Watch Video OR Jump to Step-by-Step Instructions

This video explains how dates work within Digital Measures and the four different ways dates are uses or set.

Step-by-Step Instructions

One of the best things, in my view, about Digital Measures is that it’s set up so that records can be saved with very few required fields. In fact, the only mandatory field I’ve found in DIGITAL MEASURES is the “year” field when a date is required for something such as a publication, presentation, or stakeholder event.

Picture of the DM main screen

Let’s take a look at a test account I’ve created in Digital Measures. This example shows a series of service records, but these principles would apply to anything that requires a date. Here, we’re looking at the General Service screen summary.

General Service screen summary page in Digital Measures

Example of records with different dates

Example 1: Show “From 2001 – Present” in the Service summary page

Example 1 shows how to enter dates for an activity that began in the past and continues into the present. The record in the Service summary page shows 2001-Present.  Here’s how to enter the date for something that you started in the past and are still doing in the present:

Date Example 1: From to Present

  • First, add a new item.


Add New Record Button

  • Complete as many fields as desired.
  • Enter the date the activity began in the “Start Date.”
  • Leave “End Date” empty. 

Example of records with start date only

Example 2: Show a single year in the Service summary page

Example record of one time event

What if you only want to show that you participated in a service activity for a single year, 2015? Here’s how to enter the date for something that was only done for one year:

  1. Add a new item.
  2. Complete as many fields as desired.
  3. Leave “Start Date” blank.
  4. Enter the year of the activity in the “End Date.”

Example of records with end date only

Example 3: Show a start and an end date.

Many professional activities have definite start and end dates, as you can see in the Service summary page for Example 3. To create a record that shows both start and end dates:

  1. Add a new item.
  2. Complete as many fields as desired.
  3. Enter the date the activity began in the “Start Date.”
  4. Enter the date the activity ended in the “End Date.”

Example of records with a start and end date

Example 4: Record shows activity taking place in 1900.

Some of you will find records with the year 1900 attributed to them. I instructed the data entry staff to enter 1900 into Digital Measures so that a record could be saved, even if the date was unclear or not given. Scan your profile and keep an eye out for 1900 – that’s a record that requires a little editing on your part.

Example of record with a 1900 date

Applies To: 
All Units