Custom metrics

A custom metric is a calculation defined by the user, built from base metrics, other custom metrics, or numeric constants. Use custom metrics for calculations that aren’t provided by any single data source — for example, a blended CPA across multiple ad platforms, gross margin from spend and revenue, or a target-adjusted efficiency ratio. Once created, a custom metric appears in the metric picker on every applicable widget alongside the base metrics.

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When to use a custom metric

• Blended metrics — combine metrics from multiple ad platforms into one calculation.
• Business-specific ratios — margins, ROI, or LTV-to-CAC that no single data source provides natively.
• Reused calculations — a formula used on many widgets is easier to define once.

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Create a custom metric

Custom metrics are created from a widget’s settings panel:

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Edit or delete a custom metric

From the same metric panel where the custom metric was created, hover over an existing custom metric to reveal edit and delete actions. Deleting a custom metric that’s referenced by dashboard widgets triggers a warning — widgets currently using it will render the value as - once deleted.

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Formula basics

Custom metrics use base metrics, constants, and standard math operators. Examples:

• Blended CPA — (Meta Spend + Google Spend) / (Meta Conversions + Google Conversions).
• Gross margin — (Revenue - Spend) / Revenue.
• Cost per session — Ad Spend / GA4 Sessions.

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Null handling

The formula evaluates row by row. Two rules apply when values are missing:

• All referenced metrics are null on a row — the row’s custom metric value is also null (renders as -). The row genuinely has no data.
• Some referenced metrics are null — nulls are treated as 0 before the formula runs, and the formula evaluates. The result is a real number, or - if the formula produces division-by-zero or an invalid result.

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Conditional formulas

A custom metric can carry multiple formulas — each with its own condition. Adriel evaluates conditions top to bottom and uses the first formula whose condition matches the row. Common use cases:

• Apply one formula for one channel and a different formula for another.
• Use a fallback formula for rows that don’t match any specific condition.

The formula editor requires an else fallback — the formula that runs when no other condition matches. In the UI, this fallback lives in the Then section at the bottom of the formula list. Every custom metric with conditional formulas needs a value in the Then section so a fallback is guaranteed. The first matching condition wins; later matching conditions are ignored.

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Scope

Custom metrics can be created at three scopes:

• Workspace-scoped — available across every teamspace and dashboard.
• Teamspace-scoped — available only in the teamspace where it was created.
• Dashboard-scoped — available only on the dashboard where it was created.

Dashboard-scoped custom metrics can override a workspace-level metric with the same name — useful for a one-off dashboard that needs a slightly different calculation without affecting every other dashboard.

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Referencing custom metrics in other custom metrics

A custom metric can reference another custom metric. Chains resolve in dependency order:

• Cycles are forbidden — a custom metric can’t reference itself directly or transitively.
• Missing references — a custom metric that references a base metric no longer present in the workspace evaluates to null for every row.

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Troubleshooting

For common problems — formula scoping, deleted-metric behavior, cache refresh, decimal precision on tooltips, and why the total row doesn’t equal the sum of the breakdown rows — see the Breakdowns & metrics FAQs.

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