Custom metrics

Custom metrics let you create your own calculations by combining existing metrics in Cifra. Use them to track KPIs that are specific to your business, like profit margins, customer acquisition costs, or any ratio you need to monitor regularly.

Once created, custom metrics work just like any native metric in Cifra. You can add them to dashboards, include them in reports, and filter your data by them.

Before creating a custom metric, think about:

From the metrics section of your dashboard or reports, click Create custom metric. You'll see the Custom Metric Builder with two main sections: Name & format and Build your formula.

In the Name field, type a clear, descriptive name. This is what you'll see in dashboards and reports.

Good examples:

Avoid: generic names like Metric 1, Test, or Custom. Your future self will thank you.

In the Description field, explain what the metric measures. This helps your teammates understand the metric when they see it in a dashboard.

Example: "Total revenue generated per dollar spent across all paid marketing channels."

Pick how the result should be displayed:

The trend indicator tells Cifra how to color-code changes over time.

Cifra uses this to show the right color when your metric changes — green for improvement, red for decline.

In the Formula area, combine metrics, filters, and operators to define your calculation.
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To add a metric: click + Add metric or type the metric name directly into the formula. Metrics are grouped by source (Sales, Customer, Behavior, Profit, Marketing).
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To filter a metric: click the filter icon next to any metric to add conditions (for example, Channel is Online Store). Each metric can have its own filters.

To add an operator: click an operator button (/, ×, +, −, (, )) or type it from your keyboard.
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To edit your formula: click anywhere to position your cursor, select segments with click + drag or Shift + click, and use Cmd/Ctrl + C / X / V to copy, cut, and paste — within the same formula or across custom metrics.

Example formulas:

The preview on the right shows what your metric will look like once saved. Change the date range if you want to see how it performs across different periods.

If the preview shows — or N/A, it means there's not enough data to calculate the metric for that period. Try a different range or check that all the metrics in your formula have data.

Click Save metric. Your new custom metric will now be available throughout Cifra — in dashboards, reports, and the metrics picker.

You can update the name, description, format, or formula of any custom metric you've created.

Important: changes apply retroactively. If you update a formula, all dashboards and reports using that metric will reflect the new calculation. Historical values may change too.

The metric is removed permanently.

When you delete a metric that's in use, it will be removed from every dashboard and report where it appears. The dashboard or report itself won't be deleted, but the widgets or columns using the metric will disappear.

This action can't be undone. If you want to keep the metric available but stop using it somewhere, remove it from the specific dashboard or report instead.

Without parentheses, Cifra follows standard math order: multiplication and division first, then addition and subtraction.

Without parentheses: Gross Sales - Total Discounts / Total Orders → This divides Total Discounts by Total Orders first, then subtracts that from Gross Sales.

With parentheses: (Gross Sales - Total Discounts) / Total Orders → This subtracts first, then divides — which is likely what you meant.

When in doubt, use parentheses.

If a metric in your denominator equals zero for a given period, the preview will show —. This is expected — dividing by zero isn't a valid operation.

Some metrics have variations (AOV - New Customers, AOV - Returning Customers). Pick the one that matches what you want to measure. The dash in the name is part of the metric, not a subtraction operator.

You can use a custom metric inside another custom metric's formula. For example, create Profit = Net Revenue - Cost of Goods, then use Profit inside Profit Margin = Profit / Net Revenue.