Set up a Calendar table

← Model

A Calendar table is a table with one row per day, week, or other period. Its saved configuration is called a time spine in the Semantic DSL. Cumulative metrics, conversion metrics, and metric inputs with an offset need one on the connector they run against. Without it, those questions fail in Explore with This query needs a time spine on followed by the connector name.

The Semantics → Setup tab is available to Editor and Owner roles. Explorer users can run metrics that use an already configured Calendar table.

Prepare the table

Create or choose a table in your warehouse with one row for every period you report on and no gaps, such as one row per calendar day. Load it into Catalog for the connector first; see Select and refresh Catalog.

The column that holds the period must be a date or a timestamp without a time zone, such as date or timestamp on PostgreSQL, DATE or DATETIME on BigQuery, or DATE or TIMESTAMP_NTZ on Snowflake. Monomer compares it directly with times already converted to the Workspace’s Reporting time zone, so its days are read as days in that zone. When Catalog knows the column’s type, Save rejects a column with a time zone or one that holds no dates. Check and queries on that connector report the same problem until you fix it.

Configure a Calendar table

1. Open Semantics → Setup. Each connector shows how many Calendar tables it has, or Not configured.
2. Select the connector, then Configure Calendar tables.
3. Select Add Calendar table. Choose the Table, its Primary column that holds the period, and its Granularity, such as Day.
4. Select Save. One configuration replaces the connector’s current set, so keep any existing Calendar tables you still need in the list.

To clear the configuration, remove every Calendar table entry and select Save. The connector returns to Not configured. Metrics requiring a time spine cannot run on that connector until one is configured again; clearing the configuration does not delete the warehouse table.

If an Explore run fails because it needs a time spine, the run offers Set up time spine, which opens this screen for that connector.

Check it

Run the cumulative or conversion metric again in Explore for a short period and compare the result with a known total. If no connector exists yet, add one first.