Changes to custom columns in the new Search Ads 360

In the new Search Ads 360, formula columns and custom conversions are called custom columns. Although most formulas will be automatically migrated to the new Search Ads 360, there are differences in how you create columns and formulas.

There are two types of custom columns in the Search Ads 360:

• Custom formula columns (previously, “Formula columns”). Custom formula columns allow you to access and leverage a wide variety of metrics computed from Search Ads 360 data to build your own columns. You can layer in references to other column formulas and spreadsheet functions to make your columns more nuanced. Just like standard Search Ads 360 columns, most custom columns can be filtered, sorted, downloaded, and used to customize the performance summary chart above your reporting table. Learn how to create a custom formula column.
• Custom conversion columns (previously, "Custom conversions"). Custom conversion columns allow you to report on specific conversion actions across Floodlight, Google Ads, and Google Analytics with optional filters and a specific attribution model. Using a custom column you can filter conversion columns to specific conversion actions that are “owned” by the account that owns the custom column. This can help you create highly relevant reporting columns for your conversion goals. Additionally, this functionality allows conversion actions that are owned by child accounts to be used in the filters for custom conversion columns. You can use custom conversion columns for reporting only. To report on bid strategy performance, go to the bid strategy report. Learn how to create a custom conversion column.

In this article:

• New visual mode for creating and editing
• Updated syntax for functions and text mode formulas
  • Updated column names
  • New filters (formerly "segmentation")
  • Function changes
• New features
• Additional changes

New visual mode for creating and editing custom formula columns

In the new Search Ads 360, you can now create custom columns using Visual mode (default) or Text mode.

• In the new Visual mode, columns are represented as ovals in the formula. To add filters, click the column oval and select from the side panel.
• In Text mode, create your formulas entirely as text, similar to the previous Search Ads 360.

Updated syntax for functions and text mode formulas

If you use Text mode (or functions in Visual mode) to create custom formula columns, you’ll notice that there are some updates to the syntax for writing formulas.

Updated column names

The column names in formulas have been updated to match the English name of the column in the new Search Ads 360.

Custom columns migrated from the previous Search Ads 360 will automatically be updated. See the column listfor the new values.

New filters (formerly “segmentation”)

In the previous Search Ads 360, you could add a device or date range segmentation to a column by adding a period after the column’s name. In the new Search Ads 360, you accomplish the same thing by adding a filter with a period after the column’s name, but you can also add new filters that weren’t available in the previous Search Ads 360.

In addition:

• The.for_device_type filter has been renamed to .device

• The.for_date_range filter has been split into two (.date_range and .between_dates)

Learn more about available filters and filter values.

Function changes

View the function list to see the names and parameters of each function in the new Search Ads 360.

Parameter changes

Two functions (starts_with and ends_with) have had their parameter orders changed. The week_start_day parameter has been removed from weekday and weeknum.

Renamed functions

Some functions have been renamed for clarity:

• to_string is now to_text
• add_days is now offset_days
• num_days is now report_days_count
• from_date is now report_range_start
• to_date is now report_range_end

Removed functions

A few functions (including has_label, calendar_months, and calendar_weeks) have been removed.

Added functions

Some new functions (including days_between, offset_years, month_start, and more) have been added.

Replaced functions

• Date subtraction has been replaced by the new days_between function.

• to_percent and to_money have been replaced by the Data format dropdown in the upper right. Use this to change the column output to a percent or currency value.
• last_week can be expressed as offset_days(week_start_sunday(), -7). Alternatively, use week_start_monday to set Monday as the start of the week.

Ampersand

In the previous Search Ads 360, you could use the ampersand character (&) to concatenate two text values. In the new Search Ads 360, use the concat function (this function can accept an unlimited number of parameters).

Date filtering

• Date ranges: Instead of using .for_date_range to apply a date filter to columns, you can use the following options:

  • .date_range. Use for preset ranges (such as last_7_days, last_business_week, or this_quarter).

  • .between_dates. Use to create a custom range of dates.

    Learn more about available date range filters

• Syntax updates:
  • In the new Search Ads 360,filter values are not functions, so an empty pair of parentheses is no longer required after each value. For example, today’s clicks can be expressed as clicks.date_range(today).
  • New.shift(..) syntax for dates allowing them to be offset a fixed number of days, months, years all at the same time. This replaces the days, months, and years functions, which could only be added individually.
• New filter values: New valuesincludelast_day, last_14_days, this_month, this_week, and more.

New features

• Syntax highlighting and autocomplete for formula columns
• Visual mode for creating formula columns
• Custom columns created in a manager account are available in sub-manager andclient accounts.
• Custom conversion columns can combine Floodlight, Google Ads, and Google Analytics conversion actions
• Additional filters are available for metrics in custom formula columns
• You can now add a description to your custom columns.

Additional changes

In the previous Search Ads 360, when creating a formula column, you could choose between two options for “When do you want to apply this formula?” (either before or after totaling data). In the new Search Ads 360, all custom columns are calculated after totaling data in summary rows. Learn more about custom columns in summary rows.

In the new Search Ads 360, custom conversion columns can only be used for reporting. To set up conversion actions for bidding, use conversion settings. Learn more about including conversions in bidding.