Adding Current and Prior Period Items

If you have created a Time Period Comparison report, the current and prior period dates become items that you can include as objects anywhere in the report. The $CURRENT variable inserts the current period value and $PRIOR inserts the previous period value. Additionally, you can insert shortened versions of the two time periods using the $CURRENTSHORT and $PRIORSHORT variables.

To illustrate how to include the time period variables in a report, this topic describes how to create a period comparison report and how to insert the time period variables as items.

Complete the following steps:

  1. Open a sales cBase or model, for example, sales_90day.mdl.

  2. On the Console, double-click Company.

  3. Select Edit > Select Columns, move all columns from Selected to Available, and click OK.

  4. Click the Period Comparison icon.

  5. Select Ship Date as the Time Dimension, and then click Next.

  6. Select MTD vs Last MTD as the Period Comparison Type, and then click Next.

  7. In the Select Data Columns dialog box, move Cases from Available to Selected.

  8. Click Finish to Closeddisplay a dive window with a time period comparison of cases sold.

  9. Click the Report icon to open the Default Report dialog box, and click OK to display the ClosedPeriod Comparison report.

    NOTE: In this example, the Current Period ($CURRENT) value is June 1, 2010 to June 28, 2010.

  10. Unlock the report and delete the Current Period item (June 1, 2010 to June 28, 2010).

  11. If one exists, delete the $HEADER item (Report).

  12. To add back the Current Period value, click the Add Item icon, and then click $CURRENT.

  13. Click OK to Closedview the report.

  14. To replace the Current Period value with the shortened version, double-click the value and change $CURRENT to $CURRENTSHORT.

  15. Click OK to Closedview the report.

  16. To insert the Prior Period value (May 1, 2010 To May 28, 2010), double-click the Prior: May 1, 2010 To May 28, 2010 item and replace Prior: $PRIOR with $PRIOR.

  17. Click OK to Closedview the report.

  18. To replace the Prior Period value with the shortened version, double-click the value and change $PRIOR to $PRIORSHORT.

  19. Click OK to Closedview the report.