Building a metric in Grow’s Smart Builder is pretty straightforward. There are four basic steps to creating any metric: Get the Data, Data Transformation, Charting, and Saving it to a Dashboard. In this article we will dive a little deeper into each step to create your first metric.
Video Examples
First, here are a couple video tutorials that show this process in action to create a metric using Google Analytics, using either a custom report or with one of our dataset playbooks:
Step 1: Get Your Data
When you click 'Add Metric' from your dashboard screen you will be taken straight to the Add Data page. Here you can see all the data sources you have already connected to Grow, and connect new ones.
On the right hand side of the Add Data page you can sort data sources by popularity, or alphabetically. Going a step further you can narrow down the data sources by category, using the checkboxes or simply use the search bar. Once you have selected your data source it will load you into the Smart Builder.
If you haven’t connected your data to Grow yet, select the blue Connect button and follow the prompts to allow Grow to pull in the data. If you have already connected your data source you can start getting your data right away.
Note: To see the specific information required to connect your data source, search the Help Center for that data source and look for the section titled “How to Connect”.
Every data source is unique in how it allows Grow to get your data. It may ask for a saved report name or number, pull in a predefined report (often termed as an endpoint), or select from a dropdown check list. Once the selections have been made, simply select “Get Data” and the data will load.
Step 2: Transform Your Data
Once you have the data loaded into the Smart Builder you may need to clean it up, or transform it, before it is ready for charting.
On the left hand side of the Data tab is the Transform Pipeline. In this area you can filter, group, pivot, perform calculations, remove columns, rename columns, compare time periods, use SQL, and more to prep your data. Often it will require a combination of transforms to properly clean the data.
Once you have selected your desired transform, in the middle top area of the screen you will see the transformation tool details. This is called the Working Area. In this area fill out the required selections and click Run. This will process your data with the applied transform.
If you have more than one transforms applied, it will run them in order, top to bottom. You can rearrange the order of your transforms by selecting the dotted portion of the transform, which is on the far left, and dragging it into a new position.
If this data is something you would like to use for multiple metrics, you can save it as a dataset. When you are done transforming your data, Click on "Create Dataset" at the far right. For more on Datasets, read here.
Now you are ready to move onto the next step of Charting.
Step 3: Chart Your Data
Switch over to the Chart side of the build by clicking on the "Chart" tab at the top of the builder. You can also click 'Build Chart' or 'Create your Chart' in the Chart Mini Preview at the bottom left to navigate to the Chart section.
Now you just need to select data. You can use the “Add value” button on the left hand side, or click the floating button on the chart.
Once you click on a column of data as a data series, Grow will automatically select the first date column in your report (if one exists). You may need to manually select your x-axis by selecting the “Add New” button under the Date or Category section and selecting it from the chart. To select the entire column, click on the top gray row with the column letter.
Now you are ready to save it to the dashboard.
Step 4: Save the Chart to the Dashboard
Give the chart a title, a description (optional) and pick which dashboard it should appear on.
The metrics will always show up in the upper left hand portion of the dashboard. You can move it around by selecting it with your mouse, and dragging it.
Using the edges of the metric you can make it smaller or larger to fit the space. If you have an intricate chart, with many labels you may want it bigger for easier viewing.
And that’s it! Rinse, repeat, and in no time you will have a full dashboard! You can learn more about the options and menus in the dashboard and each metric in our dashboard overview.