> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dash360.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Spread Profiles
> Define how a risk's cost and schedule exposure is distributed across its active window, using the four built-in profiles or a custom per-period shape.
## Overview
A risk in Dash360 carries a Start Date and a Finish Date, so its exposure is not a single lump sum landing on one day; it is spread across the window between those two dates. A **spread profile** is the shape of that distribution: front-loaded, back-loaded, flat, or a curve you define yourself.
The profile a risk uses is chosen in the **Spread Type** field on the risk form. It drives every time-phased view of risk: the exposure timeline, the burn down charts, and the cash-flow view on the [Risk Register](/user-guide/risk/risk-register).
**Location:** Admin > Projects > Edit Project > **Spread Types** tab.
Prefer to watch? See [How to Set Up Spread Profiles and Calendars](/user-guide/risk/how-to/spread-profiles-and-calendars) for a video walkthrough.
## Prerequisites
* Your account must have administrative access to the project.
* A project must be selected.
***
## Profiles are proportions, not calendar periods
A profile does not store dates or a fixed number of days. It stores a set of points, each with a **position** from 0.0 (the start of the risk's window) to 1.0 (the end of it) and a **weight** at that position.
When a risk is time-phased, the engine takes the profile's shape, re-samples it into however many buckets that particular risk's window needs, and normalizes the result so the weights sum to exactly 100%.
The practical consequence: **the same profile works on a six-week risk and a three-year risk.** You are describing a shape, not a schedule, so you never need one profile per duration.
***
## The system profiles
Every project is seeded with four profiles when it is created:
| Profile | Shape |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Linear** | Flat. Every period carries the same weight. |
| **Front-Loaded** | Declining. Most of the exposure lands early in the window. |
| **Back-Loaded** | Rising. Most of the exposure lands late in the window. |
| **Bell Curve** | Peaked in the middle, tapering at both ends. |
Each is stored with 20 points. Front-Loaded, for example, opens at 15.0% and steps down through 12.5, 12.5, 10.0, 7.5, 7.5, 2.5, 2.5 and onward, so the first quarter of the window absorbs far more than the last.
Each project holds its **own copy** of the four system profiles. Editing is blocked regardless, so the copies stay identical, but this is why the profile list is per project rather than system-wide.
System profiles cannot be edited or deleted. Attempting either returns "System profiles cannot be modified."
***
## Creating a custom profile
Click **Add Custom Spread Profile**.
| Field | Description |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Profile Name** | The label shown in the Spread Type dropdown. Must be unique within the project. |
| **Number of Periods** | How many buckets the shape is drawn with (5 to 100; defaults to 20). More periods give a finer shape, not a longer one. |
| **Type** | Always **Custom**, and read-only. |
Below the fields, the **Preview & Period Weights** panel draws one bar per period with an input underneath it. Type a percentage under each bar and the preview redraws as you go.
Two controls help you get there:
* **Distribute Evenly** sets every period to the same weight, which is a useful starting point before you shape it by hand.
* **Normalize to 100%** rescales whatever you have entered so it totals 100% while keeping the relative proportions intact.
The running **Total** sits under the preview. It must read 100% before the profile will save.
Click **Save Profile** to store it, or **Cancel** to discard.
Changing **Number of Periods** regenerates the inputs, which clears the weights you have already typed. Set the period count first, then enter the shape.
### Validation
| Rule | Message |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Name is required | "Profile name is required." |
| Name must be unique within the project | "A profile with the name '...' already exists for this project." |
| At least two points are required | "At least 2 points are required." |
***
## Editing and deleting
Custom profiles can be edited and deleted from the **Existing Spread Profiles** grid. Selecting a profile shows its stored shape in the details panel below the grid.
**Deleting a custom profile does not check whether risks are still using it.** Risks store the spread type as a code, so any risk left pointing at a deleted profile will fail when the system tries to time-phase it, which breaks the burn down and cash-flow views for that project.
Before deleting a custom profile, filter the Risk Register by Spread Type and move any risks still using it onto another profile.
***
## Where profiles are used next
* **Choosing a profile for a risk:** the **Spread Type** field on the risk form. A newly saved custom profile appears in that dropdown immediately.
* **Seeing the effect:** the exposure and burn down charts on the [Risk Register](/user-guide/risk/risk-register). These need a Start Date, a Finish Date, and a Spread Type before they can plot anything.