Period comparison

Period comparison (a variance report) puts every metric next to its value in the previous period, so you can see what moved and by how much without exporting two reports.

Switch it on#

1. Open Reporting → Reports and build the view you want (date range, group-by, filters, metrics).
2. Switch on vs previous period in the builder toolbar.
3. Every metric cell now shows the current value with a change badge underneath. Hover a cell to see "Previous period: <value>".

The setting is part of the URL, so a shared link opens with the comparison on. It works in the partner and advertiser portals too.

Which period is "previous"?#

The previous period starts one window-length earlier: a 7-day range is compared with the 7 days before it. When the current window is still running (it includes "now"), only the elapsed part is compared, so intraday comparisons stay fair.

How rows are matched#

• Rows are matched on the same dimension values: offer X now vs offer X before, US vs US, and so on.
• Date and hour rows are matched with the same day or hour one window earlier. With a 7-day range, 12 Oct is compared with 5 Oct, and 12 Oct 14:00 with 5 Oct 14:00.
• Week and month rows have no exact counterpart and show no comparison.
• A row that did not exist before shows new (or — when both values are zero). For count metrics a missing previous row counts as 0.
• The totals row is always compared with the totals of the previous period.

Reading the badge#

Colours: green is better, red is worse. For most metrics an increase is better; for Rejected, Bot clicks, Payout and CPC a decrease is shown green. A zero change is grey.

Limits#

• Metric filters (Rows) apply only to the current period; the previous period is computed without them, so a row filtered in now is still compared with its unfiltered previous value.
• Up to 10,000 rows of the previous period are loaded for matching. Very large pivots may show new for rows beyond that.
• Custom metrics are shown without a comparison badge.
• The money currency of the previous period is the same as the current one.
• Comparison is not part of the REST API call shown under API request, and it is not added to CSV exports.

Typical uses#

• Daily stand-up: range Yesterday, group by Offer, metrics Clicks, Conversions, Revenue, Profit — see which offers moved.
• Partner quality: range Last 7 days, group by Affiliate, metrics CVR, Rejected — red badges show partners whose rejection count rose.
• Intraday pacing: range Today, group by Hour — each hour against the same hour yesterday.

Related#

• Report builder
• KPI alerts — get notified automatically when a metric crosses a threshold.