User question: How do I add prior month, prior quarter, or prior year columns to compare against my current period?
FloQast Report Builder's Historic Periods tool lets you extend any report into a multi-period comparison view by adding Prior Month, Prior Quarter, or Prior Year columns alongside your Current Period. These columns update automatically relative to whatever period is set in your Period Selector, so adjusting the current period shifts all historical columns in sync — no manual reconfiguration needed.
Understanding how Historic Periods relate to your Period Selector
Before adding historical columns, confirm your Period Selector is set correctly, it serves as the anchor for all comparison periods.
NOTE: Always set and confirm your Period Selector before clicking into Historic Periods. The historical columns are calculated relative to whatever Current Period is active at the time you apply them.
How to add Historic Periods
When analyzing financial trends, you can add past periods to your Report Builder grid. This allows you to compare current performance against prior months or lookback periods without changing your default report layout.
- Select the Historic Periods icon on the right-hand panel to open your options.
- Click Prior Months, Prior Quarters, or Prior Years to view the available historical timeline options.
- Select Apply at the bottom of the pane to instantly add the selected historical columns to your report grid.
- Save in the top-right toolbar to preserve your updated timeline configuration for future use.
- At any point you can Export your report.
TIP: You can combine groups — for example, add a Prior Quarter and a Prior Year alongside your current month to create a layered comparison. Apply each group separately and Save after each.
Now that your report is structured with period comparisons, you can pivot by dimensions like Subsidiary and drill into transaction-level details. Up Next: Report Builder: Pivot Tables and Transaction Drill-Down, which covers these features.
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