Query Basics: Building Your Report

At its core, pulling data with Metric Might comes down to answering three questions: When did it happen? How do you want to slice it? And What numbers do you want to see?

Because Metric Might uses a split-screen UI, you build your query in the sidebar on the right and instantly see results populate in the embedded Google Sheet on the left.

Here is a breakdown of every query component and how to use it.

1. Date Ranges (The “When”)

Metric Might supports up to 10 date ranges per query, making complex period-over-period comparisons straightforward.

Available presets include:

• Fixed reference points: Today, Yesterday, Last week, Last month, This year to date, Last full year, and more.
• Rolling windows: Last X days, Last X weeks, Last X months, Last X years — where you define the X. Because these are dynamic, scheduled refreshes always pull a fresh rolling window without any changes needed.
• Custom: Fixed Start and End dates for historical audits, and Custom to yesterday for ranges that always end on the most recent complete day.

Relative (comparison) date ranges: Additional date ranges can be defined relative to any other date range in the query using Date range minus X days/weeks/months/years. Each relative range has two additional settings:

• Relative to: Which date range it is offset from (e.g. the Main date range, or another additional range).
• Display values as: How the comparison columns appear in your Sheet. You can output Absolute values, % Change, Absolute Change, or any combination of all three side by side.

2. Metrics & Dimensions (The “What” and “How”)

Clicking into the Metrics or Dimensions fields opens a search overlay. All fields are grouped by category (e.g. Impression Metrics, Conversions, Clicks & Interactions) and each includes a plain-language description so you always know exactly what you are pulling.

Selecting and Reordering Fields

• Use the search bar at the top of the overlay to filter fields instantly.
• Selected fields appear as chips inside the dropdown. You can drag and drop chips to reorder them, or drag a Row Dimension chip into the Column Dimensions field (and vice versa) to instantly pivot your report.

Row & Column Dimensions

Dimensions control how your metrics are broken down.

• Row Dimensions: Each unique value gets its own row. For example, selecting Campaign Name gives you one row per campaign.
• Column Dimensions: Pivots the breakdown horizontally. For example, campaigns down the rows with a separate Spend column for each Month across the top.

Renaming Fields and Custom Formats

Click any selected field chip to open a small overlay where you can:

• Rename the field — the new label is used as the column header in your Sheet.
• Format the output — date and time fields support custom format strings (e.g. yyyy-MM-dd, MM/dd/yyyy). This is done per-field, so different date dimensions in the same query can use different formats.

The Real-Time Compatibility Matrix

Not all metrics and dimensions can be queried together — ad platform APIs have their own constraints. To prevent errors before they happen, Metric Might maintains a live compatibility matrix. As you select fields, any incompatible options are automatically disabled in the overlay. If you do end up in an invalid state, a warning icon and tooltip will appear on each conflicting field.

3. Report Type

Just below your metrics and dimensions, most data sources include a Report Type dropdown. By default this is set to Automatic — Metric Might selects the appropriate report type behind the scenes based on your chosen fields.

If you already know what type of report you want (e.g. a Geographical Report in Google Ads, or a Revenue Attribution Report in LinkedIn), selecting it manually will immediately disable all incompatible metrics and dimensions in the overlay, guiding you toward a valid query faster.

4. Filters

The Filters section lets you narrow down exactly what data is returned, so your Sheet only contains what you actually need.

Metric Filters — filter on numeric values (e.g. Spend > 0 to exclude zero-spend rows).

Dimension Filters — filter on text or categorical values (e.g. Campaign Name contains "Retargeting").

• Supports AND and OR logic between rules.
• Includes a case sensitivity toggle (Tt icon) per filter rule.
• Some data sources additionally support complex comparison operators including regular expressions.

Row Limit — restrict the total number of rows returned. Useful for keeping Sheets lightweight when you only need the top N results.

5. Order By (Sorting)

Configure how results are sorted before they land in your Sheet. You can:

• Sort by any metric or dimension.
• Add multiple cascading rules using Then by (e.g. by Impressions, then by Clicks descending, then by Network).
• Set Ascending or Descending independently for each rule.

6. Options

The Options panel at the bottom of the sidebar has two settings for handling missing data gracefully. Both can be used independently or together.

• Fill Blanks: Inserts 0 for any metric cell and N/A for any dimension cell where the API returns no data. Prevents broken formulas caused by empty cells in your Sheet.
• Fill Date Ranges: Detects the smallest time granularity in your selected dimensions (e.g. Day) and automatically inserts rows for any dates within your range where the platform returned no data. Ensures your time series is always complete.

The Iteration Workflow

You don’t need to plan the perfect query before hitting Apply. Start small — add Date, Campaign Name, and Spend, then hit Apply and look at the Sheet. Need more granularity? Drag in a new dimension and apply again.

👉 Want to build even faster? Read the Real-time Iteration guide to learn how Apply on Change lets you build reports without ever clicking a button.