Custom time periods are collections of time intervals used to filter data when in reports as selected in the Timeperiod dropdown in the Control Panel. Custom time periods are a necessary part of custom calendars, as described in Custom calendars.

1. Open the Reporting > Report Helpers > Time > Custom Timeperiods screen.

2. Click New.

3. Enter a Name for the time period.

   The name appears in the Timeperiod dropdown in the Control Panel.

   Restriction: the Name field only supports variables for non-custom time periods.

4. If this time period will appear in custom reports, enter a Label you can reference in those reports.

5. Select a Kind that identifies how the time period is used, or where it appears to users.

   If you need the same span of time for multiple dropdowns (such as Timeperiod and Benchmark), create multiple time periods with Kind being the lone difference. The kind options are:

   • Normal — Appears in the Timeperiod dropdown

   • Benchmark — Appears in the Benchmark drop-down

   • Unused — The time period is not currently being used

   • Grouping — (obsolete) Do not use this kind

   • Custom — Created automatically by the Custom Timeperiod feature, and should not be selected manually

   • Advanced analytics — Appears in custom reports

   • Invitation management — Available in Invitation Management

   • Survey export — For defining a time period in survey exports

   • Goals and thresholds — For defining Goals and Thresholds

   • Static report — (obsolete) Do not use this kind

6. Enter a Priority, which determines the order of the time period in the list of time periods and in dropdowns, with lesser numbers above greater numbers.

7. Select a SplitTimeGrouping, which determines which grouping is used as columns in reports.

8. Select a StartTimeGrouping and EndTimeGrouping, which determine the intervals available for the starting and ending times.

9. Enter a StartOffset and EndOffset.

   These properties represent the number of intervals difference from the current interval for the starting and ending times. For example, to create a custom time period for the last 4 weeks, enter a StartOffset of -3 and an EndOffset of 0. To use specific intervals instead of intervals relative to the current interval, enter 0.

   Note: The 0 offset is from the end of the current day. As such, entering 0 picks the current or most recent interval. When there is an interval that includes today, that interval is used; otherwise, the most recent interval in the past is used. However, when all the intervals are in the future, entering 0 throws an error. To use a future interval, enter + before the number to indicate the number of weeks in the future. For example, if the next interval starts tomorrow (or sometime in the next seven days), enter +1.

10. If you want the time period to be used for multiple kinds (in addition to the primary set in the Kind property), choose those kinds by moving them to the right-side box.

11. To grant access to this time period to individual users, and not just by roles, turn on the Make all users available for MemberRoles property.

12. If you are localizing your reporting application, consider entering a TranslationExplanation to assist the person translating your text.

13. Click Save.

14. To enter specific starting and ending intervals, select values for the StartTimeInterval and EndTimeInterval properties.

    Use these properties only if you entered 0 for the StartOffset and EndOffset properties.

15. In the MemberRoles property, choose which roles (and individual users if you turned on the Make all users available for MemberRoles property), by moving them to the right-side box.

16. Click Save.