Work with Time & Contexts
Time elements define which periods display in your report. Contexts add a calculation lens to those periods — like showing the year-to-date total instead of a single month’s value.
Time element types
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Absolute time | A fixed, named period | FY 2025, Q1 2025, Jan 2025 |
| Relative time | A period relative to today’s date | Current Month, Prior Year |
| Components | Year/quarter/month components that combine at their intersection | Apply FY 2025 to a row and Q3 to a column → resolves to Q3 of FY 2025 |
Add a time element
Add a context
Contexts layer a calculation on top of a time element. You apply a context in the same location as the time element, or as a worksheet/workbook filter.
Common contexts explained
| Context | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Beginning Balance | The balance at the start of the time period (= end of prior period) |
| YTD | Year-to-date: sum from the start of the fiscal year to the end of this period |
| YTD Balance | The balance as of the last month of the prior fiscal year |
| QTD | Quarter-to-date: sum from the start of the quarter to the end of this period |
| QTD Balance | The balance as of the last month of the prior quarter |
| MTD | Month-to-date: sum from the start of the current month to the end of this period |
Best practice: For period-to-date contexts, use time elements smaller than the context period. Use QTD or YTD with monthly time elements. Using Month-to-Date with a quarter element doesn’t make logical sense and OfficeConnect will correct it.
Relative time
Relative time elements automatically advance as time passes. For example, Current Month always shows the current calendar month when you refresh — no manual updates needed for rolling reports.
To lock a relative date (make it absolute), right-click the time element in the Review tab and select Switch to Absolute.
Next steps
→ Filter Your Data to limit report data by level, version, or custom dimension