📊 Can I Change the Report Layout to Display Numbers Vertically Instead of Horizontally?
Question:
Is there a way to adjust report settings so that data is shown in a vertical format (top-to-bottom), rather than horizontally (left-to-right)?
Answer:
At this time, Church Metrics reports are only available in a horizontal layout, and there isn’t a setting to switch to a vertical format.
✅ Workaround Tip:
If you export your report to a CSV file, you can open it in a spreadsheet program like Excel or Google Sheets and manually adjust the layout to display the data vertically.
📍 Can I Run a Report for Just One Campus?
Question:
Is there a way to generate a report that includes data from only one specific campus?
Answer:
While Church Metrics doesn’t currently support generating a report that filters only one campus by default, you can still isolate campus-specific data with a quick adjustment.
Here's how it works:
When setting up your report:
Leave the “Group by Campus” box unchecked to see a combined total across all campuses.
Check the “Group by Campus” box to break out the data by each individual campus.
However, even with the “Group by Campus” option selected, the report will always include data from all campuses.
✅ Workaround Tip:
To focus on a single campus:
Export the report to a spreadsheet (CSV or Excel).
Manually remove the rows for any campuses you don’t need.
You’ll be left with just the data for the campus you're interested in.
Why Do My Report Totals Not Match the Dashboard?
If your emailed report shows different attendance numbers than what you see on your dashboard, it’s usually because the two views are pulling from different categories.
Example Scenario
Dashboard Chart – Displays only the “Attendance” category:
Jan 12: 782
Emailed Report – Totals multiple categories:
Attendance: 782
Attendance – Kids: 63
Volunteers: 14
Total = 859
How to Make the Numbers Match
You have two options:
Adjust the Report
Edit the report to include only the specific category you want (e.g., “Attendance” only).
This will align the emailed report with what you see on your dashboard chart.
Adjust the Dashboard
Create a Parent Category (e.g., “Total Attendance”) that includes all the related subcategories you want counted together (such as Attendance, Attendance – Kids, and Volunteers).
Update your dashboard chart to display that parent category.
Best Practice
Decide whether you want to compare one category’s numbers or a total from multiple categories, then configure both your reports and charts accordingly.
How Can I Add Specific Columns to a Custom Report in Church Metrics?
If you're trying to build a custom report with specific data columns—especially to match a report you currently create manually—you can do much of this directly in Church Metrics.
Step 1: Start with the Report Builder
You can create a report by going to the Reports tab in your Church Metrics account and selecting Create New Report.
Step 2: Match Each Column to a Category
Each column in your report must correspond to a Category that exists in Church Metrics. While the system doesn’t support advanced formatting like merged headers (e.g. one header labeled “Children” over five related sub-columns), you can build a report that includes each of those five individual data points as separate columns.
Step 3: Use Calculated Categories (if needed)
If your report requires combining or summing multiple categories into one column, you can use the “Add Category with Calculation” feature.
Why Isn’t My Report Showing Any Data?
If you've created a report but it's showing blank results, one common issue may be how your categories are set up—especially if you're using Parent Categories.
🗂️ Think of Parent Categories as Folders
Parent Categories (like Total_Attendance or Total_Salvations) act like folders. In order for them to display data, you need to add individual categories inside them—just like adding files to a folder.
🔧 How to Fix It:
Go to your Categories tab.
Drag and drop the appropriate categories into the Parent Category you want them grouped under.
Example: If
Total_Attendanceis your parent, you might want to include:AttendanceAttendance - KidsKids Inside Sanctuary, etc.
Once the categories are grouped, your report should begin displaying the correct totals.
Missing the Green "Create New Report" Button
If you can’t see the green button to create a new report, it’s likely due to which Reports page you’re viewing.
Church Metrics has two different Reports pages:
Reports Tab – This view does not display the "Create New Report" button. This tab only shows already created reports.
Admin--> Reports – This page does have the button. This is the page where you create your reports.
How to Access the Correct View
Click your name in the top right corner of the screen.
Select Admin from the dropdown menu.
In the left navigation, click Reports.
You should now see the green “Create New Report” button.
Accessing Attendance Reports from a Previous Account
When a new Church Metrics account is created, reports and historical data from any previous accounts are not automatically transferred. If you’ve set up a new account, you will need to recreate any reports you want to run in the new account moving forward.
Accessing Attendance Data from an Old Account
If you need to download attendance or other data from a previous account (for example, if your campus was formerly part of a different church account), please note:
Reports and data remain accessible only to users who have administrative access on that original account.
For legal and privacy reasons, Church Metrics support cannot provide data to users who are not listed as administrators on the original account.
The best course of action is to contact an administrator of the old account—such as the pastor or account owner—and request the needed reports directly from them.
🧮 Why Is My Report Total Not Calculating Correctly?
Common Cause: Duplicate Counting from Subcategories
In some cases, miscalculations in reports happen when subcategories are being double-counted in your report formula. Here’s a real-world example to explain how this can occur:
Example Scenario:
A report is set up to calculate Sunday AM Attendance using the following categories:
Main Attendance
Youth
Volunteers
Youth Volunteers
However, in this case, “Youth Volunteers” is already a subcategory under the parent category “Volunteers”
So when you include both Volunteers and Youth Volunteers in your report or formula, you’re accidentally counting those people twice.
✅ How to Fix It:
If you notice a discrepancy like this:
Check the category setup by going to Categories > Manage Categories.
See if one of the items in your calculation is a subcategory of another.
Adjust your report or formula by removing the overlapping subcategory.
💡 In the example above, simply remove “Youth Volunteers” from the Report or formula to avoid double-counting, since it's already part of the “Volunteers” total.
Event Service Time Not Showing in Reports
If you’ve added an Event Service Time (like Christmas Eve Service) but it’s not appearing in your reports, it’s usually because no data has been entered yet for that service.
Why This Happens
Reports only display service times that have recorded data within the selected date range.
If the event is in the future, or if no attendance/giving/etc. has been entered yet, it won’t appear.
How to Fix It
Make sure data has been entered for that Event Service Time.
Run the report again using the correct date range.
If still not showing, verify that the Event is included in the report’s filters (categories, campuses, and events selected).
Why Reports May Show Attendance Data That Isn’t Visible in Input
In some cases, your Church Metrics reports may display attendance, baptism, or giving data for service times you cannot see in the Input view for a given date. This often happens when historical service times have been archived.
Understanding Archived Service Times
When you archive a Service Time:
It is removed from your active input templates so you can no longer enter data for it.
However, any historical data linked to that service time still exists and will continue to appear in reports.
This means that even if you don’t see that service time in your Input tab, numbers from it may still contribute to totals in reports, potentially creating what looks like a discrepancy.
Example Scenario
You run a Baptisms Report for 2017.
You notice the totals are higher than expected for certain dates.
In the Input or Records view, those service times (e.g., "10:00am Service") don’t appear.
The numbers are coming from archived service times that still hold historical data.
How to Find Archived Service Times
Go to Admin → Service Times.
Look for a link that says Show Archived Service Times.
Click it to reveal any past service times that have been archived.
Review if any of these match the unexpected numbers in your reports.
How to Fix the Discrepancy
You have two options:
1. Keep Historical Data (Recommended)
Leave the archived service time as-is.
Adjust your reports by filtering for only the active service times you want included.
This preserves your complete historical data while making report totals accurate for your current needs.
2. Permanently Delete the Service Time (Removes Data)
If you are certain the archived service time and all its associated data should be removed, you can fully delete it.
Warning: This will erase all historical records linked to that service time and cannot be undone.
To delete:
Go to Admin → Service Times → Show Archived Service Times.
Select the service time you want to remove.
Click Delete and confirm.
Removing “Midweek Giving” from Reports
Overview
If you see “Midweek Giving” appearing in your reports unexpectedly, it is most likely caused by data being entered into the "Other" Service Time. In Church Metrics, any giving or attendance data entered under this service time will appear on reports with that label.
Steps to Remove It
Check Records
Go to Records in the left-hand menu.
Filter for the date range in question.
Look for entries associated with the "Other" Service Time.
Delete Unwanted Entries
Select the record(s) for the “Other” Service Time.
Delete them if they should not be included in your reports.
Prevent Future Entries
Instruct all users not to enter data into the “Other” Service Time unless intended.
If the “Other” Service Time is not needed, consider archiving it from Admin → Service Times.
Why “Other” Exists
The “Other” Service Time is a default placeholder for data that doesn’t fit into regular scheduled service times. If you do not use midweek or special services, you can remove or archive this to avoid accidental entries.
Configuring Weekly Attendance Reports to Run Saturday Through Friday
Overview
If your church's weekly attendance runs from Saturday through Friday, you can configure your Service Times in Church Metrics so that your Dashboard and reports reflect this custom week-to-week cycle.
Step 1: Understand How Grouping Works
When setting up Service Times, each service can be grouped with either:
The upcoming Sunday (future weekend)
The previous Sunday (past weekend)
This grouping determines which week that service's attendance is counted in across reports and dashboard widgets.
Step 2: Setting Up Saturday–Friday Reporting
To have your Saturday through Friday numbers display together:
Saturday Services → Group with upcoming Sunday
Sunday–Friday Services → Group with previous Sunday
This ensures that:
Your Saturday service is counted in the same week as the following Sunday.
All services during the week (up to Friday) are grouped with that same weekend.
Step 3: Viewing Your Data
When you view Dashboard widgets or run reports for "This Week":
The totals will include Saturday attendance along with the following Sunday–Friday services.
Note:
If your numbers do not seem to reflect this correctly, double-check each service time’s grouping setting in Admin → Service Times.
Creating a Report for a Single Service Time
Overview
By default, reports in Church Metrics include data from all service times. If you want to focus on a single service—such as your 9:30 AM service—you have two main options.
Option 1: Use the Advanced Editor (Coding Required)
The Advanced Editor allows you to create custom reports filtered to specific service times.
This requires some knowledge of the Liquid Templating Language.
Church Metrics does not provide direct coding support for the Advanced Editor.
Option 2: Filter After Exporting
If you do not want to use the Advanced Editor:
Run your report in Church Metrics as usual.
Download the report as a CSV file.
Open the file in Excel or Google Sheets.
Filter or delete rows for all service times except the one you want to view (e.g., 9:30 AM).
Tip:
If you frequently need reports for only one service time, you may find it easier to maintain a separate report template in the Advanced Editor once it’s set up.
Combining Kids Ministry Attendance with Overall Attendance
Overview
If you track your Kids Ministry attendance separately from your main service attendance, you can set up reports so these numbers automatically combine into a single “Total Attendance” figure.
How to Combine Categories in Reports
Open the Reports tab in Church Metrics.
Create a new report or edit an existing one.
In your report setup, add both attendance categories (e.g., Auditorium Attendance and Kids Attendance).
Use the Calculation feature to create a new column:
Click Add Calculation.
Name the calculation something like Total Attendance.
Set the calculation to sum the Auditorium Attendance and Kids Attendance columns.
Save the report.
Why Use Calculations Instead of Parent Categories?
While Parent Categories automatically total their subcategories, using a calculation in a report:
Gives you more flexibility.
Lets you combine any categories you choose.
Keeps the underlying data separate for more detailed analysis.
Tip
If you want the combined number to appear throughout the system (not just in a specific report), you can also create a Parent Category called Total Attendance and nest your Auditorium Attendance and Kids Attendance categories underneath it. This will automatically total them on dashboards and reports.
Fixing Column Header and Value Misalignment in Reports
If you notice that the headers in your Church Metrics report do not match the values in the columns (for example, the "New Members" column is showing giving data), it usually means that the report's column mapping has been altered.
Why This Happens
When a report is edited and the source columns are not updated correctly, the data may shift so that values appear under the wrong headings.
How to Fix the Issue
The quickest solution is to create a fresh copy of the report, which restores the correct column mapping:
Go to Admin → Reports.
Find the affected report (e.g., Leadership Report).
Click Copy next to it.
Open the copied report and click Save in the top right corner without making changes.
Run the copied report to verify that the column headers and values now align correctly.
Tip
If you later need to customize the report, make small changes one at a time and test after each update to ensure that the column mapping remains correct.
Removing a Campus from a Weekly Report
By default, Church Metrics reports pull data from all campuses in your account. If you need to exclude one or more campuses from a report, you will need to customize the report using the Advanced Editor.
Why the Advanced Editor is Required
The standard report builder does not have an option to filter by campus. The Advanced Editor allows you to manually define which campuses’ data is included in your report by writing custom Liquid Templating Language code.
Note that coding knowledge is required and that Church Metrics support cannot write or debug custom report code for you.
Does Deleting a Field from a Report Remove the Data?
Short answer: No.
When you delete a field (such as a category or data column) from a report in Church Metrics, you are only removing it from that specific report layout — not from your account’s data.
What Happens When You Delete a Field from a Report
The field disappears from the report view (and any exports of that report).
The underlying data remains intact in your Church Metrics account.
You can still view or export the removed data later by:
Re-adding the field to the report.
Viewing it under the Records tab.
Including it in another report.
Example
If you remove the “Baptisms” field from a weekly attendance report:
That report will no longer display baptism numbers.
The baptism data you’ve entered in the past is still in Church Metrics and can be accessed anytime.
Why All Users See Data for All Campuses in Reports
In Church Metrics, reports are designed to aggregate data across all campuses in your organization by default. This means that no matter a user’s role or campus assignment, running a report will display results that include all organizational data.
Current Limitations
Reports are not campus-restricted: Even if a user primarily serves at one campus, running a report will include data from every campus in the organization.
Permissions do not filter report results: User roles and permissions can limit access to certain functions (e.g., editing data, managing categories) but do not limit visibility to specific campus data in reports.
Available Workarounds
While you cannot currently restrict a report to show only one campus, you can:
Group by Campus
When creating or editing a report, check Group by Campus.
This will display results for each campus in separate sections along with a combined total.
Export and Filter
Export the report to CSV.
Filter the spreadsheet by campus name to isolate the data you need.
Create Separate Reports (Manual Method)
Build a dedicated report for each campus by duplicating your existing report and adjusting the filters and columns manually.
While this won’t block other campuses’ data entirely, it will make it easier for users to find their own campus totals.