How to automate time selection for previous year December in a data view ?

Question

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to automate time selection in a report.

I currently have a report where the first column shows data for the selected month. For example, if the selected month is 202602 (February 2026), I want to add a second block/column that automatically filters to December of the previous year, so in this example it would show 202512.

So the logic would be:

* Selected month in first column: 202602
* Second column should automatically filter to: 202512

My goal is for the second block to always display December of the previous year, regardless of which month is selected in the first block.

Has anyone implemented this kind of dynamic time filtering before? What would be the best way to set up this logic?

Thanks in advance,

Adam

Robert Barkaway · Answer

Hi Adam, as Gadjeg has mentioned a typical way to achieve this would be via use of the Apply Selection to Block option. You'd set up a screen trigger that looks something like this:

Select the previous year

Flag the December month

Set a selection of just your flagged month

and then apply that selection to the block you want to show the previous December's figures:

You should then end up with something like this

You can use the same sort of method to let the user dynamically select the month to display in block b and then flag the preceding December, you'd just need to adjust your logic a bit to dynamically set the selection to the year prior to their selected month before you then flag the December period, but the same basic principles would apply.

I hope that helps a bit.

Gadjeg · Answer

Hello Adam,

For some development, I have to do the same thing that you are tring to do.

To do so I store the information of the previous december in a cube and by procedure, I used this cube as a refer to.

So in the same procedure I flag the prevuois december in a cube and I use this same cube by using this function :

Tell me if everything is clear

Thank you