Module: Reports & Analytics
Owner: Support team
Last reviewed: 2026-06
Applies to: Admin, Partner Admin, Support, and users granted Reporting Access of "Viewer" or "Analytic"
Custom Reports (also called Reports V2 or Custom Reporting, part of Alvys Intelligence) is your hub for building dashboards, customizing visualizations, and writing advanced custom metrics. This collection gathers the core walkthroughs in recommended order so you can start fast or jump to the topic you need.
What are Custom Reports?
Custom Reports is the analytics workspace in Alvys where you build dashboards from pre-built visualizations, filter and drill into your data, design your own charts with drag-and-drop, and (optionally) author advanced custom metrics. This collection brings the core guides together so you can follow them in the recommended order below, or go straight to the topic you need. Whether you call it Custom Reports, Custom Reporting, Reports V2, or Alvys Intelligence reporting, this is the starting point.
Where to find Custom Reports?
Custom Reports lives under the Reports menu in the left sidebar. When Custom Reports is enabled for your company, a Custom Reports category (marked with a Beta badge) appears inside that menu and opens your dashboards. If you do not see it, Custom Reports may not be enabled for your team yet, or you may not have been granted Reporting Access; see "Set up Custom Reports" below.
Key concepts
Dashboards and visualizations: A dashboard is a saved collection of visualizations (charts, tables, and tiles). You build dashboards from pre-built visualizations in the Analytics Catalog; no formulas are required to get started.
Analytics Catalog: The catalog of ready-made metrics, attributes, and visualizations you drag onto a dashboard or into the Report Designer.
Reporting Access (None, Viewer, Analytic): The per-user access level that controls what someone can do. None has no access; "Viewer" can view dashboards; "Analytic" can analyze, author, and export.
Tier (Free and Custom): On the Free tier dashboards are read-only and admins can share Alvys-curated dashboards. On the Custom tier, analytics users can author dashboards, visualizations, and scheduled exports.
MAQL: The metric query language used to author advanced custom metrics for the rare cases where the catalog does not already include the metric you need.
How to use Custom Reports?
Follow the guides in the recommended order, or jump to the one you need.
Get started with Custom Reports: an end-to-end walkthrough for building your first dashboard using pre-built visualizations from the Analytics Catalog, with no formulas required. It also explains where Custom Reports lives in the Alvys interface and what you can do from the sidebar.
Filter, drill, and save the view you want: how to work in dashboard view mode: apply attribute and date filters, use cross-filtering and drilling (when enabled), and save personal filter views for repeatable workflows.
Set up Custom Reports: an admin-focused setup guide covering how to enable Custom Reports for your team and assign Reporting Access (None, Viewer, or Analytic) to users.
Build visualizations with drag-and-drop: how to create or modify a visualization by dragging metrics and attributes into buckets, switching chart types, and saving changes, with a worked example.
Advanced: write custom metrics with MAQL: for the rare cases where the catalog does not include the metric you need, how to author custom measures in MAQL, with a function reference and naming best practices.
Settings and Permissions
Enabling Custom Reports and assigning access is admin work. Admin, Partner Admin, and Support roles already have reporting access built in. Other users need a Reporting Access level assigned to them: None, "Viewer", or "Analytic". The Driver role cannot be granted Reporting Access. To enable Custom Reports for your company and assign access, follow Set up Custom Reports.
Limits and Behavior
On the Free tier, dashboards are read-only: admins can share Alvys-curated dashboards, but no one on the company can author dashboards or visualizations. Authoring dashboards, visualizations, and scheduled exports requires the Custom tier. Cross-filtering and drilling are available when enabled for a dashboard. Writing custom metrics in MAQL is an advanced, optional step intended for the rare cases where the Analytics Catalog does not already include the metric you need; most users never need it.
FAQs
Q: Where do I find Custom Reports in Alvys?
A: Open the Reports menu in the left sidebar. When Custom Reports is enabled for your company, a Custom Reports category with a Beta badge appears and opens your dashboards.
Q: I don't see Custom Reports in the sidebar. Why?
A: Custom Reports may not be enabled for your company yet, or you may not have been granted Reporting Access. An admin can enable it and assign access by following Set up Custom Reports.
Q: What is the difference between Viewer and Analytic access?
A: "Viewer" can view dashboards. "Analytic" can analyze, author, and export. None has no access to Custom Reports.
Q: Do I need to write formulas to build a dashboard?
A: No. You can build your first dashboard entirely from pre-built visualizations in the Analytics Catalog. Writing custom metrics in MAQL is an advanced, optional step for metrics the catalog does not already include.
Q: In what order should I read these guides?
A: Follow the numbered order in "How to use Custom Reports" section of this article, starting with "Get started with Custom Reports," or jump straight to the topic you need.