What Is Compare Mode?

Compare mode lets you place a second time period on top of your current chart. The current period and the comparison period are displayed together - on the same chart or in two stacked charts - so you can see exactly how energy patterns have changed.

Why use it?

• Check whether today's consumption matches the same day last week, last month, or last year.
• Identify whether a recent change - a new schedule, a new piece of equipment, a season change - has had a measurable impact.
• Spot anomalies by seeing how the current period deviates from a historical baseline.

Note: Compare mode requires the Optimize package. If you do not see the Compare button in the toolbar, contact your administrator.

How to Activate Compare Mode

1. Open a TimeView chart with at least one device selected.
2. Click the Compare button in the toolbar above the chart. The button shows a small caret (^) and the tooltip reads "Compare the current period to an earlier time range to spot changes and anomalies."
3. The Compare popover opens. Choose a comparison period (see the next section).
4. Click the orange Compare button at the bottom of the popover to apply.

Choosing a Comparison Period

The Compare popover has two panels side by side.

Left panel - Choose how to set the range:

Starting on / Ending on - these radio buttons control how a date you pick anchors the comparison period. Starting on (the default) means the date you pick becomes the start of the comparison; the end is calculated automatically to match your current period's duration. Ending on means the date you pick becomes the end.

Date input field - type a date directly in dd/mm/yyyy format. The calendar updates to reflect what you type.

Presets - four quick options that calculate the comparison range relative to your current period:

Each preset shows the calculated date range below its name. Clicking a preset pre-fills the date field and highlights the range on the calendar. You still need to click Compare to apply it.

Right panel - Calendar:

The calendar shows two scrollable months. The legend at the top uses two markers: Current period (blue outline) marks the dates of your active view; Main period (gray) marks what is already selected as the main range. Click any date to set the comparison start (or end, if Ending on is selected). The comparison range is highlighted once a valid selection is made.

Bottom bar:

Once a range is selected, a badge appears showing the duration and the date range (for example, 7 days Jul 14 - Jul 20, 2025). The orange Compare button becomes active. Click it to apply. Click Cancel to close without making changes.

The Compare Indicator

After you apply a comparison period, the Compare button in the toolbar is replaced by an indicator chip. The chip shows the comparison you set — for example, vs Previous 24 hours × or vs Same period 3 months ago ×.

To the right of the chip are two small toggle icons:

• The overlay icon (stacked layers) - both periods on the same chart.
• The split icon (two rows) - two separate charts stacked vertically.

Click the chip text at any time to re-open the popover and change the comparison period.

Overlay Mode vs. Split Mode

Overlay Mode

In overlay mode, both periods are drawn on the same chart and the same time axis.

• Current period - solid lines in the series color.
• Compared period - dashed lines in the same series color.

The Y-axis scales to fit both datasets. Other chart elements - schedule shading, temperature overlay - remain visible underneath both series.

Split Mode

In split mode, the chart area divides into two stacked charts.

• Top chart - labeled with the current period date range (e.g., Current: Jul 19 - Jul 20, 2026). Shows solid lines or solid bars.
• Bottom chart - labeled with the comparison period date range (e.g., Compared: Jul 18 - Jul 19, 2026). Shows dashed lines or hatched bars.

Each chart has its own Y-axis and date labels. Zooming or panning in one chart affects both simultaneously.

To switch to split mode, click the split icon next to the compare indicator chip. Click the overlay icon to switch back.

Reading the Chart in Compare Mode

The visual difference between current and compared data depends on the chart type, but the color is always the same for both periods.

Line charts (Power, short time ranges):

• Solid line = current period
• Dashed line = comparison period

Bar charts (Energy, longer time ranges such as Last 12 months):

• Solid filled bars = current period
• Diagonal hatched bars = comparison period

Both periods use the same assigned color for each device.

Reading the Legend

When compare mode is active, the legend panel shows two entries for each device. The indicator icon matches the chart type:

• For line charts: — Current (solid line) and ··· Compared (dashed line).
• For bar charts: ■ Current (filled square) and ▩ Compared (hatched square).

Click the eye icon next to either entry to temporarily hide that series on the chart without deactivating compare mode.

Hover Tooltip in Compare Mode

When you hover over the chart, the tooltip shows data for both periods in a single view. The header row shows the timestamps for each period:

CURRENT [timestamp] — COMPARED [timestamp]

Below the header, each device appears as a row:

device name | current value | ↑ / ↓ delta % | compared value

The delta percentage shows the change between the two periods, with an arrow indicating the direction. For example: 146 kW ↑ 63.0% 89.5 kW means the current reading is 63% higher than the compared reading.

For bar charts, a totals row appears at the bottom of the tooltip showing CURRENT TOTAL and COMPARED TOTAL for the selected period.

In split mode, hovering over either chart shows the tooltip with data from both periods simultaneously.

Deactivating Compare Mode

Click the × on the compare indicator chip to deactivate compare mode. The chart immediately returns to single-period view. The comparison date range is not saved - you will need to set it again if you want to compare later.

Things to Know

Presets adjust automatically when you change the time range. If you activated compare mode using one of the four presets, the comparison period recalculates when you change the main time range (for example, switching from Last 7 days to Last 30 days). The chip updates to show the new compared range.

Manual dates clear when the time range changes. If you set a comparison period using a specific custom date, and then change the main time range to a different duration, compare mode is cleared automatically. You will see the chart return to single-period view.

Export is not available in compare mode. The download button in the toolbar is disabled while compare mode is active. Switch back to single-period view to export data.

Compare settings are saved in presets. If you save the current view as a preset while compare mode is active, the comparison range (using absolute dates) is included. Loading that preset later restores compare mode automatically.

Related Articles

• Reading the TimeView Chart 
• Setting the time range, presets & calendar