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Creating Custom Reports

Updated

Custom reports allow you to save your customized report configurations for recurring use. Instead of recreating the same filters, groupings, and column settings each time you need a report, save it once as a custom report and access it anytime with all your preferences intact.

Before You Begin: Custom reports can only be created from Advanced reports. You must first customize a standard report with your desired filters, grouping, columns, and sorting. See Customizing Advanced Reports to learn how to filter, group, sort, and modify report columns.
💾 Creating a Custom Report

When to Create Custom Reports

Custom reports are ideal for analysis you'll perform repeatedly:

  • Monthly or quarterly reporting - Tax reports, performance reviews, board presentations
  • Team collaboration - Share configured reports with specific user roles
  • Complex configurations - Save time by not recreating multi-step customizations
  • Consistent reporting - Ensure everyone uses the same report format and filters
Example: Create a "Quarterly Sales Tax by State" custom report that always groups by Shipping State, filters for paid orders only, and uses the "Previous Calendar Quarter" date range. Every quarter, simply open the custom report instead of reconfiguring from scratch.

Step-by-Step: Creating a Custom Report

1Navigate to any Advanced report (e.g., Reports > Sales Order Analysis)

2Customize the report with your desired configuration:

  • Select a date range or date range preset
  • Filter specific columns (e.g., Payment Status = "Paid")
  • Group by one or more columns (e.g., Shipping State)
  • Add or remove columns using right-click > Columns
  • Sort columns in your preferred order
  • Add aggregates (Sum, Average, Count) to columns
Tip: Take time to get your report exactly right before saving it as a custom report. Once created, custom reports cannot be edited—you'll need to create a new version with your changes.

3Once your report is configured, click the "Create Custom Report" button in the top-right corner

4In the popup that appears, configure your custom report settings:

Report Name:

  • Enter a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Order Analysis By Customer" or "Quarterly Tax by State")
  • Include the purpose or time period in the name for easy identification
  • Avoid generic names like "My Report" or "Report 1"

Share Report:

  • Select which user roles can access this custom report
  • Check all roles that should see the report (Admin, Sales, Warehouse, etc.)
  • Only users assigned to checked roles will see this report in their list

Date Range:

  • Choose a preset range (recommended for recurring reports) or keep the specific dates you selected
  • Preset ranges like "Previous Calendar Quarter" or "Current Month" automatically update
  • Specific dates remain fixed to those exact dates

5Click "Save Custom Report" button to save your custom report

The report is now saved and accessible to all selected user roles.

Important Naming Convention: Use descriptive names that include the report purpose and time period. Examples: "Monthly Inventory - High Value Items", "Weekly Sales by Channel", "Q4 Returns Analysis". This makes reports easy to find and understand their purpose at a glance.
📂 Accessing Your Custom Reports

Once created, custom reports can be accessed from the Custom Reports Tab:

Custom Reports Tab

View all custom reports you have access to in one centralized location:

1Navigate to Reports in the main navigation

2Click the "CUSTOM REPORTS" tab at the top

3Browse the list of available custom reports

  • You'll see all custom reports shared with your user role(s)
  • Reports are listed by name in alphabetical order
  • Both your custom reports and those shared by others appear here

4Click any custom report name to load it with all saved configurations

Running a Custom Report

Once you load a custom report using either method:

  • The report opens with all your saved configurations and filters applied
  • If you selected a preset date range, it automatically updates (e.g., "Previous Month" always shows last month)
  • All filters, grouping, columns, and sorting are exactly as you saved them
  • Click "Submit" if you need to refresh the data with current information
⚙️ Managing & Deleting Custom Reports

Editing Custom Reports

Critical Limitation: Custom reports cannot be edited, renamed, or have their permissions changed after creation.

To modify a custom report:

1Load the custom report you want to modify

2Make your desired changes to filters, grouping, columns, etc.

3Click "Create Custom Report" and save it with a new name

  • Consider adding version numbers: "Sales by State v2"
  • Or include dates: "Q1 2025 - Sales Analysis"

4Delete the old version if it's no longer needed (see Deleting Custom Reports below)

Deleting Custom Reports

Remove custom reports that are no longer needed:

1Navigate to Reports > Custom Reports tab

2Locate the custom report you want to delete

3Click the Delete Custom Report button next to the report name

4Confirm deletion when prompted

Warning: Deleting a custom report is permanent and cannot be undone. If others are using the report, they will lose access immediately. Consider communicating with team members before deleting shared reports.

Sharing Custom Reports with Your Team

Custom reports can be shared with specific user roles to ensure consistent reporting across your organization:

When creating a custom report:

  • Check all user roles that should access the report (Admin, Sales, Warehouse, Accounting, etc.)
  • Only users assigned to those roles will see the report in their Custom Reports list
  • Everyone with access sees the same configuration

Best practices for team sharing:

  • Use clear, descriptive names so team members understand the report's purpose
  • Include the intended audience in the name (e.g., "Accounting - Monthly Tax Report")
  • Document the report's purpose in team communications or training materials
  • Review and clean up unused custom reports quarterly to avoid clutter
Remember: You cannot change permissions after creating a custom report. If you need to share with different roles, you'll need to create a new version with the correct role selections.
🎥 Video Walkthrough & Additional Resources

Video Tutorial: Custom Reports

Essential Reading:

Report Category Guides:

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