comparison-report-workflow

name	comparison-report-workflow
description	Create comparison reports analyzing multiple test runs side-by-side with comparison charts and optional Confluence publishing. Use when the user mentions comparison report, multi-run comparison, side-by-side analysis, or comparing test runs.

Comparison Report Workflow

When to Use This Skill

• User wants to compare multiple test runs side-by-side
• User mentions comparison report, multi-run comparison, or test run comparison
• User has 2+ test runs that have completed the E2E performance testing workflow
• User wants comparison charts (CPU, Memory) across test runs

---

Reference

This section provides context for humans and capable models. For the step-by-step execution instructions, skip to the Execution section below.

What This Workflow Does

Creates comparison reports that analyze multiple test runs side-by-side, generates comparison bar charts, and publishes the results to Confluence. This workflow is designed to run AFTER the end-to-end performance testing workflow (.cursor/skills/performance-testing-workflow/SKILL.md) has been completed for each individual test run.

The workflow steps:

1. Validate Prerequisites — Verify all test runs have completed the E2E workflow
2. PerfReport MCP — Generate comparison report and comparison charts
3. Confluence MCP (Optional) — Publish comparison report to Confluence
4. AI Revision (Optional) — Enhance the report with AI-generated insights

comparison_id vs run_id

This is a critical distinction:

• comparison_id is a timestamp-based unique identifier generated when create_comparison_report runs (e.g., "2026-01-21-14-27-42")
• comparison_id is NOT the same as any individual run_id
• When publishing to Confluence, use comparison_id as the test_run_id parameter
• report_type: "comparison" tells all tools to look in artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/

Artifact Path Structure

artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/
├── comparison_report_{run_ids}.md               # Generated comparison report
├── comparison_report_{run_ids}_original.md      # Backup (after AI revision)
├── comparison_report_{run_ids}_revised.md       # AI-revised report
├── comparison_metadata_{run_ids}.json           # Metadata
├── comparison_metadata_{run_ids}_original.json  # Backup metadata
├── charts/                                      # Comparison bar charts
│   ├── CPU_PEAK_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR-{resource}.png
│   ├── CPU_AVG_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR-{resource}.png
│   ├── MEMORY_PEAK_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR-{resource}.png
│   └── MEMORY_AVG_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR-{resource}.png
└── revisions/                                   # AI revision files
    ├── AI_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY_v1.md
    ├── AI_KEY_FINDINGS_BULLETS_v1.md
    └── AI_ISSUES_SUMMARY_v1.md

Tool Reference

PerfReport MCP Tools

Tool	Purpose	Key Parameters
create_comparison_report	Generate comparison report from multiple runs	run_id_list, template (optional), format
list_chart_types	List available chart options	—
create_comparison_chart	Create comparison bar chart	comparison_id, run_id_list, chart_id, env_name (optional)
list_templates	List available report templates	—

Confluence MCP Tools

Tool	Purpose	Key Parameters
list_spaces	List Confluence spaces	mode
get_page_by_id	Look up page by ID	page_id, mode
list_pages	List pages in a space (search by name)	space_ref, mode
get_available_reports	List available reports for comparison_id	test_run_id (use comparison_id)
create_page	Create Confluence page	space_ref, test_run_id, filename, mode, parent_id, report_type
attach_images	Attach chart PNGs to page	page_ref, test_run_id, mode, report_type
update_page	Replace chart placeholders with embedded images	page_ref, test_run_id, mode, report_type

Comparison Chart IDs

Chart ID	Description
CPU_PEAK_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR	Peak CPU core usage across runs
CPU_AVG_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR	Average CPU core usage across runs
MEMORY_PEAK_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR	Peak memory usage across runs
MEMORY_AVG_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR	Average memory usage across runs

Chart configuration:

• CPU charts display in "millicores" or "cores" (configured in chart_schema.yaml)
• Memory charts display in "MB" or "GB" (configured in chart_schema.yaml)
• Comparison charts use the navy-blue gradient color palette from chart_colors.yaml
• Each test run gets a distinct color from light to dark blue

Related Rules

• prerequisites.mdc — test_run_id and artifact structure validation
• skill-execution-rules.mdc — Follow steps in order, collect inputs first, do not skip
• mcp-error-handling.mdc — MCP tool error handling (retry policy, reporting format)

Downstream Workflows

After completing this workflow, the user can proceed to:

• AI HITL Report Revision — .cursor/skills/report-revision-workflow/SKILL.md with report_type: "comparison" and comparison_id as the run_id.

Important Notes

• Prerequisites are critical: Each test run must have completed the full E2E workflow before it can be included in a comparison.
• Recommended: 2-5 test runs for optimal readability. Maximum 10 supported.
• Custom templates: Available via list_templates. Custom templates should include comparison-specific placeholders (see docs/report_template_guidelines.md).
• Unit configuration: CPU in "cores" or "millicores", Memory in "GB" or "MB" (configured in report_config.yaml and chart_schema.yaml).

---

Execution

Follow these steps exactly, in order. Each step has one or more actions.

---

Collect Inputs

Ask the user for the following values. Do not proceed until all required values are collected.

REQUIRED:
  run_id_list = [list of 2-5 test run IDs — e.g., ["80593110", "80603131", "80612241"]]

OPTIONAL:
  env_name  = [environment name for chart filtering]
  template  = [custom comparison template name — default: "default_comparison_report_template.md"]

CONDITIONAL (only if publishing to Confluence):
  confluence_mode  = ["cloud" or "onprem"]
  confluence_space = [space name — e.g., "Quality Engineering"]
  parent_page_name = [e.g., "AI Generated Test Reports"]
  parent_page_id   = [optional — e.g., "123456789"]

If the user provides Confluence information, assume they want to publish results.

---

Step 1 — Validate Prerequisites

Input: run_id_list

Action: For each run_id in the list, verify these files exist:

• artifacts/{run_id}/reports/report_metadata_{run_id}.json
• artifacts/{run_id}/analysis/infrastructure_analysis.json

If any files are missing:

• Report which run_id(s) are missing prerequisites
• Advise the user to run the E2E performance testing workflow for those runs first (.cursor/skills/performance-testing-workflow/SKILL.md)
• Do NOT proceed until all prerequisites are met

---

Step 2 — Create Comparison Report

Input: run_id_list, template (optional)

Action: Call MCP tool create_comparison_report

create_comparison_report(
  run_id_list = {run_id_list},
  template    = {template},
  format      = "md"
)

Expected response:

{
  "comparison_id": "2026-01-21-14-27-42",
  "report_path": "artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/comparison_report_{run_ids}.md",
  "metadata_path": "artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/comparison_metadata_{run_ids}.json"
}

Save:

• comparison_id = the generated comparison identifier (used as test_run_id in all subsequent steps)
• report_path = path to the generated report

On error: These are Python code executions. Do NOT retry. Report error to user.

---

Step 3 — Create Comparison Charts

Input: comparison_id (from Step 2), run_id_list, env_name (optional)

Action: First, list available chart types:

list_chart_types()

Look for chart IDs containing "COMPARISON".

Then create all 4 comparison charts:

create_comparison_chart(
  comparison_id = {comparison_id},
  run_id_list   = {run_id_list},
  chart_id      = "CPU_PEAK_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR",
  env_name      = {env_name}
)

create_comparison_chart(
  comparison_id = {comparison_id},
  run_id_list   = {run_id_list},
  chart_id      = "CPU_AVG_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR",
  env_name      = {env_name}
)

create_comparison_chart(
  comparison_id = {comparison_id},
  run_id_list   = {run_id_list},
  chart_id      = "MEMORY_PEAK_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR",
  env_name      = {env_name}
)

create_comparison_chart(
  comparison_id = {comparison_id},
  run_id_list   = {run_id_list},
  chart_id      = "MEMORY_AVG_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR",
  env_name      = {env_name}
)

Charts are saved to: artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/charts/

On error: These are Python code executions. Do NOT retry. Report error to user.

Validation

Verify these files exist:

• artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/comparison_report_{run_ids}.md
• artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/comparison_metadata_{run_ids}.json
• artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/charts/CPU_PEAK_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR-*.png
• artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/charts/CPU_AVG_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR-*.png
• artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/charts/MEMORY_PEAK_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR-*.png
• artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/charts/MEMORY_AVG_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR-*.png

---

Step 4 — Confluence Publishing (Optional)

When: Only execute if Confluence details were provided in Collect Inputs.

Prerequisites:

• comparison_id from Step 2
• run_id_list
• confluence_mode, confluence_space, parent_page_name or parent_page_id

4a. Locate Space and Parent Page

list_spaces(
  mode = {confluence_mode}
)

Search for the space matching confluence_space. Extract space_ref.

Locate parent page:

If parent_page_id is provided:

get_page_by_id(
  page_id = {parent_page_id},
  mode    = {confluence_mode}
)

If parent_page_name is provided:

list_pages(
  space_ref = {space_ref},
  mode      = {confluence_mode}
)

Search for the page matching parent_page_name.

Save: parent_id = the parent page ID.

4b. Get Available Reports

get_available_reports(
  test_run_id = {comparison_id}
)

Select the report filename (e.g., comparison_report_{run_ids}.md).

Save: report_filename.

4c. Create Confluence Page

create_page(
  space_ref   = {space_ref},
  test_run_id = {comparison_id},
  filename    = {report_filename},
  mode        = {confluence_mode},
  parent_id   = {parent_id},
  report_type = "comparison",
  title       = {optional custom title}
)

Important: Use comparison_id as test_run_id and report_type: "comparison".

Save: page_ref = returned page ID.

4d. Attach Chart Images

attach_images(
  page_ref    = {page_ref},
  test_run_id = {comparison_id},
  mode        = {confluence_mode},
  report_type = "comparison"
)

Uploads ALL PNG chart images from artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/charts/. Check response for attached/failed counts. Continue even if some fail.

4e. Update Page with Embedded Images

update_page(
  page_ref    = {page_ref},
  test_run_id = {comparison_id},
  mode        = {confluence_mode},
  report_type = "comparison"
)

Replaces {{CHART_PLACEHOLDER: ID}} markers with embedded <ac:image> markup. Check response for placeholders_replaced and placeholders_remaining.

Expected placeholders: CPU_PEAK_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR, CPU_AVG_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR, MEMORY_PEAK_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR, MEMORY_AVG_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR.

4f. Validation

Verify:

• Page created successfully (check for page_ref and URL)
• Images attached (check status: "success" or "partial")
• Placeholders replaced (check placeholders_replaced list)

On error: If API calls fail, retry up to 3 times. Wait 5-10 seconds between retries.

---

Step 5 — Generate Summary

Action: Present a summary to the user.

Comparison Report Details

• Comparison ID: {comparison_id}
• Test Runs Compared: {run_id_list}
• Template Used: {template_name}
• Report Path: artifacts/comparisons/{comparison_id}/comparison_report_{run_ids}.md

Charts Generated

Chart ID	Description	Output Path
CPU_PEAK_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR	Peak CPU core usage across runs	charts/CPU_PEAK_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR-{resource}.png
CPU_AVG_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR	Average CPU core usage across runs	charts/CPU_AVG_CORE_COMPARISON_BAR-{resource}.png
MEMORY_PEAK_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR	Peak memory usage across runs	charts/MEMORY_PEAK_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR-{resource}.png
MEMORY_AVG_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR	Average memory usage across runs	charts/MEMORY_AVG_USAGE_COMPARISON_BAR-{resource}.png

Confluence Publishing (if applicable)

• Page Title: {page_title}
• Page URL: {confluence_url}
• Images Attached: {count}
• Placeholders Replaced: {list}

Next Steps

Ask the user:

• "Would you like to enhance the comparison report with AI-generated insights?" — If yes, follow the skill at .cursor/skills/report-revision-workflow/SKILL.md with report_type: "comparison" and comparison_id as the run_id.

---

Error Handling

These rules apply to every step:

• PerfReport MCP tools (create_comparison_report, create_comparison_chart): These are Python code executions. Do NOT retry on failure. Report the error with: error message, missing file paths, expected vs. actual structure. Do NOT attempt to fix code or modify files.

• Confluence MCP tools (list_spaces, create_page, attach_images, update_page): These are API calls. Retry up to 3 times. Wait 5-10 seconds between retries.

• Do not proceed to the next step if the current step failed.

• Do NOT write code to fix MCP tool issues.

• Ask the user for next steps on any error.