# Default period for a database

The *default* period is the timeframe you see first when you open a database. Your administrator initially selects this period to give you access to the database. If the selected default period doesn't meet your needs, you can change it (for your own account only), so that a particular date range displays every time you open that database.

You can have a different default period for each database. The default period is selected automatically for you in the **Period** menu when you open the database. For example, in the following images, you can see that in the Sales database (which opens in the Analytics module), the default period is *Rolling 12 months*, and in the Financials database (which opens in the Financial Statements module), the default period is *FYTD* (financial year to date).

<figure><img src="https://900295827-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F7pj8v25BOyqZTdG5mdD1%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b55d33bc979d89547f87e291524bcd183e1f16ca%2F3444867566.png?alt=media" alt="image-20240414-205108.png" width="819"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

While you can change the period temporarily during your analysis, you might prefer to set your default period as follows:

1. On your Phocas homepage, locate the database and click its menu button (on the far right side).
2. Select **Set Default Period**.
3. Select the required period and click **Save**.


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