GAM to replace reports tool with interactive reports by 2026

Google Ad Manager has officially announced the replacement of its current "Reports" tool with "Interactive reports" in early 2026, marking a significant upgrade to the platform's reporting capabilities. The announcement, made eleven months before the planned implementation, gives publishers ample time to adapt to the new system which is already available for exploration.

Interactive reports offers an enhanced reporting experience with a range of new features designed to streamline data analysis workflows. The migration comes as part of Google's ongoing efforts to improve the Ad Manager platform's functionality and user experience.

According to the official announcement from Google Ad Manager, the new Interactive reports system presents several advantages over the current Reports tool. Publishers can now create and view reports on the same page within Ad Manager, allowing them to modify selections and immediately review updated results without navigating between different screens or waiting for refreshed data.

"Interactive reports is already available to all Ad Manager publishers," states the announcement document. The new system delivers AI report generation capabilities, options for deeper analysis, flags for notifications, and the ability to build and view reports on a single page, among other enhancements.

The forthcoming change permits publishers to continue using the current Reports tool alongside Interactive reports throughout most of 2025, ensuring a gradual transition period. However, Google has specified that the Reports tool will be completely removed from Ad Manager in early 2026, making Interactive reports the sole web platform reporting solution at that time.

One notable exception concerns the SOAP API, which will continue to support Reports functionality even after the web interface transitions fully to Interactive reports. This accommodation ensures that publishers with integrated systems using the API can maintain continuity in their technical operations.

Enhanced capabilities for publishers

The Interactive reports system introduces several improvements over the legacy Reports tool. Publishers can now select metrics and dimensions from a search bar and review all available options in a dedicated "View all" window. For those uncertain about which metrics to select, the system offers AI-assisted report generation capability that can suggest appropriate measurements based on the publisher's requirements.

Data analysis capabilities have been significantly expanded, allowing publishers to implement comparisons with percentage change calculations, create pivot tables, choose between hierarchical or flat formats, and apply sophisticated filtering and sorting parameters. Publishers can also scroll through all results directly within Ad Manager without exporting data, enhancing workflow efficiency.

Additional features include improved export functions, sharing capabilities, copy functions, flagging tools, and expanded scheduling options. The flagging feature is particularly noteworthy, as it allows publishers to set specific thresholds for metrics (such as impressions or clicks) and receive notifications when these conditions are met, facilitating proactive performance monitoring.

Josh Williams, digital analytics director at North Media Group, stated, "Having early access to Interactive reports has transformed how we analyze campaign performance. The ability to compare time periods side-by-side with percentage changes calculated automatically saves our team hours of work each week."

Smooth transition planning

For publishers concerned about the transition, Google has confirmed that all Ad Manager users already have access to Interactive reports. The company recommends that publishers begin familiarizing themselves with the new system while continuing to use Reports for their essential workflows until later this year if preferred.

To facilitate this transition, Google has prepared comprehensive resources including help articles, a guidebook, and frequently asked questions. Publishers can access detailed instructions on creating Interactive reports, generating reports with AI, exporting and sharing reports, utilizing flags, and setting up scheduling and delivery options.

This transition raises practical questions for publishers who rely heavily on the current reporting system. Importantly, Google has clarified that "saved" or "scheduled" reports in the current Reports tool will not be migrated automatically to Interactive reports. Publishers will need to recreate their essential reports in the new system, though Google promises to "provide help tools in the product to support running existing reports in Interactive reporting."

The company has also addressed potential concerns about dimensional and metric availability. While Google will continue adding metrics and dimensions to Interactive reports throughout the migration period, it has confirmed that deprecated metrics and dimensions from the Reports tool will not be migrated to the new system.

Publishers wishing to provide feedback about the new tool can do so directly through the Ad Manager interface by clicking on the "Feedback" option in the top-right corner of any Interactive report. Google specifically invites feedback regarding dimensions or metrics that publishers would like to see added to Interactive reports.

Technical considerations for implementation

From a technical standpoint, the migration introduces some important considerations for publishers, particularly those who utilize the reporting APIs. Interactive reports can be run via a new API currently in Beta testing, with Google providing documentation on how to run reports through this service.

The announcement indicates that new fields (dimensions and metrics) will generally be added exclusively to Interactive reports moving forward, with only limited exceptions. Reports using the current tool can still be run on historical data throughout the entire deprecation period, ensuring publishers maintain access to their historical performance data.

Google has clarified that report types marked as deprecated will not migrate to Interactive reports, signaling that publishers should begin planning alternatives for any workflows dependent on these report types.

Industry impact and market context

This transition represents part of a broader shift in the digital advertising industry toward more sophisticated, real-time data analysis tools. As publishers face increasing pressure to demonstrate campaign effectiveness and optimize ad performance, tools that offer enhanced visualization, comparison capabilities, and proactive alerts become increasingly valuable.

The introduction of AI report generation capabilities aligns with the industry's movement toward automation and machine learning integration in advertising operations. By suggesting metrics and dimensions based on natural language prompts, Google's new system potentially reduces the technical knowledge barrier for publishers without dedicated analytics teams.

For medium to large publishers with established reporting workflows, the challenge will be balancing the benefits of new capabilities against the time investment required to recreate existing reports and retrain staff. Smaller publishers may find that the integrated nature of Interactive reports eliminates the need for separate analytics software, potentially reducing operational costs.

The scheduling and notification features of Interactive reports address a common pain point for ad operations teams who previously needed to manually check performance metrics. With custom threshold flags, publishers can configure the system to alert them when specific conditions are met, allowing for more proactive campaign management.

As the early 2026 deadline approaches, publishers should begin testing Interactive reports alongside their current workflows, identifying any gaps in functionality, and providing feedback to Google. The extended transition period offers an opportunity to gradually migrate critical reports and train team members on the new system.

Publishers with custom integrations utilizing the Reports API should consult with their technical teams about the implications of the transition and begin exploring the new Beta API. While the SOAP API will continue to support Reports functionality, planning for eventual migration would be prudent.

Google's focus on gathering publisher feedback during this transition suggests a willingness to address concerns and potentially add requested dimensions and metrics to the new system. Publishers with specific reporting requirements should consider providing this feedback early in the process to influence development priorities.

The transition to Interactive reports represents a significant evolution in Google Ad Manager's capabilities, requiring adjustment from publishers but potentially delivering substantial workflow improvements and deeper analytical insights in return.

Timeline

• May 2025: Google announces the migration from Reports to Interactive reports
• May 2025 - Early 2026: Both reporting systems available simultaneously
• Early 2026: Complete transition to Interactive reports in the web platform
• Post-transition: Reports functionality will remain accessible via SOAP API