Creating Custom Reports
Learn how to build powerful custom reports in Zaplane. Choose your metrics, dimensions, filters, and visualizations to create exactly the view you need. Schedule automated reports, share with your team, and export data.
Build Reports That Answer Your Questions
Zaplane's default dashboard gives you a great overview, but every business has unique questions. Custom reports let you slice, dice, and visualize your data exactly how you need it. Whether you're analyzing campaign performance by geography, tracking creative effectiveness over time, or building executive summaries, custom reports put you in control.
Flexible Analysis
Choose from 100+ metrics and 50+ dimensions to answer any business question.
Automated Delivery
Schedule reports to run automatically and deliver to your inbox or Slack.
Easy Sharing
Export to PDF, CSV, Google Sheets, or share live links with your team.
Report Templates
Zaplane includes 15+ pre-built report templates (Campaign Performance, Geographic Analysis, Creative Performance, etc.) that you can use as-is or customize. Start with a template to save time!
Building Your First Custom Report
Follow these steps to create a custom report from scratch:
Navigate to Report Builder
From your Zaplane dashboard, access the report builder:
- Click "Reports" in the main navigation menu
- Click "Create Custom Report" button (top-right)
- Choose: "Start from Scratch" or "Use Template"
💡 Pro Tip: Start with a Template
If you're new to custom reports, start with a template that's close to what you need, then modify it. This is faster than building from scratch and teaches you how reports are structured.
Name Your Report
Give your report a descriptive name that indicates what it shows:
✅ Good Report Names:
- • "Q4 2024 Campaign Performance"
- • "Geographic ROAS Analysis"
- • "Weekly Creative Performance"
- • "Budget Allocation by Channel"
- • "Mobile vs Desktop Conversions"
❌ Avoid Vague Names:
- • "Report 1"
- • "My Report"
- • "Test"
- • "Data"
- • "Untitled Report"
Naming Convention Recommendation:
Use format: [Frequency] [Topic] [Timeframe]
Examples: "Weekly Campaign Performance Q4", "Monthly ROAS by Platform 2024"
Select Metrics
Metrics are the "what you're measuring" - the numbers you want to see:
Available Metric Categories:
Performance Metrics
- • ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
- • CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)
- • Conversion Rate
- • Revenue, Profit, AOV
Engagement Metrics
- • CTR (Click-Through Rate)
- • CPC (Cost Per Click)
- • CPM (Cost Per 1000 Impressions)
- • Clicks, Impressions, Reach
Quality Metrics
- • Quality Score (Google Ads)
- • Relevance Score (Meta)
- • Engagement Rate
- • Frequency
Volume Metrics
- • Conversions
- • Spend (Ad Spend)
- • Budget Utilized %
- • Number of Campaigns
How Many Metrics Should I Choose?
- • For tables: 5-10 metrics works well (readable without overwhelming)
- • For charts: 1-3 metrics per chart (more gets cluttered)
- • For dashboards: Group related metrics together (e.g., all cost metrics)
Choose Dimensions
Dimensions are the "how you're breaking it down" - the categories you want to group by:
Common Dimensions:
Campaign Structure:
- • Campaign Name
- • Ad Group Name
- • Ad Name
- • Keyword
- • Platform (Google, Meta, etc.)
Audience:
- • Age Range
- • Gender
- • Location (Country, State, City)
- • Device Type
- • Audience Segment
Time:
- • Date (Daily breakdown)
- • Week
- • Month
- • Day of Week
- • Hour of Day
Example Dimension Uses:
By Campaign: See which campaigns drive best ROAS
By Location: Identify high-performing geographic markets
By Date: Track performance trends over time
By Device: Compare mobile vs desktop performance
Too Many Dimensions = Information Overload
Limit to 1-3 dimensions per report. Adding too many dimensions creates huge tables that are hard to read and analyze. If you need multiple breakdowns, create separate reports instead.
Set Date Range
Choose the time period for your report data:
Preset Date Ranges:
- • Today: Current day's data
- • Yesterday: Previous day (complete data)
- • Last 7 days: Week-over-week comparison
- • Last 30 days: Monthly trends
- • Last 90 days: Quarterly analysis
- • Month to date: Current month progress
- • Year to date: Annual performance
Custom Date Ranges:
- • Specific dates: Select start and end dates
- • Campaign flight: Match campaign duration
- • Seasonal period: Holiday season, back-to-school, etc.
- • Fiscal periods: Align with your fiscal calendar
Compare to Previous Period
Enable "Compare to previous period" to see performance changes:
- Last 7 days vs. previous 7 days (week-over-week)
- This month vs. last month (month-over-month)
- This quarter vs. same quarter last year (year-over-year)
Apply Filters (Optional)
Filters narrow down your data to show only what you want to see:
Common Filter Types:
Platform Filter
Show only specific platforms:
Example: Platform = "Google Ads" (excludes Meta, Amazon, etc.)
Campaign Name Filter
Include/exclude campaigns by name:
Example: Campaign name contains "Brand"
Performance Filter
Show only high/low performers:
Example: ROAS > 3.0 (only profitable campaigns)
Status Filter
Include only active/paused campaigns:
Example: Status = "Active"
💡 Advanced Filtering:
Combine multiple filters with AND/OR logic:
AND ROAS > 2.0
AND Spend > $1000
Choose Visualization
Select how you want to display your data:
Table View
Best for: Detailed data, multiple metrics, precise numbers
Line Chart
Best for: Trends over time, performance changes, seasonality
Bar Chart
Best for: Comparing categories, rankings, top/bottom performers
Pie Chart
Best for: Budget/spend allocation, market share, proportions
Visualization Guidelines:
- • Tables: When exact numbers matter
- • Line charts: When trend direction matters
- • Bar charts: When comparing 3-20 items
- • Pie charts: When showing proportions (max 6 slices)
Save & Preview
Review your report and save it for future use:
- Click "Preview Report" to see how it looks with real data
- Verify metrics are calculating correctly and data looks accurate
- Adjust formatting, sorting, or visualization if needed
- Click "Save Report" to add it to your Reports library
- Optionally pin to dashboard for quick access
Your report is now saved!
Access it anytime from the Reports menu. Edit, duplicate, schedule, or share it with your team. Saved reports update automatically with fresh data each time you open them.
Scheduling Automated Reports
Set up reports to run automatically and deliver to your inbox:
How to Schedule a Report:
- Open any saved report
- Click "Schedule" button in top-right
- Choose frequency: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly
- Select day of week (for weekly) or day of month (for monthly)
- Choose time of day (reports generate overnight and deliver by chosen time)
- Enter recipient email addresses (comma-separated for multiple recipients)
- Choose format: PDF (visual), CSV (data), or both
- Click "Enable Schedule"
Email Delivery Options:
- • PDF: Professional report with charts/tables (best for executives)
- • CSV: Raw data for further analysis in Excel/Sheets
- • Both: Visual report + data file
- • Link: Just send a link to view in Zaplane (no attachment)
Recommended Schedules:
- • Daily: Campaign performance summary
- • Weekly: Creative performance, spend pacing
- • Monthly: Executive summary, ROAS trends
- • Quarterly: Strategic planning, year-over-year
💡 Slack Integration
Connect your Slack workspace to deliver reports directly to channels. Go to Settings → Integrations → Slack to connect. Great for team visibility without email clutter.
Sharing & Exporting Reports
Share Live Link
Generate a secure link that always shows current data:
- Always up-to-date (refreshes automatically)
- Set expiration date (7 days, 30 days, never)
- Password-protect sensitive reports
- Revoke access anytime
Export Options
Download static snapshots in multiple formats:
PDF
Professional report with branding, charts, tables
CSV
Raw data for Excel, Google Sheets, databases
Google Sheets
Direct export to your Google Drive (auto-updates optional)
Pre-Built Report Templates
Start with these templates and customize them for your needs:
Campaign Performance
ROAS, CPA, spend, conversions by campaign with trends
Dimensions: Campaign Name, Date
Metrics: Spend, ROAS, CPA, Conversions
Geographic Analysis
Performance breakdown by country, state, or city
Dimensions: Location
Metrics: Spend, Conversions, ROAS, CTR
Creative Performance
Compare ad creative CTR, conversion rate, engagement
Dimensions: Ad Name, Creative Type
Metrics: CTR, Conversion Rate, Engagement
Platform Comparison
Google vs Meta vs Amazon performance side-by-side
Dimensions: Platform
Metrics: Spend, ROAS, Conversions, CPA
Budget Pacing
Track spend vs budget, utilization %, projected totals
Dimensions: Campaign Name, Date
Metrics: Spend, Budget, % Utilized
Executive Summary
High-level overview with KPIs, trends, highlights
Dimensions: Platform, Date
Metrics: Spend, ROAS, Conversions, Revenue
Access Templates
When creating a new report, click "Use Template" and browse the template library. Each template includes default metrics, dimensions, and visualizations. Customize any aspect to match your specific needs.
Report Best Practices
✅ Keep Reports Focused
Each report should answer one specific question. Instead of one massive report with everything, create multiple focused reports: one for ROAS by campaign, one for geographic performance, one for creative analysis, etc.
✅ Use Consistent Date Ranges
When comparing reports, use the same date ranges. Comparing "Last 7 days" in one report vs "Last 30 days" in another leads to confusion. Standardize on weekly, monthly, or quarterly views.
✅ Include Context with Comparisons
Always enable "Compare to previous period" for time-based reports. Knowing spend was $10,000 is less useful than knowing it was $10,000 this month vs $8,000 last month (+25%).
✅ Name Reports Descriptively
Future you (and your team) will thank you for clear names. "Weekly Campaign ROAS Report" is much better than "Report 1". Include frequency and topic in the name.
❌ Don't Overload with Metrics
A report with 20 metrics is overwhelming and hard to act on. Stick to 5-8 key metrics that actually influence decisions. More isn't better.
❌ Don't Mix Incompatible Dimensions
Some dimension combinations don't make sense together. For example, "Campaign Name" + "Hour of Day" creates huge tables that are difficult to analyze. Keep it simple.
Start Building Your Reports
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