[UA] Create and manage Custom Reports [Legacy]

You are viewing a legacy article about Universal Analytics. Learn more about Google Analytics 4 replacing Universal Analytics.

This article is about creating and managing custom reports in Universal Analytics. For information about customizing reports by applying comparisons in Google Analytics 4, go to [GA4] Apply comparisons to reports.

A custom report is a report that you create. You pick the dimensions and metrics and decide how they should be displayed. Learn more about Custom Reports.

In this article:

• Create a Custom Report
• Access, manage, and share Custom Reports
• Back up Custom Reports with Custom Tables (Analytics 360)

Create a Custom Report

1. Sign in to Google Analytics.
2. Navigate to your view.
3. Open Reports.
4. Click Customization > Custom Reports > +New Custom Report.
5. Enter a Title.
6. (Optional) Click +add report tab.
   Every report has at least 1 tab, but you can add more.
7. Select a report type: Explorer, Flat Table, Map Overlay, or Funnel.
   

   Click to expand and learn more about the report types.

   You need to select a new report type for every tab you add to the report. Each tab can have a different report type. For example, you could create Tab 1 as a Map Overlay and Tab 2 as a Flat Table. This would allow you to have multiple tabs to have different visualization types in one report.

   1. Explorer: The standard Analytics report. Includes a line graph and a data table that includes dynamic elements like a search/sort option and secondary dimensions.
   2. Flat Table: A static, sortable table that displays data in rows.
   3. Map Overlay: A map of the world. Different regions and countries display in darker colors to indicate traffic and engagement volume.
   4. Funnel: A conversion funnel you define.
8. Define your dimension and metrics.
   The options for each report type vary because each type displays data in different ways.
9. (Optional) Click +add filter to limit the report to specific dimensions.
   

   Click to expand and learn more about these filters.

   This lets you restrict the data that appears in the report. For example, if you create a report with the dimension Browser Version, you could add a filter to display only specific browsers in the report by creating an Include filter on the dimension Browser, with the Exact match of Chrome. With this configuration, you would only see data in your report for the Chrome browser, so you could compare performances of each version of Chrome, and exclude all data from other browsers.
10. (Optional) Select where this report should appear. Use the dropdown menu to select specific views, or select All views associated with this account to allow this report on all views you have access to.
11. Click Save.

Access, manage, and share Custom Reports

To access your Custom Reports:

1. Sign in to Google Analytics.
2. Navigate to your view.
3. Open Reports.
4. Click Customization.

You see a table listing of all of your Custom Reports. You can create Categories to organize reports into different groups. Use the Actions menu to Edit, Copy, Delete, and Share individual reports. When you share a Custom Report, only the configuration information is shared. Your data remains private. Learn more about sharing assets, including how to share many Custom Reports at the same time.

Click a report name in the table to see that specific report. You can also select reports from the left navigation. When using a report, you can click Edit (top left, below the report title) to make changes to the report.

Back up Custom Reports with Custom Tables

This feature is only available to Analytics 360 accounts. Learn more about Analytics 360.

If you have a high volume of data, your Custom Reports may return sampled results. To ensure the accuracy and precision of Custom Report data, we recommend that each important Custom Report (specifically, those used to report/analyze critical business metrics) be backed by a Custom Table. Custom Tables can be used to aggregate critical data sets on a daily basis, ensuring 100% unsampled data in reporting.