Why this matters
Compare Periods launched with two display modes: Aligned and Overlay. The top request from customers was bringing back a true side-by-side view, the kind where two independent charts sit next to each other so you can compare the overall shape of each period.
Split brings that back. But the team also added Delta, a new mode that shows the dollar difference between periods. If a month comes in high, Delta shows you the day it started and the services behind it, so you bring a date and a service name to the conversation. If you just finished a rightsizing or bought a commitment, Delta shows the savings in dollars, which is what you need before you report the number to anyone.
Along the way, the team rearranged chart types across modes and folded Overlay’s line view into Aligned, so now there are three focused display modes, each with its own chart types.
What we built
Three display modes:
Aligned is the default. Both periods on one chart with three chart types: bar (grouped paired bars), line (solid for base, dashed for compared, absorbing what was previously the Overlay mode), and mixed (bars plus a line overlay).
Split puts two independent charts next to each other, compared period on the left and base period on the right. Each chart has its own y-axis and date labels, and they share one color palette so you can track a service across both. Available as bar or line.
Delta shows the cost difference between periods as a diverging chart around a zero line. Increases above in red, decreases below in green, with the net change and subtotals in the header. Available as bar (net change per interval) or line (per-service breakdown with a dashed net-total line).
The toolbar also has a new labeled Compare button for easier access, and every tooltip, legend, and header now uses consistent Base Period and Compared Period language.
How it works
Open an Explorer view and click Compare. Pick a preset, or open the drawer for a custom range. Choose Aligned, Split, or Delta, and switch as your question changes.
Comparisons carry up to 10 series. Your display mode sticks between sessions and travels in the URL, so a comparison you send a teammate opens the way you left it.
