Need to make sense of your sales numbers—without wrangling spreadsheets for hours? This guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through building custom sales reports in Databar, step by step. If you’re tired of canned dashboards and want real answers (not just charts for your boss), keep reading.
Whether you’re in sales ops, a founder, or just the unlucky soul who got “reporting” added to their job description, you’ll find what you need here. I’ll skip the fluff, cut through the hype, and show you what works (and what doesn’t).
Step 1: Know What You Want to Measure (and Why)
Before you touch a button in Databar, get clear on what you actually need. Trust me, “all the sales data” isn’t a real requirement. Start with these questions:
- Who is this report for? (You, the sales team, the CEO?)
- What decisions will it help make? (Forecasting, team performance, product focus?)
- How often will you need it? (Weekly, monthly, once for a board deck?)
Pro tip: Write down the exact questions your report needs to answer, like: - “Which reps closed the most new deals last quarter?” - “What’s our average deal size by region?” - “Where are deals getting stuck in the pipeline?”
If you skip this step, you’ll end up with a wall of numbers no one actually uses.
Step 2: Connect Your Data Source
Databar only works if your sales data’s in it. Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many folks skip double-checking this.
What Databar Connects To
- Direct integrations: Major CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive.
- CSV uploads: For smaller teams or messy exports.
- Other sources: Some users bring in data from spreadsheets, but real-time sync is best.
How to Connect
- Go to the “Data Sources” tab in Databar.
- Click “Add Source” and pick your CRM or upload a CSV.
- Follow the prompts—usually OAuth login for CRMs, or drag-and-drop for CSVs.
- Check your fields: Make sure essentials like “Deal Value,” “Close Date,” and “Owner” are mapped correctly. Mis-mapped fields = garbage reports.
Honest take: Integration setup can be the hairiest part, especially if your data is messy or you’re using a less-common CRM. Don’t be afraid to ask IT for help—fixing this later is painful.
Step 3: Start a New Custom Report
With your data in, let’s get building.
- Go to the “Reports” section.
- Click “Create New Report.”
- Choose “Custom” (not “Template”—those are cookie-cutter and rarely fit real needs).
You’ll see a blank canvas, plus a list of your available data fields on the side.
Step 4: Select Your Data Fields
Now, drag in only what you need. Less is more here—if you include 15 fields, no one will read your report.
- Basic sales report: Deal Name, Owner, Stage, Value, Close Date.
- Performance report: Owner, Number of Deals, Total Value, Win Rate.
- Funnel report: Stage, Count, Conversion Rate.
Just click or drag fields from the sidebar into your report layout.
Field Setup Tips
- Rename confusing labels: If your CRM calls it “Opportunity Owner,” change it to “Rep” or whatever your team uses.
- Hide irrelevant fields: Don’t clutter things up with “Created By” or internal IDs.
- Add calculated fields: Want “Average Deal Size” or “Sales per Region”? Use Databar’s formula builder—but keep formulas simple unless you enjoy debugging.
Step 5: Filter and Segment Your Data
Filters are where you stop the report from turning into an endless scroll.
- Time period: Last 30 days, this quarter, custom date range.
- Owner/team: Filter by sales rep, team, or manager.
- Deal stage: Only show closed-won, or deals over a certain value.
Pro tip: Set up segments for common breakdowns (like “By Region” or “By Product”) so you don’t have to rebuild filters each time.
What to ignore: Don’t get lost in every possible filter. Pick 2-3 that matter most for your decisions.
Step 6: Choose Your Visualizations
Don’t just dump tables on people—visuals help, but only if they tell a story.
- Bar charts: Compare performance by rep, team, or product.
- Line charts: Show trends over time (monthly sales, pipeline growth).
- Pie charts: Honestly, 90% of the time these just look pretty. Only use if you’re showing a really simple breakdown (like sales by product category).
- Tables: For detail, but don’t make them the star of the show.
Drag and drop the visual you want, then link it to the data field or metric.
Honest take: Resist the urge to cram in every chart type. One or two clear visuals beat a dashboard Christmas tree.
Step 7: Sort, Group, and Summarize
Now, make your report readable.
- Sort: Highest value deals on top, or sort reps by performance.
- Group: By team, region, or product line.
- Summarize: Add totals, averages, or conversion rates at the bottom or top.
Pro tip: Use conditional formatting to highlight outliers—like deals over $50k or reps with below-average win rates. But don’t go wild with colors.
Step 8: Preview, Test, and Clean Up
Before you hit “Save” or send anything to your boss, check your work.
- Preview mode: Does the data make sense? Any obvious errors or empty fields?
- Test with different filters: Make sure the report works for different teams or time periods.
- Sanity check: Compare against last month’s numbers. If you see wild swings, double-check your filters.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over pixel-perfect alignment. Focus on clarity—if something’s confusing or looks off, fix it.
Step 9: Share and Automate
No one likes re-running reports manually.
- Share: Send a link, export as PDF/CSV, or add users for live access.
- Automate: Set up scheduled emails (daily, weekly, monthly). Make sure you’re not spamming anyone—send only to folks who actually need the report.
- Access control: Double-check who can see sensitive data like revenue or individual rep performance.
Honest take: Automation is handy, but don’t let it become noise. Ask recipients if the report’s still useful after a month—most people won’t tell you if they stop reading.
Step 10: Iterate (and Don’t Be Precious)
Your first report won’t be perfect. That’s fine.
- Ask for feedback: “Is this what you needed? Anything missing or overkill?”
- Update as your sales process changes.
- Archive or delete old reports—clutter breeds confusion.
What to ignore: Don’t try to answer every possible question in one report. If someone asks for a weird metric, push back: “What are you trying to solve?” Simpler is almost always better.
Wrapping Up
Building custom sales reports in Databar isn’t rocket science—but it does take a little planning and a lot of editing. Start with the questions you need answered, keep your reports simple, and don’t be afraid to cut what isn’t working. Iterate as your business changes, and remember: if a report isn’t helping you make decisions, it’s just noise.
Now, go build something actually useful. And if you get stuck, keep it simple—then improve as you go.