Summary
The date-range comparison feature is visible within the Platform Performance Page as well as the Group Reporting Page. The goal of this feature is to be able to provide a dealership with the ability to understand performance over time by comparing a specific range of dates.
Function
The date range picker is in the upper right hand corner of both the Platform Performance and the Group Reporting Pages. This feature is turned OFF by default so a user should flip ON comparison mode and then select the date ranges they wish to compare.
The user should click on the calendar to select and drag the date range they wish to view. Then they may chose to compare that data in Month Over Month format - the same date interval chosen in the previous calendar month (comparing November 1-9 to December 1-9), or Previous Period format - the exact number of days preceding those originally selected (comparing November 15-30 to November 14 - October 31).
Next to any relevant metric on the page, the value change between the selected date range is displayed in grey with an up or down arrow indicating increase or decrease. An additional tooltip has been added so that upon hover, you can see the labeled date ranges, value changes, as well as the percentage
change.
Export
When exporting data with the comparison feature ON, the CSV will include and display metrics from the range of dates chosen in separate columns for easy comparison.
Date range comparison best practices
- Never include the current day in your date range. The “compare to” earlier range will have all days with a full set of recorded data, whereas the current day will have partial data. We suggest, in general, to use a seven (7) day minimum in each comparison date range. This will smooth out anomalies that can happen on a given day in a week.
- Use the same day of week start and end for both periods. Particularly in automotive, weekdays and weekends can have very different behavior. Also, if behavior related to the measured data is very different at the start or end of the month, give this consideration as well when selecting your comparison range (e.g., make sure both comparison periods include a like end of month or beginning of month instance).
- We do not suggest simply comparing one month to another month. Each month is distinct in either the number of days it covers, or the day of week at the start and end, or in the number of weekends it includes. If, for example, April just started, and you are doing March reporting, don’t just compare March to February. March has 31 days, and February has 28 or 29 days. Instead, consider comparable 28 day periods. Selecting the last 28 days, and comparing to the previous period, will automatically assign like day of week to the start and end of both periods, although you may still need to adjust for start and end of the month as well.
- Consider the impact of holidays on your date range comparison. There is obvious bias introduced, for example, if one date range includes the week of Thanksgiving and one does not.