Special Metrics

Special Metrics in Reach Reporting are pre-built metric templates that automatically generate ranked lists of your top-performing accounts based on specified criteria. Special Metrics include dynamic filtering options that allow you to adjust date ranges, account quantities, and account types directly from your dashboard view. These metrics provide an efficient way to identify and track key financial contributors, such as top customers, vendors, or expense categories, without manual sorting.

Special Metrics are available through the metric templates library and can be customized using the Metric Builder's specialized controls. They offer interactive filtering capabilities that work in both the standard dashboard view and client portals, making them particularly valuable for collaborative reporting scenarios.

Important Limitations:

Special Metrics cannot pull top vendors and top customers for Xero and MYOB integrations
Special Metrics are not available for consolidations

Adding Special Metrics to Your Dashboard or Report

Step 1: Access the Add Metric Function

Open the dashboard or report where you want to add a Special Metric
Click the Add Metric button

Step 2: Select from Templates

Click the dropdown menu that appears
Select Templates from the options

Step 3: Find Special Metrics

Use the search function to search for the term "top"
The results displayed are your available Special Metrics
Select the Special Metric you want to add to your dashboard

Configuring Special Metrics

Once you've added a Special Metric to your dashboard or report, you can configure it using the Metric Builder's specialized controls.

Step 1: Open the Metric Builder

Click Edit on your newly added Special Metric
The Metric Builder will open with familiar layout elements
Note the additional bar of dropdowns and settings beneath the metric title—these are unique to Special Metrics

Step 2: Select Your Special Metric Type

Use the first dropdown to choose which Special Metric you want to build
Options may include top customers, top vendors, top expense accounts, etc.

Step 3: Configure Date Range

Use the second dropdown (to the right of the metric type) to select your date range
This determines the period from which account data will be generated

Step 4: Set Number of Accounts

Use the third option to specify how many accounts you wish to display
This controls the length of your ranked list (e.g., top 5, top 10, etc.)

Step 5: Choose Account Type

Use the fourth dropdown to select whether to show parent accounts or sub-accounts when showing Top Income Accounts, Top Cost of Goods Sold, or Top Expenses
This determines the level of detail in your results

Step 6: Apply to See Changes

Select the “Apply” button after all fields are set to see changes

Customizing Special Metrics

Adding Columns

While Special Metrics have restrictions on certain customizations, you can enhance them with additional columns:

Unlike standard metrics, you cannot add custom rows to Special Metrics
You can add additional columns to provide more context or calculations
Custom columns can include formulas, such as percentages or variance formulas
This allows you to create a comparative analysis alongside your ranked data

Saving Your Configuration

Once you've finished creating and editing your Special Metric, click Save and Close
You'll then return to the dashboard or report view with your configured Special Metric displayed

Using Special Metric Filter Settings

Reach Reporting includes interactive filter settings specifically designed for Special Metrics, providing flexibility in both internal and client-facing views.

Accessing Filter Settings

Locate the filter icon on your Special Metric within the dashboard
Click the filter icon to open the settings panel

Available Filter Options

The filter panel provides quick access to key configuration settings:

Date Range dropdown: Adjust the time period for account data
Number of Accounts: Change how many accounts are displayed
Account Type dropdown: Switch between parent accounts and sub-accounts

Interactive Filtering Benefits

Filter settings are available directly within the dashboard view
No need to enter the Metric Builder for quick adjustments
Provides clients with an interactive element for exploring data
Allows real-time customization without editing the underlying metric configuration

Use Cases

Sales Performance Tracking

Create a Special Metric showing your top 10 customers by revenue for the current quarter, with an additional column calculating each customer's percentage of total revenue.

Expense Management

Generate a ranked list of your top expense categories to identify where your business is spending the most money, helping prioritize cost-reduction initiatives.

Vendor Analysis

Display top vendors by payment volume to strengthen negotiating positions with key suppliers and identify vendor concentration risks.

Client Reporting

Include Special Metrics in dashboards with interactive filters, allowing clients to adjust date ranges and account quantities to explore their data independently.

Best Practices

Choose Appropriate Account Quantities

Select a number of accounts that provides meaningful insights without overwhelming the viewer—typically 5-10 accounts for executive dashboards, more for detailed analysis

Add Contextual Columns

Enhance Special Metrics with percentage calculations or period comparisons to provide deeper insights beyond simple rankings

Match Date Ranges to Reporting Periods

Align your Special Metric date ranges with your standard reporting periods for consistency across your dashboard

Consider Account Type Carefully

Choose parent accounts for high-level overview reporting and sub-accounts when detailed visibility is needed

Verify Integration Compatibility

Before building Special Metrics for top vendors and customers, confirm your accounting system integration supports this functionality (note limitations with Xero and MYOB, and Consolidations)

Troubleshooting

Special Metrics Not Available in Templates

Issue: Cannot find Special Metrics when searching templates

Verify you're searching from the Add Metric > Templates menu
Try searching for "top" in the template search function
Confirm your integration has access to Special Metrics features

Top Vendors/Customers Not Populating

Issue: Special Metric shows no data for top vendors or customers

For Xero and MYOB users: These integrations do not support pulling top vendors and top customers data
Check that your date range includes periods with transaction data

Special Metrics Not Working in Consolidations

Issue: Cannot add or view Special Metrics in consolidated reports

Special Metrics are not available for consolidations by design
Consider creating separate Special Metrics for individual entities
Use standard metrics with manual sorting as an alternative for consolidated views

Custom Rows Cannot Be Added

Issue: Unable to add custom rows to Special Metric

This is expected behavior—Special Metrics do not support custom row additions
The ranked list is automatically generated based on your configuration settings
Focus on adding custom columns for additional calculations and context instead

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