How to use Nexel to select custom time periods

Center of Excellence · March 18

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1. Abstract

While conducting reporting, the essential requirement often arises to compare data across various time periods.

This article introduces a method that enables users to choose a specific custom timeframe directly on the screen.

Using a designated cube, users can dynamically select pre-defined custom periods.

2. Context

Native functions such as Previous Year, Year to Date, and Current Year can be configured in the screen selector object with dynamic selection options.

However, when it comes to specific functions like rolling "x" months or others, there is no native feature available.

This approach enables the consolidation of all required temporal functions into a unified entity.

3. Content

3.1 Entity creation

To begin, the initial step is to establish a new entity titled "Time Selector".

Within this entity, various members will be defined to represent the custom periods, to name some examples:

Rolling 6 months
Rolling 18 months
Previous Month
Next Month
Previous Year
Current Year
Year to Date

3.2 Cube creation

Following the creation of the 'Time Selector' entity, the next step involves creating a cube with two dimensions: Month and Time Selector.

To dynamically populate this cube, a specific procedure must be executed.

3.3 Nexel configuration

The initial step involves crafting a screen with distinct data views, each corresponding to one member within the Time Selector Entity.

Subsequently, we will employ Nexel to fill the 'Time Selector' Cube.

The Nexel Function can be accessed from the sliding toolbar of the data view object:

3.3.1 Six Months Rolling

Layout configuration - Axes

Display by Row: Time Selector and Month entities

Layout configuration – Blocks

Block h must be data entry enabled.

Save the Nexel Layout as 'Nexel 6 months rolling' and enable the 'Allow Write in Place' option.

This ensures that this configuration is accessible from the dropdown list during the Nexel calculation step procedure.

3.3.2 Eighteen Months Rolling

We can leverage the existing configuration but make modifications to block g as follows:

Block h must be data entry enabled.

Save the Nexel Layout as 'Nexel 18 months rolling' and enable the 'Allow Write in Place' option.

This ensures that this configuration is accessible from the dropdown list during the Nexel calculation step procedure.

3.3.3 Previous Month

Layout configuration – Axes

Display by Row: Time Selector and Month entities

Layout configuration – Blocks

Block e must be data entry enabled.

Save the Nexel Layout as 'Nexel previous month' and enable the 'Allow Write in Place' option.

This ensures that this configuration is accessible from the dropdown list during the Nexel calculation step procedure.

3.3.4 Next Month

We can leverage the existing configuration but make modifications to block d as follows:

Block e must be data entry enabled.

Save the Nexel Layout as 'Nexel next month' and enable the 'Allow Write in Place' option.

3.3.5 Previous Year

Layout configuration – Axes

Display by Row: Time Selector and Month entities

Layout configuration – Blocks

Block e must be data entry enabled.

Save the Nexel Layout as 'Nexel previous year' and enable the 'Allow Write in Place' option.

3.3.6 Current Year

We can leverage the existing configuration but make modifications to block c as follows:

Block e must be data entry enabled

Save the Nexel Layout as 'Nexel current year' and enable the 'Allow Write in Place' option.

3.3.7 Year to Date

Layout configuration - Axes

Display by Row: Time Selector and Month entities

Layout configuration – Blocks

Block l must be data entry enabled.

Save the Nexel Layout as 'Nexel YTD' and enable the 'Allow Write in Place' option.

3.4 Procedure creation

Once the layout configurations have been established and saved, they can be accessed through the dropdown list within the Nexel calculation step procedure.

The purpose of implementing a daily procedure is to populate the cube by utilizing the Nexel writeback step in conjunction with the selection on the time selector entity.

It is imperative that the selection is consistently injected before executing each Nexel step, and the format of the procedure will appear as follows:

3.5 Usability

Within a screen, we have the capability to establish a dynamic selection for the "month" entity, leveraging the "Time Selector" cube.

A selector representing the "Time Selector" entity can be displayed on the screen.

Consequently, when a user chooses a specific option (such as rolling 12 months), the screen will automatically adjust to highlight the corresponding 12 months through the dynamic selection.