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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.

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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 become in reporting
  • how much model complexity you carry over time

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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.

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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.

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Examples

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Monthly model

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

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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.

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Yearly model

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

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How granularity affects other time features

Granularity is closely tied to the rest of the Time section:
  • It changes how Relative time references behave.
  • It influences how often actual and planned formulas are evaluated.
  • It determines which period groups appear in Time rollups.
  • It shapes how important Time aggregation becomes when you summarize a metric.

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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