Date and time Find Path criteria
You can set the rules for finding a path between two items based on the relative dates and times of chart items along the path.
Searching forward or backward in time
You can search for a path along which the date and time of each successive item must be later (forward) or earlier (backward) in time than the previous item.
Limiting the path to a specified period
You can limit a path to a fixed time period. Items with dates and times outside this period are not considered as part of a path.
When you select the Earliest Date and Time check box, the specified date and time defaults to the date and time of the origin item, if one is selected and it has a date and time. If no items are selected on the chart or the selected origin item does not have a date and time, it defaults to the earliest date and time of all items on the chart.
When you select the Latest Date and Time check box, the specified date and time defaults to the date and time of the destination item, if one is selected and it has a date and time. If no items are selected on the chart or the selected destination item does not have a date and time, it defaults to the latest date and time of all items on the chart.
Selecting the type of path to find
You can choose whether Analyst's Notebook searches for the path with the fewest number of steps or the path, which arrives at the destination item at the earliest date and time. If more than one path meets the specified criteria, then all such paths are shown.
Setting date and time options
When Analyst's Notebook searches for a path, you can specify whether the date and time is considered on entities, links, or both.
An item does not need a date or time to be considered in relation to the times of other items on the path.
If an item has only a date, it is still included in the path if its date does not contradict the specified flow of time. For example, the date must be the same as or after the date of the previous item on the path when the time flow is forwards.
You can specify the behavior for items without a date.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Stop | Stops the search along this path and the item is not included in the result. This option might be useful for charts that contain telephone call data or financial transactions, when all links are expected to have both a date and a time. |
| Continue | Includes the item in the path. This option might be useful when you want the path to continue through theme lines, which do not have a date. |
| Continue if Ordered | If the item is Ordered and is in the correct position relative to the previous item on the path, it is included in the path. Otherwise, the search is stopped along this path. |
Specifying each item on a path is within a certain time of the previous item
You can restrict the path to contain only successive items that have a date and time within a time gap that you specify. For example, you can specify that every link on a path must take place within an hour of the previous link. This option can apply to just links, just entities, or both entities and links, depending on the options selected in the Date and Time area.