Reporting API overview

The Report endpoint is the core mechanism for retrieving data from Adobe Analytics 2.0 APIs. It enables you to generate fully customized reports by defining metrics, dimensions, date ranges, filters, and breakdowns in a single request body.

Use the Report endpoint when you need:

• Custom metric and dimension combinations
• Time-series analysis
• Filtered and segmented reporting
• Nested breakdowns
• Anomaly analysis
• Realtime reporting
• Programmatic report generation for dashboards or automation

The Report endpoint is designed for flexibility and scalability, supporting both simple KPI queries and advanced analytical workflows.

For instructions on building specific types of API reports, see the following guides:

• Reporting API first calls: Get a top items report and create a new report for pageviews, visits, and vistors.

• Anomaly detection report: Identify statistically significant deviations in your data using anomaly detection.

• Breakdown reports: Generate multi-level reports by breaking down dimension items into additional dimensions.

• Date-trended basic report (KPI report): Create date-trended reports to track key performance indicators over time.

• Date-trended advanced report: Create advanced date-trended API reports using date range comparisons and segments.

• Debugger for Analysis Workspace: Use Oberon in Analysis Workspace to see XML and API calls with JSON debugger.

• Realtime Reports: Generate low-latency reports for near-live activity monitoring.

• Report search filters: Apply advanced filtering logic to refine report results.

Creating API Reports

Most Adobe Analytics reports are generated using the POST method. This design allows you to submit a structured JSON payload that defines:

• The report suite (rsid)
• Global and metric-specific filters
• Dimensions and metrics
• Date ranges
• Sorting and pagination settings
• Breakdowns and nested queries

Using POST provides the flexibility required for complex analytical queries, including multi-level breakdowns, anomaly detection, and advanced filtering.

Exception: GET top items report

• GET top items report

This endpoint uses the GET method and is designed specifically for retrieving top dimension items in a simplified format. It does not support the full report definition structure available through POST /reports.

Unless you are using the Top Items report, all report generation should use POST.

Report APIs provide data structures, not visualizations

When you design reports via the Report API, you interact with the data foundation used by Analysis Workspace or another intelligence tool. API structures do not specify the presentation layers built on top of the data. You will not see a visualization parameter type in the JSON request or response.

Using dimension in report payload requests

The dimension object member is not required in report request payloads. When no dimension is provided:

• The request is effectively a Totals report.
• The response contains only summaryData with totals for the requested metrics over the specified date range.
• The rows array will be absent or empty. No dimension breakdown will be provided in the respone body.

Example: Totals report (no dimension)

To retrieve only metric totals for a date range, omit the dimension property from the report request. The response will contain summaryData totals only and no rows.

Date-range field – supported formats

The dateRange field in globalFilters supports three formats:

1. Absolute date range
2. Date formula
3. Mixed

data-variant=info

data-slots=text

The following sections describe each format.

Absolute date range

In this format, the start and end date are specified in ISO 8601 format, separated by /. This format is supported for all date ranges, including metric level filters outside of a globalFilters array of objects.

Format:

<start_date>/<end_date>

Examples:

2024-01-01T00:00:00.000/2024-02-01T00:00:00.000
2024-01-01T00:00/2024-02-01T00:00

Date formula

This format includes a dynamic date range in a formula syntax. Both the start and end are expressed as formulas, separated by /. Formulas are evaluated relative to the report suite timezone (Analytics) or Data View timezone (Customer Journey Analytics). This format is only supported for fields within a globalFilters array of objects and is only available for ranked reports--not realtime reports.

Format:

<start_formula>/<end_formula>

Base Units

Shift Modifiers

Append + or - followed by a number and a unit to shift the base, according to the following table:

Examples

Example description: td-7d/td means "7 days ago to today."

Mixed format

This format combines an absolute ISO 8601 date on one side with a formula on the other, separated by /. The formula side is evaluated dynamically; the absolute side is a fixed date. This format is only supported for fields within a globalFilters array of objects and is only available for ranked reports--not realtime reports.

Examples:

2024-01-01T00:00:00/th       (From Jan 1, 2024 to the current hour)
tm-1m/2024-06-01T00:00:00   (From the start of last month to June 1, 2024)

Timezone behavior in date ranges

Date ranges with formulas are evaluated in the configured timezone of the data source:

• Adobe Analytics: report suite timezone
• CJA: Data View timezone

If no timezone is configured, the API returns a 400 status code error, such as:

Could not determine timezone for dataId=<dataId>

Date ranges for realtime reports

The date formula and mixed formats are not available for realtime reports. For realtime reports, use the existing dateRangeRelative field.