Categorize report values into number-based or picklist based columns

Hello everyone,

We're excited to present a new enhancement to reports by which you can create two types of category columns in reports :

Number-based category columns - Group numeric field values into user-defined categories.
Picklist-based category columns - Group picklist field values into user-defined categories.

Analyzing reports with large data sets can be confusing and overwhelming, especially when you need to make quick decisions based on the information available. It's vital that you pay close attention to detail when you approach such reports.

Accordingly, Zoho CRM enables you to categorize report data into columns to facilitate smart decision-making and easy comparisons.

The benefits of categorizing report values into columns

Enables users to define categories for vast data sets.
Users can customize category names according to their business needs.
Convert random data into meaningful segments that your business can target.
Grouping the data can provide insights into the segments that are either performing well, underperforming, or emerging, as well as those that contain invalid information.

Let's dive into this feature in detail.

Number-based category columns

With number-based category columns, you can categorize numerical values that aren't immediately apparent in the report to communicate information to your users effectively. This method of organizing data is particularly important for reports with lots of numerical values or large datasets, as it enables users to comprehend and analyze information easily. By categorizing reports into number categories, businesses can make quick and informed decisions based on the insights derived from data.

Consider this scenario: Jonathan, a sales manager, is analyzing his business's sales report for the past year. He aims to identify high-value customers with significant annual revenue. Let's see how the sales manager carries out this action by creating a number-based category column.

The report includes information such as the account name, deal name, annual revenue, and country. He adds a column called Customer Segmentation by categorizing the values from the Annual Revenue column in the report. His customers are then categorized as occasional customers, low-value customers, or high-value customers based on the annual revenue they generate.

To add numerical category columns

Select a report, click Edit, and click the + icon to add category columns.
Select the source column whose numerical values you want to categorize and name the column.
Create categories by adding category names and their range values. Add low range and high range values whose ranges will be automatically set based on your range inputs.

Note:

The numeric fields supported are number, long integer, currency, percent, decimal, formula, and roll-up summary.

We've ensured that range values are continuous to prevent any report value from falling into the uncategorized section unintentionally.

Limits

Apart from the two system-defined minimum and maximum categories, you can add up to 10 categories to group values from the report.
You can add up to two category columns to row groups and column groups.

Picklist-based category columns

With picklist-based category columns, you can categorize textual information from your reports to quickly identify relevant information and increase the report's overall usability and effectiveness.

Consider this scenario: Jonathan, the sales manager who's analyzing his business's sales report for the past year, is now trying to understand the geographical distribution of his customers who provide significant annual revenue. Let's see how he achieves this by creating a picklist-based category column.

The report includes information such as the account name, deal name, annual revenue, and country. Jonathan adds a category column called Customer Region that categorizes the picklist values of the Country column in his report. Customers are then categorized by geographic location: north, south, east, and west.

To add a picklist category column

Select a report, click Edit, and click the + icon to add category columns.
Select the source column whose picklist values you want to categorize and name it.
Create categories and select values to add to them. Add new categories when needed.

Limits

You can add up to 10 categories and up to 20 values for each category.
You can add a maximum of two category columns to row groups and column groups.

Points to remember while creating category columns

Added category columns are report specific.
You can't create category columns for joined reports. If you create a joined report that contains reports that have category columns, those category columns will first be removed before creating a joined report.
You can't filter reports based on category columns, nor use these category columns in other reports.

To learn more about category columns in detail, please read this help article, and feel free to comment with your questions below.

Thank you and have a great day!

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