A data collection and viewing application provides a user interface that allows a user to quickly and easily examine a particular batch process or a batch run, to compare separate batch runs and/or to determine whether the particular batch run deviates from a norm, without having to perform a lot of manual data manipulation. To this end, the user interface provides or creates a compact graphical representation of a batch, illustrating a number of different types of batch-related data in relation to one another in a manner that enables a user to easily view or understand the operation of the batch run, either alone or as compared with one or more other batch runs. Moreover, process alarms, alerts, events, as well as other information may be placed in one or more additional layers, and the various layers may be shown together to provide a compact graphical view of the batch.