Comparative Analysis in Datarails Dashboards is a powerful feature that allows users to drill deeper into data variances with a single click. Whether you’re reviewing actuals versus budget, current year versus previous year, or analyzing period-over-period shifts, this tool helps uncover the "why" behind the numbers—quickly and interactively.

Comparative Analysis is an interactive investigation tool available within dashboards. It is designed to help users perform in-depth variance analysis directly from a visual widget. Rather than switching contexts or manually filtering data, users can access contextual comparisons immediately by clicking on specific data points.

For example, if you’re analyzing total expenses and notice a spike in a particular month, Comparative Analysis enables you to break that number down—by department, cost center, account, or any other defined breakdown—so you can instantly understand what drove the change.

Create a Comparative Analysis Widget 

1. Navigate to your dashboard and locate the widget containing the relevant metric you wish to explore.

2. Click on the desired data point (e.g., a bar, line, or column in the chart).

3. From the opened menu, select Comparative Analysis.

4. The Comparative Analysis panel will open, showing all filters automatically applied based on the selected data point.

5. Use the ‘Compare to’ dropdown to choose the time frame you'd like to compare against (e.g., Previous Year).

6. Use the ‘Breakdown’ dropdown to select the field by which to break down the data (e.g., Department, Account, Entity).

7. Optionally, adjust the coloring to highlight key variances., and click Add to Dashboard.

8. Name your new breakdown widget and click Save.

9. The new widget will appear below the original widget in the dashboard. You can edit it anytime by clicking the edit (pencil) icon.

Updated May 21, 2025 12:31