Create Performance Reports
Overview
Performance Reports let you build a detailed, customizable report from any connected platform, including Shopify, Meta
Ads, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, Klaviyo, and LayerFive.
A dashboard is a view you return to. A report is a dataset you build to answer one specific question.
Use it to check:
| Question | What to build | | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
------------------------------------------------------------- | | How did net sales, returns, and discounts move last
quarter? | Commerce category, Shopify source, monthly Group By | | Which campaigns drove revenue at an acceptable cost?
| Paid Media category, ad platform sources, campaign dimension | | How do channels contribute across the customer
journey? | Analytics and Attribution category, LayerFive source | | What does leadership need in one page? | Multiple
sources, quarterly Group By, high-level metrics only |
Access
Go to Performance Reports and click Create. The Create New Report modal opens.
Choosing a starting method
| Method | Use when | Trade-off | | ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Start with Template
| A prebuilt report exists for the platform you need | Fastest path. Templates cover Klaviyo, LayerFive, TikTok Ads,
Meta Ads, Google Ads, and Shopify | | Start with Copy | You need an existing report with one variable changed |
Preserves a configuration you already trust | | Start from Scratch | Nothing close exists | Maximum flexibility, maximum
setup time |
Default to a template and modify it. Building from scratch is rarely worth the time unless no template comes close to
the question you are answering.
Report configuration
Enter a Report Title and a Report Description.
Write the description as the question the report answers, not as a list of its contents. "Tracks paid media efficiency
across Meta and Google at the campaign level" tells the next person why the report exists. "Shows ad metrics" tells them
nothing.
The selection cascade
Selections narrow each other in sequence. Understanding the order resolves most configuration problems before they
happen.
| Step | You select | Effect | | ---- | ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | 1 |
Categories | Related sources become available | | 2 | Sources | Available metrics update dynamically | | 3 | Group By |
Sets the aggregation interval | | 4 | Dimensions and Attributes | Sets how data is categorized and detailed | | 5 |
Metrics | Sets the values measured |
If a metric you expect is missing, the cause is almost always upstream. Check your category, then your source, before
searching for the metric itself.
Categories
Categories organize data by business function: Commerce, Paid Media, Analytics and Attribution, Email and SMS, and
Membership and Subscriptions.
Sources
Sources are the connected platforms: Shopify, Meta Ads, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, and Klaviyo. Only sources tied to your
selected categories appear.
Group By
| Interval | Use it for | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | Daily |
Diagnosing a sudden change or isolating a specific date | | Weekly | Tracking campaign performance week over week | |
Monthly | Standard client reporting | | Quarterly or Yearly | Leadership summaries and long-range trend reads |
Dimensions and attributes
Dimensions define how report data is categorized: Orders, Campaign, Ad Set, Product, Country.
Attributes add detail inside a dimension: Order ID, Campaign Name, Product SKU, Device Type.
Metrics
Metrics are the measured values. Available metrics depend entirely on your selected sources. Shopify metrics include
Gross Sales, Net Sales, Total Orders, Returning Customers, Total Discounts, Total Returns, Total Shipping Charges, Total
Tax, and Inventory Item Cost.
Current Selection panel
The Current Selection panel lists every category, source, and metric currently active.
Review it before you generate. It is the fastest way to catch a selection you made early and forgot about, and catching
it here is cheaper than catching it in a client report.
Creating and resetting
Review your selections, then click Create Report. The report generates and saves.
Reset Configuration clears categories, sources, metrics, dimensions, and attributes in one action. Use it when a
configuration has drifted far enough from what you need to rebuild.
What to check and when
| Situation | Do this | | ------------------------------------------- |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Building a recurring client report |
Start from a template, save it, then use Start with Copy for each variation | | A metric you need is not listed | Work
backward up the cascade: metric, source, category | | The report feels overloaded | Cut metrics down to the ones tied to
a decision, not the ones available | | Comparing paid performance across platforms | Select Paid Media, add each ad
source, and group by campaign dimension | | Reporting to leadership | Use quarterly Group By and limit dimensions, since
detail obscures the trend |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Check | | ----------------------- |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Metrics not
appearing | Categories are selected. Sources are selected. The metric belongs to a selected source | | Unable to create
report | Report title is entered. At least one metric is selected. All required fields are complete | | Empty report
results | Date range configuration. Connected data source status. Metric compatibility with selected sources | | Source
not available | Source integration is connected. User permissions are enabled |
Related Articles
- Create Custom Metrics
- Create Custom Dimensions
- Manage Goals
- View Reports