What are pivot tables?
Pivot tables are a visualization type in Explorer that let you analyze multiple metrics side-by-side across different breakdowns. Unlike standard charts that focus on a single metric over time, pivot tables display rows of breakdown values (like competitors, sources, or date ranges) with columns for each metric you want to compare.
This makes pivot tables ideal for multi-metric analysis, competitive comparisons, and identifying patterns across different dimensions of your data.
When to use pivot tables
Pivot tables work best when you need to:
Compare multiple metrics for the same set of entities (for example, mention rate, sentiment, and position for each competitor)
Analyze performance across different breakdowns simultaneously
Export comprehensive data tables that include all metrics in one place
Spot correlations between metrics (such as high mention rate paired with low sentiment)
Tip: If you're analyzing a single metric over time, line charts or bar charts are usually clearer. Use pivot tables when you need to see multiple metrics at once.
Creating a pivot table
To create a pivot table in Explorer:
Navigate to Explorer from the main menu
Select your brand or entity in the query builder
Choose your time range and any filters you want to apply
Add multiple metrics to your query (mention rate, sentiment, position, etc.)
Select a breakdown dimension (competitors, sources, time period, etc.)
Click the visualization picker and choose Pivot Table
The table will display one row for each breakdown value, with a column for each metric you selected.
Understanding the table layout
Rows
Each row represents a breakdown value. For example, if you break down by competitor, each row shows one competitor.
Columns
Each column represents one of your selected metrics. Columns show the metric name and are formatted according to the metric type (percentages for mention rate, scores for sentiment, etc.).
Sorting
Click any column header to sort the table by that metric. Click again to reverse the sort order. This makes it easy to identify top performers or outliers.
Search and filtering
For tables with many rows, use the search box at the top to filter breakdown values by name. This is particularly useful when analyzing dozens of competitors or citation sources.
Common use cases
Competitive benchmarking
Break down by competitor and include mention rate, sentiment, and position to see how your brand compares across all key metrics in a single view.
Citation source analysis
Break down by source domain and compare citation count, unique prompts, and unique responses to identify your most valuable sources.
Time-based performance review
Break down by week or month and track how multiple metrics have changed over time in a compact table format.
Sub-brand comparison
Break down by sub-brand or product and compare their individual mention rates and sentiment scores to understand which offerings get the most positive attention.