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

# Time granularity

> Choose the right level of time detail for planning, reporting, and model maintenance.

Time granularity defines how often Oculon stores and evaluates each period in a model. It is one of the first decisions you should make because it affects formulas, reporting cadence, and how much model maintenance you take on later.

## Why granularity matters

Granularity changes more than the column headers in a table. It affects:

* how much detail you can model
* how often users review and update values
* how much relative time logic you need
* how important [`Time rollups`](https://oculon.mintlify.site/docs-new/time/time-rollups) become in reporting
* how much model complexity you carry over time

## Supported granularities in Oculon

The current docs assume these supported model granularities in Oculon:

* **Monthly**: best for most operating plans, rolling forecasts, and management reporting.
* **Quarterly**: useful when teams plan at a higher level and do not need month-by-month operational detail.
* **Yearly**: useful for long-range planning, target setting, or simple strategic models.

## How to choose the right granularity

Choose the most detailed level that the business will actually use.

Start with these questions:

* Do you review performance every month, quarter, or year?
* Do formulas depend on seasonality or month-end timing?
* Will users make forecast changes period by period?
* Do you need detailed budget versus actual analysis during close?

If the answer to most of those questions is monthly, start with a monthly model. If the model is mostly strategic, quarterly may be enough.

## Examples

### Monthly model

Use monthly granularity when you need rolling forecasts, monthly close reviews, hiring plans, spend analysis, or detailed budget versus actual comparisons.

### Quarterly model

Use quarterly granularity when the business mainly reviews performance at quarter level and the extra detail of monthly planning would add maintenance without changing decisions.

### Yearly model

Use yearly granularity when the goal is long-range planning, scenario framing, or target setting rather than operational forecasting.

## How granularity affects other time features

Granularity is closely tied to the rest of the Time section:

* It changes how [`Relative time`](https://oculon.mintlify.site/docs-new/time/relative-time) references behave.
* It influences how often actual and planned formulas are evaluated.
* It determines which period groups appear in [`Time rollups`](https://oculon.mintlify.site/docs-new/time/time-rollups).
* It shapes how important [`Time aggregation`](https://oculon.mintlify.site/docs-new/time/time-aggregation) becomes when you summarize a metric.

## Common mistakes

Watch for these issues:

* choosing monthly detail just because it feels safer, even when nobody reviews that level
* choosing quarterly detail for a model that still needs monthly close and forecast updates
* changing granularity after formulas, scenarios, and boards are already in use
* assuming a coarser model will automatically solve problems that are really about formula design or governance

## Related pages

* [Time in Oculon](https://oculon.mintlify.site/docs-new/time/time-in-oculon.md)
* [Time rollups](https://oculon.mintlify.site/docs-new/time/time-rollups)
* [Time aggregation](https://oculon.mintlify.site/docs-new/time/time-aggregation.md)
* [Time best practices](https://oculon.mintlify.site/docs-new/time/time-best-practices.md)


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.