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Date ranges and period comparison

Updated 2026-08-24

In two lines: the Date Range selector sets the period of what you're looking at — in a dashboard, that of all its widgets at once. Where that period gets saved you also choose its mode, Dynamic or Fixed dates; in a viewer you only filter what you're seeing right now. In every case the selector shows which dates the period points to today.

Where you choose the mode, and where you're just filtering

It's the same selector everywhere —dashboards, reports, Explorer, scheduled deliveries— but it's used in two different ways, and that's what changes what it shows you:

  • Where the period gets saved — the report editor (its top bar and each block's range), the delivery wizard, dashboard and monitor templates, a widget's configuration and the Explorer views. There the selector opens with the Range mode control, because what you pick governs what will be seen tomorrow.
  • Where you're just filtering — the dashboard viewer, the monitor viewer, Campaign Manager, tracking settings or a CRM performance report. There the selector is a plain filter —presets, calendar and resolved dates— and it doesn't talk about modes, because nothing is saved.

So in the dashboard viewer the range you pick only changes what you're seeing at that moment (and what a PDF exported right then carries): when you reload, the dashboard comes back with its saved range. To change that one, open the dashboard editor and set it in Settings → Date Range.

Dynamic or Fixed dates: the decision behind a saved period

On those surfaces where the period is saved, the selector opens with a Range mode control with two options at the top. It decides whether your period travels with time or stays anchored:

  • Dynamic — the period recalculates itself every time it's read (Recalculates automatically). "Last month" is always the month before today's: in August it means July, and in September, on its own, it means August.
  • Fixed dates — the two dates are frozen (Doesn't change over time). "July 1–31" will still be July 1–31 next year. It's what you want for the closing of a specific campaign or a period you'll come back to.

You never have to guess which one you have: the selector shows the label together with the dates it resolves to right now —for example, Last month · Jul 1–31— and, when it's open, a preview bar repeats those resolved dates. On these saving surfaces the preview also carries the legend of the active mode (Recalculates automatically or Doesn't change over time); in a viewer that legend isn't there, precisely because the choice isn't stored.

Rule of thumb: Dynamic for anything you keep looking at or that goes out on its own (a client dashboard, a monthly delivery). Fixed dates for what you want to leave nailed down (the closing you already presented, an audit of a specific quarter).
Marking days on the calendar always means fixed dates: where the toggle is visible, if you were in Dynamic the mode switches to Fixed dates in front of you and the preset is cleared. Switching back to Dynamic re-selects the preset on its own when the range matches exactly what that preset resolves to today.

What presets do I have?

The presets are organized into four groups —Days, Weeks, Months and Years— and are the fastest way to pick a period:

  • Today / Yesterday — the current day or the previous one.
  • Last 7 days / Last 30 days — the most used relative periods.
  • This month / Last month — the current calendar month or the previous one.
  • This quarter / Last quarter and Last 12 months — for reading the longer trend.
  • This year — from January 1 to today.

The Custom block adds Last X days/months: you build your own moving rule (for example, the last 45 days) and decide with Include today (otherwise up to yesterday) whether the day in progress counts. It's available while the range is built from presets —that is, in Dynamic mode on the surfaces that show the toggle—. The moment you mark dates on the calendar the range becomes fixed dates, and there the presets work as calendar shortcuts: clicking Last month fills in that month's two dates. Either way, you confirm with Apply.

How do I compare against another period?

Turn on Compare with previous period. Next to each number you'll see how much it changed compared to a reference period:

  • Previous period — the immediately preceding stretch of the same length (if you look at "Last 30 days", it compares with the previous 30 days).
  • Previous year — the same period of last year, ideal for businesses with seasonality.

KPI widgets show that change as a percentage, with a trend arrow and color depending on whether it improves or worsens.

Comparison is what turns a data point into a story. "We spent $4,200" says little; "we spent $4,200, 18% less than last month, with the same conversions" shows the work.

Can a widget have a different date?

Yes. A widget can use its own period, different from the dashboard's, through its Date Range Source in the widget configuration — and that's where you pick its mode, because it gets saved with the widget. It's useful, for example, to place "current month" and "year-to-date" side by side. The widget marks with a badge that it's using its own range, so it doesn't cause confusion; clicking that badge in the viewer moves the widget only for what you're seeing right now.

And in a scheduled delivery?

It's the same decision, and there it's the one that matters most, because nobody is watching: in a recurring delivery a Dynamic period is recalculated on every send, and one with Fixed dates sends the same range every time. How it looks in the wizard and how to check it in an existing delivery is in Reports and Explorations and Manage your deliveries.

Still have questions?

Ask MIA, the MB Suite AI assistant: open it with the MB AI button (⌘J) in the top bar. MIA knows the section you're in, so you can ask it about what you see on screen — and it can also answer how-to questions about using MB Suite.