After implementing the Standard Assets that come with Xactly Reporting, the next step in maximizing the value of the tool is to align the platform with your specific organizational requirements. Reporting is designed to be extensible, allowing administrators to move beyond pre-configured views and build a reporting environment that reflects unique go-to market (GTM) strategies and complex business rules.
This guide covers the advanced tools available in Xactly Reporting—specifically the Dashboard Builder, Logic Functions, and Interactive Settings—to help you transition into a more tailored reporting experience.
Become an Xactly Reporting Expert
Read on for an overview on how to leverage the advanced features within Xactly Reporting.
1. Building Logic Without Code
A common challenge in sales performance management is the need to report on complex scenarios that fall outside of a standard table structure. Historically, this often required manual spreadsheet manipulation or custom SQL authoring.
The function-based Report Builder changes this by providing a library of logic functions that handle the calculation heavy lifting directly within the interface.
- Dynamic data sources: You can select "Function" as your entity category to access specialized logic paths that go beyond simple object lookups.
- No SQL requirement: These functions allow you to define parameters for complex crediting or payment tiers through a drag-and-drop interface. This ensures your business logic remains accurate and centralized without requiring a developer.
- Extensibility: Because these reports are built on a modernized architecture, they can handle the transaction volumes of enterprise-scale organizations while maintaining high processing speeds.
2. The Dashboard Builder: Your Centralized Hub
While individual reports provide specific data points, the Dashboard Builder is where you consolidate those points into a strategic view for your stakeholders. It allows you to create a high-level summary that serves various departments—Finance, HR, or Sales Leadership—from a single interface.
- Layout flexibility: You can assemble multiple reports, visualization charts, and summary widgets into a customized layout. This drag-and-drop functionality makes it possible to build a comprehensive view in minutes rather than hours.
- Global filtering: To avoid creating dozens of variations of the same report, use dashboard-level filters. These allow users to pivot the entire dashboard by region, time period, or participant type instantly.
- Audit transparency: For organizations with strict governance requirements, the Dashboard Builder includes an Audit Logs feature. Administrators can track who modified a dashboard and when the changes occurred, ensuring a clear trail of accountability.
3. Advanced Visual Communication
Data is most useful when it is easily interpreted. The Visualization Charts library provides several options to transform complex tables into actionable insights. Choosing the right chart type is essential for clear communication:
- Waterfall charts: Shows how credits or commissions flow through various stages of a plan.
- Funnel charts: Helps visualize attainment trends or pipeline progression across a sales team.
- Stacked columns: Compares total commissions by business groups across different months, providing a clear view of performance trends over time.
4. Interactive Self-Service for End Users
One of the primary goals for an administrator is to reduce the volume of manual data requests and repetitive questions from the field. Xactly Reporting includes interactive features within the Widget and Report Settings to help users find their own answers.
- Drill-down capabilities: You can enable "drill-through" fields in your widgets. Then, when a user sees a high-level total, they can click directly on the number to open a detailed view of the underlying transactions.
- Help text icons: Add hoverable instructions or definitions to any report or widget. This provides real-time context to sales reps, explaining exactly what a specific metric measures without requiring them to contact the administrator.
- Footer documentation: Use the "Footnote" section in your settings to add disclaimers, data refresh timestamps, or links to additional documentation, ensuring all stakeholders are working from the same context.
5. Executive-Level Formatting
Presentation matters when delivering reports to leadership. The Formatting Reports feature allows for precise control over the aesthetic of your data, ensuring it aligns with company brand standards.
- Custom color palettes: You’re not limited to default colors. You can use specific Hex codes to match your company's brand, applying them at the report, field, or column level.
- Hierarchy of priority: The platform uses a specific hierarchy for formatting—field-level settings override report-level settings. This allows you to apply a broad theme across a report while still highlighting specific outliers or key metrics in a different color or font size.
Summary: Moving Toward a Strategic Command Center
These features are designed to save time, reduce administrative overhead, and provide your organization with the specific insights needed to manage a complex incentive program. By utilizing the customization tools, you transition from a standard reporting user to a power user capable of building a bespoke reporting environment.
Want to learn more about maximizing your use of Xactly Reporting? Check out the Xactly Reporting Resource Center.
