Timeframes

When viewing dashboards or editing data tiles in SquaredUp, you have the ability to select a "timeframe" for that dashboard / tile. This timeframe simply refers to the period of time for which the returned data is from.

For example, instead of showing data from the default last 24 hours, you can select any of the available options (e.g. last 7 days, last month) or customise (e.g. last 4 hours, specific date/time range).

By default, tiles inherit whichever timeframe the dashboard uses, and dashboards display data using a timeframe of the last 24 hours.

If all the tiles on a dashboard use a fixed timeframe then the dashboard's timeframe dropdown is disabled. Likewise, if a specific timeframe is unsupported then it is disabled in the dropdown.

Dashboard timeframe

The dashboard timeframe setting, located on the toolbar at the top of a dashboard, lets you easily toggle the time span that a dashboard displays data for.

Selecting a new timeframe immediately updates the data for every tile on the dashboard that is configured to inherit that dashboard's timeframe.

Setting a default timeframe

To set the default timeframe for a dashboard, click the pin

next to an option in the timeframe dropdown. This sets the initial timeframe that is used, whenever the page is loaded, for all viewers of the dashboard - including shared dashboard viewers.

Tile timeframe

Normally, tiles on a dashboard will inherit that dashboard's timeframe, meaning that the tile data shown changes whenever you change the dashboard timeframe. However, you can choose to override this and set a fixed timeframe for a tile by configuring the Timeframe tab in the tile editor.

Fixed-timeframe tiles display their set timeframe value in a bubble next to their title, and the tile data does not change if the dashboard timeframe is changed.

You should indicate if a tile's timeframe can be changed in the name of a tile. For example, naming a tile Performance during the last week indicated that the tile always displays data for the last week.

Custom timeframes

When using the timeframe picker to select the timeframe for a dashboard or tile, you have the ability to choose the Custom... option. Selecting this expands the Custom panel where you can define your own custom timeframe.

Once you've configured the settings for your custom timeframe, click the Apply button to update the dashboard/tile. Alternatively, you can click the Pin

button to apply the timeframe and also set it as the default.

Timeframe settings

Use the following settings to flexibly define specific or relative timeframes, depending on your needs. You must define a range in both the From and To sections to capture your desired timeframe.

Setting
Description
Anchor
Select the point in time from which a time window or offset is calculated. Choose from:
  • Now:
    The current point in time is used. This value updates in real time.
  • Start of this:
    The beginning of the time unit you specify (for example, the start of the current hour, day, week, etc.).
  • End of this:
    The end of the time unit you specify (for example, the end of the current hour, day, week, etc.).
  • Start of Last:
    The beginning of the previous time unit you specify (for example, the start of the previous day, week, or month).
  • End of Last:
    The final moment of the previous time unit you specify (for example, the end of yesterday or last week).
  • Specific:
    An exact moment in time. Enables a calendar picker that lets you choose the precise date and time.
Unit
Select the unit used for start of this, end of this, end of last or start of last.
Offset
Select how the anchor is modified. Choose from:
  • Exactly:
    No offset is applied. The timeframe begins precisely at the selected reference point without any adjustment.
  • Minus:
    Moves the anchor backward in time by a specified quantity and unit.
  • Plus:
    Moves the anchor forward in time by a specified quantity and unit.
Quantity
Enter the quantity to modify the anchor by.
Unit
Select the unit for the offset quantity you specified.

Calendar settings

You can optionally choose to configure the following settings in order to adjust the constraints of your calendar.

Setting
Description
First day of week
Select which day marks the beginning of the week in calendar-based time calculations. This setting affects calculations like Start of this week or End of last week.
First day of year
Choose the date used to determine the start of a new year in calendar-aligned periods. This setting affects calculations like Start of this year and Start of this quarter, and is important for aligning fiscal or academic periods.

Relative timeframes

A variable timeframe (often called relative time) is defined in relation to the current time (i.e. now). For example:

  • From: Now minus 1 hours
  • To: Now exactly

These timeframes are dynamic, with the time window shifting as time moves forward.

Examples

Example
Relative time range
Last 4 hours (From now)
  • From: Now exactly minus 4 hours
  • To: Now exactly
Last week
  • From: Start of last week exactly
  • To: End of last week exactly
This financial year (Starting 1st December)
  • From: Start of this year exactly
  • To: End of this year exactly
  • Calendar settings:
    • First day of year: 01 December

Specific timeframes

A specific timeframe is one where the start and end times are explicitly defined and do not change unless manually updated. For example:

  • From: Specific 25/06/2025 00:00
  • To: Specific 25/10/2025 00:00

These timeframes are static and running the query at a later date will always give the same results. They are especially useful when returning data for historical analysis or reporting.

Examples

Example
Specific time range
A specific day
  • From: Specific 01/15/2025 00:00
  • To: Specific 01/15/2025 23:59
A known outage window
  • From: Specific 10/06/2025 14:00
  • To: Specific 10/06/2025 16:30
Black Friday 2024
  • From: Specific 29/11/2024 00:00
  • To: Specific 29/11/2024 23:59

Automatic time range adjustments

Depending on the timeframe you choose, several processes are determined behind the scenes:

  • Cache duration: Controls the cache refresh frequency of that data. In other words, the timeframe you pick also affects how "fresh" that data is. How long data is cached for
  • Sampling interval: Determines the number of data rows returned for the given duration.
  • Time rounding: The amount that the start and end of a timeframe is rounded by for optimal performance.

These automatic adjustments ensure optimal performance and appropriate data resolution for your chosen time range. Longer time periods use lower resolution to keep response times fast and data manageable.

Adjustment rules

Time range
Cache duration
Sampling interval
Time rounding
<= 1 hour
1 minute
1 minute
1 minute
> 1 hour
5 minutes
5 minutes
5 minutes
> 12 hours
15 minutes
15 minutes
15 minutes
> 24 hours
6 hours
6 hours
6 hours
> 7 days
12 hours
12 hours
12 hours
> 30 days
24 hours
24 hours
24 hours
> 6 months
24 hours
7 days
24 hours

Examples

Requesting 6 hours of data:

  • Original: 13/06/2025 06:38 - 13/06/2025 12:38
  • Adjusted: 13/06/2025 06:40 - 13/06/2025 12:40 (rounded to nearest 5 minutes)
  • Data points every 5 minutes, cached for 5 minutes

Requesting 14 days of data:

  • Original: 30/05/2025 12:38 - 13/06/2025 12:38
  • Adjusted: 01/06/2025 00:00 - 14/06/2025 00:00 (rounded to nearest 12 hours)
  • Data points every 12 hours, cached for 12 hours

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