Columns & Joins

Columns determine what data appears in your report output. You can select fields from your primary data source and join related data from connected tables.

Adding Columns

1. In the Build tab, find the Columns section
2. Click Add Column
3. Browse or search available fields
4. Click a field to add it

Column Sources

Primary Source Fields

Fields from your selected data source appear first. For a Donations report:

• Amount
• Date
• Status
• Payment Method
• Reference ID

Related Data (Joins)

Expand related sources to access connected data:

If Primary Source Is	You Can Join
Donations	Contact, Campaign, Fund, Recurring Profile
Contacts	Donations, Recurring Profiles, Pledges
Recurring Profiles	Contact, Campaign, Fund
Pledges	Contact, Campaign, Installments
Ticket Orders	Contact, Campaign, Tickets

Managing Columns

Reordering

Drag columns to change their order in the output.

Removing

Click the × on any column to remove it.

Column Names

Each column displays its source for clarity:

• Amount - from primary source
• Contact → First Name - from joined Contact

Aggregations

Transform data with aggregate functions:

Function	Description	Use For
Count	Number of records	How many donations
Sum	Total of values	Total donation amount
Average	Mean value	Average gift size
Min	Smallest value	Smallest donation
Max	Largest value	Largest donation

Using Aggregations

1. Add a numeric column (like Amount)
2. Click the column settings
3. Select an aggregation function

Grouping

When using aggregations, group by other columns:

• Group by Contact to see totals per donor
• Group by Campaign to see totals per campaign
• Group by Month to see monthly trends

Custom Fields

Custom fields you've created appear alongside standard fields:

• Contact custom fields under Contact source
• Donation custom fields under Donation source

Examples

Basic Donor List

Contact → First Name
Contact → Last Name
Contact → Email
Contact → Total Donations (lifetime)

Donation Details with Contact

Amount
Date
Campaign
Contact → First Name
Contact → Last Name
Contact → Email

Campaign Totals (Aggregated)

Campaign (group by)
Sum(Amount)
Count(Donation ID)
Average(Amount)

Recurring Donor Report

Contact → First Name
Contact → Last Name
Recurring Profile → Amount
Recurring Profile → Frequency
Recurring Profile → Status
Recurring Profile → Next Charge Date

Tips

1. Start with essentials - Add only columns you need
2. Use joins wisely - More joins = slower reports
3. Name clarity - Related fields show their source automatically
4. Aggregation needs grouping - Always group by at least one field when aggregating
5. Preview first - Check your columns produce expected output

Related Articles

• Query Builder Overview
• Filters
• Running Reports
• Organizing Reports