Generating an Object Comparison Report

You can generate a comparison report that includes any number of objects from the search results. You can select which object to compare and which attributes will be included the comparison report. Attributes that are different from the base object are highlighted in red. The report can include objects of varying types, but only attributes of the base object are considered for comparison.

Before you begin: Search for at least two objects that you want to compare. See Running a Search.
Related Topics
Searching
Exporting Data
Printing a Page

  1. From the Search Results page, check two or more objects to compare.

  2. Click from the page toolbar of a Search Results page.

    The Select Object for Basis of Comparison page opens.



    If any of the fields include an mxLink (hyperlink to an ENOVIA object), that field is converted to straight text and cannot be clicked.

  3. Click the button next to the object you want to use as a basis for comparison, that is, the object that you want to compare other objects to. For example, if you want to compare cost or effectivity dates, select an object that contains those attributes.

  4. Click Next. The Select Attributes page opens.


    • The Basic Attributes section shows attributes common to all objects: description, modified date, originated date, owner, and state.
    • The Extended Attributes section shows additional attributes specific to the type of object you selected as a basis for comparison.



  5. Select whether you want attributes in the report displayed in Columns or Rows.

    You can change the display when the report is shown using the Pivot command.

  6. Check the attributes that you want to appear on the comparison report.

  7. Click Next.

    The Comparison Report page opens. Dissimilar attributes are highlighted in red. Type, name and revision always appear on the comparison report and differences in these are not highlighted.

    Attributes with units of measure compare values based on the default units stored in the database. The default units and displayed units may differ, and the objects in two rows in the report may have different units. However, if the values are equivalent, such as 1000 gm and 1 kg, then the report will not mark these values as different.

    The comparison between the attribute values is done after trimming any leading or trailing blank spaces. Therefore, no difference is highlighted in values with or without leading or trailing blanks. Also, no value (Null) is considered as empty string.



    For attributes configured with units of measure, the report shows the values with the units of measure as originally entered, followed by the values with your preferred units, such as:

    50.0 Kilogram (110.231123802 Pound)

    If the units are the same, you only see one value.

  8. To select other attributes to compare or other objects for comparison, click Previous and repeat steps 5 through 7.

  9. Work with the comparison report:


    • To change the attribute headings from columns to rows or vice versa, click Pivot from the page toolbar.
    • To export the report data, click from the page toolbar. For details, see . Differences are not highlighted in exported data.
    • To print the page, click in the page toolbar and use the browser's Print button. Differences are highlighted in gray on the printer-friendly page.

  10. Click Done to close the report page.