Custom Dashboards and Reports

Build custom analytics dashboards and reports tailored to your business needs

Overview

Databuddy provides powerful tools for creating custom dashboards and reports beyond the default analytics views. You can track custom events, build custom queries, and visualize data exactly how you need it.

Custom event tracking

The foundation of custom dashboards is tracking the right events. Use the track() function to send custom events with any properties you need.

Basic custom events

import { track } from '@databuddy/sdk';

// Simple event
track('feature_activated');

// Event with properties
track('feature_activated', {
  feature_name: 'export',
  user_plan: 'pro',
  activation_time_ms: 1250
});

E-commerce tracking

// Product viewed
track('product_viewed', {
  product_id: 'sku-123',
  product_name: 'Premium Widget',
  category: 'widgets',
  price: 29.99,
  currency: 'USD'
});

// Add to cart
track('add_to_cart', {
  product_id: 'sku-123',
  quantity: 2,
  total_value: 59.98
});

// Purchase completed
track('purchase', {
  transaction_id: payment.id,
  amount: payment.amount,
  currency: payment.currency,
  product_count: cart.items.length,
  payment_method: 'stripe'
});

User engagement tracking

// Feature usage
track('report_generated', {
  report_type: 'monthly_summary',
  data_range_days: 30,
  export_format: 'pdf'
});

// Content interaction
track('video_played', {
  video_id: 'intro-tutorial',
  video_duration_sec: 120,
  autoplay: false
});

// Search performed
track('search_executed', {
  query: 'analytics dashboard',
  results_count: 42,
  search_type: 'full_text'
});

SaaS metrics tracking

// Trial started
track('trial_started', {
  plan: 'pro',
  trial_duration_days: 14,
  source: 'pricing_page'
});

// Feature limit reached
track('limit_reached', {
  feature: 'api_calls',
  limit: 10000,
  current_usage: 10000,
  plan: 'starter'
});

// Onboarding completed
track('onboarding_completed', {
  steps_completed: 5,
  time_taken_minutes: 12,
  skipped_steps: []
});

Global properties

Set properties that attach to every event automatically:

import { getTracker } from '@databuddy/sdk';

const tracker = getTracker();

if (tracker) {
  tracker.setGlobalProperties({
    user_plan: 'enterprise',
    organization_id: 'org_12345',
    app_version: '2.4.1',
    environment: 'production'
  });
}

These properties will be included in all subsequent events, making it easy to segment data by plan, organization, or environment.

Viewing custom events

Access your custom events in the Databuddy dashboard:

1. Navigate to Custom Events

   Go to your website dashboard → Events tab

2. Select your event

   Click on any event name to see:

   • Total event count
   • Unique users who triggered it
   • Trend over time
   • Property breakdown
3. Filter and segment

   Use filters to segment by:

   • Date range
   • Event properties
   • User properties
   • Device type
   • Geographic location

Building custom queries

For advanced analysis, you can query your data directly. Databuddy stores events in ClickHouse with the following schema:

Event data structure

SELECT
  name,                 -- Event name
  properties,           -- JSON object with event properties
  anonymous_id,         -- User identifier
  session_id,          -- Session identifier
  created,             -- Timestamp
  path,                -- Page URL
  referrer,            -- Referrer URL
  device_type,         -- desktop, mobile, tablet
  browser,             -- Browser name
  os,                  -- Operating system
  country,             -- Country code
  city                 -- City name
FROM analytics.events
WHERE website_id = 'your-website-id'
  AND created >= now() - INTERVAL 7 DAY
LIMIT 100

Example queries

Top events by volume:

SELECT
  name,
  count() as event_count,
  count(DISTINCT anonymous_id) as unique_users
FROM analytics.events
WHERE website_id = 'your-website-id'
  AND created >= now() - INTERVAL 30 DAY
GROUP BY name
ORDER BY event_count DESC
LIMIT 20

Conversion funnel:

SELECT
  countIf(name = 'product_viewed') as viewed,
  countIf(name = 'add_to_cart') as added_to_cart,
  countIf(name = 'checkout_started') as checkout,
  countIf(name = 'purchase') as purchased,
  round(purchased / viewed * 100, 2) as conversion_rate
FROM analytics.events
WHERE website_id = 'your-website-id'
  AND created >= now() - INTERVAL 7 DAY

Property breakdown:

SELECT
  JSONExtractString(properties, 'feature_name') as feature,
  count() as usage_count,
  count(DISTINCT anonymous_id) as unique_users
FROM analytics.events
WHERE website_id = 'your-website-id'
  AND name = 'feature_activated'
  AND created >= now() - INTERVAL 30 DAY
GROUP BY feature
ORDER BY usage_count DESC

Dashboard best practices

Track user intent, not just actions

Instead of tracking every button click, focus on meaningful user actions:

Good:

track('filter_applied', { filter_type: 'date_range', value: '30_days' });
track('export_started', { format: 'csv', row_count: 1500 });

Less useful:

track('button_clicked', { button_id: 'btn_123' });

Use consistent naming conventions

Establish a pattern for event names and properties:

• Use snake_case for consistency
• Start with the object, then the action: report_generated, user_invited
• Use past tense for completed actions
• Group related events with prefixes: checkout_started, checkout_completed

// Good naming pattern
track('subscription_created', { plan: 'pro', billing: 'annual' });
track('subscription_cancelled', { reason: 'too_expensive', at_period_end: true });
track('subscription_renewed', { plan: 'pro', auto_renew: true });

Include context in properties

Add properties that help you understand the ‘why’ and ‘where’:

track('upgrade_clicked', {
  current_plan: 'starter',
  target_plan: 'pro',
  source: 'limit_modal',  // Where the upgrade was initiated
  trigger: 'api_limit',   // What triggered the upgrade prompt
  page: '/dashboard'
});

Don't track sensitive data

Never include PII or sensitive information in event properties:

Never track:

• Email addresses
• Full names
• Credit card numbers
• Phone numbers
• Passwords
• Social security numbers

Safe to track:

• User IDs (hashed or internal)
• Plan types
• Feature flags
• Product SKUs
• Anonymized behavior

Validate events in development

Test your tracking before deploying:

import { track } from '@databuddy/sdk';

function validateAndTrack(
  name: string,
  properties?: Record<string, unknown>
) {
  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') {
    console.log('Event:', name, properties);
  }
  track(name, properties);
}

// Use in your app
validateAndTrack('feature_used', { feature: 'export' });

Advanced: Event batching

Databuddy automatically batches events for efficiency. You can configure batching behavior:

import { Databuddy } from '@databuddy/sdk/react';

<Databuddy
  enableBatching={true}
  batchSize={10}        // Send after 10 events
  batchTimeout={2000}   // Or after 2 seconds
/>

For critical events that must be sent immediately:

import { track, flush } from '@databuddy/sdk';

// Track critical event
track('purchase_completed', { amount: 99.99 });

// Force immediate send
flush();

Exporting data

You can export your analytics data for further analysis:

1. CSV Export: Download event data directly from the dashboard
2. API Access: Use the Databuddy API to fetch events programmatically
3. Webhooks: Set up webhooks to receive events in real-time (see webhooks guide)

Dashboard visualization tips

• Use time-series charts for trend analysis (daily/weekly/monthly views)
• Create funnel visualizations to track conversion paths
• Build cohort reports to analyze retention by signup date
• Set up alerts for anomalies (sudden drops/spikes in key metrics)
• Segment by device type to optimize mobile vs desktop experiences

Next steps

Webhooks

Integrate with payment providers and external services

API Reference

Full SDK documentation and examples

Troubleshooting

Debug tracking issues and common problems

Migration Guide

Switch from Google Analytics