If you’re drowning in sales data but still can’t answer basic questions like “How’s the pipeline?” or “Which deals always get stuck?”—this guide is for you. Maybe you’ve just started using Praiz, or maybe you’re the person who always gets asked to “pull the numbers.” Either way, we’ll cut through the noise and show you exactly how to get real insights (not just pretty charts) out of Praiz sales reports and dashboards.
Let’s get into it.
1. Get clear on what you actually need to see
Before you touch a single button, do yourself a favor: decide what matters. Praiz has a lot of options. It’s easy to get lost making dashboards that look nice, but don’t help anyone sell more.
Ask yourself (or your team): - What questions are we trying to answer? (e.g., “Which reps are closing the most?”, “Where are deals stalling?”, “How accurate are our forecasts?”) - Who’s this report for? (Your manager wants different details than the sales team.) - How often will this be used? (No point in a daily dashboard if you only look monthly.)
Pro tip: Write these questions down. If a report or chart doesn’t answer them, skip it.
2. Connect your data sources
Praiz won’t magically know about your deals, calls, or pipeline. You’ll need to hook it up to the systems where your sales data lives—think: CRM, email, call logs, maybe spreadsheets.
To connect your data: 1. Go to the Praiz dashboard and find the “Integrations” or “Data Sources” section. 2. Choose your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.) and follow the prompts. Usually, it’s a few clicks and an API key or OAuth login. 3. If you’re uploading CSVs or spreadsheets, make sure your columns are clean and mapped correctly (dates as dates, deal names spelled right, etc.).
What works: Native integrations are the least painful. CSVs get messy fast—only go there if you have to.
What to skip: Don’t import every field “just in case.” Extra clutter makes building reports harder and slower.
3. Build your first basic sales report
Let’s walk through making a simple report: total closed deals by rep, this quarter.
Step-by-step: 1. Navigate to Reports: In Praiz, click “Reports” or “Create Report.” 2. Pick your data set: Usually “Deals” or “Opportunities.” 3. Set your filters: - Date range: This quarter - Status: “Closed Won” 4. Group by sales rep: There’s usually a “Group By” dropdown—pick “Owner” or “Sales Rep.” 5. Choose your metric: Count of deals, or sum of deal value. 6. Preview: Check if the numbers look reasonable. If not, go back and tweak filters. 7. Save and name your report: Use a name you’ll remember (“Closed Deals by Rep - Q2”).
Pro tip: If you can’t trust the numbers, double-check that your CRM data is up to date. Garbage in, garbage out.
4. Build a dashboard that answers real questions
A dashboard isn’t just a place to dump every chart you can think of. It should answer your team’s top 3-5 questions at a glance.
To build a useful dashboard: 1. Go to Dashboards and click “Create New.” 2. Add only the reports you—or your boss—actually check. - Example layout: - Pipeline by stage (bar chart) - Closed deals this month (number) - Win rate by rep (table) - Average sales cycle length (line/chart) - Stuck deals, by age (list) 3. Arrange for clarity, not for looks. Most important stuff goes at the top left. 4. Label everything clearly. “Deals by Stage” is better than “Chart 1.” 5. Set filters (date range, teams, etc.) so anyone looking sees the right slice of data.
What works: Simpler is better. Fewer, clearer charts get used more.
What doesn’t: Don’t add a pie chart just because you can. If it doesn’t answer a question, kill it.
5. Share reports and dashboards (without the chaos)
It’s tempting to email dashboards to everyone. But that leads to old versions floating around, and “which dashboard is right?” headaches.
Best practices: - Share links, not screenshots. Praiz lets you share direct dashboard/report links, so everyone’s seeing live data. - Set permissions. Not everyone needs to see everything. Limit access to sensitive info. - Schedule automatic emails sparingly. Weekly or monthly is usually enough. Don’t clog inboxes with daily reports unless someone’s actually acting on them.
What to skip: Don’t turn dashboards into PowerPoint slides unless you have to. If someone needs the data, they should look at the source.
6. Customize and iterate (but don’t overdo it)
Praiz has plenty of customization—custom fields, calculated metrics, conditional formatting, etc. Most people don’t need 90% of it.
When to customize: - You have a weird field that’s actually important (“Renewal Risk Score,” “Demo Attended”). - You want to add simple calculations (conversion rates, average deal size).
How to do it: 1. In your report, look for “Add Field” or “Custom Metric.” 2. Enter your formula or select your custom field. 3. Test it on a small sample to make sure it works. 4. Rename the column to something humans understand.
What to skip: Don’t make calculated fields just because you can. Every extra thing is another thing to break. Stick to what’s actionable.
7. Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
No tool is magic. Here’s where people usually trip up—and how to dodge it.
- Out-of-date data: If your CRM is a mess, your reports will be too. Set a weekly cleanup reminder if you must.
- Too much detail: If nobody can find what matters, you’re not helping anyone. Stick to the must-haves.
- Analysis paralysis: Don’t try to answer every possible question at once. Start with the basics, add on as needed.
- Relying on vanity metrics: Seeing “total calls made” is nice, but unless it drives results, don’t obsess over it.
8. Quick FAQ
Can Praiz connect to [insert obscure CRM]?
Maybe. Check the integrations list. Worst case, use CSVs, but it’s a pain.
How real-time is the data?
Depends on your integration. Most syncs are hourly or daily. If you need minute-by-minute, double-check your setup.
Can I export dashboards?
Usually, yes—to PDF or CSV. But live links are better if you want up-to-date info.
Keep it simple (and tweak as you go)
You don’t need to build the “perfect” dashboard on day one. Most teams learn what matters by actually using the reports, seeing what’s missing, and making small changes. Start with the essentials, skip the fluff, and focus on what helps your team close more deals.
If you get stuck, go back to the basics: what question are you trying to answer? Build from there. Your future self will thank you.