If you’re tired of dashboards that look great but tell you nothing useful, you’re not alone. Custom reporting can be powerful—but also a huge time sink if you don’t set things up right. This guide is for anyone using Pandamatch who actually wants reports that help you make decisions, not just fill up your inbox. Whether you’re a team lead, analyst, or the unlucky soul who got handed “the reporting job,” here’s how to create and manage custom reports in Pandamatch that get to the point.
Why Custom Reports? (And Why Bother?)
Out-of-the-box reports are fine… until they aren’t. Maybe you want to track a weird KPI, slice data your own way, or just build something that matches how your team actually works. That’s where custom reports come in.
But—and this is important—custom reports only help if you’re clear on what you need. Don’t fall into the trap of building “just in case” dashboards. You’ll end up with a mess no one reads, and your insights will get lost in the noise.
Pro tip: Before you touch Pandamatch, jot down what business question you’re trying to answer. If you can’t say it in a sentence, your report is probably too vague.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goal
Don’t skip this. The best tool in the world can’t fix a fuzzy question.
- What decision will this report help you make?
- Who will use it?
- How often will it be checked?
Example: “We want a weekly report showing which campaigns are underperforming, so we can kill them fast.”
If you’re just “exploring the data,” that’s fine—just don’t spend hours prettying up a one-off chart.
Step 2: Find Your Data in Pandamatch
Pandamatch has its own quirks when it comes to data sources. You’ll usually pull from:
- Internal datasets (sales, campaigns, engagement, etc.)
- Integrated external sources (like CRM or ad platforms)
- Uploaded CSVs or manual files
What works: Pandamatch is pretty flexible with filters and joins, so you can usually get what you need without calling IT.
What to ignore: Don’t try to wrangle everything into a single mega-report. If your data lives in five places and needs tons of manual cleaning, split it up—or ask if you really need it all.
Step 3: Build Your Custom Report
Here’s the meat of it. In Pandamatch, custom reports are built using the “Reports” or “Insights” module (sometimes the UI changes names—go with whatever’s closest).
1. Start a New Custom Report
- Navigate to Reports > Create Report (or sometimes “New Insight”).
- Pick a template if you want, but honestly, starting from scratch is cleaner unless you know what you’re doing.
2. Choose Your Data Source(s)
- Select the main dataset.
- Add any extra sources if you need joined data—but keep it simple at first.
- Use filters to narrow to just what matters (date ranges, teams, campaign types, etc.).
3. Add Metrics and Dimensions
- Metrics: The numbers you want (revenue, signups, churn rate, etc.).
- Dimensions: How you want to break things down (by week, by region, by owner).
Drag and drop these onto the report canvas. Don’t overload it; start with a few key points.
4. Visualize (But Don’t Overdo It)
- Pick chart types that actually show differences. Bar charts and line graphs work 90% of the time.
- Avoid pie charts unless you have exactly two or three categories. They’re almost always confusing.
Pro tip: If you can’t tell what’s going on at a glance, your chart needs work.
5. Add Filters and Drilldowns
- Set up filters so viewers can slice the data themselves (e.g., by date, region).
- Enable drilldowns if Pandamatch supports it, so users can click into details.
6. Preview and Tweak
- Does the report actually answer your original question?
- Remove anything that’s just “nice to have” fluff.
Don’t worry about perfection. You’ll iterate.
Step 4: Share and Automate (So People Actually Use It)
No one likes hunting for links or logging into yet another tool. Make your report easy to find.
- Share via link: Pandamatch lets you generate shareable URLs. Set permissions so only the right folks see sensitive stuff.
- Schedule email exports: If your team lives in their inbox, automate a weekly or monthly send. But be honest—if no one reads it after a month, kill it.
- Embed in dashboards: Some teams prefer one big home base. Pandamatch supports embedding reports into team dashboards.
What works: Scheduled reports keep people in the loop without nagging.
What doesn’t: Spamming everyone with daily updates. Frequency fatigue is real.
Step 5: Maintain (Without Losing Your Mind)
Custom reports have a way of multiplying. Before you know it, you’re managing a graveyard of half-used dashboards.
- Review usage: Pandamatch tracks who’s viewing reports. If something isn’t getting opened, archive or delete it.
- Update or sunset: If your business changes, update metrics or shut down old reports.
- Document the why: Add a one-liner in the report description about what it’s for. Future you (and your teammates) will thank you.
Pro tip: Set a quarterly “report cleanup” calendar invite. Ten minutes now saves hours of head-scratching later.
Pitfalls to Avoid
- Trying to please everyone: You’ll end up with a Frankenstein report. Stick to your core audience.
- Overfitting to the past: Just because a metric was useful last year doesn’t mean it matters now.
- Ignoring data quality: Fancy visuals can’t polish bad data. If numbers look off, stop and fix the source.
When to Get Fancy (And When Not To)
Pandamatch has advanced features—custom formulas, cohort analysis, even predictive widgets if that’s your thing.
- Use advanced features if you have a real need and understand what they’re doing.
- Skip the bells and whistles if you’re just starting out. More complexity = more maintenance.
Unless your team is already data-savvy, start simple. You can always layer in complexity later.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Custom reporting in Pandamatch isn’t magic. The hard part is knowing what you want to track and why. Start small. Build a report that answers a real question. Share it with the right people. Watch how it’s used, and tweak as you go.
Don’t be afraid to delete reports that aren’t working. The best insights usually come from clear, focused questions—not the fanciest dashboard in the room. If you keep your process simple and stay skeptical of “just in case” metrics, you’ll actually get actionable insights—and save yourself a lot of headaches.