Generating an Object Comparison Report

You can compare the attribute values of two objects. You can select which attributes will be included the comparison report. The report can include objects of different types, but only attributes of the base object are considered for comparison.

Before you begin:
  • Open a list page containing the items you want to compare.
  • Search for the items you want to compare.
See Also
Exporting Content
  1. Select two items in the list.
  2. From the page toolbar, click > Compare.

    The Select Object for Basis of Comparison page opens listing the selected items.

    If the Description field includes an mxLink (hyperlink to an object), that field is converted to straight text and cannot be clicked.

  3. Select 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. Select the attributes that you want to appear on the comparison report.
  7. Click Next.

    The Compare 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.

    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 an empty string.

    Attributes with units of measure compare values based on the default units stored in the database. The default units and displayed units can differ, and the objects in two rows in the report might have different units. However, if the values are equivalent, such as 1000 gm and 1 kg, then the report does not mark these values as different. 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 content, click > Export . Differences are not highlighted in exported content.
    • To print the page, click > Printer Friendly and use the browser's Print function. Differences are highlighted in gray on the printer-friendly page.

  10. Click Done to close the report page.