If you add a Date range as a Run Time parameter and generate the report using the Task Scheduler the report will stop and await a response.

The easiest work around would be to add the Prior Period date range to the report using the Filters. Then next month change the dates to the prior month and so on.

Can you use the Period Number as opposed to the dates? Because if you can use the Period Number you could add a SQL Where statement to the Container utilizing the @MONTH@ System Variable which contains the current month number and subtract 1 from it.

Run time parameters will indeed halt an automatically scheduled report. Depending on the report, whether a sage 100 worktable (Wrk suffix) or custom report, will determine which route you may need to take. You could use a formula to calculate the prior month start date using the current date or used the month function to return the current month number for the current date and subtract one from it to get the prior "period". There are several ways to do this within the crystal report but if you are trying to modify a worktable report's options and selections in the selection grid, then things get more complicated and you will have to use one of the solutions i've posted to this forum. One details running custom reports added to the sage 100 menu and the other details running worktable reports.

I believe this is a Sage Intelligence report

Good point. I have a bad habit of missing the sub-forum. Saw runtime parameter and just thought of crystal reports.

I hear that

this is a weekly report, sometimes 2x weekly so to have to adjust parameters that frequently is not an option. ideally i would like the query to do current date minus 28 (4 week trending). However I do not know how to write SQL or to add it to the container? I just know table/graphical joins. Any tutorials you could share that I could attempt this?

The other option I read about was defining my own system variable using the alchemex.ini file but i cannot find it on my computer even with Sage help so my guess its under admin lock and key. I could go that route but probably run into the same obstacle which is that I do not know SQL...

That wouldn't work. System Variables are static i.e. = 05/01/2020. Won't let you add a "floating" variable.