Variance Formula: Cost of Service between 2 years

Question

Good day everyone,
I am using BOXI r2 sp 4.
The following variance formula will ONLY work if the client selects the time frame of 1 year.  For example 2008-01 to 2008-12
=<Cost of Service>Where{<Billing Year Month>=UserResponse{Enter Billing Year Month Start:"} - <Cost of Service>Where{<Billing Year Month>=UserResponse{Enter Billing Year Month End:"}
PROBLEM: the client must select 2 years  For example 2007-01 to 2008-12
But none of my formulas work.
=<Cost of Service>Where{<[Billing Year Month>=UserResponse{"Enter Billing Year Month End:"}}-<Cost of Service>Where{RelativeDate{<Billing Year Month>;-365}}}
or
=<Cost of Service>Where{<Billing Year Month>=UserResponse{"Enter Billing Year Month End:"}}-<Cost of Service>Where{RelativeDate{<Billing Year Month>;-365)=UserResponse{"Enter Billing Year Month End:"}}
or
=<Cost of Service>Where{<Billing Year Month>=UserResponse{"Enter Billing Year Month End:"}}-<Cost of Service>Where{<Billing Year Month>=UserResponse{"Enter Billing Year Month End:"}}Where{RelativeDate{<Billing Year Month.;-365}}
Someone please put me out of my misery.  
Wannetta

Answer 1

Hi Gentlemen,
Thank you for all of your patience, guidance, and expertise trying to create this formula on the report level. 
Could either one of you explain the significance of creating these types of formulas at the semantic level vs. the report level?  I have been working on the following formulas and reports to varying degrees of success.  Once finalized, these templates may be utilized as Opendoc reports between 2 universes.
After a great deal of research, I am inclined to think that these formulas need to be created at the semantic level rather the report level.  What is the best way to argue this case to my design team?
REPORT SPECS:
I. FORMULAS:
These reports will have formulas built in for variance analysis.  These variants would compare the values versus different time period or constraints (budgets, forecast, etc.):
Vs. Prior Year, Quarter, or Month
Vs. Budget
Vs. Forecast
Vs. Sequential time period/OPEN (This one essentially means the user can pick the time period to compare)
Vs. Productivity / Attributions (more detail needed)
$ Variance
% Variance
Rate  = Current Rate - Previous Rate * Current Volume (Cost/Unit)
Volume = Current Volume - Previous Volume * Previous Rate
II. REPORTS:
Report Structure u2013A: Twelve month summary trend report
This report is intended to summarize the product data for any twelve (12) periods.  Reporting periods will be monthly, with the maximum capacity for twelve (12) months.
Report Structure u2013 B: Two period variance report
This report is intended to summarize the product data for any two (2) periods and provide variances for each of the product/service details.
Reporting periods will be month vs. month, quarter vs. quarter, YTD vs. YTD or year vs. year. Month vs. month and quarter vs. quarter can be year-over-year comparisons (1Q08 vs. 1Q09) or sequential period comparisons (4Q08 vs. 1Q09).
Report Structureu2013C: Two year, four quarters and total year report
This report is intended to summarize the product data for any two (2) years by quarter and total year.
Reporting periods will be monthly, with the maximum capacity for twelve (12) months.
All of these reports will generate tabs for the total cost, total volumes and average rates per product for the selected periods.
REPORT BUILDER RESEARCH:
In addition to all of your great help, I have found many formulas that would appear to be similarly useful for my requirements, yet my design team has indicated otherwise.  For example, I found the following code samples within this and the design forums:
Compare Prompted Period to Previous
DESIGNER LEVEL: create new Filter object
@Select(Sales Dates\Sale Year) = @Prompt
>('Select a Year','Sales Dates\SaleYear',mono,comstrained)OR@Select(SalesDates\Sale Year)+1 = Prompt('Select a Year','N','Sales Dates\Sale Year',mono,comstrained)
This will return the Prompted year as well as the previous year.
UNIVERSE FORMULAS:
count CYTD (Current Year to date)
count PYTD (Previous Year to date)
count CMCY (Current Month Current Year)
count CMPY (Current Month Previous Year)
count CYTD 
>CASE WHEN data_year=@Prompt('Enter Year','N',,,) and data_month<=@Prompt('Enter Month','N',,,)THEN sales_figures END
count PYTD 
>CASE WHEN data_year=@Prompt('Enter Year','N',,,)-1 and data_month<=@Prompt('Enter Month','N',,,) THEN sales_figures END
count CMCY 
>CASE WHEN data_year=@Prompt('Enter Year','N',,,) and data_month=@Prompt('Enter Month','N',,,) THEN sales_figures END
count CMPY 
>CASE WHEN data_year=@Prompt('Enter Year','N',,,)-1 and data_month=@Prompt('Enter Month','N',,,)THEN sales_figures END
Hereu2019s a sample  problem that my design team encountered:
Using a derived table; one of my designers attempted to create the following object, $ Var (A-B) based upon UserResponse for any time frame which he said would not work.  Can someone identify the problem here?
SELECT DISTINCT
(T_FA_DATA.BILLING_YEAR_MONTH) as BILLING_YEAR_MONTH,
(select T_FA_DATA.COST_OF_SERVICE from T_FA_DATA where T_FA_DATA.BILLING_YEAR_MONTH=@variable('Enter Billing Year Month End:'))-( select T_FA_DATA.COST_OF_SERVICE from T_FA_DATA where T_FA_DATA.BILLING_YEAR_MONTH=@variable('Enter Billing Year Month Start:')) as SEQ_VAR
FROM
T_FA_DATA
Can someone provide me with a realistic and CRITICAL assessment of this request?   I know itu2019s complex but I would greatly appreciate it.  In the end, we will create over a dozen reports which, I think also indicates the need for objects at the universe level.
Thanks!