Time synchronisation

Ankitabhardwaj

Hi all, I am trying to create a sync between 2 modules:

Module 1 :

4 dimensions in page selector, (One is versions among them)

Time in columns and lineitems in rows(Time summary: none, brought forward enabled)

Module 2:

Time as a page selector

Random line item (Time summary: none, brought forward enabled)

I was trying to create a sync between these 2 modules in classic dashboard but I am unable to do so, I tried using another module too with similar settings with time in rows but it is still not working

Any idea as to how we can work around this and why this is not working?

Alexandru.Rosca

Hi, could you please provide a visual on what you need to synchronize? Is your expectation that Module one (that has time in columns) to only display the month that is being selected from Module 2?

As far as I know, time sync row/column only operates at summary level: quarter/year. I don't think you can bypass with mapping table. Waiting some other inputs, I am curious as well.

How I would do it: through a user dependent selection:

1. In a system module -> create an input time line item (applies to users).
2. In a time module you can create the filter with a boolean line item -> for the scope of the presentation, I've added the line item in the module directly.
3. Use this line item as a time filter in the dashboard directly.

Ankitabhardwaj

Module 1: Yes, so basically these D1,D2,D3 are page selectors

D4 is a row nested with line items in the row

Columns have time

Module 2: I have published the page selector, that is time on classic dashboard.

I want that if I select FY22 only the months of FY22 should display but when I try to check the box for time sync it says that this cannot be applied to this list.(IDK which list and why this error is coming)

Alexandru.Rosca

Do you have any hidden elements in the dashboards (on the time dimension) or have you applied any filter for time?

Ankitabhardwaj

Nothing is hidden and there is no filter. It displays this

Alexandru.Rosca

Is this the sync you want to achieve? Would you be able to share your dashboard setup? If it's similar with the below should work just as fine.

Do you use system time or are those list driven?

Ankitabhardwaj

Also I was trying to do it through this, instead of the formulae. I want to understand the logic as to why this sync is not happening naturally.

Alexandru.Rosca

Have you seen my screenshots above? Is that what you need to achieve? Can you share the same? I need to see the entire setup of your dashboard.

Ankitabhardwaj

so I want if I select FY23, it should give me all months of FY23.

Ankitabhardwaj

Also using system time only

Alexandru.Rosca

In your Model, do you have as a starting fiscal year month Dec 20? If not, I assume your dashboard has either time filters applied, or hidden columns.

Do you have same time range applied in both modules?

AjayM

Hi @Ankitabhardwaj ,

It's the 'Brought Forward' setting that's limiting us from enabling 'Time Synchronization'. If you could try with a couple of test modules without 'brought forward', you could notice that the time sync can be enabled, and it just works as per your requirement.

But it's a blocker in your use case, and hence you might have to follow what @Alexandru.Rosca suggested above - using line item selector for filtering time (preferably user dimensioned).

Cheers!

Ankitabhardwaj

Hi @AjayM and @Alexandru.Rosca

So yes, Ajay is right the fiscal year starts from Jan only but as I have enabled Brought forward here it displays the month from December onwards.

I will try the method out without using b/f and update you on the same @AjayM

@Alexandru.Rosca Can you share a more detailed screenshot of the above ?

Ankitabhardwaj

Also a small doubt, both of you emphasised on using Users as a dimension but if the board is not user specific, I think the functionality should still work fine just that the filter would work same for all users. Let me know your views on the same

Ankitabhardwaj

@AjayM I tried it out without b/f and the time sync worked but we must note a point here:

"Time sync will only work if b/f is disabled in all the line items and not just the line items where you want the sync to happen. At first, my assumption was that the time sync wasn't working because of b/f so I disabled it only for the line items that I was working on and which is why the time sync didn't work because it was still applicable in all other line items. Hence I wanted to have a discussion on this but thanks your assurance made me try it again and I got to learn something new🏄️

Although as I cannot disable b/f for all the line items, I will be picking up @Alexandru.Rosca approach

AjayM

Hi Ankita,

My understanding of synchronization setting on a dashboard is applicable to the module, that is published, and not just few lineitem(s) within it. If the lineitem you display (from Module1) doesn't need b/f, then you might as well separate it into a different module and turn-off the b/f to use time sync option. In other case, yes, lineitem selector is the option.

Coming to the user dimension, even though your board/dashboard is not user specific, two benefits of defining filters by user are:

1. Each user can view one's own set of filtered data based on his/her selected time filter - and this filter selection doesn't change until it's changed by oneself
2. No need to specifically 'refresh' the dashboard after changing filter selection everytime

Cheers!

Ankitabhardwaj

Hi Ajay,

Well thanks a lot for providing these useful insights. I think we can work this through the method suggested by @Alexandru.Rosca