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Analytics > Designing an Analysis > Getting Started with Analytics

Getting Started with Analytics

NOTE: To create custom analyses your user role must include the Manage Custom Reports privilege or the Manage Personal Reports privilege.

There are two types of subject areas that you can use in a custom analysis: the Historical Analytics subject areas and the Real-time Reporting subject areas. Most analyses use data from a single subject area. It is possible to create an analysis using data from two subject areas, but it is an advanced task.

Each subject area contains data fields (organized into dimensions) and their related metrics.

The Historical Analytics subject areas use data that is compiled nightly. These subject areas generally have historical or trend data, or contain more complex calculations than those found in the Real-time Reporting subject areas. If this is the first time you have signed in, the Historical Analytics subject areas do not show data until the first ETL run has completed.

The Real-time Reporting subject areas provide real-time analyses. The data in these analyses can change during the working day. To update the analysis in real time, click the Refresh icon in the icon bar in the Results tab or click the Refresh link after opening an analysis. For more information about subject areas, see Selecting Subject Areas.

After you create a new analysis, the process of setting up a custom analysis consists of these tasks:

1. Step 1: Defining Criteria in Analytics

   Set up columns and filters. Add filters to determine which data to include (optional but recommended). Filters restrict the data that is displayed, reducing the size of the data set and avoiding performance issues.

2. Step 2: Reviewing Results and Creating Layouts

   Add views to include graphical or alternative representations of the data.

3. Step 3: Defining Analytics Prompts (Optional)

   Add prompts that allow users to specify filter values when they run the report.

4. Step 4: Saving Analyses

   Save the analysis.

Creating a New Custom Analysis

The following procedure describes how to create a new analysis.

Before you begin. Do the following:

• Be familiar with the limitations of analyses and reporting record types. For more information, see About Limitations in Analytics.
• Review the information about custom analyses. If you have added new fields, you can use those custom fields on an analysis. If you have changed the display names for fields, the new display names are used for the analyses.

  NOTE: If you selected the option to add new picklist values when importing data, those new picklist values might not be displayed in the reports until the next ETL run completes. Therefore, you might not be able to use the new picklist values as filters during that time period.

  NOTE: Custom related information fields are not exposed in Analytics. You should instead use the original fields that are referred to by the custom related information fields for reporting.

To create a custom analysis

1. Click the Analytics tab.
2. On the Home page, under the Create pane, click Analysis.
3. Click a Historical Analytics subject area or a Real-time Reporting subject area.

Related Topics

• Selecting Subject Areas