Compare a report with last time

Save runs so every later run shows what changed.

In short

A saved report is stored whole and never changes. When you save the same report over the same length of time again, it is compared with the saved report that covers the period just before. So each tile shows what changed.

Before you start

• Who: anyone who can run the report; a comparison uses only your own saved runs.
• Plan: Analytics is part of every plan, Free included.
• First: save the report once with "Save report", then again one period later with the same target and period length.

Build a comparison

1. Open the report and press "Save report". The line under the title says First run, and a message says "Report saved".
2. Wait one period - for a 7-day report, a week.
3. Open the same report again with the same target and period length, at about the same time of day, and press "Save report".
4. Read "Compared with the run from" and the earlier date. Each tile shows the earlier value after the word was, plus the change as an amount and a percentage.

Example You saved API project health for the Payments API over 7 days on 8 September and again on 15 September. Pass rate now reads 86.8%, was 91.7%, in red.

What a saved run is

A kept run holds the numbers, tables, charts and summary exactly as they were. It does not change afterwards, even if you delete the records or archive the board - which makes it evidence of how things stood on a date. A preview and a download are never saved.

Good to know

• The comparison is a run you saved of the same report, target and workspace that covers the period immediately before: the same length, ending where this one starts. The newest wins.
• An hour of slack is allowed for every day of the period. For example, a 7-day run on Monday at 14:00 finds one saved the Monday before at 09:00, but not one saved the Thursday before.
• A 7-day run is never set against a 30-day run, and someone else's saved run is never used for yours.
• A saved report opened later is compared with the run before its own.
• A schedule keeps the rhythm for you.

If something goes wrong

• Every run says First run. Check three things. You pressed "Save report" for the earlier runs, not "Run without saving". You are in the workspace where you saved them. "Saved" holds a report covering the period immediately before.
• Deleted runs, other lengths and other targets never count.

Related

• /help/analytics/saved-reports
• /help/analytics/schedules-and-exports
• /help/analytics/read-a-report