By simply clicking on the "Compare" button (shown on the left) in the Query Results Viewer, LegendBurster is able to compare a query's attributes with the attributes of any selected mapObject, highlighting matching attribute values in green, conflicting values in red, and partial matches in blue.
It is able to explain why a match or conflict has been recognised, and is able to output comparisons to the printer, to an Excel spreadsheet, or to a web page (in HTML).
Before being output in any of these formats, additional columns may be added to the comparison report to record the observations of the user - a very useful facility for permanent storage of valuable information which arises during data interpretation or auditing exercises.
The three columns labeled |<- 1 ->| in the above illustration present the attribute/value pairs of the query (a query called "Sn1b" in the illustration), as well as their expected frequencies.
The three columns labeled |<- 2 ->| present the attribute/value pairs of the mapObject (called "MObj 1037" in the illustration), as well as whether they are present or absent.
Matching or conflicting attributes are presented on the same line as their matching or conflicting attribute, as evidenced in the green lines above. Conflicts, such as that flagged in red for TectonicEnvironment above, which arise from a "silence implies absence" consideration, will not have a corresponding attribute.
The column labeled |<- 3 ->| reports on the type of match or conflict recognised, and columns labeled |<- 4 ->| show whatever comments may be present for each attribute in the query and the compared mapObject. There are no comments recorded in the above illustration.
Area 5 of the Comparison Form applies only to advanced LegendBurster applications which employ hetero-inheritance, and allows the user to control whether or not inherited attributes (which can become very numerous) are displayed. When inherited attributes are not operational, LegendBurster uses its default setting of "Don't show inherited attributes".
Area 6 of the form allows control over which object is displayed on the left side of the form: the query or the mapObject. Clicking the "Map Object In Focus" button will move the mapObject to the left side - which may be preferable for certain reporting requirements, particularly when printing or storing a number of comparisons.
Area 7 simply reflects the query's score, and the parameters under which the query was run, conditions which are described in the section entitled "The Query Manager".
Area 8 shows the details of the comparison. Double clicking the left mouse button on any matching or conflicting pair of attributes will produce an explanation of why the match or conflict has been recorded - as shown in the example below:
Where reference to an attribute value hierarchy is necessary to recognise the match or conflict, each linking step in the hierarchy is reported as part of the explanation. A listing of the range of possible explanations that may be received in this context may be found in the section entitled "Types of Matches and Conflicts".
A number of additional functions for working with the Comparison Report are available from a drop-down menu activated by right-clicking anywhere inside the Comparison Report.