Period dimension
Overview
The period dimension is one of the core dimensions in xpna. It is used to define the time period for which data is being reported. xpna will automatically determine the fiscal year start and end dates based on the first entity connected to the workspace. If you need to change the fiscal year end date, please contact xpna support at support@xpna.co.
Fiscal periods
By default, fiscal periods align with calendar months, but this can be changed by creating an attribute called Start date override in the period hierarchy using Manage attributes feature and populating each period with an appropriate start date. This feature is particularly useful for 4-4-5 reporting where start and end dates of fiscal periods are manipulated to ensure the same number of weekends fall in the same period year-on-year.
Prior and Future periods
In addition to the normal fiscal periods, xpna also includes a set of "Prior" and "Future" periods. These periods are used to store data which falls outside of the earliest and latest fiscal periods. Occasionally, source systems may have data posted to periods well in the future or past, and xpna will store this data in the "Prior" and "Future" periods. Doing so ensures that data is not lost, and transactions contribute to closing balances. Additionally, "drill to transactions" will work correctly for these periods so journals posted in error can be reviewed and corrected.
For planning scenarios, Prior periods is used to store Opening balance amounts for when users wish to budget their balance sheet.