Abstract: A network interactive apparatus and a method for the retrieval, storage and analysis of time variable data. An interactive session is conducted with a user via a network, such as the network may be the Internet or World Wide Web, to obtain a user definition of a first time variable data item, its location on the network, and a sampling interval. The values or content of the data item are then obtained at sample times defined by the sampling interval. Another interactive session is conducted to determine a second data item for comparative analysis with the first data item. The analysis is then presented to the user in a format such as a graph, a table, or the like.