Time Range Filters & Period Comparison

Time Range Filters & Period Comparison

Time range filters in MerchantFlow control the date window for all dashboard data, including KPI metrics, performance charts, products tables, and P&L calculations. Select from the preset pills, define your own presets, or pick a custom date range, and MerchantFlow automatically calculates period-over-period comparisons so you can track growth and identify trends.

What Time Ranges Are Available?

Select a time range from the preset pills or calendar picker in the top-right of any dashboard page. The selector appears in both the desktop header bar and a sticky mobile bar. The calendar picker also offers its own quick-select shortcuts: Today, Yesterday, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Last 90 days, Last 6 months, and Last year.

Editing Your Preset Bar

Click Edit timeframe presets next to the pills to choose which built-in presets appear, reorder them, and add your own. A custom preset is either:

• Last N days — a trailing window of any length, or
• Calendar period — This month, Last month, This quarter, Last quarter, or Year to date

Your preset bar is saved to your own user account, not the workspace -- each team member keeps their own set of pills. You can add up to six custom presets; past that the editor tells you the limit is reached. A trailing preset can be any length from 1 to 1825 days. Reset to defaults restores the built-in pill set.

How Far Back You Can Look

The available history window depends on your plan:

If you select a range that reaches further back than your plan allows, MerchantFlow clamps the start date to the earliest date you can access and shows an upgrade tooltip rather than silently returning partial data. See Pricing Plans.

How Time Ranges Work

Timezone Handling

All date calculations use your configured tenant timezone:

• Set your timezone in Settings
• Dates are grouped by day in your local timezone
• Ensure your timezone matches your e-commerce platform for consistent data

How Period Comparison Works

When you select a time range, MerchantFlow automatically calculates a comparison period of equal length:

• 7 days compares to the previous 7 days
• 30 days compares to the previous 30 days
• 90 days compares to the previous 90 days
• 365 days compares to the previous 365 days

Delta percentages (e.g., "+12.5%") show how the current period compares to the previous one. This gives you instant context for whether metrics are improving, declining, or stable.

Where Time Range Filters Apply

Time range filters affect all data on the dashboard:

• KPI metrics - Revenue, profit, impressions, clicks
• Performance charts - Revenue and profit trend lines
• Products table - Product-level analytics
• Traffic sources - Attribution breakdown
• P&L data - Profit and loss calculations
• North Star metrics - Your selected key metrics

How Dashboard Caching Works

Dashboard data uses a smart caching strategy for performance:

• Max age: 60 seconds - Data is served from cache for up to 60 seconds
• Revalidate: 120 seconds - After 60 seconds, fresh data is fetched in the background
• This means you may see slightly stale data for up to 2 minutes, but the page loads instantly

To force fresh data, trigger a manual sync from Settings > Integrations.

Data Availability and Processing Delays

Different data sources have different processing delays:

MerchantFlow runs one recurring delta sync every 30 minutes per workspace. That single job walks every connected integration in turn - commerce platform, ad platforms, analytics, Search Console, Merchant Center - rather than each source having its own schedule. So the delays below are the providers', not MerchantFlow's:

When viewing recent time ranges (last 7 days), keep these delays in mind. The most recent 1-2 days may have incomplete data from some sources.

Best Practices for Time Range Selection

1. Start with 30 days - Best balance of recency and statistical significance for most decisions
2. Use 7 days for troubleshooting - Quickly spot recent changes or issues after a campaign launch or site update
3. Use 90 days for strategy - Better for identifying longer-term trends and planning quarterly initiatives
4. Check delta percentages - Quickly compare performance versus the previous period to gauge momentum
5. Match timezone settings - Ensure your MerchantFlow timezone matches your store for accurate daily grouping

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a custom date range instead of the preset options?

Yes. Click the calendar icon next to the preset pills to open the date range picker. Select any start and end date to define a custom window. The custom range applies globally to all dashboard sections, just like the presets.

Why do my most recent days show lower numbers?

Some data sources have inherent processing delays. Google Analytics data can take 24-48 hours to finalize, and Search Console data is typically 2-3 days behind. The most recent data will fill in as sources finish processing. See the delay table above for specifics.

Does changing the time range affect all dashboard sections?

Yes. The time range filter is a global control that applies to every section of the dashboard: KPI metrics, performance charts, products table, traffic sources, and P&L data. All sections update simultaneously when you change the range.

How do I compare this year to last year?

Select the 365-day time range. MerchantFlow will show the last 365 days compared to the previous 365 days, giving you a full year-over-year comparison for identifying seasonal patterns and annual growth.

What happens if I do not have 365 days of data yet?

If your store has been connected for less than a year, the 365-day view will show whatever data is available. The comparison period may also be incomplete. As you accumulate more data, year-over-year comparisons become more meaningful.

Related Topics

• KPI Metrics - Understanding dashboard metrics
• Performance Charts - Chart visualizations
• North Star Metrics - Customize your dashboard KPIs
• Live Updates - Monitor data freshness

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Last updated: August 29, 2026