Comparison Tables

About Comparison Tables

Use a Comparison Table report for a side-by-side comparison of data in selected records; for example:

As well as data values, comparison table reports can include:

• Statistical summary data The mean, median, standard deviation (of a sample), minimum and maximum value are calculated for numeric attributes. The number of values used in the calculation for an attribute is also shown (Count).

  

• Data quality information. Where quality ratings are available for the data, they can be included in the report, and you can set the quality rating threshold. Note that changing the value of the threshold on the Comparison Table Report page changes the application default for the database throughout the application.

  

Comparing functional data

For Comparison Tables that include functional data attributes, a graph is shown (when viewing the data on screen only). Click to see an example  

You can modify the parameter values by clicking Tools > Change parameters at the top of the page.  

Comparing tabular data

Both local and linked tabular data can be included in a Comparison Table. Because linked tabular data is typically too complex to be displayed on screen, you will need to create a Comparison Table Excel report to view it.  

Create a Comparison Table

To create the report from the Record List

1. Add the records of interest to the Record List, and then click   Comparison Table.
2. Where report templates have been set up, you can select one from the Report Template list: this will add a predefined set of attributes to the report.
3. To select the attributes you want in the report (or to add/remove attributes if you selected a template), you can
   • Type the attribute name in the text field, and/or
   • Click Add attributes to your report and select the attributes you want from the browse tree; click Continue when you have finished selecting attributes.
4. To include statistical data in your report, select an option from the Select the data to include on the report list and specify how you want to handle zero values for the statistical summaries.
5. To view the report on screen, click View This Report.
6. To create an Excel version of the report without viewing it on screen first, click Generate an Excel Report.

To create the report from search results

1. Search for the records of interest, using the properties that you want to include in the report as search criteria.
2. On the Search tab to the left of the Search results list, click    Attribute Table Report.

Working with Comparison Tables

Click Generate an Excel Report to save the Comparison Table in Excel (XLXS) format; see Comparison Table Excel reports.

Click Save as CSV to download the report to a CSV file.

Click Transpose Table to transpose the rows and columns in the on-screen table. Note that this only applies when viewing the report on screen: the default table layout (records=rows, attributes=columns) is used when saving the data to the clipboard, to a CSV file, or as an Excel report.

Click Copy To Clipboard to copy the report data to the clipboard.

In the toolbar at the top of the page:

• View > Printable Report opens the report in a separate browser tab so that you can print it using your browser's Print function.
• Tools > Change parameters allows you to modify functional data parameters.
• Units allows you to use different units in the report. (This will only be available if the current database contains two or more unit systems.)

Comparison Table Excel reports

Saving a Comparison Table as an Excel report allows the full range of Excel analytical and visualization functionality to be used to explore the data. For Comparison Tables that include linked tabular data, this is the only way you can view the data.  Click to see an example

Comparison Table Excel Reports are created and managed in the same way as analysis reports: you set up the report in MI:Viewer (select the records of interest, and specify which attributes you are interested in), and then you submit it to a job queue, where the report is created in the background. You can then download the finished report (XLSX) from the Report Monitor tool.

To create a Comparison Table Excel report, click Generate an Excel Report and then click on the Your report was submitted link at the top of the page to open the Report Monitor in a new tab. After logging in to the Report Monitor, you will be able to download your completed report; see the Report Monitor topic for more information about downloading and managing your reports.

Note that the Generate an Excel Report button will be disabled if reporting has not been configured by your MI Application Administrator.

Report settings

The maximum number of records and attributes that can be included in the report, and the inclusion/exclusion of quality rating data when available are both application options and may be changed in Settings: see Application options: Number of results per page and Database options:Quality System Options.