How to Compare Values of Two Specific Dates Using Dashboard Parameters in Bold BI

This setup lets you select two individual dates (not a date range), show each date’s value, and calculate a comparison metric (for example, Value1 / Value2). It’s useful when the Period Over Period widget does not meet your single-date comparison requirements.

Solution Overview

• This approach uses:
  • Two data sources
  • Dashboard parameters
  • Code View mode
  • Independent Date Pickers
• This avoids master-filter conflicts and ensures accurate value comparison.

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Add the Base Data Source to the Dashboard

• Open the Bold BI Dashboard Designer.
• Add the data source that contains the date and value fields required for comparison.
• Preview the data to confirm that the date column is correctly identified and that records are available for multiple dates.
  
  

Step 2: Create a “Date list” Data Source for Date Selection (only available dates)

Configure the Date Data Source

• Add a new data source using the same database connection.
• Select your SQL connector, then switch to Query mode.
• Use a query that returns only distinct available dates:
  Sample SQL:

SELECT DISTINCT MadadDate
FROM MadadValues 

• Preview the data to confirm that only the date column is returned.

Create Dashboard Parameters for the two dates

• In the second data source, navigate to the parameters section in the data design view
• Create the following parameters:
  • Date_1 (Data type: Date)
  • Date_2 (Data type: Date)
• Ensure that both parameters allow only a single value.
  These parameters will be used to control the selected dates in the dashboard.
  
  

Step 3: Add Date Picker Widgets

• Add two Date Picker widgets to the dashboard.

• Configure the first Date Picker:

  • Bind it to the Date_1 parameter
  
  • Enable Highlight Available Dates
    
    

• Configure the second Date Picker:

  • Bind it to the Date_2 parameter
  
  • Enable Highlight Available Dates
    
    
    
    Verify Behavior

• Open each Date Picker and confirm:

  • Only available dates from the dataset are selectable
  • Missing dates cannot be selected

Step 4: Create a Calculation Data Source

• Add a new data source and switch to Code View.
• Use a query similar to the following (adjust table/column names as needed):
  Sample Query:

SELECT
   MAX(CASE WHEN MadadDate = @{{:Date_1}} THEN MadadValue END) AS Value1,
   MAX(CASE WHEN MadadDate = @{{:Date_2}} THEN MadadValue END) AS Value2,
   MAX(CASE WHEN MadadDate = @{{:Date_1}} THEN MadadValue END) /
   NULLIF(MAX(CASE WHEN MadadDate = @Date_2 THEN MadadValue END), 0) AS Ratio
FROM MadadValues 

Verify Output

• Preview the data source and confirm that:
  • Value1 returns the metric for Date_1
  • Value2 returns the metric for Date_2
  • Ratio calculates correctly and does not fail when Value2 = 0
    
    

Step 5: Add Value Widgets to display Value1, Value2, and Ratio

• Add three Number Card widgets.*
• Bind them to the calculation data source fields:

Verify Behavior

• Changing either Date Picker updates the cards’ values
• Ratio updates correctly
• The date selection does not cause unwanted cross-filtering between widgets

Conclusion

Using:

• Dashboard parameters
• Separate data sources
• Code View queries
  You can reliably compare values from two specific dates in Bold BI without relying on range-based widgets.

Related Articles

• Working with Datasources
• Working with Dashboard Parameters in Bold BI
• Configuring Date picker widgets