How to Create a Custom Report from Scratch

Step 1: Navigate to Analytics

Log in to your Pabau account, and in the left sidebar menu, go to Analytics, then click on the "Reports" button. If you land on the legacy Reports page, click Try it now on the "Try our new suite of reports" banner to open the new reports experience.

In the top right corner of the new reports view, click the "Build a custom report" button (marked with a magic-wand icon) to start the report creation process. On the Featured tab you can also use the "Custom builder" card and click "Start a custom report" — both open the same builder.

Step 2: Select a Data Object

A full-screen "Data Objects" picker opens, asking you to choose what you would like to report on: Clients, Leads, Appointments, Invoices, Line Items, Payments, Activities, or Forms. These are the specific data sets or categories that your report will focus on. Carefully select the relevant Data object that aligns with your reporting needs. (Choosing Forms takes you to the Forms reporting screen instead of the builder.)

Step 3: Choose Report Starting Point

After selecting the Data object, you have two options to proceed. You can either click on one of the provided report ideas, tailored to common analytics scenarios, or opt to start from scratch by clicking the "Start from scratch" button.

Choosing the latter option allows you complete freedom in designing a report that precisely matches your requirements.

Step 4: Name, Describe, and File the Report

At the top of the builder, click the report name to edit it — a report name is required before you can save. You can also add an optional description so colleagues understand what the report shows, and file the report into a folder using the folder dropdown ("No folder" by default). Folders are part of the Insights Plus add-on.

Step 5: Add and Arrange Fields (Columns)

The columns displayed in the report are managed in the "Fields" sidebar on the left side of the builder. Use the search dropdown to find and add fields — including your custom fields — then drag and drop them to reorder the columns, or set a field to sort ascending or descending. Remove a field to take its column out of the report.

Step 6: Add, Edit, Delete, and Lock Filters

To add a filter condition, click the plus sign below the existing condition, and fill in the new filter details.

To edit a filter, find the condition you want to edit, click on the element you wish to change, and select a different option from the dropdown menu.

To delete a filter, hover over the condition you want to remove and click the "X" sign.

To lock a filter so it can’t be changed by anyone viewing the report, click the padlock icon next to the condition. Click the padlock again to unlock it. Locked filters are saved as part of the report. (On date-based filters, the date value itself stays adjustable even when locked — the lock freezes the field and operator.)

Each filter has four elements — object, field, operator, and value.

In the screenshot below, you can see an example of the four elements in the "Appointments by Location" report.

• Object: This is what you’re focusing on ("Appointment").
• Field: This is the specific detail you’re interested in ("Appointment date").
• Operator: This shows how the field relates to the value ("is").
• Value: This is the specific data you’re looking at ("this month").

Each of these elements can be customized by clicking on them and choosing a different option.

For example, if you want to view all appointments except those scheduled for this month, you can change the operator to "is not" to exclude them.

If you want to see all appointments for a specific location during a different time frame, such as last month, last quarter, or any other period, click on the current value (e.g., "this month"). You’ll then be able to choose from a list of available options to set your desired time frame.

These examples show just a few options. The system has many filters you can mix and match to create detailed, customized reports.

Step 7: Use Data Visualization Tools

In the Type section of the builder you can choose how the report data is visualized: Table, Pie, Donut, Bar, Line, or Number. For chart types you can also configure the Segment by, Measure by, and View by dropdowns to control how the data is grouped, counted, and broken down over time, and open "Chart settings" to adjust the label color and font size.

Step 8: Manage Access

New custom reports are private to you by default. Click the "Manage access" button in the builder’s header to open the Manage access panel. From there you can choose:

• Private to the creator — only you can open the report.
• Everyone can access — all employees in your account.
• Specific users or teams — choose exactly who, and what they can do. Each person can be set to Hidden (cannot see the report), View only (can open, not change), or View & edit (can open and change).

Step 9: Save the Report

Once you’ve set everything up, click the "Save Report" button in the top right corner of the builder. Your new custom report is saved and listed under "My reports" in the reports sidebar.

If you try to leave the builder without saving, a confirmation appears — choose "Leave without saving" to discard the report, or stay to keep working.