Annotations record the actions teams take in response to insights in Distil Diagnostics. Examples include marketing campaigns, floor plan changes, menu launches, and reservation pushes.
Each annotation is a dated, categorised note added to a shared activity timeline. Annotations are visible to all team members in the group.
Over time, annotations create a record of activity and timing. This helps connect performance changes with actions taken across marketing, reservations, and operations, so when it’s time to look back at the results, it’s possible to see which actions contributed.
How to access and add Annotations
Annotations are available from the left-hand sidebar in Group Diagnostics, below Monitors.
The Annotations page includes:
- An add-annotation form at the top of the page
- An Activity Timeline below the form
To add a new annotation, fill in three fields and click Add Annotation:
Category: pick from Marketing, Reservations, Operations or Other. Each category has its own colour, so entries are easy to scan in the timeline.
Date of action: defaults to today, but pick any past or future date from the calendar as necessary. Use the date the action actually happened, not the date you're logging it, so the timeline stays accurate.
Actions / Notes: a free-text description of what was done. Short notes are fine, but the field grows to fit longer ones if context, links or numbers are required.
Click Add Annotation and the new entry appears at the top of the activity timeline immediately, the form clears, and you're ready to log the next one.
The Activity Timeline
The Activity Timeline shows all annotations added by the team.
Annotations are displayed in date order, with the most recent at the top. A count above the list shows the total number of annotations logged.
Each annotation includes:
The date associated with the annotation (date of action carried out)
A colour-coded category label, so that Marketing, Reservations, Operations and Other are easy to tell apart at a glance.
The note describing what was done, displayed in full so longer descriptions stay readable.
The name of the team member who logged the annotation, on the right.
Since annotations are visible to everyone in your group, the timeline acts as a single source of truth for the work being done in response to your data. Use it in team meetings, performance reviews, and conversations with wider stakeholders about the impact of insight-led activity.
Linking Annotations to Monitors
Annotations can be linked to one or more Monitors, which connects an action to the restaurant, service, and week being tracked. This makes it much easier to see what activity sits behind a change in forecast, cover or revenue.
When adding an annotation, select Link Monitor to open the Monitor picker. From there you can:
Search for a Monitor by restaurant name.
Filter by monitored weeks: the next five weeks from your annotation’s date (the default), the previous five weeks, or a custom date range.
Select as many Monitors as apply, then click Done to confirm.
Annotations can also be linked retrospectively, and you can edit the links at any time, adding, removing or updating Monitors as the picture changes.
Annotations on the Monitor list
The Monitor list now includes an Annotations column, showing how many annotations are linked to each Monitor.
Hover over a row to preview the action date and note without opening the Monitor, and sort by the column to bring the most-annotated Monitors to the top.
Annotations on the monitored week’s forecast chart
In Monitor Details, linked annotations appear as markers on the Daily Re-Forecast chart, placed on the date the action happened rather than the date it was logged.
Hover over a marker to see the category, action date, author and full note, which helps to line up forecast movement against actions taken.
Good to know
- Annotations are visible to all team members in the group
- Annotations are shared records, not personal notes
- Category, Date, and Actions / Notes are required fields
- There is no character limit on the Actions / Notes field
- Annotations can be linked to one or more Monitors
- Linked annotations connect activity to the restaurant, service, and week being tracked.
Learn more about Monitors in Distil Diagnostics.
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