Calendar & Relative
When filtering records based on dates, you’ll often choose between Calendar and Relative date filters. These two approaches serve different purposes, and selecting the right one ensures your segments remain accurate.
All dates in Salesforce Marketing Cloud are stored in UTC format. When you select a date and time in a DESelect Segment filter, the platform queries that exact UTC timestamp directly from your Data Extension, completely ignoring your personal user timezone settings.
For example, if you filter for "December 5, 2019 12:00 AM", the platform returns records matching that time, regardless of your local timezone. If you want to filter based on a local time instead of the server time, you can use the Convert TimezoneConvert Timezone feature.
Calendar
Calendar filters refer to fixed timeframes—such as “this month,” “last year,” or a specific date range on the calendar. They are anchored to calendar periods and do not change dynamically once defined (unless the segment is refreshed with a new run date).
Relative
Relative filters are based on time relative to the current date (today). These are dynamic filters that update automatically based on when the segment is executed.
Calendar & Relative filters comparison
Feature | Calendar Date | Relative Date |
|---|---|---|
Based on | Fixed calendar periods | Current date (rolling window) |
Dynamic? | ❌ Static | ✅ Dynamic |
Example | “In calendar month April 2025” | “In previous 30 days” |
Best for | Reporting, quarterly reviews, exports | Automations, lifecycle campaigns |
Changes over time? | No, unless updated manually | Yes, updates every time it runs |