Data may be reported in weekly time granularity and higher

Description

Time granularity in Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software refers to the level of detail in the time period that data is reported. Reporting at higher time granularity indicates that the product can also report at monthly, quarterly, an annually with the weekly data rolling up appropriately.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A retail chain with several outlets across multiple states uses CPM software to analyze sales performance. They have vast amounts of data but struggle to gain useful insights due to reporting at monthly granularity.

Solution: By adjusting the time granularity to weekly data, the retail chain can obtain a more detailed view of its performance. This allows for timely identification of trends, spikes, or dips in sales that can prompt immediate corrective actions leading to increased profitability. They can now roll those weeks up to months and quarters, satisfying numerous reporting requirements.

Considerations

In general, CPM systems that can handle weekly granularity will also roll those weeks up to months and so on. The decision that must be made is how to roll them up. Some organizations will simply map days in a week to a week number, then roll those up to a month. That means that the roll-up does not necessarily include a consistent amount of weeks. Doing this takes significant work upfront when configuring time periods.

If your organization operates under a fiscal year that does not align with a standard calendar year, you likely need something like a 4-4-5 calendar year where there are 4 weeks in the first two months and 5 weeks in the final month. If you need this, make sure the system works as you expect. Ideally the system can support both.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

• Time Granularity Roll-Up: How flexible is your system in adjusting the time granularity for reporting? Can it report at weekly granularity or higher?
• Scalability: How does your system handle the increase in data that comes with reporting at higher time granularity levels? What features are in place to ensure that data remains manageable?
• Weekly Calendars: What features are in place to help roll up weeks? What methods are supported out of the box?