How can I aggregate values based on an arbitrary monthly cycle date range in SQL? - sql

Question

Given a table as such:
# SELECT * FROM payments ORDER BY payment_date DESC;
id | payment_type_id | payment_date | amount
----+-----------------+--------------+---------
4 | 1 | 2019-11-18 | 300.00
3 | 1 | 2019-11-17 | 1000.00
2 | 1 | 2019-11-16 | 250.00
1 | 1 | 2019-11-15 | 300.00
14 | 1 | 2019-10-18 | 130.00
13 | 1 | 2019-10-18 | 100.00
15 | 1 | 2019-09-18 | 1300.00
16 | 1 | 2019-09-17 | 1300.00
17 | 1 | 2019-09-01 | 400.00
18 | 1 | 2019-08-25 | 400.00
(10 rows)
How can I SUM the amount column based on an arbitrary date range, not simply a date truncation?
Taking the example of a date range beginning on the 15th of a month, and ending on the 14th of the following month, the output I would expect to see is:
payment_type_id | payment_date | amount
-----------------+--------------+---------
1 | 2019-11-15 | 1850.00
1 | 2019-10-15 | 230.00
1 | 2019-09-15 | 2600.00
1 | 2019-08-15 | 800.00
Can this be done in SQL, or is this something that's better handled in code? I would traditionally do this in code, but looking to extend my knowledge of SQL (which at this stage, isnt much!)

Answer 1

Click demo:db<>fiddle
You can use a combination of the CASE clause and the date_trunc() function:
SELECT
payment_type_id,
CASE
WHEN date_part('day', payment_date) < 15 THEN
date_trunc('month', payment_date) + interval '-1month 14 days'
ELSE date_trunc('month', payment_date) + interval '14 days'
END AS payment_date,
SUM(amount) AS amount
FROM
payments
GROUP BY 1,2
date_part('day', ...) gives out the current day of month
The CASE clause is for dividing the dates before the 15th of month and after.
The date_trunc('month', ...) converts all dates in a month to the first of this month
So, if date is before the 15th of the current month, it should be grouped to the 15th of the previous month (this is what +interval '-1month 14 days' calculates: +14, because the date_trunc() truncates to the 1st of month: 1 + 14 = 15). Otherwise it is group to the 15th of the current month.
After calculating these payment_days, you can use them for simple grouping.

Answer 2

I would simply subtract 14 days, truncate the month, and add 14 days back:
select payment_type_id,
date_trunc('month', payment_date - interval '14 day') + interval '14 day' as month_15,
sum(amount)
from payments
group by payment_type_id, month_15
order by payment_type_id, month_15;
No conditional logic is actually needed for this.
Here is a db<>fiddle.

Answer 3

You can use the generate_series() function and make a inner join comparing month and year, like this:
SELECT specific_date_on_month, SUM(amount)
FROM (SELECT generate_series('2015-01-15'::date, '2015-12-15'::date, '1 month'::interval) AS specific_date_on_month)
INNER JOIN payments
ON (TO_CHAR(payment_date, 'yyyymm')=TO_CHAR(specific_date_on_month, 'yyyymm'))
GROUP BY specific_date_on_month;
The generate_series(<begin>, <end>, <interval>) function generate a serie based on begin and end with an specific interval.