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Working with Advanced Reports

Updated

Advanced reports in Pulse Commerce offer powerful customization tools that let you filter, sort, group, and aggregate data to match your analysis needs. These tools are accessed through the column headers and right-click menus, allowing you to transform any Advanced report into a custom view.

Note: These customization features are only available for Advanced reports (reports that show an "as of" timestamp and update every 24 hours). Simple reports have limited customization options. See Understanding Reports in Pulse Commerce to learn the difference.
🔧 Sorting and Filtering Data

Sorting Columns

Sort any column in ascending or descending order:

  • Left-click a column header to toggle between ascending and descending sort
  • Right-click a column header Select "Sort Ascending" or "Sort Descending"
  • The sorted column displays an arrow indicator showing the sort direction

Filtering Data

Filter columns to show only specific data:

1Click the filter icon below any column header

2Select an operator from the dropdown:

  • Equals / Not Equal - Match or exclude exact values
  • Contains / Does Not Contain - Search for text within values
  • Greater Than / Less Than - Numeric comparisons
  • Is Null / Is Not Null - Find blank or populated fields

3Enter your filter value and press Enter

Tip: Copy and paste values from the report into filters to ensure exact matches. You can apply up to two filters per column.

Advanced Filtering (Right-Click Menu)

For more complex filters:

  • Right-click a column header Select "Filter"
  • Access additional operators and combine multiple criteria
  • Clear all filters by right-clicking and selecting "Clear Filter"
📊 Grouping and Organizing Data

Grouping by Single Column

Group data to organize by categories:

1Drag a column header to the top grouping area (where it says "Drag a column header here to group by that column")

2The report reorganizes with collapsible groups

3Click the ▼ icon to expand/collapse groups

Alternative method: Right-click a column header Select "Group By This Column"

Multi-Level Grouping

Create nested groupings by dragging multiple columns to the grouping area. Order matters:

  • First column = Primary grouping (e.g., Shipping State)
  • Second column = Sub-groups within primary (e.g., Customer Name)
  • Continue adding columns for deeper nesting

Example use case: Group by Shipping State, then by Customer Name to see orders by state and customer.

Removing Grouping

  • Click the X on the grouped column tab at the top
  • Or right-click the column header Select "Ungroup"
Export Tip: Remove all groupings before exporting to Excel if you plan to create pivot tables. This provides flat data that works better with Excel's tools.
🔢 Aggregating Data

Aggregates calculate totals, averages, and other summaries for numeric columns:

1Right-click a column header with numeric data

2Select Aggregate and choose a function:

  • Sum - Total of all values (e.g., total revenue)
  • Count - Number of records
  • Average - Mean value (e.g., average order value)
  • Min / Max - Smallest or largest value

3The aggregate appears at the bottom of the column

Aggregates with Grouping

When you group data, aggregates show subtotals for each group:

  • Group-level totals appear at the bottom of each group
  • Grand total appears at the bottom of the entire report
  • Useful for calculating totals by state, customer, product, etc.

Example: Group by Shipping State and add Sum to Order Total to see total revenue per state.

⚙️ Managing Columns

Show or Hide Columns

1Right-click any column header

2Select Columns

3Check or uncheck columns to show or hide them

Different reports have different available columns. Add columns that provide context for your analysis and remove unnecessary ones to reduce clutter.

Reorder Columns

Drag and drop column headers to rearrange them in any order. Position the most important columns on the left for easier viewing.

Adjust Column Width

Hover over the divider between column headers until you see a resize cursor, then drag to adjust width.

💾 Saving Your Customizations

Customizations are temporary and reset when you leave the report. To preserve your work:

1After customizing the report, click Create Custom Report

2Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Quarterly Tax by State")

3Select which user roles can access this report

4Choose a date range preset or specific dates

5Click Save

Your custom report appears under Reports Custom Reports and in the "Load Custom Report" dropdown within the base report.

Important: Custom reports cannot be edited after creation. To make changes, customize the report again and save it with a new name (or add a version number like "v2").

For detailed instructions, see Creating Custom Reports.

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