How to set up metrics in ScaleXP

Set up SaaS metrics in ScaleXP: configure revenue recognition, build MRR and ARR reports, add CAC and CRM data, and review metric definitions.

Table of Contents

Part 1 - Set up SaaS metrics 1. Configure revenue recognition 2. Set up MRR and ARR reports Part 2 - Add other metrics and data sources 1. Set up CAC and other cost-based metrics 2. Add Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel data, if needed 3. Add CRM data, if needed Part 3 - Review and edit your metrics 1. Check the metric library and definitions Part 4 - Build reports, dashboards and board packs 1. Create reports and dashboards 2. Create presentations and board packs Related articles

This guide shows you how to set up metrics in ScaleXP by configuring revenue recognition for SaaS metrics, creating MRR and ARR reports, adding other metrics and data sources such as CAC, Google Sheets and CRM data, reviewing and editing metric definitions, and building the reports, dashboards and board packs that use them. Set up this way, your ARR, MRR, churn, retention and other KPIs reconcile to your accounting data and update automatically each month.

Part 1 - Set up SaaS metrics

Skip this part if you do not report recurring revenue metrics.

1. Configure revenue recognition

MRR, ARR, churn and retention rely on recognized revenue as shown on the Customers tab.

  1. Review the revenue recognized on the Customers tab and set up any rules or adjustments needed. See Setup 1: Configure and validate revenue recognition.
  2. For an overview of the whole process, see Start here: Automate revenue journals; for specific cases, see How to set rule based revenue allocations, Usage-based revenue: Set up and How ScaleXP reads dates.

2. Set up MRR and ARR reports

  1. Create one or more MRR and ARR reports on the Customers tab. See How to create a new report on the customers page and How to report on ARR by customer.
  2. Tune the definitions if needed: How to change MRR, How to show a full month view of revenue, How to customize the definition of upgraded and downgraded revenue, How to change the definition of a reactivated vs new customer and Difference between revenue recognition and MRR.

Part 2 - Add other metrics and data sources

1. Set up CAC and other cost-based metrics

  1. Map customer acquisition costs to the relevant accounts. See How to set up CAC (customer acquisition costs).

2. Add Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel data, if needed

  1. Connect non-financial or operational data. See How to add live metrics through Google Sheets, How to add live metrics through Microsoft Excel and How to use Google Sheets data in reporting.
  2. To budget those metrics, see How to create a budget for metrics using Google Sheets.

3. Add CRM data, if needed

  1. Connect HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive for pipeline, deal and renewal metrics. See An overview of subscription management and renewal tracking in ScaleXP.

Part 3 - Review and edit your metrics

1. Check the metric library and definitions

  1. Review the existing metrics and their definitions in the metric library. See What is the ScaleXP metric library? and How to change definitions of pre-set SaaS metrics and KPIs.
  2. Create new metrics or edit existing ones. See How do I create a new metric in the metric library?, How to edit a metric and change the way it is calculated and How do I change the name of a metric?
  3. If a figure looks wrong, see My metric definitions are not correct. How can I review them?

Part 4 - Build reports, dashboards and board packs

1. Create reports and dashboards

Reports and dashboards can combine financial and operational metrics across entities.

  1. Review the existing reports on the Reports tab and dashboards on the Dashboards tab, then edit or add your own. See Getting started with reports, How to create SaaS metric reports, How to create a metric, report or chart using customer page reports and Getting started with dashboards.
  2. Check any figure in a P&L report by selecting the account row to see the transactions behind it. See How to see transaction detail behind account balances.
  3. Add budgets to report against. See How to set up budgets in ScaleXP (overview).

2. Create presentations and board packs

  1. Use your financial and KPI reports to build automated board packs that update each month from your data. See Getting started with presentations.

Related Articles

How to set up CAC (customer acquisition costs)

This article answers the question - why are my charts and reports showing CAC as ...

What is NDR? What retention metrics are available?

NDR is Net Dollar Retention, also known as Net Revenue Retention - Net Revenue Re...

How do I change the name of a metric?

It is easy to change what a metric is called. Go to 'Settings', 'Metric Library' ...

How to change pre-set SaaS metric definitions and which metrics to use

  View and adjust the automated definitions for MRR, ARR, CAC, CAC Payback, Cash ...