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Good reporting is less about building charts and more about answering questions with data you trust. In Custral, every report is a block on a dashboard. You pick a source object, a group-by dimension, and a measure, and the chart reads your live records. These practices help you build reports people actually act on.

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1. Start with the question

Before you add a chart, write the business question in one sentence.
  • Vague: “I want a chart of all sales.”
  • Sharp: “Which pipeline stage has the highest drop-off for Enterprise deals?”
A sharp question tells you the source object, the group-by, and the measure before you touch the block picker.

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2. Match the chart to the question

Every chart is configured the same way (source → group → measure), so pick the shape that fits what you’re asking. See Reporting for the full list.

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3. Use drill-down for the “why”

A number is a starting point, not an answer. Click any segment (a slice, bar, point, or cell) to open the underlying records in a table. When a stage looks stuck or a count spikes, drill in and read the actual records instead of guessing.

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4. Filter with intent

Reports have two levels of filtering. Use both deliberately:
  • Per-block filters scope a single chart (e.g. “Enterprise only”).
  • Dashboard-level filters connect across blocks so the whole board moves together. Change the date range or owner once and every report updates.
Connect the filters that belong to a dashboard’s story; leave one-off scoping on the block.

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5. Keep dashboards focused

Resist putting every metric on one board. Build focused dashboards per team, per pipeline, or per objective.
  • Sales leader: pipeline health, win rate, stage velocity.
  • Support lead: ticket volume, response time, resolution rate.
Custral can also draft a starter dashboard from a prompt when you’re beginning. A fast way to get a first layout you can then refine.

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6. Keep the data current

Reports read your live records. There’s no separate warehouse, so accuracy is entirely a function of the data underneath.
  • Make sure teams consistently fill in the fields your reports group and measure by.
  • Use required properties, property agents (AI auto-fill), and automations to keep records complete and up to date.
  • A funnel or a count is only as honest as the Status and date fields feeding it.

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7. Iterate and retire

Your reporting needs change as you grow. Review dashboards regularly, retire reports nobody opens, and reshape the ones that no longer match how the team works.

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What lives elsewhere

Reporting covers charts and dashboards over your records and conversations. Conversation analytics, sentiment, and call coaching are separate surfaces. See Conversations and Coaching, not BI.