How To Set Up a Custom Channel Group
Map Fospha's default channel labels to your internal taxonomy - once, in Settings, applied everywhere.
Overview
Fospha measures performance using a set of default channel labels. For many teams, those labels don't quite match the channel names used in P&L reports, board decks, or internal dashboards - so data ends up being exported and re-labelled in Excel every reporting cycle.
Custom Channel Groupings solves this. You define a set of rules in Settings that rename or remap Fospha's default Channel Group column. From the moment rules are active, your labels replace the defaults across every dashboard, every export, and every API response.
What this feature does Custom Channel Groupings is a reporting-layer feature. It changes how channels are labelled in Fospha's dashboards, exports, and API outputs. It does not change your attribution model, Beam forecasts, or any underlying measurement outputs.
Before and after
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Day-to-day experience | Export to Excel, manually relabel channels, share the re-labelled file with finance or leadership. Repeat every reporting cycle. | Define rules once in Settings → Custom Channel Groupings. Your labels appear automatically across every dashboard, export, and API response. |
| Flexibility | Locked to Fospha's default channel labels. No way to align reporting with your internal P&L language or carve out channels like Influencer. | Rule-based mapping on campaign name, source, or default Channel Group. Up to 20 rules per account with priority ordering and toggle Active/Inactive without deleting. |
Before you start
- Admin users and Fospha staff can create and edit rules. Rules apply globally to your account -every user sees the updated labels once rules are active.
- Plan your rules before building them. First-match-wins logic means priority order matters. Put your most specific rules at the top.
How to create a Custom Channel Grouping rule
Step 1: Open Custom Channel Groupings in Settings
Navigate to Settings in the left-hand navigation. Select the Custom Channel Groupings tab.
You'll see a list of any existing rules in priority order. If this is your first visit, the list will be empty. Before any rule saves, Fospha shows a confirmation step noting that the change will apply across all dashboards, exports, and API responses.
Step 2: Create a new rule
Select Add rule. Configure the following fields:
- Match dimension -what Fospha looks at: Campaign Name, Source, or Default Channel Group
- Condition type -how to match: is, contains, is_one_of, or contains_one_of
- Value -the keyword or value to match (e.g. "Influencer" or "rtbhouse")
- Custom dimension name -the label you want Fospha to display (e.g. "Influencer" or "Display")
Rule builder reference:
| Match on | Condition types | Example value | Custom name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign Name | is/contains | Influencer | Influencer |
| Source | is / contains | rtbhouse | Display |
| Default Channel Group | is / contains | Paid Social | Paid Social – Brand |
Step 3: Review the Global Impact warning and save
Before saving, Fospha shows a Global Impact warning confirming the rule will apply across all dashboards, exports, and API responses. Review it, then confirm to save.
Note: Rules apply to all historical data retroactively. No backfill is required - resolution happens at query time, so historical dashboards update immediately once rules are active. If you have questions about how this works in your specific setup, contact your Fospha account team.
Step 4: Set rule priority
Drag rules to reorder them. Fospha works through your rules from highest priority (1) downward and applies the first match it finds. Put specific rules above broad ones to avoid unintended matches.
Step 5: Activate your rules
Toggle each rule Active using the toggle on the right of the rule row. Inactive rules are saved but ignored -useful for pausing a rule without deleting it.
Once active, your Custom Channel Group replaces the default Channel Group across the Home dashboard, Channel Health Check, Optimization dashboard, Reporting, all data exports, and MCP/API responses.
Managing your rules
From the Custom Channel Groupings tab you can:
- Edit -update any field. The Global Impact warning appears again before saving.
- Duplicate -create a copy as a starting point for a similar rule.
- Delete -permanently remove a rule from your account.
- Search -find rules by name or condition.
- Toggle Active/Inactive -pause a rule without deleting it.
The default Channel Group remains available as an additional column in all dashboards via Table Options, so you can compare custom labels alongside Fospha defaults at any time. Both columns are included in data exports.
Current limitations
| Limitation | What this means |
|---|---|
| 20-rule cap | A maximum of 20 rules per account is enforced. An error message appears if you exceed this. |
| Reporting layer only | Does not affect model outputs, Beam (spend optimization forecasts), or Glow (brand measurement). |
| Single-condition rules | Each rule uses one condition. No AND/OR logic, no regex, no date ranges in this release. |
| First-match-wins | If two rules could match the same channel, the higher-priority rule wins. Check priority order carefully. |
| No bulk import | Rules are created one at a time via the Settings UI. CSV upload is not available in this release. |
| No audit log | Rule changes are tracked in system logs but not surfaced in-platform in this release. |
Tips
- Start with one rule and verify the output in Channel Health Check before building your full rule set. This makes it easier to spot unexpected matches.
- To carve out a channel from a broader group (e.g. splitting Influencer out of Paid Social), use Campaign Name contains as your match dimension and set its priority higher than your Paid Social rule.
- After activation, check the default Channel Group column alongside your custom labels via Table Options to confirm the mapping is working as expected.
Troubleshooting
My custom labels aren't showing in the dashboard Check that the relevant rules are toggled Active. Refresh the dashboard after activating. Confirm you're viewing the Custom Channel Group column, not the Default Channel Group column.
The wrong rule is being applied to a channel Check the priority order -the first matching rule wins. Move specific rules above broader ones. Use the search bar to check whether multiple rules might match the same value.
I've hit the 20-rule limit Review existing rules and remove any that are no longer needed. If you need complex taxonomy mapping across multiple dimensions (e.g. Business Unit), contact your Fospha account team -this is a separate capability on the product roadmap.
Custom labels aren't appearing in API or MCP responses Confirm the relevant rules are set to Active.If you've recently deployed new rules and AI workflows aren't reflecting them, contact your Fospha account team to confirm labels are propagating correctly in your MCP configuration.
Frequently asked questions
Does Custom Channel Groupings affect my attribution scores or measurement outputs? No. It's a reporting-layer feature only. It changes how channels are labelled in dashboards, exports, and API responses. It has no impact on how Fospha measures channel performance.
What happens if two rules match the same channel? The rule with higher priority (lower number) wins. Fospha uses first-match-wins logic -it works through your rules in priority order and stops at the first match.
Can I still see the original Fospha Channel Group alongside my custom labels? Yes. The default Channel Group is always available via Table Options on any dashboard. Data exports include both columns.
Do Custom Channel Groupings apply to historical data? Yes. Rules are applied at query time, so all historical data updates immediately -no backfill required.
Can I have more than 20 rules? Please let your CSM know if you’re running up against the 20 rule limit.
Who can create and edit rules? Admin users and your CSM. Rules apply globally across your account.