Create a relative compare visualization for a breakdown widget

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 5 minutes to read

    • To show how the relative proportions of several indicators change over time, use a relative compare visualization for a time series.

    Before you begin

    Role required: pa_admin or admin

    About this task

    Note:
    This feature is part of the Core UI front end. It is not supported on Platform Analytics dashboards or UI Builder pages, except to a limited extent when migrated in compatibility mode. To build Platform Analytics components, see Data visualizations in Platform Analytics or Filters in Platform Analytics.

    This feature is deprecated, meaning it is in maintenance mode and is no longer being augmented or changed. Only security fixes to this feature will be addressed.

    Like a pie chart, a relative compare visualization shows relative proportions between data points, but it can also show how those proportions change over time. Traditional uses of relative compare visualizations are stock charts or population growth trends. When you create a relative compare visualization, it uses a baseline of zero and then shows how the data changes over time.

    For example, this visualization shows the number of open incidents from December to March for three different incident types. When you point to a line, the number of incidents and the percentage change for that day appear. The percentage change shown for a data point is calculated from a baseline of zero, not the previous data point as on most other time series visualizations.
    Figure 1. Example of a relative compare visualization
    The number of open incidents for three incident types as a related column visualization

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Performance Analytics > Widgets and click New.
    2. In the Name field, give the widget a name that reflects the information being displayed.
    3. In the Type field, select Breakdown.
      If you change the value of Type after you fill in other fields, those fields are cleared.
    4. In the Visualization field, select Relative Compare.
      You can let the user switch between visualizations. Select Show visualization selector in the Display settings tab.
    5. In the Indicator field, select the main indicator which you want to break down.
    6. Select the breakdown to group the scores.
      You may also set a breakdown and element to filter the scores.
      • For the widget to show scores grouped by the elements of a breakdown, select a breakdown in the Breakdown field. Do not select an element or a second breakdown.
      • You can have the widget show different elements depending on characteristics of the viewer. To do so, specify an elements filter in the Element Settings tab. Do not specify an element in the Element field. You can personalize only the first-level breakdown elements. For more information, see Personalized visuals.
      • For the widget to show scores filtered by an element of one breakdown then grouped by the elements of another breakdown, select the filtering breakdown and element in the Breakdown and Element fields. Then select the grouping breakdown in the 2nd Breakdown field. The widget shows scores for each element of the 2nd Breakdown but only if they match the first Breakdown and Element.
        Note:
        • Second-level breakdowns must be enabled on the indicator record, in the Collect breakdown matrix tab.
        • To have a second breakdown, Follow element must be disabled. Dashboard breakdowns count as one breakdown level of the two that are possible.
      • The widget can also show scores grouped by one breakdown and filtered by an element that the user selects on a breakdown dashboard. Select the grouping breakdown in the Breakdown field. Then select Follow element as described in a later step.
      Important:
      If the widget is for a formula indicator, all contributing indicators in the formula must support the breakdown. Otherwise an error message instead of a value appears in the widget on a dashboard.
    7. To have the widget follow the breakdown elements that are selected on a breakdown dashboard, follow these steps:
      1. Select Follow element.

        Selecting this option removes the ability to set a filtering breakdown on the widget. Scores are grouped by the elements of the first breakdown and filtered by the elements that the user selects on the dashboard.

      2. Optional: Set which of the available breakdowns to follow in Followed breakdown.
        Breakdown dashboards let you select a breakdown source and elements. However, an indicator can use more than one breakdown that is based on the same breakdown source. Use this setting to determine which of these breakdowns to apply in a breakdown dashboard.

        For example, the indicator Number of open incidents uses two breakdowns: Assigned to, and Opened by. Both breakdowns are based on the Users.Active breakdown source. Consider the case where you create a widget for this indicator and you have the widget follow elements on breakdown dashboards. You want the widget to show separate values for the elements of the breakdown Assigned to. Therefore, you select Assigned to in the field Followed breakdown.

      3. In Show multiple elements as, only the Aggregated view is possible.
      For more information, see Configure widgets for breakdown dashboards.
      Note:
      The Followed breakdown relation menu works only with Scorecard visualizations. Also, multiple element selection on a breakdown dashboard is not supported on the widget when you set a breakdown relation to follow.
    8. Optional: Fill in any of the following fields:
      Field Description
      Time series Run a function on the scores for a specific time period, such as applying a 7-day sum or average. from being applied to the indicator. For more information, see Applying time series aggregations.
      Note:
      Business and fiscal calendars do not support time series aggregations. You cannot set a time series aggregation on a widget for an indicator that uses such a calendar.
      Sort on

      Sort direction

      		 Sort the data on the Sort on attribute. Then select whether to sort in ascending or descending order.
      Note:
      The system attempts to sort the data based on the scores from the latest collection job. If the latest job did not collect any scores, the Sort on setting is ignored.
      Color scheme A spectrum of colors for the scores for all breakdowns. If only one breakdown is shown, only the first color is used.

      If you do not specify a color scheme, the colors defined in the system property glide.ui.chart.default.colors apply.

      You can create your own color scheme instead of using a provided color scheme. For more information, see Create a color scheme.
    9. In the Date Settings tab, select Show date range indicator.
    10. Review the Settings tabs and adjust other settings as desired.
    11. Click Submit.

    What to do next

    To view the widget, add it to a dashboard or a portal.