Customizing the reference date

The global parameter _as_of_date is used for relative date analysis. The parameter allows you to change the date that your relative date periods are based on.

By default, the relative date periods are based on the current date. For example, when the current date is July 15, 2018, the YTD (year-to-date) filter includes data from January 1 to July 15, 2018, and the prior month filter includes data from June 1 to June 30, 2018. When you set a specific date as a value for the _as_of_date parameter, your analysis is done as of that date.

Before you begin

After the _as_of_date parameter is set up by the administrator, log out, and log back in to Cognos® Analytics for this parameter to be displayed for you.

If this parameter is not set up, see Setting the _as_of_date global parameter for more information.

Procedure

  1. In the Cognos Analytics welcome page, select the My parameters icon My parameters in the application bar.
  2. For the _as_of_date parameter, select a new date by using the calendar picker, and click Apply.
    Tip: The parameter can have different names, depending on the label that was specified for it by the administrator.
  3. Re-run the reports and dashboards that use relative dates.

Results

The data in the reports and dashboards is updated based on the new reference date.