Use formula columns to update settings

Formula columns combine and convert values or text from other Search Ads 360 columns and show the result in a single reporting column, helping you to see the data the way you want it. For example, you can use formula columns to calculate total conversions, weight and sum metrics from other columns, or rename a column.

You set up bulk edits or automated rules to change settings in campaigns, ad groups, and other Search Ads 360 items to the value returned by a formula column. For example, the following formula adds 10% to the current budget if Actions have increased more than 10% since the last week:
to_money(IF(Actions * 1.1 >   Actions.For_date_range(Last_7_days()),  Daily_budget * 1.1, Daily_budget))

You can create an automated rule that runs once per week and sets campaign budgets to the value of the formula column. See a more detailed example below.

How to update settings to the value of a formula column

1. Create a formula column that returns the type of value appropriate for the setting you're changing.
   For example, if you're setting the mobile bid adjustment (which is a percent), create a formula column that returns a percent. 
2. Start creating an automated rule or a bulk edit for campaigns and ad groups or keywords.
3. Select a setting to update. See the list of available settings below. Then do the following:
   1. Click Set to ▼and select Set to formula column.
   2. Click Select a formula column ▼ and select the formula column you created.
      The Select a formula column only displays formula columns in your advertiser that return the type of value appropriate for the setting you're changing.
4. Finish creating the rule or bulk edit.

Tips

• Before creating a rule or bulk edit, add the formula column to the reporting table to verify that the formula is applied correctly and yielding values that you intend.
• Use decimal numbers to indicate percentages. For example, enter .20 and not 20%.
• You can remove a formula column only if it isn't used in any other columns, rules, or bid strategies. You can click Bulk operations, Scheduled edits, and Rules in the left navigation pane to see if a formula column is used.

Settings that can be updated to the value returned by a formula column

The following table lists the settings you can change in bulk using a formula column. Note that the formula column needs to return the type of value that's appropriate for the setting you're changing. For example, if you're setting the mobile bid adjustment (which is a percent), you only use a formula column that returns a percent. 

Search Ads 360 item	Setting	Type of value
Campaigns	Change budget Change device bid adjustment %	Currency Percent
Ad groups	Change search max CPC (Applicable to Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising only) Change device bid adjustment %	Currency Percent
Keywords	Change bid Change min/ max bid	Currency
Ads	Set: value , where value is: Headline Headline 2 Description1 Description2 Ad path field 1 Ad path field 2	Text
Dynamic ad targets	Change bid	Currency
Product groups	Change bid Change min/max bid	Currency

 

Learn more

• Edit campaigns or ad groups in bulk
• Edit ads or keywords in bulk
• Set up an automated rule

Example

During a sale, you want to increase budgets for your Brand-labeled campaigns by 20% to ensure that budget constraints don’t pause the campaign.

To automate the budget adjustment process, you schedule a daily rule to find brand-labeled campaigns,  and use a formula column to increase the budgets in the afternoon, when the most conversions occur. At the end of each day, the rule reverts to the daily budget.

1. Navigate to an advertiser.

   Steps for navigating to an advertiser

   1. Click the navigation bar to display navigation options.

   2. In the "Agency" list, click on the agency that contains the advertiser. You can search for an agency by name or scroll through the list.

   3. In the "Advertiser" list, click on the advertiser.

   4. Click Apply or press the Enter key.

   Search Ads 360 displays the advertiser page, which contains data for all of the advertiser’s engine accounts.

   The Campaigns tab is selected by default.

2. Create a formula column to identify campaigns that are going to exceed their daily budget.

   1. Click the Columns button.
   2. In the list of Available columns, click Formula columns.
   3. Click Create a new column.
   4. Type a name for the column. For example, Exceeds daily budget.

   5. In the Enter equation box, type:
      IF ( ( COST / DAILY_BUDGET ) > 0.8, to_money(DAILY_BUDGET * 1.2), to_money(DAILY_BUDGET ))

      If the cost of a campaign is more than 80% of the campaign’s daily budget, the daily budget is increased by 20%. If the cost is less than 80%, the budget is not changed.

   6. Optional. Next to When do you want to apply this formula, the After totaling data option is selected by default. If you want the formula applied to each row and then summed, select the Before totaling data option.
   7. Click Save.
   8. In the Available columns editor, click Cancel because you don’t want to add the column to a report yet.

3. Create a rule to identify the brand campaigns that have spent 80% of budget and use the formula column to increase the budget by 20%.

   1. Above the reporting table, click Rules.
   2. Click Create new rule.
   3. Enter a name for the rule and then click Next.
   4. Click + Attribute or metric ▼, and then click Labels.
   5. Contains all of is selected by default. In the value box, type Brand.
   6. Optional: Click Preview matching campaigns to see the list of campaigns with a Brand label.
   7. Click Next.

   8. Click Notify only ▼, and then click Change budget.

      Daily is selected by default.

   9. Click Set to ▼, and then click Set to formula column.
   10. If the preferred currency isn’t displayed, click the ▼ (down arrow) and then select the currency.
   11. Click Select a formula column ▼, and then click the formula column that you created to increase the budget of brand campaigns by 20%.

4. Specify when to send alerts and whom to notify about the rule.

   1. Choose one of the following options:

      • Every time a change is attempted
      • Only if changes occur
      • Only if there are problems
   2. Enter the email addresses that will receive the alerts.
   3. Click Next.

5. Schedule the change (including the time to change the budget back to the original).

   1. In the Schedule section, click Recurring.
   2. Click the At time box, and then click 2:00 PM.
   3. If necessary, select the timezone.
   4. In the Scheduled edit details section, next to Revert, click the ▼ (down arrow), and then click At time of day.
   5. Type 11:59 PM
   6. Click Save.

 

Pause or remove the automated rule

When the sale ends, stop the rule.

1. In the left navigation panel, click Rules.
2. Select the checkbox of the rule that increases the budget for brand campaigns.
3. On the Edit menu, click Pause if you want to use the rule again, or click Remove to permanently remove the rule.