Create Date element

CubePlayer will ALWAYS make calculations according to current day (TODAY) on your own computer

(it will use your system clock).

 

In this case we will show example with Qualified Names like

 

[Vrijeme].[Kalendar].[Svi datumi].[2008].[2008 Q 1].[2008 M 1]

 

Translation:

[Date].[Calendar].[All date].[2008].[2008 Q 1].[2008 M 1]

 

January 2008

To create date element you have to place one member from the level that will be used for calculations.

 

 

If you want to create:

 

Today or Yesterday select member from level that represents Day

This Week or Last Week select member from level that represents Weeks

This Month or Last Month select member from level that represents Months

This Quarter or Last Quarter select member from level that represents Quarters

This Year or Last Year select member from level that represents Years

 

·          Add member from selected level (Quarter in our case) to rows or columns area

 

 

If levels have defined Time Types, CubePlayer will detect that and it will enable only appropriate options.

On the previous picture there Quarter level has definition, so CubePlayer allows only appropriate options.

 

 

·          Select appropriate option during member selection or after inside row or column area

(we will select Calculate option)

 

After selection dialog will appear:

 

 

In second text box you have to enter Date Format.

CubePlayer will try to help you and if you select button Suggest me, it will suggest Date Format.

If you find that suggestion suitable just click on button Use suggested format and it will appear inside the

text box that should be filled with date format.

 

 

However, due to many, many combinations there is a chance that suggested Date Format will not be

Appropriate. If that is the case instead MM or d or yy you will see ? (question mark(s)).

In that case you can do the same and try to replace ? with appropriate symbols.

And you will have to add or correct it manually.

 

 

Main guidelines:

 

                           Any element that represents any Date Part (number or character written Date Part) replace

                           with appropriate international replacement:

 

                                           yy                            Years represented with two digits

                                           yyyy                         Years represented with four digits

                                           M                            Month

                                           MM                         Month with leading zero (… 07, 08, 09, 10 …)

                                           MMM                      Month abbreviation (… Oct, Nov …)

                                           MMMM                   Month full name (… October …)

                                           Q                            Quarter

                                           QQ                         Quarter with leading zero

                                           W                            Week

                                           WW                        Week with leading zero

                                           d                             day

                                           dd                           day with leading zero (… 08, 09, 10, 11 …)

                                           ddd                        day short name (… Fri, Thu …)

                                           dddd                      day full name (… Friday …)

 

                           Any element that does not represents Date Part should be placed inside DOUBLE QUOTES

 

Examples:

                           Returned date                                     Format                                                  Date to count from

 

                           01/01/2008                                          dd”/”MM”/”yyyy                                      1st of January 2008

                           01/01/2008 - Thu                                dd”/”MM”/”yyyy” _ “ddd                        1st of January 2008

                           01/01/2008 - Thursday                      dd”/”MM”/”yyyy” _ “dddd                      1st of January 2008

                           1/1/08                                                   d”/”M”/”yy                                               1st of January 2008

                           Q1 FY 2008                                         “Q”Q” FY “yyyy                                      1st quarter of Fiscal Year 2008

                           Week 03 CY 2007                              “Week “WW” CY “yyyy                         third week of year 2007

 

 

 

In our case CubePlayer suggested correct Date Format. All you have to do is select OK.

 

Recommendation

 

When you want to determine whether your months or days have leading zeros, before you use this feature

open your time dimension and take a look for members from beginning of month (if you are looking for

days). There you will see if for example first day in month is 01 (with leading zero) or 1 (without leading zero).

 

Now, select drop down box to select option:

 

                                           Select from list or …

 

 

Now, let us define date that is on distance of

 

7 years from today

(and today is December 20th 2009)

 

Input numbers -7 for years.

 

 

To test your selection press button test.

If you entered correct format and that member exists in time dimension you will get message:

 

 

Now press OK on main dialog.

 

 

Remove “mother” member (the member Date Element is made of – Q4 CY 2003) and select Run icon to see result.

 

NOTE

Please do not forget that some Date Elements may not have results.

For example, many cubes will not have results for Today, since last processed data is for Yesterday.

 

Once you set format for one hierarchy and one level inside that hierarchy CubePlayer will remember it

And each time you deal with that hierarchy and level it will offer that format.

 

Let us do it once again for same member (now select This Quarter):

 

 

As you can see, instead of suggestion you have already filled date format text box.

In case you made mistake previously just correct format and select OK.