Reporting periods
The 1-, 7- and 30-day windows, how change indicators are calculated, and which period to use for which question.
Every metric on the dashboard is calculated over a selected window. The window is not a display setting — it changes which answers are in the denominator, and therefore the number itself.
The presets
| Period | Best for |
|---|---|
| 24h | Checking today's collection, inspecting individual answers |
| 7d | Working view — enough to smooth daily variance, short enough to notice a change |
| 30d | The default. Trend and reporting; the most stable numbers |
A custom range is available from the same picker where you need to line up with a campaign or a release.
How change is calculated
Each metric's delta compares the selected period against the immediately preceding period of the same length. A 7-day view compares this week against last week; a 30-day view compares this month against the previous month.
Two consequences:
- Changing the period changes the comparison, so a metric can show a rise at 7 days and a fall at 30. Both are correct — they answer different questions.
- Deltas need history. Until there are two comparable periods of data, values are shown without a change indicator rather than with a misleading one.
For Position, lower is better, so a decrease is presented as an improvement.
Choosing a period
Diagnosing — 24h. You want to read specific answers, not an average.
Working — 7d. Long enough that a single unusual answer does not dominate, short enough to notice a real change within a week.
Reporting — 30d, which is also what the dashboard opens on. Use it for anything shown to someone who will not see the caveats: it is the window least likely to move for reasons unrelated to your work.
Pitfalls
- Do not compare a 7-day number with a 30-day number. Different windows, different denominators.
- Short periods plus small prompt sets are volatile. Ten prompts over one day is a handful of answers; treat it as an example, not a measurement.
- A period that predates a prompt-set change is not comparable. Adding or removing prompts changes what is being measured, so a like-for-like comparison across that boundary does not exist.
- Empty periods are possible. A period before your account collected anything shows no data — widen the window.
Related
- Data freshness — how often the window is filled
- How metrics work — the shared denominator rule
- Dashboard overview — where the filter lives
Updated 2026-08-03