Analysis
Report
Also called saved report.
Report is a tabular or charted query you can run again. It answers a defined question with a defined set of metrics and dimensions.
How it is measured
A report has a date range, a primary dimension, a set of metrics, and optional filters. Saving it stores the query, not the numbers. Each run reads current data.
Check a report by running it for a short known period and comparing the totals against a source you trust. A report whose total disagrees with another view should explain why in its notes.
Worked example
A cycling club's webmaster builds a report of event-page views by month, split by device, filtered to the events folder. For October it shows 3,880 views, 71 percent on mobile.
The club's treasurer wants registrations rather than views. The webmaster adds the registration goal as a metric and the report now shows 212 signups from 3,880 views, a number the committee can use for planning.
How it differs
A report is a rerunnable query. A dashboard is a standing view of selected results. A report answers one question deeply; a dashboard watches a few things regularly.
Common errors
Building a new report for every question. Leaving filters on by accident. Sharing numbers without the date range. Naming reports with vague titles. Forgetting that rerunning changes the figures.
In practice
Save the five reports you run most often with clear names. Add the date range and filters to each name. Delete the ones nobody has opened in a quarter.