Jeam...
I have already linked the Data Set to a Gregorian Calendar in a Data Module.
This does indeed create the ability to have comparison periods - Current Year vs. Prior Year, YTD vs. Prior YTD etc...
I am already using this for some outputs on the Dashboard.
These "periods" are all predominantly based on the _as_of_date variable.
However, there are other outputs on the Dashboard which I wish to be user dynamic
Unfortunately, again, as far as I see it they do not give me a way to compare against user selected date(s) which can be different every time by any user.
The Data Module gives me a wonderful set of comparative time breakdowns based on 5/5/2025 (today), but I don't know how to get it to do what I want if any user wants the breakdowns to be for any particular date in the past and for any particular length of time.
This flexibility is where I am stuck and I am not seeing a way to overcome this problem.
The other part of this that is problematic, is that the "prompt" cannot be a filter.
If the user enters 1/1/2025 - 3/31/2025 as the Current Period, what they mean is they want that AND 10/1/2024 - 12/31/2024 (prior same number of months) as the Prior Period.
Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 05, 2025 10:00 AM
From: Jeam Coelho
Subject: Create "Prompt" for Dashboard?
Hello Adam,
You can import Cognos Samples. There are some data modules with Current and Prior periods calculation, in this case.
You may reproduce this calculations in our data module (best practice option) or in your dashboards.
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Jeam Coelho
Cognos Solution Architect
IBM Champion
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeamcoelho/
Original Message:
Sent: Mon May 05, 2025 08:35 AM
From: Adam McIlravey
Subject: Create "Prompt" for Dashboard?
Jeam,,,
Thanks for your reply, unfortunately (unless I am misunderstanding your response), this is not what I am hoping to accomplish.
The current and prior period need to be calculated at Dashboard run time, not Data Set creation time.
One user may want to compare 1/1/2024 - 12/31/2024 (12 months) as Current Period against 1/1/2023 - 12/31/2023 (immediate prior 12 months to current period of 12 months) as Prior Period.
The next user may want to compare 1/1/2025 - 3/31/2025 (3 months) as Current Period against 10/1/2024 - 12/31/2024 (immediate prior 3 months to current period of 3 month) as Prior Period.
If I was in a Report as opposed to a Dashboard, I would create a calculation based on a prompt for the current period that would determine all the current period rows and all the prior period rows.
I could then setup calculations for variances, etc.
However, I don't know how/if this dynamic calculation is possible in a Dashboard?
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Adam McIlravey
Original Message:
Sent: Sun May 04, 2025 08:48 AM
From: Jeam Coelho
Subject: Create "Prompt" for Dashboard?
Hello,
I did something seems like that using drop-down list and a "dynamic" column in data set.
How it works?
At data set, I created new column with a conditional structure that output Current Period (for example), based on current date. If condition matches, the output of coloumn is set to Current, if not is set to actual date.
So, I added a drop-down list at dashboard, set this data set new column to be shown, selected Current and save dashboard.
This way, dashboards will always be opened with most recent data.
Cognos 12 has native drop-down list. If you are using older versions, you may try <https://accelerator.ca.analytics.ibm.com/bi/?perspective=authoring&pathRef=.public_folders%2FIBM%2BAccelerator%2BCatalog%2FContent%2FEXT00073&id=i72E696200D6B4D08B3B666407F0D0534&objRef=i72E696200D6B4D08B3B666407F0D0534&action=run&format=HTML&cmPropStr=%7B%22id%22%3A%22i72E696200D6B4D08B3B666407F0D0534%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22reportView%22%2C%22defaultName%22%3A%22EXT00073%22%2C%22permissions%22%3A%5B%22execute%22%2C%22read%22%2C%22traverse%22%5D%7D>
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Jeam Coelho
Cognos Solution Architect
IBM Champion
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeamcoelho/
Original Message:
Sent: Fri May 02, 2025 09:49 AM
From: Adam McIlravey
Subject: Create "Prompt" for Dashboard?
I wish to effectively create a "prompt" on a dashboard based on a date column to enable me to select Current Period vs. Prior Period.
Current Period would represent X months of data within the Data Set/Data Module and Prior Period would be the X months immediately prior to Current Period chosen.
Ideally, the selection of X months (or the driving criteria) would be entirely dynamic in the dashboard by the particular user and would not be known at DataSet/Data Module creation.
Is this possible?
Is there another way that I need to think to solve this problem?
Thanks in advance,
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Adam McIlravey
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