--- title: COMPARE TO description: Compare ShopifyQL results to another period or target. api_version: 2026-07 source_url: html: 'https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/compare-to' md: 'https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/compare-to.md' api_name: shopifyql --- # COMPARE TO Use `COMPARE TO` to compare the query's reporting period against another baseline. A comparison can use another [comparison range](#comparison-ranges), a [relative comparison period](#relative-comparison-periods), or configured targets. ShopifyQL adds a [generated comparison column](#generated-comparison-columns) for each compared metric. Set the reporting period with [`SINCE`, `UNTIL`, or `DURING`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/since-until-during), and reference the comparison columns from [`SHOW`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/from-and-show#show), [`ORDER BY`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/order-by), or [`HAVING`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/having). ## Syntax ```shopifyql COMPARE TO comparison[, ...] comparison: date [UNTIL date] TARGETS ``` *** ## Comparison ranges **Note:** `TARGETS` is available only when the query's schema supports it. Set what ShopifyQL compares the reporting period against. A date comparison reuses the same [relative, absolute, named, and date-function forms](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/since-until-during) as the reporting period, with an optional `UNTIL` to set the comparison's end. Other comparisons measure results against configured metric goals. * Compare to a relative period with a named operator, such as `COMPARE TO previous_year`. * Compare to a period starting on an absolute date, such as `COMPARE TO 2023-01-01`. * Compare to a named date range, such as `COMPARE TO last_week`. * Compare to a period resolved by a date function, such as `COMPARE TO startOfQuarter(-3q)`. * Set an explicit comparison range end with `UNTIL`, such as `COMPARE TO startOfQuarter(-3q) UNTIL endOfQuarter(-3q)`. * Compare against configured metric targets with `COMPARE TO TARGETS`. Examples ### Examples * #### ##### Description Compare daily \[\`sessions\`]\(/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/schemas/sessions\_and\_behavior/sessions#sessionsmetric-propertydetail-sessions) across January 2026 against the same days in January 2025. This example uses an absolute \`COMPARE TO\` range to anchor the comparison column to fixed prior dates. ##### ShopifyQL ```shopifyql FROM sessions SHOW sessions TIMESERIES day SINCE 2026-01-01 UNTIL 2026-01-31 COMPARE TO 2025-01-01 UNTIL 2025-01-31 ORDER BY day ASC ``` * #### ##### Description Compare daily \[\`total\_sales\`]\(/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/schemas/sales\_revenue/sales#salesmetric-propertydetail-totalsales) for the previous quarter against the quarter two before it. This example uses date functions with \`COMPARE TO ... UNTIL\` (\`startOfQuarter\` and \`endOfQuarter\`) to resolve both the reporting period and a fixed comparison range. ##### ShopifyQL ```shopifyql FROM sales SHOW total_sales TIMESERIES day SINCE startOfQuarter(-1q) UNTIL endOfQuarter(-1q) COMPARE TO startOfQuarter(-3q) UNTIL endOfQuarter(-3q) ORDER BY day ASC ``` *** ## Relative comparison periods Compare the reporting period to an earlier period of the same length, measured back from the selected period. Use a named relative operator instead of writing out the comparison date range. * **previous\_​period** **previous\_period** One period before the base date range. * **previous\_​year** **previous\_year** One year before the base date range. * **previous\_​year\_​match\_​day\_​of\_​week** **previous\_year\_match\_day\_of\_week** 52 weeks before the base date range. * **previous\_​quarter** **previous\_quarter** One quarter before the base date range. * **previous\_​month** **previous\_month** One month before the base date range. * **previous\_​week** **previous\_week** One week before the base date range. * **previous\_​day** **previous\_day** One day before the base date range. * **previous\_​hour** **previous\_hour** One hour before the base date range. * **previous\_​minute** **previous\_minute** One minute before the base date range. * **previous\_​second** **previous\_second** One second before the base date range. Examples ### Examples * #### ##### Description Compare daily \[\`sessions\`]\(/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/schemas/sessions\_and\_behavior/sessions#sessionsmetric-propertydetail-sessions) for last week against the week immediately before. This example uses \`COMPARE TO previous\_period\` to derive the comparison range automatically from the reporting period's length. ##### ShopifyQL ```shopifyql FROM sessions SHOW sessions TIMESERIES day DURING last_week COMPARE TO previous_period ORDER BY day ASC ``` * #### ##### Description Compare daily \[\`total\_sales\`]\(/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/schemas/sales\_revenue/sales#salesmetric-propertydetail-totalsales) by sales channel for last month against the month before. This example uses \`COMPARE TO previous\_month\` to benchmark each channel against the prior month. ##### ShopifyQL ```shopifyql FROM sales SHOW total_sales GROUP BY sales_channel TIMESERIES day DURING last_month COMPARE TO previous_month ORDER BY day ASC, total_sales DESC ``` *** ## Generated comparison columns When a query uses `COMPARE TO`, ShopifyQL adds a result column for each compared metric. The generated name combines the metric and the comparison period, so the same metric can carry more than one comparison column. Reference a generated comparison column by name in [`ORDER BY`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/order-by), [`HAVING`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/having), or [`VISUALIZE`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/visualize#visualize). The comparison period determines the suffix: * A relative comparison generates `comparison_net_sales__previous_year`. * An absolute-date comparison generates `comparison_net_sales__20230101`. * A named-date comparison generates `comparison_net_sales__last_week`. * A date-function comparison generates `comparison_net_sales__startOfQuarter_sub_3q`, where minus signs become `sub`. Examples ### Examples * #### ##### Description Rank product types by \[\`gross\_sales\`]\(/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/schemas/sales\_revenue/sales#salesmetric-propertydetail-grosssales) for the current year. This example uses the generated \`comparison\_gross\_sales\_\_previous\_year\` column in \[\`ORDER BY\`]\(/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/syntax/order-by) to sort by the previous year. ##### ShopifyQL ```shopifyql FROM sales SHOW gross_sales GROUP BY product_type DURING this_year COMPARE TO previous_year ORDER BY comparison_gross_sales__previous_year DESC LIMIT 10 ``` * #### ##### Description Sort billing countries by \[\`orders\`]\(/docs/api/shopifyql/latest/schemas/sales\_revenue/sales#salesmetric-propertydetail-orders) for January 2024. This example uses an absolute \`COMPARE TO\` range, which generates a date-stamped column like \`comparison\_orders\_\_20230101\` to sort by. ##### ShopifyQL ```shopifyql FROM sales SHOW orders GROUP BY billing_country SINCE 2024-01-01 UNTIL 2024-01-31 COMPARE TO 2023-01-01 UNTIL 2023-01-31 ORDER BY comparison_orders__20230101 DESC LIMIT 10 ``` ***