The key purpose of the Dashboard Reference Date is to provide a consistent reference point to your widgets.
It serves as a reference date that helps align and analyze financial data within a selected time frame.

When using the Dashboard Reference Date, you can choose from various time dimensions: day, month, quarter, or year. Once selected, the data presented in your dashboard will be adjusted to the end of the time period.

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For example, if you select the month of January as the Dashboard Reference Date, it will set it to January 31st. Then all the financial data displayed in the widgets and reports will be based on that specific period.

Flexible Dynamic Reference Date

Preset Options: The Dashboard Reference Date Presets offer a selection of predefined options, including common time frames such as "Last Month" and "Yesterday." These presets are designed to meet common tracking needs and provide immediate access to data without manual date adjustments.

Automatic Date Update: Once a preset option is selected, the dashboard's date automatically updates according to the chosen time. This ensures that the displayed data aligns with the preferred tracking period, eliminating the need for manual date adjustments.

Date filters with Reference Date

When creating a new widget, set your date fields’ filters to the option of Time frame.
There you can find many valuable options to use for your widget setting. 

When selecting a time frame, you can see the dates the widget will adjust to in the info note.
After saving the widget you can control the date from the dashboard itself by changing the reference date.

Please note that List and Date Range options within the widgets are not relative to the Dashboard Reference Date. These options are independent and do not refer to the reference date.
Pay attention to the specific functionalities and settings of these options to avoid confusion.

Best Practices

Choose the appropriate time dimension that aligns with the analysis objectives. For a detailed examination of trends, a smaller time dimension, such as "day" or "month," may be more suitable. Conversely, a larger time frame, such as "quarter" or "year," might be ideal for a high-level overview.

Consistency in analysis: When analyzing data over multiple periods, maintain consistency in the time frame selection across widgets and reports for example Year to date for the x-axis. This ensures accurate comparisons and coherent analysis throughout the dashboard.

Review the reference date: Double-check the reference date displayed for each analysis to verify that it aligns with your expectations. The reference date is critical for understanding the temporal context of the displayed data.

Utilize widget filters: Leverage widgets' relative date filters to further refine the data displayed within individual widgets. This flexibility allows for deeper exploration and focused analysis based on specific time periods.

Use the Preset Options for automatic date updates. 

Use the Date Picker in a DR Formula

If a named range in Excel uses the DR formula DR_DATE_PICKER, and the data is used in widgets on the dashboard, then the data shows will adjust according to the date used in the Date Picker and the relative time associated with the date (year to date, full month, etc.). See the article Date Ranges in DR Functions. 

Updated March 31, 2024 11:04