Navigating the new Shopify reports
You can adjust the new default reports in Shopify to display the data that you want. You can filter data, select the metrics and dimensions, choose your preferred visualization, and select different time ranges or comparisons. You can also export your reports for analysis in spreadsheet programs.
The new default Shopify reports are the same as the existing reports that are pre-formatted and ready to use in your Shopify admin. Default reports are considered to be authored by Shopify. You can filter your Reports list by Created by, and select only Shopify as an option to view a list of only default reports.
You can filter and edit the new default Shopify reports to display different information as you want. You can save your changes as custom data explorations, regardless of your Shopify subscription.
New Shopify reports have 3 main components: the configuration panel, a data visualization, and the data table.
On this page
Configuration panel
New Shopify reports can be customized using the configuration panel, which contains menus for selecting the following report criteria:
- Metrics: A sum or value represented in the report. You must always have at least 1 metric selected, but you can add multiple metrics and switch between them in the same report. For example, Net sales or Average order value are both metrics. When you add more than one metric, you can change which one you want to have visualized by clicking on the desired metric in the configuration panel. A checkmark indicates which metric is the one being visualized.
- Visualization: A visual representation of your data. The most appropriate visualization is automatically selected, though you can manually override the selection as you want.
- Dimensions: The property by which the selected metric is divided and organized. For example, in the Add to cart rate over time report, the Add to cart rate is the metric and time is the dimension. You can add multiple dimensions in the same report.
- Comparison: An optional configuration you can use to compare 2 data sets across 2 different time periods. For example, comparing Net sales over the last 30 days to the previous 30 day period, or to the same period last year.
- Filters: A method to reduce your report's data and to include only specific criteria. By default, the Date range filter is set to include data from the last 30 days. You can add multiple filters in the same report.
The options available in the menus in the configuration panel update dynamically based on your selections. Certain combinations of data become unavailable to select when the data can't be viewed together.
The default reports can be edited temporarily by adding or removing metrics, dimensions, or filters, but these edits don't override the original configuration of these reports. To keep modifications to an existing default report, you must save the data exploration as a custom report.
Learn more about creating data explorations.
Visualizations
You can control the way your data is visually represented in a Shopify report. Visualizations include graphs, such as line or bar graphs, as well as lists, tables, and histograms.
By default, the recommended visualization for the primary metric in the report is automatically selected in the configuration panel. Shopify default reports come with a pre-selected visualization which can be different than the recommended visualization with similar dimensions. You can deactivate the Recommended setting by manually selecting a different visualization type based on your preference.
If the selected visualization isn't available for a particular dataset, then a visualization won't display. For example, line graphs display only when time is a selected dimension. To get a visualization to display, you can adjust your report to include any missing or compatible metrics or dimensions, or you can manually reactivate the Recommended setting.
Data table
The data table is available at the bottom of all reports and displays your selected metrics and dimensions in a tabular format.
The table can be organized in 2 ways: flat or nested. How you decide to display your data depends on what information you want to gain from the report.
Click the table option icon to switch between Flat or Nested versions of the data table:
Flat table
A flat table displays a single row for every line in your data table. When you choose to sort a flat table by a particular metric, it sorts the data across all individual, separate rows regardless of dimension.
Review the following example on how data might display in a flat table when sorted by net sales in descending order:
| Sales channel | Product title | Net sales ⌄ |
|---|---|---|
| Online Store | Bamboo Towel | $575 |
| Online Store | Beach Sandals | $450 |
| Point of Sale | Red Sunglasses | $425 |
| Point of Sale | Bamboo Towel | $380 |
| Online Store | Red Sunglasses | $300 |
| Point of Sale | Coconut Sunscreen | $275 |
| Online Store | Coconut Sunscreen | $210 |
| Point of Sale | Beach Sandals | $145 |
Nested table
A nested table groups the data in your table by the dimensions selected. For example, if you have a net sales report with 2 dimensions selected, such as Sales channel and then Product title, then the nested table groups the data by sales channel and then by product title within each sales channel. If you choose to sort your sales in descending order, then the nested table displays the top-selling sales channels first, and within each sales channel, displays the top-selling product titles first.
Review the following example on how data might display in a nested table when sorted by net sales in descending order:
| Sales channel | Product title | Net sales ⌄ |
|---|---|---|
| Online Store | $1,535 | |
| Bamboo Towel | $575 | |
| Beach Sandals | $450 | |
| Red Sunglasses | $300 | |
| Coconut Sunscreen | $210 | |
| Point of Sale | $1,225 | |
| Red Sunglasses | $425 | |
| Bamboo Towel | $380 | |
| Coconut Sunscreen | $275 | |
| Beach Sandals | $145 |
The order of dimensions in a nested table is relevant, because nested tables group data based on the order of selected dimensions in the configuration panel. For example, if the dimensions in the previous example were reversed, with Product title being the primary dimension, then this is how the same data might display when sorted by net sales in descending order:
| Product title | Sales channel | Net sales ⌄ |
|---|---|---|
| Bamboo Towel | $955 | |
| Online Store | $575 | |
| Point of Sale | $380 | |
| Red Sunglasses | $725 | |
| Point of Sale | $425 | |
| Online Store | $300 | |
| Beach Sandals | $595 | |
| Online Store | $450 | |
| Point of Sale | $145 | |
| Coconut Sunscreen | $485 | |
| Point of Sale | $275 | |
| Online Store | $210 |