🟢🔴 Formatting Binary Metric Values in Reports

Use custom formatting in your reports to convert binary values like 1 and null into clearer, more meaningful text and colour codes.

🔍 What Does This Do?

This feature lets you:

• Replace raw values (1 or null) in a metric with custom labels such as YES or NO

• Add optional colour coding for visual clarity

It helps present binary metric data (e.g. whether a user has associated skills) in a more user-friendly way.

⚙ Pre-requisites

✅ You must have access to Advanced Analytics as part of your package

✅ You must have Admin / Owner / HR / Reporter role to access Advanced Analytics

✅ You must be using a report containing a metric with binary values (e.g. 1 for true/present and null for false/absent)

🚀 Quick-Start Guide

Example Scenario

You want to see which active users have at least one skill linked to their profile.

Create a metric like:

This metric returns:

• 1 for users with at least one associated skill

• null for users with none

Step-by-Step: Apply Custom Formatting

1. Open your report and locate the metric you want to use

2. Drag the selected metric in the Metrics area

3. Click the down arrow next to the metric name

4. Select Format > Custom

5. Enter the following formatting logic:

   [=null]NO; [>=1]YES;

   You can replace "YES" and "NO" with any custom text you prefer.

🖍 Add Colour Coding (Optional)

To enhance visual clarity:

1. Use this alternative formatting string instead:

   [=null][red]NO; [>=1][green]YES;

2. This will apply:

   • Red text for users with no skills

   • Green text for users with one or more skills

Once applied, the report will update immediately to reflect your custom text and colour scheme.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can I use different colours than red and green?
A: Yes, supported colours typically include basic HTML colours like blue, orange, purple, etc.

Q: What happens if I apply formatting to a metric with other numeric values?
A: Only values explicitly matched by your format rules (e.g. [>=1]) will be formatted. All others will remain unformatted or show as blank.

Q: Will the custom formatting appear in exported files (e.g. XLSX or CSV)?
A: It depends on the format:

• XLSX (Excel): Yes — all custom formatting, including colour coding and text labels, will be retained in the exported file.

• CSV: No — CSV files do not support formatting. Only the raw values (e.g. 1 or null) will be exported.

👉 For best results, export your report as an XLSX file if you want to preserve visual formatting.

🛠 Troubleshooting

Last review date: Sep 23, 2025