• Graphs are usually plotted against a comparable prior period. Metrics make sense when compared against prior periods, so that you have a proper apples-to-apples comparison (for instance, you’ll want to compare holiday periods to a prior holiday period, not to a slow period).
• Graphs show two or more timelines, for example, trailing 6-week and trailing 12-months. Small but important issues tend to only show up in shorter trend lines; they tend to be smoothed out in longer ones.
From Amazon WBR:
• Graphs are usually plotted against a comparable prior period. Metrics make sense when compared against prior periods, so that you have a proper apples-to-apples comparison (for instance, you’ll want to compare holiday periods to a prior holiday period, not to a slow period). • Graphs show two or more timelines, for example, trailing 6-week and trailing 12-months. Small but important issues tend to only show up in shorter trend lines; they tend to be smoothed out in longer ones.