The present invention comprises a method and apparatus for receiving data analysis instructions from a user and for displaying results of the data analysis to the user. In one embodiment, the invention provides a series of interface windows displayed on a computer display screen. A first window allows a user to select one or more specification files comprising reference data specifying capabilities and or resources with which other data is to be compared. A second window allows the user to select one or more data files to be compared to the one or more specification files selected using the first window. A third window allows the user to interactively select the type of analysis to be performed and provides the results of the selected analysis to the user. The third window also allows the user to interactively apply one or more filters to the results and to select the manner (view) in which the results are displayed.