|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Marketing analytics column definitions |
| 3 | +sidebar: Docs |
| 4 | +showTitle: true |
| 5 | +availability: |
| 6 | + free: full |
| 7 | + selfServe: full |
| 8 | + enterprise: full |
| 9 | +--- |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +import { Tab } from 'components/Tab' |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +This page documents the column definitions used in [marketing analytics](/docs/web-analytics/marketing-analytics), including how each metric is calculated and where the data comes from for each advertising platform. |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +## Understanding "Reported" vs PostHog conversions |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +Marketing analytics displays two types of conversion data: |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +1. **Reported conversions** - Conversion data reported directly by the ad platform (Google, Meta, LinkedIn, etc.). These use the platform's own tracking pixel and attribution model. |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +2. **PostHog conversion goals** - Conversions you define in PostHog using events, actions, or data warehouse tables. These use PostHog's events and your custom attribution rules. |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +**Examples:** |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +| Type | Example conversions | |
| 26 | +|------|---------------------| |
| 27 | +| PostHog conversion goal | Any event you track: `user signed up`, `completed checkout`, `subscribed to newsletter`, `started trial`, `upgraded plan` | |
| 28 | +| Reported (ad platform) | It can track the same! Any conversion you defined. They key difference is the source of truth. | |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +**Why does this matter?** |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +- Reported conversions may differ from PostHog conversions due to different attribution windows, tracking methods, and data freshness |
| 33 | +- Ad platforms count conversions based on their own pixel data and attribution models (e.g., 7-day click, 1-day view) |
| 34 | +- PostHog conversion goals give you flexibility to define exactly what counts as a conversion and how it's attributed |
| 35 | +- Use reported metrics to reconcile with your ad platform dashboards; use PostHog goals for custom attribution |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +## Standard columns |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | +These columns are available for all platforms in the marketing analytics dashboard. |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +### Display columns |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +| Column | Description | |
| 44 | +|--------|-------------| |
| 45 | +| `Campaign` | Campaign name from the advertising platform. Matched against `utm_campaign` in your conversion events if matching field is `Campaign name`. | |
| 46 | +| `Source` | Ad platform identifier (e.g., `google`, `meta`, `linkedin`). Matched against `utm_source` in your conversion events. | |
| 47 | +| `ID` | Platform-specific campaign identifier. Matched against `utm_campaign` in your conversion events if matching field is `Campaign ID`. | |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +### Base metrics |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +| Column | Description | Higher is... | |
| 52 | +|--------|-------------|--------------| |
| 53 | +| `Impressions` | Number of times ads were displayed | Better | |
| 54 | +| `Clicks` | Number of clicks on ads | Better | |
| 55 | +| `Cost` | Total ad spend in your [base currency](/docs/web-analytics/marketing-analytics#base-currency) | Worse | |
| 56 | +| `Reported Conversion` | Number of conversions reported by the ad platform | Better | |
| 57 | +| `Reported Conversion Value` | Monetary value of conversions reported by the ad platform | Better | |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +### Calculated metrics |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +| Column | Formula | Description | Higher is... | |
| 62 | +|--------|---------|-------------|--------------| |
| 63 | +| `CPC` | `Cost / Clicks` | Cost per click - average cost for each ad click | Worse | |
| 64 | +| `CTR` | `(Clicks / Impressions) × 100` | Click-through rate - percentage of impressions that resulted in clicks | Better | |
| 65 | +| `Reported ROAS` | `Reported Conversion Value / Cost` | Return on ad spend - revenue generated per dollar spent (as reported by the platform) | Better | |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +> **Note:** All calculated metrics are rounded to 2 decimal places. Division by zero returns null. |
| 68 | +
|
| 69 | +## Platform field mappings |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +Each advertising platform provides data using different field names. PostHog normalizes these into the standard columns above. |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +<Tab.Group tabs={['Google Ads', 'Meta Ads', 'LinkedIn Ads', 'Microsoft Ads', 'TikTok Ads', 'Reddit Ads']}> |
| 74 | +<Tab.List> |
| 75 | +<Tab>Google Ads</Tab> |
| 76 | +<Tab>Meta Ads</Tab> |
| 77 | +<Tab>LinkedIn Ads</Tab> |
| 78 | +<Tab>Microsoft Ads</Tab> |
| 79 | +<Tab>TikTok Ads</Tab> |
| 80 | +<Tab>Reddit Ads</Tab> |
| 81 | +</Tab.List> |
| 82 | +<Tab.Panels> |
| 83 | +<Tab.Panel> |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +| PostHog Column | Google Ads Field | Notes | Platform Docs | |
| 86 | +|----------------|------------------|-------|---------------| |
| 87 | +| `Campaign` | `campaign.name` | Human-readable campaign name | | |
| 88 | +| `ID` | `campaign.id` | Unique campaign identifier | | |
| 89 | +| `Impressions` | `metrics_impressions` | | [Google Ads API - Metrics](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/fields/v21/metrics#metrics.impressions) | |
| 90 | +| `Clicks` | `metrics_clicks` | | [Google Ads API - Metrics](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/fields/v21/metrics#metrics.clicks) | |
| 91 | +| `Cost` | `metrics_cost_micros` | Divided by 1,000,000 (stored in micros). Converted from `customer_currency_code` or USD. | [Google Ads API - Metrics](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/fields/v21/metrics#metrics.cost_micros) | |
| 92 | +| `Reported Conversion` | `metrics_conversions` | Platform-tracked conversions | [Conversion Reporting](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/conversions/reporting). [Google Ads API - Metrics](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/fields/v21/metrics#metrics.conversions) | |
| 93 | +| `Reported Conversion Value` | `metrics_conversions_value` | Monetary value of conversions | [Google Ads API - Metrics](https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/fields/v21/metrics#metrics.conversions_value) | |
| 94 | +| Date field | `segments_date` | Used for date range filtering | | |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | +**Required tables:** `campaign` and `campaign_stats` |
| 97 | + |
| 98 | +</Tab.Panel> |
| 99 | +<Tab.Panel> |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +| PostHog Column | Meta Ads Field | Notes | Platform Docs | |
| 102 | +|----------------|----------------|-------|---------------| |
| 103 | +| `Campaign` | `name` | Campaign name from campaigns table | | |
| 104 | +| `ID` | `id` | Campaign ID | | |
| 105 | +| `Impressions` | `impressions` | | [Meta Marketing API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reference/ad-account/insights/) | |
| 106 | +| `Clicks` | `clicks` | | [Meta Marketing API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reference/ad-account/insights/) | |
| 107 | +| `Cost` | `spend` | Converted from `account_currency` if available | [Meta Marketing API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reference/ad-account/insights/) | |
| 108 | +| `Reported Conversion` | `actions` array | Extracted by filtering for `purchase` and `omni_purchase` action types, summing `value` field | [Meta Marketing API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reference/ad-account/insights/), [Ads action stats](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reference/ads-action-stats/) | |
| 109 | +| `Reported Conversion Value` | `action_values` array | Extracted by filtering for `purchase` and `omni_purchase` action types, summing `value` field | [Meta Marketing API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reference/ad-account/insights/), [Ads action stats](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reference/ads-action-stats/) | |
| 110 | +| Date field | `date_stop` | End date of reporting period | [Meta Marketing API](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/marketing-api/reference/ad-account/insights/) | |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | +**Required tables:** `campaigns` and `campaign_stats` |
| 113 | + |
| 114 | +**Special handling:** Meta stores conversions in JSON arrays. PostHog extracts purchase-related conversions using: |
| 115 | +```sql |
| 116 | +arraySum(x -> JSONExtractFloat(x, 'value'), |
| 117 | + arrayFilter(x -> JSONExtractString(x, 'action_type') IN ('purchase', 'omni_purchase'), |
| 118 | + JSONExtractArrayRaw(actions))) |
| 119 | +``` |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +</Tab.Panel> |
| 122 | +<Tab.Panel> |
| 123 | + |
| 124 | +| PostHog Column | LinkedIn Ads Field | Notes | Platform Docs | |
| 125 | +|----------------|-------------------|-------|---------------| |
| 126 | +| `Campaign` | `name` | Campaign name | | |
| 127 | +| `ID` | `id` | Campaign ID | | |
| 128 | +| `Impressions` | `impressions` | | [LinkedIn Marketing API - Reporting](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/marketing/integrations/ads-reporting/ads-reporting) | |
| 129 | +| `Clicks` | `clicks` | | [LinkedIn Marketing API - Reporting](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/marketing/integrations/ads-reporting/ads-reporting) | |
| 130 | +| `Cost` | `cost_in_usd` | Already in USD, converted to base currency if different | [LinkedIn Marketing API - Reporting](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/marketing/integrations/ads-reporting/ads-reporting) | |
| 131 | +| `Reported Conversion` | `external_website_conversions` | Website conversions tracked by LinkedIn | [LinkedIn Marketing API - Reporting](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/marketing/integrations/ads-reporting/ads-reporting) | |
| 132 | +| `Reported Conversion Value` | `conversion_value_in_local_currency` | Returns 0 if field not available | [LinkedIn Marketing API - Reporting](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/marketing/integrations/ads-reporting/ads-reporting) | |
| 133 | +| Date field | `date_start` | Start date of reporting period | [LinkedIn Marketing API - Reporting](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linkedin/marketing/integrations/ads-reporting/ads-reporting) | |
| 134 | + |
| 135 | +**Required tables:** `campaigns` and `campaign_stats` |
| 136 | + |
| 137 | +</Tab.Panel> |
| 138 | +<Tab.Panel> |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +| PostHog Column | Bing Ads Field | Notes | Platform Docs | |
| 141 | +|----------------|----------------|-------|---------------| |
| 142 | +| `Campaign` | `name` | Campaign name | | |
| 143 | +| `ID` | `id` | Campaign ID | | |
| 144 | +| `Impressions` | `impressions` | | [Microsoft Advertising API - Reports](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/guides/report-attributes-performance-statistics?view=bingads-13) | |
| 145 | +| `Clicks` | `clicks` | | [Microsoft Advertising API - Reports](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/guides/report-attributes-performance-statistics?view=bingads-13) | |
| 146 | +| `Cost` | `spend` | Converted from `currency_code` if available | [Microsoft Advertising API - Reports](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/guides/report-attributes-performance-statistics?view=bingads-13) | |
| 147 | +| `Reported Conversion` | `conversions` | | [Microsoft Advertising API - Reports](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/guides/report-attributes-performance-statistics?view=bingads-13) | |
| 148 | +| `Reported Conversion Value` | `revenue` | | [Microsoft Advertising API - Reports](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/guides/report-attributes-performance-statistics?view=bingads-13) | |
| 149 | +| Date field | `time_period` | Reporting time period | [Microsoft Advertising API - Reports](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/advertising/guides/report-attributes-performance-statistics?view=bingads-13) | |
| 150 | + |
| 151 | +**Required tables:** `campaigns` and `campaign_performance_report` |
| 152 | + |
| 153 | +</Tab.Panel> |
| 154 | +<Tab.Panel> |
| 155 | + |
| 156 | +| PostHog Column | TikTok Ads Field | Notes | Platform Docs | |
| 157 | +|----------------|-----------------|-------|---------------| |
| 158 | +| `Campaign` | `campaign_name` | Campaign name | [Basic reports doc](https://business-api.tiktok.com/portal/docs?id=1740662135093314) | |
| 159 | +| `ID` | `campaign_id` | Campaign ID | [Basic reports doc](https://business-api.tiktok.com/portal/docs?id=1740662135093314) | |
| 160 | +| `Impressions` | `impressions` | | [All TikTok Metrics](https://docs.supermetrics.com/docs/tiktok-ads-fields#field-basic-impressions) | |
| 161 | +| `Clicks` | `clicks` | | [All TikTok Metrics](https://docs.supermetrics.com/docs/tiktok-ads-fields#field-basic-clicks) | |
| 162 | +| `Cost` | `spend` | Converted from `currency` if available | [Basic reports doc](https://business-api.tiktok.com/portal/docs?id=1740662135093314) | |
| 163 | +| `Reported Conversion` | `conversion` | | [Basic reports doc](https://business-api.tiktok.com/portal/docs?id=1740662135093314) | |
| 164 | +| `Reported Conversion Value` | `total_complete_payment_rate` | Returns 0 if field not available | [All TikTok Metrics](https://docs.supermetrics.com/docs/tiktok-ads-fields#field-page-event-totalcompletepaymentrate) | |
| 165 | +| Date field | `stat_time_day` | Daily stat timestamp | | |
| 166 | + |
| 167 | +**Required tables:** `campaigns` and `campaign_report` |
| 168 | + |
| 169 | +</Tab.Panel> |
| 170 | +<Tab.Panel> |
| 171 | + |
| 172 | +| PostHog Column | Reddit Ads Field | Notes | Platform Docs | |
| 173 | +|----------------|-----------------|-------|---------------| |
| 174 | +| `Campaign` | `name` | Campaign name | [Reddit Ads API](https://ads-api.reddit.com/docs/v3/operations/Get%20Ad%20Group) | |
| 175 | +| `ID` | `id` | Campaign ID | [Reddit Ads API](https://ads-api.reddit.com/docs/v3/operations/Get%20Ad%20Group) | |
| 176 | +| `Impressions` | `impressions` | | [Reddit Ads API](https://ads-api.reddit.com/docs/v3/operations/Get%20Ad%20Group) | |
| 177 | +| `Clicks` | `clicks` | | [Reddit Ads API](https://ads-api.reddit.com/docs/v3/operations/Get%20Ad%20Group) | |
| 178 | +| `Cost` | `spend` | **Divided by 1,000,000** (stored in micros). Converted from `currency` if available. | [Reddit Ads API](https://ads-api.reddit.com/docs/v3/operations/Get%20Ad%20Group) | |
| 179 | +| `Reported Conversion` | `key_conversion_total_count` | Total key conversions | [Reddit Ads API](https://ads-api.reddit.com/docs/v3/operations/Get%20Ad%20Group) | |
| 180 | +| `Reported Conversion Value` | `conversion_purchase_total_value` + `conversion_signup_total_value` | Sum of purchase and signup values | [Reddit Ads API](https://ads-api.reddit.com/docs/v3/operations/Get%20Ad%20Group) | |
| 181 | +| Date field | `date` | Reporting date | [Reddit Ads API](https://ads-api.reddit.com/docs/v3/operations/Get%20Ad%20Group) | |
| 182 | + |
| 183 | +**General notes:** The Reddit API docs are not very specific on the fields, so we've linked to the ad group docs where there are examples of the fields. |
| 184 | + |
| 185 | +**Required tables:** `campaigns` and `campaign_report` |
| 186 | + |
| 187 | +</Tab.Panel> |
| 188 | +</Tab.Panels> |
| 189 | +</Tab.Group> |
| 190 | + |
| 191 | +## Currency handling |
| 192 | + |
| 193 | +PostHog converts all costs to your [base currency](/docs/web-analytics/marketing-analytics#base-currency) for consistent reporting across platforms. |
| 194 | + |
| 195 | +| Platform | Source Currency Field | Default Assumption | |
| 196 | +|----------|----------------------|-------------------| |
| 197 | +| Google Ads | `customer_currency_code` | USD | |
| 198 | +| Meta Ads | `account_currency` | Base currency | |
| 199 | +| LinkedIn Ads | Always USD (`cost_in_usd`) | USD | |
| 200 | +| Bing Ads | `currency_code` | Base currency | |
| 201 | +| TikTok Ads | `currency` | Base currency | |
| 202 | +| Reddit Ads | `currency` | Base currency | |
| 203 | + |
| 204 | +## Related documentation |
| 205 | + |
| 206 | +- [Marketing analytics overview](/docs/web-analytics/marketing-analytics) |
| 207 | +- [Setting up conversion goals](/docs/web-analytics/marketing-analytics#conversion-goals) |
| 208 | +- [Data source configuration](/docs/web-analytics/marketing-analytics#data-source-configuration) |
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