> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.siftstack.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Compare a Run against a baseline

> Compare a new Run against a baseline Run to identify regressions and validate expected behavior.

After completing this topic, you can compare a new Run against a baseline Run in [Explore](/documentation/reference/explore-settings) to identify regressions and validate that signal behavior falls within the expected range.

## Before you begin

* You have a new Run with ingested telemetry data that you want to evaluate.
* You have at least one historical Run that represents expected behavior to use as a baseline.

## How baseline comparison works

In Explore, you can load a historical Run as your baseline and plot a new Run alongside it. By plotting the same Channels across both Runs, you can visually compare signal behavior and quickly identify where the new Run diverges from expected behavior.

To compare a new Run against a group of historical Runs on a shared aligned time axis rather than a single baseline, use Families. See [Compare Runs visually against a Family baseline](/documentation/analyze/families/compare-runs-visually-against-a-family-baseline).

## Compare a Run to a baseline

1. In **Sift's** homepage, enter the name of the historical Run you want to use as the baseline in the **Search** box.
2. In the **Runs** table, click the Run.
3. Click <Icon icon="arrow-up-right-from-square" /> **Explore**.
4. Select a [Panel type](/documentation/reference/explore-settings#panel-types) to add to the workspace.
5. In the <Icon icon="wave-pulse" /> **Channels** tab, click or drag a Channel onto the Panel to plot it.
6. Click **Select data** to add the new Run you want to compare.
7. Plot the same Channel from the new Run to compare it directly against the baseline.
8. Optional: Open the **Time-Alignment** tab in the Panel settings to [customize the alignment configuration](/documentation/reference/explore-settings#time-alignment) for all plotted Runs.
   * The Time-Alignment tab is available in the Timeseries, Histogram, Geo Map, FFT, and Scatter Plot Panels.
9. Optional: Click <Icon icon="signal-stream" /> **Time Range** in the toolbar to align all Panels to the same time range.
   * In the **Synced Panel Time** dialog, select **Absolute** to set a specific time range or **Relative** to align to T-0, then click **Sync All**.
10. Optional: Use [range controls](/documentation/reference/explore-settings#range-controls) to zoom into a time range and focus on a specific divergence.

## Reference

* [Explore settings](/documentation/reference/explore-settings)