If you find that no particular template is helpful, you may add additional metrics or KPIs to add another dimension of information. Though, if you would like to create your own Template or edit Forecast dimensions, you'll need to create a Custom Simulation. Unlike Templates; date ranges, KPI's, metrics and dimensions are all user defined.
Custom Simulations
In your Forecasts & Simulations Dashboard, select "Create Simulation" at the top of your screen. In your available templates list, select "Create Simulation" in the Custom Simulation section.
1. Name Your Simulation: The more descriptive the better. This is the name that will be generated in your <a href="LINKTOARTICLE>Executive Summary</a> and CSV exports. A good guideline is to base your Simulation name from defined KPI's and time frame of Simulation (e.g. "EOY Ecommerce Revenue" or "2014 Q1 PPC Advertising Costs").
2. Set Simulation Timelines: Set your Forecast duration to 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months or 12 months from date simulation is generated. You will be your Historical Data Start (the first historical date of data imported to your collection) through the forecasted in the timeline below. Next, choose how you'd like to view each forecasted point, by week or month. Within the Simulation, you will also be able to make changes by selected forecast points (by week or month).
3. Choose Simulation KPIs: Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) should be your highlighted business goal and represent the main focus of the Simulation. KPI's are defined as quantifiable metrics and represented as the aggregate of any specific metric over Forecast length.
There are two ways to add KPIs: click "Choose KPIs" and select your KPI's using the drop down list OR simply type the KPI's which you wish to select. You can "tab" through to add a total of 6 KPI's per simulation.
4. Choose Simulation Dimensions: Just as you added the KPI's above, you are also able to add dimensions by selecting through the drop-down list or by tabbing through available dimensions. Dimensions describe the data and provide a attributes to categorize where the data came from. Dimensions can a source, medium, campaign, content, landing page, demographic information, or geographic information. There are currently no limits to the number of dimensions that can be added to a Simulation.
5. Choose Simulation Metrics: Metrics can be added to your Custom Simulation just as KPI's and Metrics (drop-down or manually entering and tabbing). Metrics are the measurable values of dimensions and are quantized as sums, ratios, and functions. Where a dimension may be Campaign name, a metric could be cost, revenue, click-through-rates, transactions or pretty much any piece of measurable data. All available metics are imported from your data set and able to be used in your Custom Simulations. If you're working with Google Analytics, that means all Events and Goals will be available to use in your Simulation. There is currently no limit on the number of metrics you can use in a Simulation.
6. Narrow Your Simulation With Filters: Add one or multiple Dimension filters to your Custom Simulation to a more narrow focus for your Simulation.