Time intelligence automatically recognizes the date fields you assign to a visual and interprets them as a date hierarchy (for example, Year → Quarter → Month → Day). After plan detects a date/time hierarchy, it maps each member to the corresponding calendar period. Use the hierarchy for time intelligence calculations such as year-to-date (YTD), prior period, next N periods, and period-over-period comparisons.
This article is intended primarily for report developers to understand the time hierarchies that plan detects:
Time intelligence automatically detects the hierarchy without additional configuration when the labels follow one of the supported formats described in this article.
Time intelligence identifies the date hierarchy by using the following order of precedence:
After the hierarchy levels are identified, Time intelligence interprets each level in the context of its parent level. For example, a Quarter under Year is interpreted as a quarter within that year, and a Day under Month is interpreted as a day within that month. This contextual relationship enables accurate time-based calculations across the hierarchy.
If your data uses the following formats, Time intelligence detects your time hierarchy automatically without any explicit configuration.
| Hierarchy level | Description | Unsupported formats |
|---|---|---|
| Year | A single calendar or fiscal year represented as a four-digit or two-digit value. Two-digit years are interpreted as belonging to the current century. For example, 26 is interpreted as 2026. | 2025-2026 (Year ranges are not allowed), 25-26, FY26A |
| Half Year | One of the two halves of a year. | 3, H3, First Half (spelled-out words) |
| Quarter | One of the four quarters of a year. | Q5, Q0, 5 |
| Month | A calendar month — numbers 1 to 12, full month names, or standard three-letter abbreviations. | 13, 0, Sept |
| Week | A week within a year: standard calendar — weeks 1 through 53. | 0, 54, WK1 (The prefix WK is not supported) |
| Day | A day within a month or a complete date. | 32, 01/02/2026, Feb 1, 2026, 01-Feb-2026 |
The following tables list supported label formats for each level. Formats are case-insensitive; for example, january, January, and JANUARY are accepted.
| Four-digit year | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Two-digit year | 25 |
| FY + four-digit year | FY2025 |
| FY + two-digit year | FY25 |
| FY + four-digit year (with space) | FY 2025 |
| FY + two-digit year (with space) | FY 25 |
| Format | Examples |
|---|---|
| Single digit | 1, 2 |
| H prefix | H1, H2 |
| Two digit | 01, 02 |
| Format | Examples |
|---|---|
| Single digit | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Q prefix | Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 |
| Two digit | 01, 02, 03, 04 |
| Qtr prefix | Qtr1, Qtr2 |
| Qtr + space | Qtr 1, Qtr 2 |
| Quarter + space | Quarter 1, Quarter 2 |
| Format | Examples |
|---|---|
| Single-digit number | 1, 9, 12 |
| Two-digit number | 01, 09, 12 |
| Short name | Jan, Feb, Dec |
| Full name | January, February, December |
| Format | Examples |
|---|---|
| Single/multi-digit number | 1, 9, 53 |
| Two-digit number | 01, 09, 53 |
| W prefix | W1, W9, W53 |
| W + two digit | W01, W09, W53 |
| Week + number | Week 1, Week 53 |
| Week + two digit | Week 01, Week 09 |
| Format | Examples |
|---|---|
| Single-digit day | 1, 9, 31 |
| Two-digit day | 01, 09, 31 |
| ISO date | 2025-02-01 |
| ISO date with time | 2025-02-01 00:00:00 |
| ISO date with T separator | 2025-02-01T00:00:00 |
Several levels share the same numeric labels; for example, 1 can be a half-year, quarter, month, week, or day. Time intelligence resolves ambiguity using the field name and the parent level in the hierarchy. Keeping levels clearly named and correctly ordered ensures the right interpretation.
A composite label packs more than one period into a single member value—for example, a quarter and a year together in one label. Composite labels are supported when the field is mapped to a matching label format.
For standard reporting, opt for a clean multi-level hierarchy (each level in its own field) over packing several periods into one label. Composite labels are best reserved for pre-formatted source data where a single column already contains the full period description.
For every composite label:
Common composite patterns include:
| Composite | Example values | Recognized parts |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter + Year | Q1-FY24, Q1 FY 24 | Quarter and Year |
| Full date (Year + Month + Day) | 2025-02-01 | Year, Month, and Day in one label |
A composite label can contain at most one value per level. It can't contain a range (such as two years or two quarters) in a single member.
Hierarchies must always flow from the broadest time bucket down to the smallest granular bucket.
If you place a Day column directly under a Quarter or Half Year without a Month column in between, Time intelligence counts days relative to the start of that quarter. Always insert a Month layer above your days to keep your visuals predictable.
✅ Valid Top-to-Bottom Paths
❌ Invalid hierarchies that can cause calculation errors.
The following text keywords are recognized by name when the product inspects field values. All of them are case-insensitive.
Years
Half Years
Quarters
Months
Weeks
Field-name keywords
Time intelligence identifies hierarchy levels from field names by recognizing the following keywords: Year, Yr, Half Year, Half, Quarter, Qtr, Month, Week, and Day.
The formats below are not recognized. In each case, time intelligence can't determine which period the label refers to, so the member is left out of the date hierarchy.
| Unsupported label | Reason |
|---|---|
| 22-23 | Contains two years in a single member. Each member must represent exactly one period. |
| 2025-2026 | A range spanning more than one year. Ranges are not supported at the Year level. |
| Q5, Q0 | Quarters only exist as 1–4. |
| Month 13, 0 | Months only exist as 1–12. |
| Week 54, 54 | Weeks only exist as 1–53. |
| Day 32, 32, 0 | Days only exist as 1–31. |
| Sept | Only the standard Sep abbreviation (or the full September) is recognized. |
| WK1 | The WK prefix is not a supported week format; use W1 or Week 1. |
| First Half, Half 1 | Spelled-out half-year forms are not recognized; use H1/H2. |
| 01/02/2025, Feb 1, 2025, 01-Feb-2025 | Only ISO-style dates (2025-02-01) are recognized at the Day level. |
| Mixed styles in one field (e.g. some Jan, some 1) | All members of a level must use the same format so the product can interpret them consistently. |
| Reversed order (e.g. Quarter above Year) | Levels must run from broadest to most granular. |
| Level | Sample member |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
| Quarter | Q1 |
| Month | Jan |
| Day | 01 |
| Level | Sample member |
|---|---|
| Year | FY2025 |
| Half Year | H1 |
| Month | January |
| Level | Sample members |
|---|---|
| Day | 2025-02-01, 2025-02-02, 2025-02-03 |
Each value already identifies a specific day, so no additional levels are required.
4. A composite quarter-and-year field: Both the quarter and the year are extracted from each label.
| Sample members |
|---|
| Q1 FY 24, Q2 FY 24, Q3 FY 24, Q4 FY 24 |
Time intelligence does not detect my hierarchy.
Check that each field uses one of the accepted formats listed above and that all members of a level use the same format. Rename the field to include a recognizable keyword (for example, Year or Month) so the level is identified. Confirm that the values fall within the valid range for the level (Quarters 1–4, Months 1–12, Weeks 1–53, Days 1–31).
The hierarchy is detected in the wrong order.
Levels must be arranged from broadest to most granular (Year at the top, Day at the bottom). Reorder the fields so that each level sits above its subdivisions.
A member is missing or ignored.
This usually means the label falls outside the supported range or uses an unsupported format—for example, Q5, Week 54, Sept, or a range such as 22-23. Correct the label to a supported value or format.
A composite date is not parsed correctly.
Ensure every member of the field follows the same composite structure and that each period part is in a supported format. A composite label can hold only one value per level and cannot contain a range.
Two-digit years land in the wrong century.
Two-digit years are interpreted within the current century (for example, 24 becomes 2024). If you need a specific century, use the full four-digit year.
Days appear under the wrong month.
When a Day level sits directly under a Quarter or Half Year without a Month level, days are measured from the start of that parent period. Add a Month level above Day for accurate placement.
