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How date selection works in Dashboards and Reports

Updated

Important things to know about the date selection.

 

Compare one full year to another

  • If you set Selected date = this year and Compared date = last year,
  • the chart compares the performance and review volume of this year (up until the current date) with the entire last year.
  • This allows you to see how the current year is trending against the full performance of last year.
 
Example:
 If today is September 15th, 2025 and you choose:
  • Selected date = this year (2025)
  • Compared date = last year (2024)
  • → The chart will show January–September 2025 (selected) against the entire 2024 from January till December 2024 (compared).
  • This way, you can check if 2025 is on track to outperform 2024 in both review volume and RPS, even though the current year isn’t finished yet.
 

Multi-year comparison

  • If you set Selected date = last 3 years and Compared date = last year, the chart will:
    • Show cumulative data across the last 3 years for the selected period (bars = total reviews, line = overall RPS trend).
    • Show only last year’s data for the compared period.
  • This setup allows you to evaluate whether performance over a longer timeframe (3 years combined) is stronger, weaker, or more stable compared to just a single year (last year).
  • It’s especially useful for spotting long-term shifts in review volume or performance that may not be visible when only looking at one year.
 
Example:
 Let’s say today is September 2025 and you choose:
  • Selected date = last 3 years (2023, 2024, 2025 YTD)

  • Compared date = last year (2024)

     

In this case:
  • The selected data will show the combined reviews and RPS trends across 2023, 2024, and 2025 up to September.
  • The compared data will show just 2024 (the baseline year).
:point_right: You could then analyze:
  • If the 3-year RPS trend is higher, it means overall performance has been improving steadily across multiple years.
  • If the 3-year review volume is much larger, it means growth is consistent over the longer horizon, even if a single year looked weaker.

  • Conversely, if the 3-year RPS is lower, it may signal a gradual decline in performance despite short-term spikes.

     

Another use-case can be:
Imagine you want to skip the pandemic data or certain years of data irregular period/years.
  • You can compare your data across multiple years (including/excluding couple of years), by doing the following:
    • Selected date (This Year)
    • Comparison date (select the years 2019, 2023, 2024)

 

Using the Custom Date Option

The Custom date option gives you precise control over which time period your dashboard or report reflects. Instead of selecting a fixed range like "Last 30 Days," you define the period using two parameters: count and offset.

Before you start: Select the unit you want to work in — Days, Weeks, Months, Quarters, or Years — from the filter dropdown first, then switch to the Custom option. Both parameters will be interpreted in that unit.

How it works

  • Count — the number of units to include in the window.
  • Offset — how far back from today the window ends.

The logic is: go back offset units from today — that becomes the end of your window. Then go back a further count units — that becomes the start.

Examples

Comparing the last 15 days vs. the 15 days before that:

  • Selected date: count: 15, offset: 0
  • Comparison date: count: 15, offset: 16

 

Scheduled report delivered on the 21st, covering days 1–14 of the month:

  • Selected date: count: 14, offset: 7
  • Comparison date: count: 14, offset: 21

Things to keep in mind

  • offset: 0 ends the window today (inclusive).
  • offset: 1 ends the window yesterday — useful when you want to exclude today's partial data.
  • For scheduled reports, the filter always evaluates relative to the delivery date, not the date the filter was created. Factor this into your offset when setting up scheduled comparisons.
  • Always use the Test button to verify the exact dates before saving or scheduling
 

For widgets and tables

  • We recommend using Year-to-date (YTD) by adjusting the comparison date (same date, month last year) to get better understanding of the data.


 

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