You can use Datarails dashboards to automate your variance analysis.

Hover over columns to see the primary driver of your year-over-year variance. To better understand the variance, click on the column and select "Comparative Analysis". Use it for fast ad-hoc analysis and easily discover the root causes. Adjust the chart by selecting the period and the breakdown fields you want to compare. If you'd like to swap colors between red and green, use the "colors" menu.

When you are done with the analysis, you can add the chart to your dashboard for future reference or to include it in presentations.

Good to know about variance analysis:

• To enable comparisons, some dashboard filters may be disabled while you investigate your variances with the Comparative Analysis feature. Active filters are highlighted in the Comparative Analysis dialogue box.
• If you have data for the previous year, it will show you this first. If not, we will offer insights for the comparison with the previous month.
• If the variance is less than 10%, we won't show insights on hover. You can use "Comparative Analysis" to further explore the variance.
• The feature is relevant for six types of widgets:
  • Column Chart
  • Stacked Column
  • Combo Chart
  • Bar Chart
  • Stacked Bar
  • Line Chart
• These are the categories we check to find the top driver :
  •  Report_Field
  • Account name
  • Entity
  • Customer
  • Vendor
  • Department

Updated May 23, 2023 21:25