Use custom formula columns to update settings

Custom 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 that you want it. For example, you can use custom formula columns to calculate total conversions, weight and sum metrics from other columns, or rename a column.

You can set up bulk edits or automated rules to update settings in campaigns, ad groups and other Search Ads 360 items to the value returned by a formula column.

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.

---

How to update settings to the value of a custom formula column

1. Create a custom formula column that returns the type of value appropriate for the setting that you're changing. For example, if you're setting the mobile bid adjustment (which is a per cent), create a formula column that returns a per cent.
2. Start creating an automated rule or a bulk edit for campaigns, ad groups, ads 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 custom formula column.
   2. Click Select a custom formula column ▼ and select the custom formula column that you created. The Select a custom formula column only displays custom formula columns in your advertiser that return the type of value appropriate for the setting that you're changing.
4. Finish creating the rule or bulk edit.

Tips

• Before creating a rule or bulk edit, add the custom 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 custom 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 custom formula column is used.

---

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

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

New Search Ads 360 item	Setting	Type of value
Campaigns	Change budget Change device bid adjustment %	Currency Per cent
Ad groups	Change search max CPC (Applicable to Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising only) Change device bid adjustment %	Currency Per cent
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

Example

During a sale, you want to increase budgets for your brand-labelled 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-labelled campaigns, and use a custom 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 a manager or sub-manager account.

Search Ads 360 displays the sub-manager account page, which contains data for all the sub-manager account’s advertising platforms. The Campaigns tab is selected by default.

2. Create a custom formula column to identify campaigns that are going to exceed their daily budget.
   1. 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.
3. Create an automated rule to identify the brand campaigns that have spent 80% of budget and use the formula column to increase the budget by 20%.

Pause or remove the automated rule

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to a manager or sub-manager account.
3. On the navigation menu, click the tools and settings icon .
4. Under 'Bulk Actions', click Rules.
5. Select the tick box of the rule that increases the budget for brand campaigns.
6. On the Edit menu, click Pause if you want to use the rule again, or click Remove to permanently remove the rule.

---

Related links

• Make changes with bulk edits
• About automated rules