Ad hoc reporting

Ad hoc reporting is the creation of one-off reports based on a specific question the user needs to answer right now. Unlike regular reports, it does not follow a fixed schedule or a predefined template. Users choose the data, period, dimensions and level of detail themselves.

How ad hoc reporting works

The user starts from available and trustworthy data and builds a view that fits the current need. They can, for example, compare revenue by region, product and month, or find the step in a process where a variance occurred.

When ad hoc reporting is useful

Typical cases are an unexpected drop in sales, a question from management or testing a hypothesis. Flexibility, however, does not mean that every user should create their own definitions of indicators. If sources or calculations differ, results can contradict each other.

Ad hoc analyses work best with clearly defined metrics.