You’ve likely spent hours building dashboards, hoping to give your team clarity. But when reps open a Deal or Company record, they often jump between tabs, trying to connect the dots. Insights are buried, not where the work happens.
This disconnect slows decisions, frustrates teams, and makes RevOps feel more like patchwork than a growth engine.
HubSpot’s custom and cross-object reporting solves this by embedding tailored reports directly into CRM records. Teams see live, record-specific data, including total revenue by company, open support tickets, and past campaign touchpoints by contact.
This guide walks through building, embedding, and optimizing these reports, plus common pitfalls and practical use cases.
You’ll also see how INSIDEA helps teams set up reporting correctly the first time.
Linking Related Data Across Objects in HubSpot Reports
Custom and cross-object reports let you analyze and display data from one or more CRM objects, such as Deals, Contacts, Companies, or Tickets, in a single report. Cross-object reports correlate metrics across related datasets, like how a company’s ticket volume affects open deals.
You build these through the Custom Report Builder:
Path: Reports > Reports > Create Report > Custom Report Builder
Once built, you can embed a report into a CRM record. Inside the record, the data appears as a chart or table in the Reports card. It updates dynamically with saved filters and reflects real-time data linked to that record.
HubSpot AI Assist can suggest initial fields or filters. For complex setups, manual configuration ensures accuracy.
How It Works Under the Hood
Embedded reports rely on relationships between CRM objects. HubSpot filters cross-object reports automatically to the current record ID.
Inputs
- Primary and secondary objects (e.g., Contacts, Deals, Companies)
- Object associations
- Filters, measures, and visualization settings (table, bar chart, summary numbers)
Outputs
- Real-time, record-specific report display
- Link to the full report for deeper exploration
- Dynamic updates when related data changes
Configuration Options
- Report card size and position in the record layout editor
- Visibility rules by role or team
- Dynamic filtering per record versus global filters
Accuracy is critical. Misconfigured relationships or filters result in no data or wrong data.
Main Uses Inside HubSpot
Embedding reports into records changes how teams prioritize and decide in real time.
Sales Pipeline Context on Deal Records
Cross-object reports surface critical company- or contact-level data next to deals.
Example:
A report shows total closed revenue across all deals linked to a company. Reps can assess account-level totals alongside deal metrics without leaving the page.
Support Load Insights on Company Records
Ticket data embedded in Company records shows account health and workload.
Example:
A report links open Tickets to Companies, showing counts and average resolution time. Teams can flag at-risk accounts before renewal discussions.
Marketing Engagement Visibility on Contact or Company Records
Embedded reports make marketing influence visible where deals are created.
Example:
A report linking Contacts and Deals shows total influenced revenue by email activity. Reps and marketers instantly attribute touchpoints to closed revenue.
RevOps Data Quality Review
Reports reveal data hygiene issues directly in records.
Example:
A report shows open Deals missing Company associations. Embedded on Deal layouts, RevOps can identify and fix gaps during audits.
Common Setup Errors and Wrong Assumptions
- Missing associations: Cross-object reports need linked records. Ensure Deals are connected to Companies.
- Static filters: Avoid fixed filters like “Company Name = Acme Inc.” to keep reports dynamic.
- Unsaved reports: Draft reports won’t appear in the layout editor. Save fully before embedding.
- Unrelated object connections: HubSpot cannot link objects without an association. Map data relationships first.
Step-by-Step Setup or Use Guide
Prerequisites: Edit Reporting and Customize Record Layouts permissions. HubSpot Professional or Enterprise with Custom Report Builder.
- Go to Reports > Reports in HubSpot
- Click Create Report > Custom Report Builder
- Select primary object (e.g., Deals), add secondary object if needed (e.g., Companies)
- Choose the association linking the objects
- Add metrics and fields (e.g., Deal Amount, Close Date)
- Apply dynamic filters; avoid static record names
- Pick a visualization type (table, bar chart), name, and save
- Open a CRM record to test
- Click Customize record sidebar/layout editor
- Add a Report card, select your saved report, and verify the preview
- Save layout
Pro Tip: Use conditional visibility by pipeline or deal stage to reduce clutter.
Measuring Results in HubSpot
Ensure embedded reports deliver value:
- Load accuracy: Report updates with related object changes
- User engagement: Track usage via activity logs or feedback
- Report accuracy: Compare the embedded view with the full report
- Operational efficiency: Measure fewer help requests or dashboard hopping
Track usage with dashboards showing missing associations, blank fields, or lagging updates. This allows RevOps teams to maintain confidence in embedded insights.
Short Example That Ties It Together
Sales reps need clearer visibility into support before renewal calls. You create a cross-object report between Companies and Tickets that shows the open ticket count and average turnaround time. Embed it into the Company layout.
Reps now see real-time insights instantly, reducing internal questions and improving account conversations. Later, you expand it with ticket priority and customer health score for deeper forecasting.
How INSIDEA Helps
Building clean cross-object reports can feel like its own project. INSIDEA works with marketing, sales, service, and RevOps teams to streamline HubSpot setup.
Our services include:
- HubSpot onboarding and best practices
- Daily CRM and reporting maintenance
- Clean automation and workflow management
- Reporting aligned to revenue models
- Embedded reports for real-time visibility
- RevOps support for future scaling
You can hire HubSpot experts and use HubSpot consulting services to get reporting embedded where your team works.
If decisions rely on disconnected dashboards, bring insights into the records where work happens. Embed reports in HubSpot CRM and make clarity your default.
