Create comparison reports

Comparison reports are data visualizations in Business Analyst Web App that can be displayed as charts or tables comparing two or more sites. Unlike standard PDF reports, comparison reports are interactive, allowing you to switch views and add sites or comparison categories. When you are satisfied with your report, you can share it with other Business Analyst users or export it to Excel.

Esri comparison reports contain sets of preselected variables that provide information about popular demographic categories: population, households, income, housing, and geography.

To create a comparison report, do the following:

  1. In the Reports tab, click Comparison reports. Alternately, select Comparisons from a site's pop-up menu.

    The Comparison reports window appears. If you have already created a comparison report, the window displays your most recently used comparison report for the two most recently used sites. To modify a comparison report, you can add or remove variables and add or remove sites.

  2. In the Select report drop-down menu, choose an Esri comparison report.
  3. Click Add sites and select sites to compare.

    Once you have selected sites, click Apply. The report appears as a table, with rows displaying site information and columns displaying variables.

  4. Explore the report in table view by switching the rows and columns and expanding sites' rings, drive times, or walk times.

    You can also view the comparison in chart view.

    • Click Switch rows and columns Switch rows and columns to view the sites in columns and the data variables in rows. You can also drag the rows and columns to modify their positions in the table.
    • Click the drop-down menu beneath a site name to select a different ring, drive time, or walk time to use in the comparison. Check the Expand rings, drive time, or walk time check box to include all rings, drive times, and walk times in the comparison table.
    • To compare all the sites in the comparison report with a particular site, click Options Options and click Make benchmark. By default, the values are classified by intervals with equal counts (quantile method). To modify the class break values, click Edit ranges.
    • To compare one site in the report with its census tract, ZIP Code, county, state, and country, click Options Options and click Compare with geographies. In the window that appears, click Yes. This removes all other sites from the comparison report and replaces them with the chosen site's nearby geographies.
    • Click the Chart tab to view the comparison as a chart. Hover the cursor over any bar in the chart, or any circle on the line graphs, to view the value of the associated variable. To change a variable's color, click the color thumbnail next to its name in the legend and choose a different color.

      Note:

      Chart view uses multiple visualizations to display different types of variables. Variables representing a count are displayed as a bar graph. Variables representing a percent or index are represented as line graphs with a separate, color-coded vertical axis.

  5. To print your comparison report or save it as a PDF, click Print and follow instructions for your printer. To export your comparison report as an Excel file, click Export.
    Note:

    If you have added a benchmark to the report, this styling is not preserved when exporting to an Excel file.

Add or remove variables

You can add and remove variables from any comparison report. Adding variables to an Esri Comparison report allows you to customize it and save it as a custom report. To modify the variables in a report, do the following:

  1. Click Add variables.

    The Add variables window appears.

  2. Use the data browser to browse and search for variables. Select the check box next to the variable you want to add.

    The Selected variables list updates to reflect all selected variables. To go back to the main data browser page, click Categories or Add more variables. You can remove variables from the Selected variables list by deselecting the check box next to the variable you want to remove.

  3. When you are done adding variables, click Apply.

    The comparison report now shows all the variables you selected. The title of the comparison report has been altered to reflect that the Esri comparison report has been edited.

  4. To modify a variable from within the comparison report, click Options Options and do the following:
    • To replace a variable, click Replace variable.
    • To sort the sites in the comparison report based on a variable's value, click Sort ascending or Sort descending.
    • To remove a variable from the comparison report, click Delete.

Add or remove sites

You can add and remove sites from any comparison report. To modify the sites in a report, do the following:

  1. Click Add sites.

    The Add sites window appears.

  2. Choose sites from the following tabs: Recent, Currently on map, From projects, Neighboring geographies, or Statistical comparisons.
  3. Check the check box for the sites that you want to add to the comparison report. To remove a site, uncheck its check box.
  4. When you are done selecting sites, click Apply.

    The comparison table or chart is updated to reflect the altered selection of sites, geographies, and statistical comparisons.

  5. To modify a site from within the comparison report, click Options Options and do the following:
    • To replace a site, click Replace site.
    • To remove a site from the comparison report, click Delete.

Create a custom comparison report

A custom comparison report consists of a set of variables you have chosen. Once you have created and saved your custom comparison report, you can run the comparison report on any sites in your projects. To create a comparison report, do the following:

  1. Click Create new report.

    If you were working on a report, the Confirm dialog box appears. Click Yes. The Add variables dialog box appears.

  2. Use the data browser to browse and search for variables. Select the check box next to the variable you want to add.

    The Selected variables list updates to reflect all selected variables. To go back to the main data browser page, click Categories or Add more variables. You can remove variables from the Selected variables list by deselecting the check box next to the variable you want to remove.

  3. When you are done adding variables, click Apply.

    The comparison report now shows all the variables you selected, along with your most recently used sites. To modify the sites in the comparison report, you can add or remove sites.

  4. Click Save.
  5. In the Save report dialog box, enter a name for your comparison report and click Save.

    Your comparison report is saved. You can view the report in the Select report drop-down menu under My comparison reports.

  6. To delete, share, or rename a saved comparison report, hover the cursor over it and do any of the following:
    • Click Delete report Remove to delete the report.
    • Click Share report Share to share the report with others. You can share with all users in your organization or select the groups with which you want to share.
    • Click Rename report Edit to rename the report.

Set preferences

You can set preferences for Business Analyst Web App in the application preferences. For comparison reports, you can specify preferences for the colors used to depict comparisons and the geography levels compared. Administrators can set preferences for the entire organization.

To set the workflow preferences, do the following:

  1. On the app header, click My preferences Preferences.

    The Preferences window appears.

  2. Expand the Reports section and click Comparison reports.
  3. You can set the following preferences:
    • Use the Benchmark colors drop-down menu to select a color ramp for the results in the comparison when a benchmark is applied.

    • Select the geography levels to compare with selected sites. These geography levels are used when you open a site's Options Options menu and click Compare with geographies.

    You can restore the default settings by clicking Restore defaults.

  4. To save your changes, click Save or, optionally, click Save and close to close the Preferences window. To view your changes, refresh the app.

Workflow video