How to create a Custom Category
This article explains what Custom Dimensions is, how it works, and how to set it up. It also covers how Custom Categories differ from Custom Channel Groupings, so you can choose the right tool for your needs.
What is a Custom Category?
Fospha's default reporting uses a standard standard marketing taxonomy of channel, source, campaign. That taxonomy works well for most reporting. But if your business is structured around business units, funnel stages, product categories, or a programme that cuts across multiple channels, you may need a second reporting axis that reflects how you actually run your business.
Custom Categories lets an org admin define that axis-once, in-platform, using simple rule-based mapping-and apply it everywhere: dashboards, table columns, exports, and the Fospha API.
The practical effect: your team stops rebuilding Fospha exports in spreadsheets every reporting cycle. The Category is defined once and flows through every relevant view, refreshed daily alongside your standard measurement data.
Custom Categories vs Custom Channel Groupings
These two features solve related but different problems. Understanding the distinction helps you pick the right one.
Custom Channel Groupings modifies the existing channel column itself. Use it when you want to rename, remap, or carve out specific campaigns within the channel list-but you're otherwise happy with how Fospha's channel taxonomy is structured. It's a surgical edit to the existing view.
Custom Categories adds an entirely new, independent reporting axis alongside the channel column. Use it when your business has a taxonomy that doesn't map one-to-one onto channels, and you need to slice performance by that taxonomy without replacing or disrupting the standard channel view.
The simple test: if you can point at the existing channel list and describe what you want to change, it's Custom Channel Groupings. If you need a second axis the channel list can't express, it's Custom Categories.
👉 Need to set up Custom Channel Groupings instead? Read the Custom Channel Groupings guide here
When Custom Categories is the right choice
Custom Categories is designed for organisations with complex internal structures-where the question you need to answer requires slicing across more than one axis at a time.
A few scenarios where Custom Categories may be the right fit:
A business running multiple product divisions. Imagine a brand operating three product lines-each with its own channel mix and performance targets. With Custom Categories, a team can filter the Fospha dashboards to a single division and still see the full channel breakdown within it. Without it, they're exporting Fospha data and rebuilding the split in spreadsheets after every reporting cycle.
You want to separate out your brand vs performance marketing. Brands that have dedicated and separate teams for performance and brand can create a separate reporting axis so that they can each see their performance independently in dashboards day to day, while preserving the holistic view for the whole business.
An organisation mirroring its own internal channel taxonomy. Some teams run their own front-end channel labels for internal reporting-and want Fospha to mirror those as a separate cut, rather than overwriting Fospha's defaults.
What these scenarios share: the channel column alone can't answer the question. A second reporting axis is needed.
What Custom Categories covers
Once a Category is configured, it appears consistently across every supported surface in the platform.
| Surface | What's available |
|---|---|
| Home | Filter pill at the top of the page; granularity option on the Performance by Channel Group card |
| Channel Health Check | Option in the granularity switcher; column option in Table Options |
| Optimisation | Filter pill at the top; column option in Table Options |
| Reporting | Filter pill at the top; column option in Table Options; option in the Compare modal |
| Exports | Column option in scheduled and one-off exports |
| Saved Views | Can reference the Category as a filter or grouping; renames cascade automatically |
Not currently available in: Model Spotlight, Beam, Incremental Forecasting, or Budget Planning.
Setting up a Custom Category
Who can do this? Custom Category setup is admin-only. Once configured, all users in your organisation can filter, group, and export by the Category across every supported dashboard-no additional setup needed per user.
Step 1: Go to Settings
Navigate to Settings in the main navigation. Select the Custom Categories tab.
[SCREENSHOT: Settings navigation with Custom Categories tab highlighted]
Step 2: Create a new Category
Select Create Category. Give it a name that reflects your business taxonomy-for example, "Business Unit", "Funnel Stage", or "Region".
[SCREENSHOT: Create Category screen with name field]
Step 3: Add your mapping rules
Rules map your existing Fospha data to the values in your new Category. Each rule can match on channel, source, or campaign-using an is or contains condition.
For example:
- Campaign contains "haircare" → assign to Category value "Hair Care"
- Channel is "Paid Social" → assign to Category value "Demand Generation"
Rules are applied in order-first match wins. Use drag-and-drop to reorder rules and set priority.
[SCREENSHOT: Rule builder with example rules and drag-and-drop handles visible]
Step 4: Save and apply
Select Save. Your Category is now active across every supported dashboard and available in exports and the API.
[SCREENSHOT: Saved Category appearing as a filter pill in the Reporting dashboard]
Using your Custom Category
Once your Category is configured, you'll see it available across the platform in three ways:
As a filter-Select your Category from the filter bar at the top of supported dashboards. Filter down to a single Category value-for example, "Hair Care" or "Awareness"-and every metric on the page will reflect that slice.
As a table column-In any table that supports Table Options, add your Category as a column to see performance broken down by Category value alongside your standard channel data.
In exports-When running a scheduled or one-off export, select your Category as a column. Existing exports are unaffected unless you add it.
Tips
Start with your most important slice. Each organisation can configure three Custom Category. Think about the reporting question that currently requires a spreadsheet workaround-that's the Category worth building first.
Saved Views remember your Category. If you regularly filter to the same Category value, save that view. It will load with the Category filter applied-and if you rename the Category later, the Saved View updates automatically.
Current limitations
- Three Custom Category per organisation in this current version of the tool is supported. The ability to configure multiple Categories-and filter across them simultaneously-is planned for a future release.
- Rules currently match on channel, source, and campaign. Matching at the ad set, ad, or creative level is planned for a future release.
- Custom Categories are not currently available in Model Spotlight, Incremental Forecasting, or Budget Planning.
Troubleshooting
My Category column isn't appearing in a dashboard. Check that at least one rule has been saved and that there is data matching that rule in the current date range. The column only appears when the Category is configured and active.
I'm seeing a lot of "Other" in my Category column. Some of your data isn't matching the rules you've set up. Use Generate pass-through rules to quickly map unmapped values, then rename or reassign as needed.
A Saved View is showing an error after I deleted my Category. Deleting a Category removes it from every saved view that referenced it. The view will show a prompt to update or remove the reference. Select the prompt to resolve it.
I can't access the Custom Categories settings. Custom Category management is admin-only. If you need a Category created or changed, reach out to your org admin.
My API call isn't returning the Category column. Check that you're passing the custom_Category parameter with the exact name of your configured Category. A call without the parameter returns standard output-this is by design and fully backwards compatible.
FAQ
Who can create and edit Custom Categories? Only org admins can create, rename, edit, or delete a Custom Category. Once it's configured, all users in the organisation can filter, group, and export by it across every supported dashboard.
How many Custom Categories can I have? In this initial release, each organisation can have three Custom Categories. Support for more Categories is planned for a future release.
Will adding a Custom Category change anything for users who don't use it? No. The Category column only appears in tables and filters when it's been configured. Users who don't apply it will see no difference in their standard view.
Does the Category update automatically when I change my campaigns? Yes. Rules are applied at query time against your live Fospha data-so as your campaign structure changes, the Category reflects it, provided your rules still match. You may want to review your rules periodically if your campaign naming conventions change.
Can I use my Custom Category in scheduled exports? Yes. When setting up a scheduled or one-off export, select your Category as a column. Any existing exports you haven't updated will continue to run as before.
What happens to Saved Views if I rename my Custom Category? Saved Views that reference the Category update automatically to use the new name. No action is needed.
Why isn't my Custom Category available in Model Spotlight? Model Spotlight aggregates channels in a way that's specific to how the model attributes step-level contributions. Applying a custom Category across those aggregations can produce misleading comparisons, so it's intentionally excluded from that view.