# Reports

### About this export

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| **content_type** | lesson |
| **platform** | contentstack-academy |
| **source_url** | https://www.contentstack.com/academy/courses/lytics-implementation/reports |
| **course_slug** | lytics-implementation |
| **lesson_slug** | reports |
| **markdown_file_url** | /academy/md/courses/lytics-implementation/reports.md |
| **generated_at** | 2026-08-07T05:57:40.431Z |

> Part of **[Lytics Implementation](https://www.contentstack.com/academy/courses/lytics-implementation)** on Contentstack Academy. **Academy MD v3** — structured for retrieval; no quiz or assessment keys.

<!-- ai_metadata: {"lesson_id":"13","type":"text","duration_minutes":11,"topics":["Reports"]} -->

#### Lesson text

Reports is the configurable analytics workspace in Lytics for comparing audiences, field distributions, overlap, and dataflow across your account. Where per-audience summary views give you a single-audience lens, Reports gives you a multi-audience, reusable, and shareable analysis layer that translates data into activation decisions. This section covers how to navigate the Reports workspace, understand its two operating modes, configure components, manage visibility, and use all four component types effectively.

## Overview

### Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:  
\- Navigate the Reports section of the Lytics platform  
\- Understand available report types and their intended use cases  
\- Identify when to use reports versus the Audience Insights App

### Overview

**Reports** is the configurable analytics workspace for comparing audiences, fields, overlap, and dataflow. A report is a saved container of one or more configurable components (`size`, `composition`, `overlap`, `dataflow`); when starred, a report can also be surfaced as the app dashboard. In the current UI, Reports is a primary navigation destination (`/reports`) with list, detail, dashboard, and logs workflows.

Use Reports when you need reusable, shareable analysis across teams. For one-audience exploration, start in audience summary views and then move to Reports for multi-audience comparison.

#### Key Concepts

*   **Two report modes**:
*   **Dashboard Report**: starred report shown on the app dashboard.
*   **Custom Reports**: all other report objects you create for campaigns and operations.
*   **Account-level limits**:
*   Up to 25 reports per account in current UI.
*   Up to 20 components per report.
*   **Access control is enforced at render time**:
*   private reports restrict access to owner/collaborators (or sysadmin).
*   **Reports are operational, not static**: components can be edited, reordered, exported, and tied directly to activation decisions.

#### Step-by-Step

1.  Open **Reports** from main navigation.
2.  Review existing reports list and note lock/star indicators:  
    \- lock = private report,  
    \- star = report used on dashboard.
3.  Open a report and inspect:  
    \- **Dashboard** tab for components,  
    \- **Logs** tab for report change history.
4.  Identify whether your question needs:  
    \- point-in-time dashboarding,  
    \- recurring campaign report,  
    \- exploratory audience comparison.
5.  Create or update report components accordingly.

#### Examples

```text
Question-to-report mapping:
- "Which audience is growing fastest?" -> Size component
- "Where are audiences overlapping?" -> Overlap component
- "Which fields distinguish segments?" -> Composition component
- "How do providers/streams/destinations connect?" -> Dataflow component
```

```bash
# List reports
curl -s -XGET "https://api.lytics.io/v2/report" \
  -H "Authorization: $LIOKEY"
```

#### Diagrams & Screenshots

![Reports index page showing report list, lock/star indicators, and create action.](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/ame864a03e0a87d3c4/5bca08d7f5dc917b7619f523/reports_index_page_report_list.png)

### Summary

The Reports workspace is the primary tool for multi-audience analysis in Lytics. Each report is a named container of reusable components that can be shared with your team or kept private for work-in-progress analysis. Starting with the business question — growth, overlap, field composition, or pipeline traceability — determines which component types you need and how to configure them.

### Documentation Links

*   [Reports Overview](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/reports)
*   [Report Components](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-components)

## Dashboard Report

### Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:  
\- Use pre-built dashboard reports to monitor key platform metrics  
\- Interpret dashboard metrics including audience growth, data volume, and engagement  
\- Customize dashboard views by adjusting date ranges, filters, and layout

### Dashboard Report

The app dashboard renders the **starred** report. On newly provisioned accounts with baseline data coverage, Lytics creates a default **Dashboard Report** with baseline components so you can monitor audience and pipeline health immediately.

From current backend setup logic, default dashboard components are:  
\- **Audience Performance** (`size`) on `all`, `smt_new`, and `smt_active`  
\- **Dataflow** (`dataflow`) on top used audiences  
\- **Content Affinity** (`composition`) on `lytics_content`  
\- **Audience Overlap** (`overlap`) on `all`, `smt_new`, and `smt_active`

#### Key Concepts

*   **Dashboard is report-backed**: clicking **Edit Dashboard** opens the underlying report.
*   **Starred report behavior**: any starred report can function as dashboard report.
*   **No data/no starred report fallback**: dashboard can show an empty state until prerequisites are met.
*   **Dashboard and custom reports share component engine**: same component types, same editing model.

#### Step-by-Step

1.  Open the app home dashboard.
2.  Click **Edit Dashboard** to open the backing report.
3.  Review current components and remove anything not tied to your operating KPIs.
4.  Add or tune components:  
    \- **Size** for top lifecycle audiences,  
    \- **Overlap** for suppression/leakage checks,  
    \- **Composition** for key profile fields,  
    \- **Dataflow** for integration path checks.
5.  Save component configuration changes and review on dashboard.
6.  Revisit weekly to keep dashboard aligned with current campaign priorities.

#### Examples

```text
Suggested dashboard KPI stack:
1) Size: acquisition, nurture, retention audiences
2) Overlap: acquisition vs customer suppression
3) Composition: lytics_content + behavioral score fields
4) Dataflow: audiences feeding priority destinations
```

```bash
# Get a specific report
curl -s -XGET "https://api.lytics.io/v2/report/$REPORT_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: $LIOKEY"
```

#### Diagrams & Screenshots

![Default dashboard report with size, dataflow, composition, and overlap components.](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am26898fe5e9b33048/3fa67f2275795560afebbe0c/default_dashboard_report_size_dataflow.png)

### Summary

The dashboard report is a starred report that surfaces your most important KPIs on the app home screen. It uses the same component engine as every other report, so editing it follows the same workflow. Treat the dashboard as a living document: remove components that no longer reflect current priorities, tune audience selections as campaigns evolve, and revisit the configuration weekly to keep it aligned with your team's operating focus.

### Documentation Links

*   [Dashboard Report](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/dashboard-report)
*   [Reports API](https://docs.lytics.com/reference/reports-api)

## Custom Report

### Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:  
\- Create a custom report from scratch using the report builder  
\- Add and configure report components to visualize specific data  
\- Save and share custom reports with team members and stakeholders

### Custom Report

Custom reports are where implementation teams operationalize analysis for campaign reviews, audience QA, and stakeholder updates.

You can create reports manually or from accelerators (for example, prebuilt audience comparison actions) and then iterate on component configuration.

#### Key Concepts

*   **Component-first model**: reports are containers; insights come from component design.
*   **Component scale limits**:
*   20 components max per report.
*   **Report scale limits**:
*   25 reports max per account.
*   **Reorder support**: drag-and-drop component order, then save order explicitly.

#### Step-by-Step

1.  In **Reports**, click **Create New**.
2.  Enter report name and optional description.
3.  Open report and click **Add New Component**.
4.  Select component type and configure required inputs.
5.  Add supporting components until the report answers a complete business question.
6.  Reorder components for narrative flow, then click **Save Order**.
7.  Review **Logs** tab to confirm changes were recorded.

#### Examples

```bash
# Create a report shell
curl -s -XPOST "https://api.lytics.io/v2/report" \
  -H "Authorization: $LIOKEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "label": "Q2_audience_health",
    "description": "Recurring audience health review",
    "private": false,
    "collaborators": []
  }'
```

```bash
# Add a size component to an existing report
curl -s -XPOST "https://api.lytics.io/v2/report/$REPORT_ID/component" \
  -H "Authorization: $LIOKEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Audience Membership Comparison",
    "description": "Track core audience counts",
    "type": "size",
    "config": {
      "segment_ids": ["aud_1", "aud_2", "aud_3"],
      "table": "user",
      "type": "sizes",
      "duration": 7
    }
  }'
```

#### Diagrams & Screenshots

![Custom report editor with add component modal and drag-to-reorder dashboard layout.](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am633f9723379dea91/b7086aeab36d9aefcb633169/custom_report_editor_add_component.png)

### Summary

Custom reports are the primary tool for campaign analysis, audience QA, and recurring stakeholder reviews. Build them around a single business question, add only the components needed to answer it completely, and name components clearly so their purpose is obvious to collaborators. The 20-component and 25-report account limits are practical guardrails — use them to encourage focused, purpose-built reports over sprawling catch-all dashboards.

### Documentation Links

*   [Creating Reports](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/reports)
*   [Report Component Configuration](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-components)
*   [Reports API](https://docs.lytics.com/reference/reports-api)

## Public vs Private

### Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:  
\- Understand report visibility settings and the difference between public and private reports  
\- Configure public and private access on reports based on audience and sensitivity  
\- Share reports with stakeholders using the appropriate visibility setting

### Public vs Private

Report collaboration has two layers:  
\- role-level access in account permissions,  
\- per-report visibility and collaborator configuration.

By default, reports are generally visible to users with reporting access. Marking a report as private restricts visibility to the report author and selected collaborators (sysadmins can still access).

#### Key Concepts

*   **Public report**: available to users who can access reporting.
*   **Private report**: only owner + named collaborators (+ sysadmin override).
*   **UI indicators**:
*   lock icon for private reports,
*   collaborator list shown on report summary for private reports.
*   **Logs for accountability**: report changes are tracked in the **Logs** tab.

#### Step-by-Step

1.  Open the report and click **Edit**.
2.  In report configuration, toggle **Set Report as Private**.
3.  If private, select collaborators explicitly.
4.  Save and verify access using a non-owner test account when possible.
5.  Review lock/collaborator indicators in report list and summary.
6.  Use **Logs** to audit changes over time.

#### Examples

```text
Visibility decision pattern:
- Public: recurring team dashboards and shared campaign reporting
- Private: sensitive analysis, executive previews, work-in-progress reports
```

```bash
# Update report visibility
curl -s -XPUT "https://api.lytics.io/v2/report/$REPORT_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: $LIOKEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "private": true,
    "collaborators": ["user_id_1", "user_id_2"]
  }'
```

#### Diagrams & Screenshots

![Report configuration form showing private toggle and collaborators selector.](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am22f732e0bac9dc36/51e310d3572f4db79c4d2614/report_configuration_form_private_toggle.png)

### Summary

Report visibility in Lytics operates at two levels: account-level role permissions control who can see the Reports workspace at all, and per-report private/public settings control which reports within that workspace are visible to which users. Use public visibility for shared team dashboards and recurring campaign reporting; use private visibility for sensitive analysis, in-progress work, or executive-facing content. The Logs tab provides an audit trail for all report changes regardless of visibility setting.

### Documentation Links

*   [Report Sharing and Visibility](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-sharing)
*   [Account Permissions](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/account-permissions)

## Component Types

### Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:  
\- Identify all available component types and their visual representations  
\- Choose the right component type for the data you need to present  
\- Configure component settings and filters to display accurate, relevant information

### Component Types

Current report UI supports four core component types: **Size**, **Composition**, **Audience Overlap**, and **Data Flow**.

#### Key Concepts

*   **Size** (`type: "size"`): trends or numeric counts for one or more audiences.
*   Typical audience selection max: 5.
*   Chart options include `number` and `sizes` time series.
*   **Composition** (`type: "composition"`): distribution of a selected field/subfield across audiences.
*   Typical audience selection max: 5.
*   Chart options include `bar`, `line`, `pie`, `table`, `stats` (field-type dependent).
*   **Audience Overlap** (`type: "overlap"`): Venn-style intersections/exclusions.
*   Audience selection max: 3.
*   **Data Flow** (`type: "dataflow"`): provider/stream/audience/destination relationship view.
*   Audience selection max: 5.
*   Column visibility toggles for providers, streams, destinations.

#### Step-by-Step

1.  Start with the business question and choose the component type that best fits it.
2.  Configure audience list first, then field/chart-specific settings.
3.  For composition, confirm field type compatibility with desired chart type.
4.  Toggle `stacked` and `show_missing` options where relevant.
5.  Save, inspect output, and adjust labels/descriptions for stakeholder readability.
6.  Export component CSV when needed for external analysis.

#### Examples

```text
Component selection guide:
- Time trend / point-in-time size -> Size
- Field distribution / profile traits -> Composition
- Intersection and suppression analysis -> Overlap
- Integration pathway troubleshooting -> Data Flow
```

```bash
# Replace a report component
curl -s -XPUT "https://api.lytics.io/v2/report/$REPORT_ID/component/$COMPONENT_ID" \
  -H "Authorization: $LIOKEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Membership Overlap",
    "type": "overlap",
    "config": {
      "segment_ids": ["aud_1", "aud_2", "aud_3"],
      "table": "user"
    }
  }'
```

#### Diagrams & Screenshots

![Component picker showing Composition, Size, Audience Overlap, and Data Flow options.](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am2ee96b46a5632199/67b3696a1d989a219736a62a/component_picker_composition_size_audience.png)

### Summary

The four component types map directly to the four most common analytical questions in Lytics: Size for growth and volume, Composition for understanding what distinguishes one audience from another, Overlap for identifying shared membership and suppression opportunities, and Data Flow for tracing integration paths from provider to destination. Matching the component type to the business question before configuration saves time and produces more interpretable outputs for stakeholders.

### Documentation Links

*   [Size Component](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-component-size)
*   [Composition Component](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-component-composition)
*   [Overlap Component](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-component-overlap)
*   [Data Flow Component](https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-component-dataflow)

## What You've Learned

In this section you explored the full Reports workspace in Lytics — from navigating the reports list and understanding the difference between dashboard and custom reports, to configuring visibility, building components, and selecting the right component type for each analytical question. Reports translate audience data into actionable insight by letting you compare multiple audiences simultaneously, track size trends, analyze field distributions, surface overlap, and trace integration paths — all in a reusable, shareable format.

### Key Terms

> 📘 **Report** — A saved dashboard object in Lytics containing one or more configurable components (`size`, `composition`, `overlap`, `dataflow`) used for multi-audience analysis and stakeholder communication.
> 
> 📘 **Dashboard Report** — The starred report rendered on the Lytics app home dashboard. Any report can be promoted to the dashboard by starring it.
> 
> 📘 **Size component** — A report component that shows audience membership counts or trends over time for one or more audiences.
> 
> 📘 **Composition component** — A report component that shows the distribution of a selected profile field across one or more audiences, used to understand behavioral and interest differences between segments.
> 
> 📘 **Overlap component** — A report component that renders Venn-style intersection and exclusion analysis for up to three audiences, used to identify double-targeting or suppression opportunities.
> 
> 📘 **Data Flow component** — A report component that maps the provider/stream/audience/destination relationship, used for integration path traceability and pipeline troubleshooting.
> 
> 📘 **Private report** — A report visible only to its owner and explicitly named collaborators. Sysadmins retain access regardless of visibility setting.

#### Key takeaways

- Connect **Reports** back to your stack configuration before moving to the next module.
- Capture one concrete artifact (screenshot, Postman call, or code snippet) that proves the step works in your environment.
- Re-read the delivery versus management boundary for anything you changed in the entry model.

## Supplement for indexing

### Content summary

Reports. Reports is the configurable analytics workspace in Lytics for comparing audiences, field distributions, overlap, and dataflow across your account. Where per-audience summary views give you a single-audience lens, Reports gives you a multi-audience, reusable, and shareable analysis layer that translates data into activation decisions. This section covers how to navigate the Reports workspace, understand its two operating modes, configure components, manage visibility, and use all four component types effectively. Overview Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: \- Navigate the Reports section of the Lytics platform \- Understand available report types and their in

### Retrieval tags

- Reports
- lytics-implementation
- lesson 13
- lytics-implementation lesson

### Indexing notes

Index this lesson as a primary chunk tagged with lesson_id "13" and topics: [Reports].
Parent course slug: lytics-implementation. Use asset_references URLs as thumbnail hints in search results when present.
Never surface LMS quiz content or assessment answers from this file.

### Asset references

| Label | URL |
| --- | --- |
| Reports index page showing report list, lock/star indicators, and create action. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/ame864a03e0a87d3c4/5bca08d7f5dc917b7619f523/reports_index_page_report_list.png` |
| Default dashboard report with size, dataflow, composition, and overlap components. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am26898fe5e9b33048/3fa67f2275795560afebbe0c/default_dashboard_report_size_dataflow.png` |
| Custom report editor with add component modal and drag-to-reorder dashboard layout. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am633f9723379dea91/b7086aeab36d9aefcb633169/custom_report_editor_add_component.png` |
| Report configuration form showing private toggle and collaborators selector. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am22f732e0bac9dc36/51e310d3572f4db79c4d2614/report_configuration_form_private_toggle.png` |
| Component picker showing Composition, Size, Audience Overlap, and Data Flow options. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am2ee96b46a5632199/67b3696a1d989a219736a62a/component_picker_composition_size_audience.png` |

### External links

| Label | URL |
| --- | --- |
| Contentstack Academy home | `https://www.contentstack.com/academy/` |
| Training instance setup | `https://www.contentstack.com/academy/training-instance` |
| Academy playground (GitHub) | `https://github.com/contentstack/contentstack-academy-playground` |
| Contentstack documentation | `https://www.contentstack.com/docs/` |
| Reports index page showing report list, lock/star indicators, and create action. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/ame864a03e0a87d3c4/5bca08d7f5dc917b7619f523/reports_index_page_report_list.png` |
| Reports Overview | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/reports` |
| Report Components | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-components` |
| Default dashboard report with size, dataflow, composition, and overlap components. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am26898fe5e9b33048/3fa67f2275795560afebbe0c/default_dashboard_report_size_dataflow.png` |
| Dashboard Report | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/dashboard-report` |
| Reports API | `https://docs.lytics.com/reference/reports-api` |
| Custom report editor with add component modal and drag-to-reorder dashboard layout. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am633f9723379dea91/b7086aeab36d9aefcb633169/custom_report_editor_add_component.png` |
| Report configuration form showing private toggle and collaborators selector. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am22f732e0bac9dc36/51e310d3572f4db79c4d2614/report_configuration_form_private_toggle.png` |
| Report Sharing and Visibility | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-sharing` |
| Account Permissions | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/account-permissions` |
| Component picker showing Composition, Size, Audience Overlap, and Data Flow options. | `https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltebc53cfaf0dd6403/am2ee96b46a5632199/67b3696a1d989a219736a62a/component_picker_composition_size_audience.png` |
| Size Component | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-component-size` |
| Composition Component | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-component-composition` |
| Overlap Component | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-component-overlap` |
| Data Flow Component | `https://docs.lytics.com/docs/report-component-dataflow` |