---
title: "How To Use The \"Cost Data Visualization\""
description: "How To Use The \"Cost Data Visualization\""
---

[Skip to content](https://lp.zebel.io/help/how-to-use-the-cost-data-visualization#main-content)

English

Show submenu for translations

![Zebel New Logo](https://lp.zebel.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Zebel%20New%20Logo.png?width=200&height=59&name=Zebel%20New%20Logo.png)

Open main navigation

Close main navigation

- English
  
  Show submenu for translations

 How can we help you?

- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

1. [Zebel Help Center](https://lp.zebel.io/help?hsLang=en)
2. [Estimates](https://lp.zebel.io/help/estimates?hsLang=en)

# How To Use The "Cost Data Visualization"

The "Cost Data Visualization" draws your direct costs as rectangles sized by cost, so the items carrying the budget are obvious at a glance. You can click straight into a rectangle to see what it is made of, and keep going down through your budget structure.

To use the "Cost Data Visualization" follow these steps.

Navigate to the desired estimate, select the "Analytics" tab, and choose "Cost Data Explorer" from the list on the left.

The whole estimate's direct cost is drawn as a single block, split into your top level cost categories. Each rectangle is sized by its share of the cost and labelled with its code, name and total.

![](https://lp.zebel.io/hs-fs/hubfs/cv-01-top-png.png?width=1920&height=1000&name=cv-01-top-png.png)

Hover a rectangle to see its exact figure and what share of its parent it accounts for. Ie. "02-002 Excavation/Backfill/Haul" at $792,111.27, which is 88.4% of "02-000 Site Work Total".

![](https://lp.zebel.io/hs-fs/hubfs/cv-03-tooltip-png.png?width=1920&height=1000&name=cv-03-tooltip-png.png)

Click a rectangle to drill into it. The view redraws with that item's contents — the cost fields inside a cost category, and the detail rows inside a cost field.

![](https://lp.zebel.io/hs-fs/hubfs/cv-02-drilled-png.png?width=1920&height=1000&name=cv-02-drilled-png.png)

The trail above the chart shows where you are — "Total Direct Costs \> 02-000 Site Work Total". Click any step in it to come back up.

NOTE, a rectangle only opens if there is a level beneath it. Cost fields open into their detail rows only where "Detail Estimating" is turned on for that field; a field priced as a single line has nothing to open into, and the cursor stays an arrow rather than a hand.

Please note that this page shows direct costs only, so the totals here will not match the estimate's total cost — indirect costs are not drawn.

- [Getting Started](https://lp.zebel.io/help/getting-started?hsLang=en)
- [Database](https://lp.zebel.io/help/database?hsLang=en)
- [Comparison Reports](https://lp.zebel.io/help/comparison-reports?hsLang=en)
- [Estimates](https://lp.zebel.io/help/estimates?hsLang=en)
- [Account Settings](https://lp.zebel.io/help/account-settings?hsLang=en)
- [Bid Management](https://lp.zebel.io/help/bid-management?hsLang=en)
- [Integrations](https://lp.zebel.io/help/integrations?hsLang=en)
- [Estimate Reports](https://lp.zebel.io/help/estimate-reports?hsLang=en)
- [Value Engineering](https://lp.zebel.io/help/value-engineering?hsLang=en)

[![Zebel New Logo-2](https://lp.zebel.io/hs-fs/hubfs/Zebel%20New%20Logo-2.png?width=200&height=59&name=Zebel%20New%20Logo-2.png "Zebel New Logo-2")](https://zebel.io/)

<https://www.facebook.com/> <https://www.twitter.com/> <https://www.instagram.com/> <https://podcasts.apple.com/> [mailto:email@email.com](mailto:email@email.com)

Copyright © 2026, Zebel Group Inc