> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getnovaplan.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Comparison Center

> Put any two plans side by side and read the variance on every line.

Comparison Center is where you answer "how are we tracking?" It puts any two things on the same P\&L structure side by side and shows the variance on every line, in dollars and percent, with drill-through to the transactions underneath.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Watch the demo" icon="circle-play" href="https://getnovaplan.com/demos">
    A full walkthrough: pick versions, read the variance at a glance, and drill to root cause.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Variance Guide" icon="gauge" href="/reporting/variance-guide">
    How to read a variance, when a percent is material, and how to follow a waterfall.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What You Can Compare

* Rolling forecast versus frozen targets, to see drift since the plan was locked.
* Actuals versus budget, the classic budget-versus-actual variance.
* One scenario versus another, to weigh two paths against each other.
* This version versus last cycle, to see what changed between plans.

## How to Run a Comparison

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick the two sides">
    Choose a base (what you measure against, usually budget or target) and a comparison (usually actuals or the live forecast).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Scope it">
    Narrow to a department, a parent department, an entity, or the whole company. The P\&L structure stays the same on both sides so the lines align.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the variance">
    Each line shows base, comparison, the dollar delta, and the percent delta, with cost-direction coloring so over and under read at a glance.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Drill to the why">
    Click any line to open the transactions behind it, or pivot by department, account, entity, or period to find where the delta concentrates.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Columns You Will See

| Column        | What it means                                                                                       |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Base          | The figure you measure against (budget, target, or prior version)                                   |
| Comparison    | The figure you are testing (actuals or live forecast)                                               |
| Variance (\$) | Comparison minus base, in base currency                                                             |
| Variance (%)  | The dollar variance as a percent of base                                                            |
| Direction     | Color signals whether the move helps or hurts (cost over is unfavorable, revenue over is favorable) |

<Note>
  Variance coloring follows cost direction, not just sign. Spending more than budget reads as unfavorable; earning more revenue than plan reads as favorable. See the [Variance Guide](/reporting/variance-guide) for how to read it.
</Note>

## Common Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why is revenue showing $0 in budget mode?">
    If the budget version you picked carries no mapped revenue rows, the revenue lines come through as zero. Confirm the version actually holds topline data, or compare against a version that does.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do subtotals double-count their children?">
    No. A subtotal rolls up its child lines once. If a subtotal looks inflated, it is usually a stale cached view, so refresh the page to re-pull the numbers.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I compare across different fiscal years?">
    Yes, as long as both sides share the same P\&L structure. The comparison aligns on account and department, not on the calendar label of the version.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I turn a comparison into a written story?">
    Once the comparison tells the story, generate a [Brief](/reporting/briefs) directly from it. Novaplan writes the narrative and builds the waterfall from the same numbers.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## If the Numbers Look Off

* A line that is blank on one side usually means that account or department is not mapped in that version, not that the value is genuinely zero.
* If two versions will not reconcile at the bottom, confirm both are scoped to the same entity and the same period range.
* Chase large unexplained swings through a [pivot](/reporting/data-explorer) by department first, then drill into the transactions.

<Tip>
  When a comparison surfaces something worth explaining, jump straight to a [Brief](/reporting/briefs), or open the [Variance Guide](/reporting/variance-guide) to decide whether the gap is material.
</Tip>