Overview

Effective dates let FTE Tree preserve history while planning future and retroactive changes. Instead of replacing a value everywhere, a dated change says which value applies starting on a specific date.

Effective dates are used for position fields, assignments, employees, job codes, department hierarchy changes, compensation settings, adjustments, pay ranges, and custom fields. The selected effective date determines which values appear on Details pages. Reports use the values that apply during the report period.

Access needed

Activity Access needed
View values by date View access for the related record
Create or update dated values The update permission for the related record or setting
Approve proposed dated changes Assigned approval task or approval management access
Access setup See Permissions and roles.

How effective dates work

A dated value becomes active on its effective date and remains active until another approved value for the same detail starts later. Different records can change on different dates.

Some values are meant to apply to all earlier history. Use the organization’s historical baseline date for them instead of leaving the date blank. The value then applies to earlier reports until a later dated value begins.

Clearing an optional dated field removes the earlier value from that date forward until another value begins. Required fields cannot be cleared.

For example, a position can move departments on July 1, an employee assignment can start on July 15, and annual hours per FTE can change on January 1. FTE Tree uses the values that apply on each date.

  1. Historical baselineUse the organization's starting date for a value that should cover earlier history.
  2. Earlier valueThe saved value remains in effect until another approved value begins.
  3. New effective dateA later value starts on the date you enter.
  4. Later valueThe new value continues until the next approved change.

The selected date matters. A position that is active today may have a future approved FTE change, a historical department transfer, and a current assignment. Review the date shown on the page before deciding whether a value is wrong.

Change, correct, clear, or discard

Choose the action based on what should happen to the timeline:

Need Action Result
A value changes on a new date Add a value with that effective date. The earlier value remains correct for the earlier period.
A value was recorded incorrectly on an existing date Update the value at the same effective date. The corrected value applies for that date, and the earlier recorded version remains in history.
An optional value should stop applying Save a blank value with the date when it should stop. No value applies from that date until a later value begins.
One unsubmitted proposed position value should be abandoned Choose Discard draft value when the action is available. Only the proposal is discarded; the approved value remains unchanged.

Approved position, employee, and job code values do not offer a delete action. Retaining their dated history makes past views and reports explainable.

Approved and proposed values

Approval status determines whether a value is official. Effective date determines when the value applies.

Approved values affect position views, department totals, and reports starting on their effective date. Proposed values do not change approved totals until they are submitted, approved, and applied. This lets users prepare changes, review the approved-versus-proposed impact, and request approval when the proposal is ready.

Current, future, and historical views

Use the effective date control on position Details pages, employee records, department summaries, and org chart views to inspect a specific date. Selecting a future date can show future approved changes before they are active today. Selecting a historical date can show what the position looked like at that time.

Reports are period-based. They can split a reporting period when values change inside the selected date range. This is why report period totals may differ from a single-date annualized value shown on a detail page.

Structure changes

Open Structure changes from the department or job code tree when you need one list of dated hierarchy and record changes. The Upcoming, Today, Prior, and All views can be filtered by record, source, date, and search text. Each row shows the effective date, earlier and new values, status, and a link to the related record.

Opening this list requires Manage organization settings, View employees, and View positions. Department access still controls which position and employee names and links appear. When a related position or employee is outside your department access, the page shows that the value is restricted.

Reporting impact

Reports use the values that apply during the report period. If a position changes FTE halfway through a month, a period report may allocate part of the month at the old FTE and part at the new FTE. If an assignment starts after the first day of the period, assigned cost can begin later than position cost.

When comparing a report to a detail page, confirm whether you are comparing:

  • A point-in-time value.
  • A full-period allocation.
  • Approved values only.
  • Approved and proposed values side by side.
  • Position cost or assigned cost.

Activity history

Activity history records when users create, update, correct, clear, approve, or discard an eligible unsubmitted proposed value where history is available. Activity history focuses on the business change, who made it, and when it happened. Broader history exports require the appropriate administrator access.

Common examples

Change What the effective date controls
Position department transfer The date the position belongs to the new department for access, summaries, and reports.
Position FTE change The date the new FTE starts affecting cost, headcount, approvals, and reports.
Base pay rate or Pay rate basis change The date the complete rate and its Hourly or Annual basis start affecting annualized full-time pay and cost.
Funding source change The date the new cost allocation starts applying.
Employee assignment The date an employee starts or stops filling a position.
Job code Base pay rate The date a suggested Job code amount and basis appears when entering or reviewing a Position Base pay rate.
Annual hours per FTE The date a new annualization setting starts affecting cost.
Department hierarchy change The date the department tree changes for summaries, access, and reports.

For examples that show how effective dates affect FTE, cost, and headcount, see Position costs and headcount. For date-range examples, see Position costs in reports.

Common mistakes

  • Updating the wrong effective date and expecting today’s view to change.
  • Overwriting a historical value instead of adding a new dated value.
  • Comparing a point-in-time value to a period report.
  • Forgetting that proposed values do not affect approved totals until approved and applied.
  • Changing a department or job code after reports have already been shared without rerunning the affected reports.

When in doubt, start with the record detail page, confirm the selected effective date, then use activity history and reports to review how the value changed over time.