Mastering Data Insights: A Look at HubSpot Datasets
In today’s digital landscape, data reigns supreme. At The OBO Group, we know that harnessing data insights is the key to making informed decisions and driving business growth. The Operations Hub Enterprise subscription offered by HubSpot has many powerful features from programmable automation and data quality automation to customizable reports, with real-time data sharing and customizable datasets.
With HubSpot’s Datasets feature, you can unlock the full potential of your data, providing actionable insights and empowering your team to make data-driven decisions.
In this guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of HubSpot Datasets, from creation to utilization, enabling you to master data insights.
Creating and Using Datasets
HubSpot Datasets allow you to collate data from across your HubSpot account, including CRM objects (Contacts, Companies, Deals, Tickets, and Custom Objects) and assets, and leverage them in custom reports. By creating multiple datasets, you streamline the reporting process, eliminating the need to select data sources manually each time.
Oftentimes, the HubSpot CRM can be cluttered with hundreds of properties that may not be valuable for specific teams creating reports. By creating customizable Datasets, you can hone in on the important, relevant data points that make custom report creation more valuable and streamlined. Also, updating datasets post-creation ensures that all associated reports reflect the latest data seamlessly.
To create a dataset, navigate to Reports > Data Management > Datasets in your HubSpot account.
Click the Create dataset button in the top, right of the page to begin configuring a new dataset.
Select your data sources and define the primary source to focus the dataset. Adding a secondary data source performs a left join on the table, which will be visually displayed to you by pulling in the secondary source to the left of the primary source in the Preview data section at the bottom of the page table visualizer. In the screenshots, the primary data source is Deals and the secondary data source is Companies.
The resulting Preview data table shows the company data to the left of the deal data.
Adding properties and fields, including custom formula fields and conditional fields, allows for advanced data calculations and categorizations.
Datasets give you the ability to specify which source data properties to include in the dataset. When building reports, you may only need a handful of properties but using the custom report builder without datasets, all properties will be available from your source data. The ability to narrow this down to only include what you need, can help to reduce the noise of a lot of properties to search through every time you build a report, which could be in the hundreds depending on how big your portal is and the number properties you have on any given object.
This example dataset in the screenshot below only has four properties specified, which means when using this dataset, only these properties would be available.
You can also recontextualize properties while building datasets. For example, say the label “Deal Owner” is not quite the right name and instead your deal owners are called “Account Executives” in HubSpot.
You can rename this property to “Account Executives” in the dataset, which indexes it, making it easily searchable for those creating reports to find it by the name that makes sense, and add it to reports.
Datasets in HubSpot also allow you to specify new properties, including calculation fields and conditional formula fields, that exist only in the reporting context and nowhere else in the system. For example, there may be specific metrics that you need surfaced in a report, but HubSpot’s reporting tool does not support creating properties at the report level, so you might define a property on the source object itself so it is available in reports. While this workaround can provide a solution, it can also clutter up your CRM. With datasets, this challenge is addressed with the ability to create new fields in the reporting context.
To create a new field, simply click the Create field button.
Say you have a field called “Monthly Recurring Revenue,” but you need to show “Annual Recurring Revenue” in your report.
Create a formula field, multiplying Monthly Recurring Revenue by 12.
Or say you need to know the difference between two date fields. For example, you would like to know how many days any given deal has been in the system.
Create a formula field and apply the DATEDIFF function to get the difference between the create date and today’s date.
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Review and Management
Before saving your dataset in HubSpot, review the selected data sources, fields, and their relationships. Once saved, datasets can be managed and edited from the Datasets dashboard. Previewing dataset data and exploring metadata details provide deeper insights into dataset composition, facilitating informed decision-making.
Creating Reports with Datasets
With your dataset ready, it’s time to create insightful reports. You can initiate report creation directly from the dataset or utilize the custom report builder. Leveraging a plethora of numerical, string, and date functions, as well as conditional logic, enables sophisticated data analysis and visualization within your reports.
Syntax and Functionality
Understanding the syntax and functionality of HubSpot Dataset formulas is paramount. Operators allow for intricate calculations, while IF logic enables dynamic data differentiation. The LABEL function enhances data interpretation by translating internal property values into user-friendly labels.
Numerical functions, string functions, and date functions provide a robust toolkit for data manipulation and analysis. From ABS to WEEKNUM, these functions empower users to extract meaningful insights from their datasets effortlessly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, HubSpot Datasets is a powerful tool for data analysis within the HubSpot ecosystem. By centralizing data management and enabling advanced analytics, Datasets empower businesses to extract actionable insights and drive informed decision-making processes. Whether you’re evaluating sales performance, understanding customer behavior, or optimizing marketing campaigns, HubSpot Datasets equip you with the tools to unlock the full potential of your data.
Furthermore, integrating data from external sources is crucial for comprehensive analysis and informed decision-making. Partnering with a reverse ETL tool like Census can facilitate the seamless integration of data from many sources into HubSpot, amplifying the depth and breadth of insights available. Census specializes in data activation, offering robust solutions for pulling data from various sources into HubSpot, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of your business landscape. By leveraging the capabilities of HubSpot Datasets alongside external tools like Census data activation, you can harness the full potential of your data, driving efficiency, and effectiveness across your business operations.
As a HubSpot Elite Solutions Partner, The OBO Group is available to answer any questions you may have about how HubSpot could help you grow your business. Contact us today to chat with one of our HubSpot experts.
Watch OBO’s HubSpot Datasets Demo where we show you how to calculate the average time it takes for contacts to go from Leads to Customers.
About the Author
Tom Blanchard is a seasoned consultant at The OBO Group, bringing over two years of expertise in leveraging HubSpot to streamline business processes and tackle complex data challenges. With a deep understanding of HubSpot and its functionalities, Tom assists clients in optimizing HubSpot to fit their unique business needs. His experience in data management and analytics empowers businesses to extract actionable insights and drive data informed decision-making processes.
Disclaimer: This article was written based on the latest information and best practices available at the time of publication, April 2024. The dynamic nature of marketing automation means that details and best practices evolve over time. We encourage readers to consider the date of publication when applying the advice or strategies contained herein.
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