How to Build the Ultimate KPI Report in 5 Steps

This is the first in a series of blog posts focused on helping you use Epicor Grow BI to make the most of your data. Whether you integrate it with other tools like Hubspot, or to help create the most useful set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for your business, you’ll learn how to make the most of Grow’s many capabilities.

Epicor Grow BI makes it easier to turn scattered metrics into a  your teams can trust. In this first post of the series, you’ll learn a five-step framework to build a high-value KPI report that slashes data prep, improves data blending, and aligns everyone around the numbers that matter.

Why this approach works

Analysts often spend the majority of their time wrangling data—the least-loved part of the job. A well-designed KPI report flips that script by standardizing definitions, streamlining data prep, and using data blending to compare metrics across sources.

The result: A single source of truth that fuels faster, better decisions. 

Step 1: Define KPI report goals

Start with the outcome you want this KPI report to drive (e.g., pipeline velocity, gross margin health, on-time delivery). Keep it broad enough to include multiple metric categories, but specific enough to show success.

Pro tip: Write a one-sentence goal statement, like: “Provide a weekly executive KPI report that tracks revenue health, pipeline quality, and fulfillment performance.”

Step 2: Round up your key players

Invite stakeholders who rely on (and contribute to) these KPIs—sales, marketing, finance, ops, customer success. Capture how each team uses the KPI report so you can design a single source of truth that supports real-world decisions.

Output: A short list of roles, their decisions, and the KPIs they need.

Step 3: Determine your metrics (and definitions)

With the goal and audience set, list the metrics that answer your biggest business questions. For each KPI, define:

• Name & formula (be clear: what’s in, what’s out)
• Owner (who stewards the definition)
• Granularity & cadence (daily, weekly, monthly)
• Thresholds (targets, alerts)

Sample KPI set: Revenue, Gross Margin %, Pipeline Coverage, Win Rate, CAC, LTV, On-Time Delivery %, CSAT/NPS.

Step 4: Map your data sources for clean data blending

Identify the data source for each KPI—ERP, CRM, marketing automation, finance system, and support platform—and note how records will join across systems (IDs, emails, order numbers). This planning accelerates data blending and reduces downstream data prep.

Checklist:

• Source system + table/view
• Join keys + transformations
• Refresh schedule + ownership
• Data quality caveats to watch 

Step 5: Build and validate the single source of truth

Now assemble the KPI report in Epicor Grow BI. As you blend data from multiple connectors, apply lightweight data prep and quality checks so everyone can trust what they see.

Helpful guardrails:

• Create a QA dashboard in Grow to flag missing joins, outliers, or format drift
• Use de-duping tools (e.g., RingLead) where needed
• Enforce lead/account routing rules with lead management tools (e.g., Distribution Engine)
• Add data-lineage notes to each tile so users know where numbers come from

You now have a reliable single source of truth–minus the data drama.

What your finished KPI report should include

• A clear, scannable executive summary (traffic-light or trend arrows)
• Drill-downs by segment, product, or region
• Definitions panel (so “win rate” means the same to everyone)
• Time comparisons (WoW, MoM, QoQ) powered by consistent data blending

Elizabeth Vanture Cain

Senior Manager, Product Marketing

Elizabeth Cain is a senior product marketing manager at Epicor with expertise in cross-platform products, data analytics, and manufacturing ERP software. Elizabeth holds her BA in English from Virginia Tech.

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