Additional time intelligence functions

Introduction
As a data analyst, you’ll often have to analyze data over time by leveraging different functions to
generate insights.

This article delves into the complex time intelligence functions you can use to generate these
insights. It also demonstrates their utility using examples from Adventure Works.

A brief overview of time intelligence functions

Some of the most crucial functions that provide time intelligence output can be classified as
follows:

1. Time comparison functions: These functions compare one date or time to another. For
instance, comparing total revenue with the revenue from the last quarter.
2. Aggregate functions: Aggregations show the year-to-date, month-to-date or anything
similar.
3. Information functions: These provide snapshots of information, like a month-opening or
year-end balance. These functions are especially important in financial management.

Next, let’s explore some examples of these functions and discover how they can be used to
generate time intelligence insights.

PREVIOUSYEAR
These functions return all dates from the previous year. They can be instrumental when making
Y-o-Y (Year Over Year) comparisons. Other functions in this group include
PREVIOUSMONTH, PREVIOUSQUARTER, and PREVIOUSDAY. These functions are
used for the historical evaluation of data.

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PREVIOUSYEAR(<dates>[,<year_end_date>])
 <dates> is a column containing dates.
 <year_end_date> is an optional parameter that defines the year-end date.

Example: Adventure Works can use the PREVIOUSMONTH function to compare this
month's sales with those of the previous month. Such a comparison can reveal short-term trends
or the immediate impact of any changes on the business strategy.

NEXTYEAR
The NEXTYEAR function is the forward-looking counterpart to PREVIOUSYEAR. The other
functions of the group include NEXTMONTH, NEXTQUARTER, and NEXTDAY. These
functions are used in projections and forecasts.
The function returns a table that contains a column of all dates in the next year, based on the first
date in the dates column in the current context.

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NEXTYEAR(<dates>[,<year_end_date>])
 <dates> is a column containing dates.
 <year_end_date> is an optional parameter that defines the year-end date.

Example: If Adventure Works has monthly sales targets for its sales team, it could use
NEXTMONTH to project whether the team is on track to meet those goals based on the current
month's data.

TOTALYTD
The year-to-date calculation is an aggregation of values from the beginning of the year to the
specified date. YTD (year-to-date) can summarize all sales from January 1st of that year to
the specified date.

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TOTALYTD(<expression>, <dates>, [, <filter>][, <year_end_date>])
 <expression> returns a scalar value.
 <dates> is the date column. In this current lesson, you’re using Power BI's default
date dimension.
 <filter> and <year_end_date> are optional parameters.

Example: Adventure Works wants to evaluate its real-time sales performance. To compute this
measure, you can use the TOTALYTD function in DAX. TOTALYTD is a simple function to
calculate year-to-date values. In this case, you can calculate the YTDSales from the Total
sales column of the Sales table.

DATESBETWEEN
This function returns a table that contains all dates between a specified start date and an end
date.

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DATESBETWEEN(<dates>, <start_date>, <end_date>)
 <dates> is the column containing the dates.
 <start_date> is the date expression at the start of the calculation.
 <end_date> is the date expression that contains the last date for the calculation.

Example: Adventure Works wants to evaluate its summer sales. To achieve this, it must create
a measure using the DATESBETWEEN function in DAX. It can enter (summer months) June 1,
2018, as the start date and August 31, 2018, as the end date for the function’s parameters.

PARALLELPERIOD
The PARALLELPERIOD function returns a set of dates separated from those in the specified
column by specific intervals (such as days, months, quarters, and years). In a business context, it
is often used to compare periods from previous years.
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PARALLELPERIOD(<dates>,<number_of_intervals>,<interval>)
 <dates> is the column containing the dates.
 The <number_of_intervals> is the integer value that defines the number of
intervals to add or subtract from the date.
 <interval> is the unit of time to shift the date. It can be year, quarter, or month.

Example: Adventure Works can use PARALLELPERIOD to compare this year's sales with
those from two years ago. If sales have risen significantly since then, that may indicate
successful strategies or growth in the customer base. Conversely, if sales have stagnated or
declined, it might signal a need for changes.

SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR
SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR is a time intelligence function that compares the value for the
same period in the previous year. This function is used frequently in retail and e-commerce for
year-over-year (YoY) comparisons.

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SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR(<dates>)
Example: Suppose Adventure Works wants to compare Q2 sales of this year with the same
period last year. The SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR function executes this calculation swiftly. This
comparison can highlight seasonal trends, marketing campaign effectiveness, and overall
business health.

CLOSINGBALANCEYEAR
This function evaluates the expression at the last date of the year in the current context.

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CLOSINGBALANCEYEAR(<expression>,<dates>[,<filter>][,<year_end_date>])
 <expression> is an expression that returns a scalar value.
 <dates> is a column containing dates.
 <filter> is an expression that specifies a filter to apply to the current context (this is an
optional parameter).
 <year_end_date> is an optional parameter that defines the year-end date.

Example: Adventure Works can utilize this function to compute the year-end inventory for each
product in categories and subcategories. This helps the company to plan its supply chain.

Conclusion
Mastering complex time intelligence functions is an important part of your journey as a data
analyst. These functions enable you to deliver powerful insights, helping the business make
informed decisions and plan strategically.

Remember, the key is understanding these functions and knowing when and where to use them.
The above examples should guide you in choosing the right function for each scenario