Creating Custom Fields for Historical and Real Time Data

Andrea Wagner

Updated September 03, 2026 13:22

Required Permissions Level: Administrator

Required Modules: Real Time

Custom Calculated Fields let you define insights and perspectives unique to your organization. While each data source has its own library of standard fields, calculated fields let your administrators combine values from those fields into a custom calculation, so you see exactly the metric you want, where and how you want to see it, across all your dashboards and reports.

Custom Calculated Fields work with both summary (historical) data and Real Time streaming charts. You'll choose which one a field applies to when you start building it.

Video examples are available at the bottom of this article.

Table of contents

Understanding the Custom Calculated Field form
Creating a Custom Calculated Field
Limitations
Examples

Understanding the Custom Calculated Field form

Before you build a calculation, here's what each part of the form does:

Name	The display name for the field. This is what appears in the Field Selection list, your dashboards, and your reports.
Tooltip	Optional explanatory text for the field. This displays when a user hovers over the field.
Hide	Hides the field from all users. This is useful if you need to temporarily turn off a field without deleting it.
Express value as a percentage	Displays the result of the calculation as a percentage instead of a raw number.
Express value as a cost per minute	Displays the result as a cost per minute. Used to build call cost reports based on flat or fixed charge rates. You don't need to build a divide-by-60 into your equation — Brightmetrics does this automatically when this box is checked. Only available for summary calculated fields.
Calculation Area	Where you build the formula, using fields from Field Selection combined with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Field Selection	The list of available fields you can add to the Calculation Area. Search or scroll to find a field, then click it to add it to your formula.

Note

For a calculated field representing a time-based metric (such as Average Speed of Answer), Brightmetrics may display the result as a plain number rather than a formatted duration. Adding / 1 to the end of the calculation doesn't change the value, but it prompts Brightmetrics to re-evaluate the result as time-based, so it displays properly as hh:mm:ss or mm:ss. This is especially useful when dividing a time field by a count.

Creating a Custom Calculated Field

1

To start a new custom calculated field:

1.Click the Admin Tools (gear) icon in the left sidebar

2.Select Data Customization at the top

3.Click the green plus icon in the upper right
2

Click the Data Source Type dropdown to choose Summary (the default) or Real Time.
3

Click the Data dropdown to choose which data set you want this field to appear on, then click OK.

Note

The options you see next depend on the data source type you chose. A summary calculated field shows Hide, Express value as a percentage, and Express value as a cost per minute. A Real Time calculated field only shows Hide and Express value as a percentage. Each option has a tooltip you can hover over for more detail, and each is explained in Understanding the Custom Calculated Field form above.
4

Complete the form:

1.Enter a name for your new field

2.Enter a tooltip, the description that shows when a user hovers over the field

3.Choose from Hide, Express value as a percentage, or Express value as a cost per minute, if applicable to your field

4.The Calculation Area shows the formula you're building. It fills in as you add fields from Field Selection below

5.Use Field Selection to build your calculation

Note

In a summary calculated field, some fields you add to the Calculation Area display a three-line icon next to their names. Click that icon to add filters to the field. This option does not appear for Real Time calculated fields. (Video examples at the bottom of this article.)

Once you save a custom field, you'll return to the home list and will see your field listed:

New custom calculated field listed on the Data Customization home page

The field will also now appear with a distinct blue bar on the left side of the value name in your available Values:

Blue bar next to a custom calculated field in the Values list

Limitations

When creating Custom Calculated Fields, keep the following in mind:

Custom calculated fields must be based on data collected through Brightmetrics data connections. For example, a calculated field could show the number of interactions that flowed out of the queue, minus callbacks.
All calculations must be expressible as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of existing fields and constant values.
Dividing or multiplying fields of different scales is allowed (for example, a count ÷ duration for a productivity metric). Adding or subtracting fields of different scales is not possible, since those operations only make sense when both sides share the same unit.

Examples

Count of Agents in Wrap for Specific Media Types (Real Time)

This example shows how to create a custom field for a Real Time chart looking at agents in wrap for specific media types.

Percentage of Calls Abandoned after a Wait Threshold (Summary)

This is defined as the number of interactions abandoned after a set waiting period, out of the total number of queued interactions, excluding those abandoned within that period.

Average Handle Time Today (Real Time)

This example shows how to create a Real Time custom field that divides today's total handle time by today's call count.

If there is something specific you wish to build out and need assistance with, please reach out to our support team at support@brightmetrics.com.