> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.senzohq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Period Types

> How Senzo aggregates data across monthly, quarterly, and annual periods

# Period Types

Senzo supports three period granularities: **Monthly**, **Quarterly**, and **Annual**. The period type you select affects how data is aggregated and displayed across the platform.

## Monthly

The default view. Each data point represents one calendar month.

* Most granular view — best for operational monitoring
* Shows the most recent trends and month-over-month changes
* Used by Pulse Intelligence for its analysis
* Recommended for: Overview, Pulse Intelligence, Alert Rules

## Quarterly

Groups months into standard calendar quarters (Q1: Jan–Mar, Q2: Apr–Jun, Q3: Jul–Sep, Q4: Oct–Dec).

* Smooths out month-to-month noise
* Better for identifying seasonal patterns
* Recommended for: Metrics Explorer trend analysis, board reporting

## Annual

Aggregates all months within a calendar year into a single data point.

* Highest level view — best for strategic planning and year-over-year comparison
* Labor costs in Annual view are annualized estimates
* Recommended for: Cost Analytics, Report Builder, Forecast planning

## How aggregation works by period type

| Metric type                         | Monthly                         | Quarterly                        | Annual                        |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Headcount, FTE, positions           | Last month in period            | Last month in period             | Last month in period          |
| Hours (worked, OT, agency, absence) | Month total                     | Quarter sum                      | Year sum                      |
| Inflow / Outflow                    | Month count                     | Quarter sum                      | Year sum                      |
| Rates (OT%, vacancy%, absence%)     | Recalculated from period totals | Recalculated from quarter totals | Recalculated from year totals |

## Where period type is selected

* **Overview** — Monthly / Annual toggle in the top right
* **Metrics Explorer** — "View by" selector: Monthly / Quarterly / Annual
* **Labor Cost Analytics** — Monthly / Annual toggle
* **Report Builder** — Granularity selector in the config panel

## Period type and data upload

Data is uploaded at the **monthly** level — one row per month per unit/provider type combination. Senzo calculates quarterly and annual views by aggregating the underlying monthly records. You do not need to upload data in quarterly or annual format.

<Note>
  If your organization tracks data quarterly rather than monthly, upload one row per quarter per unit/provider type. Senzo will treat each row as a single period and quarterly/annual views will aggregate accordingly.
</Note>