Month,” “This Quarter” and “This Year." Once a report is built using one of these sets of filters, it will return the results from the period you selected every time it runs. This significantly streamlines the process of creating scheduled reports by eliminating the need to change date filters every time.

Common Reporting Period Variables

When you configure a set of filters for a reporting period using these date parameters, you must use a Date field with the HMDYYS or HYYMDS date/time format. (Note: You must use List View to see the format of the field.)

In the Filter pop-up window use one of these variables by pasting it into the Variable field.

EXAMPLE

In this example, we will configure a set of filters for the period "Last Month."

1. Right-click on the Date field and select Filter Values or drag the Date field into the filter area to automatically open the Filter configuration window.

2. To set the start date filter, select "Greater than or equal to" from the drop-down menu.

3. Click PROMPT and select "Prompt Using Text Input (Simple)."

4. In the Variable field, enter the appropriate parameter name from the table above, "LastMonthFRDateGE" and click OK. (Note: You can ignore the Prompt box when using parameters because there will be no autoprompt for the filter.)

5. Now let's create the End Date filter using the "To" date parameter for the same Period. Right-click on the Date field and select Filter Values or drag the Date field into the filter area to automatically open the Filter configuration window.

6. Select "Less than or equal to" from the drop-down menu.

7. Click PROMPT and select "Prompt Using Text Input (Simple)."

8. In the Variable field, enter the appropriate parameter name from the table above, "LastMonthTODateLE" and click OK. (Note: You can ignore the Prompt box when using parameters because there will be no autoprompt for the filter.)

When you run your report, it will automatically generate for the date or range of dates specified by the parameters you chose. When you schedule this report, the Scheduler will not prompt you for date parameter values; it will automatically run on the parameters you just specified.

Heading Label Variables

You can create a heading that corresponds to the date parameters of your report by pasting the appropriate variable from the list below into the header section of your report.