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In files with a monthly or quarterly reporting frequency, the first period of the first book year is sometimes not available in Silverfin. This article explains when this happens, what Silverfin does with the values in that period, and whether there is a way around it.
Table of contents
- When is the first period not available?
- What happens to the values in that period?
- Is there a way around this?
When is the first period not available?
Silverfin requires the very first period of a file to be a complete period. That means:
- For a file with monthly reporting frequency, the first period must cover a full calendar month.
- For a file with quarterly reporting frequency, the first period must cover a full calendar quarter.
If the file does not start on the first day of a month (for monthly files) or on the first day of a quarter (for quarterly files), the first period will be shorter than a full month or quarter. Silverfin cannot display this shortened period, so it does not appear in the period selection screen.
Example — monthly file
A file with monthly reporting frequency starts on 14/01 instead of 01/01. Because January is no longer a full month, Silverfin does not display the January period in this file.
Example — quarterly file
A file with quarterly reporting frequency starts on 14/01 instead of 01/01. Because Q1 (January to March) is no longer a complete quarter, Silverfin does not display Q1 in this file.
In the screenshots above, January 2021 is missing from a monthly file, and Q1 is missing from a quarterly file, because in both cases the file does not start on the first day of the period.
What happens to the values in that period?
The values from the shortened first period are not lost. Silverfin adds them to the next available period:
- In the monthly example above, the values dated between 14/01 and 31/01 are included in February.
- In the quarterly example above, the values dated between 14/01 and 31/03 are included in Q2 (April to June).
If the file is connected to a sync, this happens automatically — no manual intervention is needed.
Is there a way around this?
No. It is not possible to display a shortened first period in the first book year of a file. The values themselves are still recorded and reported in Silverfin — they are simply included in the next full period rather than shown separately.
If you need the shortened period to appear separately for reporting purposes, consider whether an annual reporting frequency would meet your needs, since annual files do not have this restriction.