A matrix report crosses one dimension against another over a measure, the pivot table of the reporting world. Where an ordinary report is a list, a matrix is a grid: products down the side, months across the top, sales in the cells, so a pattern you would never spot in a column jumps out at a glance.
- What a matrix report is
- How rows, columns and a measure combine
- When to reach for a matrix over a list
How it behaves
You choose three things: the rows (one dimension, say product), the columns (another, say month), and the measure that fills the cells (say sales value or quantity). The report then aggregates every transaction into the right cell. Preset performance pivots exist for common questions in sales and purchasing, and you can build your own by picking the three axes.
When to use it
Reach for a matrix when the question is comparative, this product against that one, this month against last, this branch against the rest. A list answers “what are the records”; a matrix answers “how do they compare across two dimensions”, which is usually the more useful question for spotting trends and outliers.
Good practice
- Pick dimensions that contrast. The grid is only insightful when rows and columns are genuinely different axes (product by time, customer by category).
- Choose the measure deliberately – value and quantity tell different stories.
Related
- Reference: Report controls
- Reference: Sales and Purchase reports