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FAQ - How to correctly set the date range for reports
Friday, December 2, 2016 4:27 AM

FocalScope reports can generate large amounts of data. It is therefore much more practical to take a snapshot of data spanning a certain date and time range. This helps reports generate much faster as less data needs to be written from the system to the report--which also reduces the impact on system performance. This article details how to accurately set the date range for FocalScope reports.

Tutorial

Setting the date range type and scope

The date range for reports can be set either as absolute or relative time. Absolute time is used for one-off reports that span a fixed time frame. Relative time is used for recurring reports that cover a different time frame each time they are generated.

Please note, absolute and relative time frames can be combined to make reports even more flexible.

To set an absolute time frame for a report, do the following:

  1. Click the blue [>] buttons far right of the [Date from] and [Date to] fields and select [Date & Time]
  2. For the [Date from] and [Date to] fields, specify the date and time frame for the report
  3. The report will only gather data from the system that falls within the [Date from] and [Date to] settings



Figure 1 - Report absolute time


To set a relative time frame for a report, do the following:


  1. Click the blue [>] buttons far right of the [Date from] and [Date to] fields and select either [Several hours/minutes back] (Figure 2) or [Today, yesterday, next week, etc.] (Figure 3)
  2. For the [Date from] and [Date to] fields, specify the relative time frame in one of the available units in the dropdown list
  3. The report will only gather data from the system that falls within the [Date from] and [Date to] settings



    Figure 2 - Report relative time (short periods)


    Figure 3 - Report relative time (longer periods)

    Additional Information

    Things to consider when configuring filtering for FocalScope reports