Interactive Reports in GAM: How to Prepare Your Team for the 2026 Transition

In early 2026, Google Ad Manager (GAM) will fully retire its classic Reports tool from the web interface, and adopt Interactive Reports as the sole reporting interface.

This transition carries more than just a UI change. It demands that your team adapts workflows, rethinks reporting strategy, and masters new capabilities. In this article, I explain what Interactive Reports bring, why you should start preparing now, and step-by-step guidance to prepare your team for this transition.

What Are Interactive Reports & Why the Change?

What are Interactive Reports?

Interactive Reports is Google’s enhanced reporting solution built to replace the traditional Reports tool in GAM.

Key upgrades include:

• Building and viewing reports on the same page without toggling between views.
• AI-assisted report generation: you can prompt the system to suggest metrics/dimensions.
• More powerful data exploration: filtering, pivoting, comparisons, hierarchical views, etc.
• Inline scrolling of results instead of forced export for viewing.
• Tools like flags, scheduling, sharing, and copy/export enhancements.

Why is Google doing this?

The shift aims to modernize the reporting experience, simplify workflows, and centralize enhancements in one tool. Also, Google is deprecating older report types, metrics, and dimensions to reduce complexity.

By 2026, users will no longer see the old Reports tool via the web UI. The depreciation timeline gives time for adaptation while allowing backward compatibility via certain APIs.

The Stakes: Why You Must Act Now

1. Avoid disruption
   If your team relies heavily on saved or scheduled reports in the old system, not preparing will cause workflow breaks once the old tool is disabled.
2. Recreate or migrate reports
   Google does not automatically migrate all existing saved/scheduled reports. You will need to re-build many of them in Interactive Reports.
3. Learn new capabilities & limitations
   Some metrics/dimensions or report types in old reports may not map one-to-one. Understanding what’s available now vs. what’s deprecated is essential.
4. Train your team & adjust roles
   Analysts, ad ops, and executives will need to interact differently with reports. That calls for training, new process design, and role clarity.
5. Update technical integrations
   If you rely on programmatic or automated systems (via APIs) to fetch or generate reports, those flows may break or require updates. Interactive Reports has a new API (Beta) to replace parts of the old system. Google for Developers
6. Feedback window & influencing features
   During the transition, Google continues to iterate and add metrics/dimensions. Your feedback can help shape what features make the cut.

Because of all the above, your team must treat this as a project, not just a small interface change.

Roadmap: Steps to Prepare Your Team

Here is a recommended roadmap you can follow (ideally starting at least 6–9 months ahead of full switch).

Phase	Timeframe	Activities	Deliverables / Outcomes
Exploration & Familiarization	Months 1–2	Give access, let your team poke around, compare with old reports	Teams submit first draft reports in new tool, raise questions
Inventory & Gap Analysis	Months 2–3	Audit all current saved, scheduled, and custom reports	Report matrix mapping old → new, list of gaps & deprecated items
Rebuild Core Reports	Months 3–5	Prioritize high-value reports, recreate in Interactive Reports	Core reports live, validated output matches old system
Training & Process Integration	Months 5–7	Conduct hands-on workshops, document procedures	Training sign-offs, process manuals updated
Technical Updates & API Migration	Months 6–8	Adapt scripts, scheduled pulls, dashboards to new API	API flows migrated, data pipelines verified
Parallel Runs & Validation	Months 8–10	Run old and new reports side by side, reconcile results	Clean reconciliation logs, confidence in new system
Go-Live & Cutover	Early 2026	Switch to Interactive Reports fully, retire old workflows	Full operations in new tool, decommission old reports
Post-Migration Monitoring & Feedback	Ongoing	Monitor data integrity, collect team feedback, iterate	Improvement backlog, feature requests sent to Google

Now let’s dive deeper into each step with tips to ensure success.

1. Exploration & Familiarization

• Assign a small “pilot team” of power users (analysts, ops) to experiment first.
• Encourage them to generate simple reports in the new system and compare results to the old tool.
• Organize internal “show & tell” sessions where these early users present their discoveries, shortcuts, pain points.
• Keep a running list of “missing features” or mismatches they observe.

2. Inventory & Gap Analysis

• Create a master list of all saved and scheduled reports in the old system (report name, frequency, recipients, metrics/dimensions used).
• For each, try to reconstruct the same logic in Interactive Reports. Note if it’s possible, or if there’s a limitation (e.g. a deprecated metric).
• Classify reports into tiers: critical, important, nice-to-have. Focus first on critical ones.
• Also catalog custom scripts or dashboards fed by the old API flows.

3. Rebuild Core Reports

• Start with the most business-critical reports (executive summary, revenue, performance by channel, etc.).
• Use filtering, pivoting, hierarchical views to replicate or improve on old reports.
• For metrics or dimensions that no longer exist, identify substitutes or compute them externally.
• Validate output: run old vs. new reports over overlapping periods to ensure numbers match (or understand divergence).
• Flag any logic that cannot be replicated yet, and escalate internally or to Google (via feedback channels).

4. Training & Process Integration

• Develop role-based training modules: e.g. for analysts, ad ops, business leads.
• Use hands-on labs where participants rebuild real reports.
• Record step-by-step guides / screenshots.
• Create a “reporting playbook” documenting how to build, modify, share, flag, schedule reports in the new system.
• Update internal processes that referenced the old system (e.g. “every Monday someone sends X report”) to use the new system flow.

5. Technical Updates & API Migration

• If your stack currently uses the SOAP API or older report APIs, map those to the new Interactive Reports API (currently in Beta) Google for Developers
• Build new scripts that call networks.reports.run, poll for completion, fetch rows, etc. Google for Developers
• Test the new API flows thoroughly, including error handling, missing data, rate limits, pagination.
• Update downstream dashboards, BI tools, or data warehouses that ingest report output.
• Ensure authentication and permission scopes are correct for the new API access.

6. Parallel Runs & Validation

• For some weeks (or months), run both the old and new workflows side by side.
• Reconcile output differences, document root causes (e.g. rounding, missing metrics, dimension mismatches).
• Use this phase to capture corner-cases, edge behaviors, and unexpected anomalies.
• Let your team raise issues and iterate.

7. Go-Live & Cutover

• Choose a “cutover weekend” if needed, or a low-impact date to fully switch off old reports.
• Communicate clearly across stakeholders: what will change, which reports will look different, who owns which new reports.
• Have “on-call” support ready for debugging or urgent issues post cutover.
• Monitor critical reports in the new system immediately to ensure data is flowing properly.

8. Post-Migration Monitoring & Feedback

• Within the first few months, hold regular feedback sessions with your team.
• Document new feature requests or missing metrics and submit to Google through the “Feedback” button in the tool.
• Track data quality metrics (are there mismatches, gaps, latency issues?).
• Iterate on report improvements now that your team is comfortable in the system.
• Stay updated on new releases from Google: they continue to add dimensions, metrics, and features.

Best Practices & Tips for a Smooth Transition

Here are additional tips and pitfalls to watch out for:

• Start early — the more buffer time you have, the less stress during cutover.
• Use a champion network — identify a few internal “reporting champions” who become SMEs in Interactive Reports and can support others.
• Document everything — from step-by-step tutorials to edge-case behaviors.
• Prioritize impact over perfection — it’s okay if some low-use reports lag behind; ensure core ones are rock solid.
• Communicate often — keep your wider team, leadership, and stakeholders in the loop about changes and timelines.
• Set expectations — be upfront about known limitations (e.g. missing metrics) and when they might be resolved.
• Use feedback wisely — track feature requests, vote internally on priority, and push to Google if many users request the same metric.
• Build regression tests — once core reports are rebuilt, set up automated checks (or manual scripts) that detect large divergences.
• Keep legacy API where needed — during the transition, some clients or scripts may still require the old SOAP API (which continues to support classic Reports in certain contexts)
• Leverage internal champions — users who quickly adopt and champion the new tool can help onboard others.
• Expect and accept minor discrepancies — due to rounding, filtering, or metric definitions differences. Track and document them.
• Monitor deprecated metrics/dimensions lists — Google periodically sunsets low-usage fields; keep abreast of what’s being removed.

Potential Challenges & How to Mitigate Them

Challenge	Mitigation Strategy
Some reports rely on metrics that are deprecated	Find alternative metrics or compute externally
Users resist change due to habit	Schedule demos, training, and highlight benefits
API flows break or mis-align	Rigorously test, version backups, rollback plans
Inconsistencies between old and new outputs	Reconcile early, document differences, handle exceptions
Feature requests not implemented fast enough	Collect internal priority, escalate via Google feedback
Overwhelm of learning for many users	Phase rollouts, training cohorts, internal office hours

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Sample Use Cases & Scenarios

To make this concrete, here are two example scenarios to illustrate how teams might use Interactive Reports differently (and better) than before.

Scenario 1: Executive Summary Report

Old system: Every Monday at 9 AM, someone would run a saved report, export CSV, format it (filtering columns, doing comparisons), then email to management.
New system:

• Create an Interactive Report template with date comparison, relevant metrics, and filters.
• Schedule it to run weekly.
• Turn on a flag to highlight when performance drops below threshold.
• Recipients receive email (if flagged) or view in the tool.
• Management can click into the report and pivot/filter themselves if curious.

This reduces manual export, redesign, or formatting work.

Scenario 2: Cross-Dimension Analysis

Old system: To see performance by country × device type × ad format, the team would need to export and pivot in Excel or BI tools.
New system: Use hierarchical or pivot views in Interactive Reports to explore the intersections in-platform.
You can collapse/unfold levels without leaving the tool.
No need for constant back-and-forth between ad tool and external spreadsheets.

What’s Changing: Deprecated / Removed Items

To avoid surprises, here are some known changes:

• The Analytics report type is deprecated; its dimensions/metrics move into the “Historical” report types in Interactive Reports.
• Some metrics tied to obsolete or low-use features will not carry forward.
• The Technical Ad Delivery report is being deprecated ahead of the full transition.
• As new metrics and dimensions are being added only into Interactive Reports, you may see that support for older attributes gradually erodes in the legacy Reports tool.

Therefore, during your inventory and gap analysis, keep an eye out for metrics your team heavily relies on but may be missing downstream.

Measuring Success After Transition

After the cutover, you should monitor these indicators to ensure success:

• Report accuracy — no large discrepancies between expected and actual data.
• User adoption — number of users actively generating reports in the new tool vs. fallback to workarounds.
• Support tickets / issues — how many issues or refunds arise due to reporting errors.
• Speed & efficiency improvements — time saved in report generation, fewer manual exports or reconciliation.
• Feedback & requests — how many feature requests are raised, how many are resolved.
• Dashboard & integration stability — ensure downstream systems still operate with the new data pipeline.

Summary & Final Thoughts

Interactive Reports in GAM represent a meaningful, long-term upgrade in how publishers analyze ad performance. But this change also has risk: if your team doesn’t plan, the transition may disrupt business operations.

To smoothly shift:

1. Start early with exploration and pilot usage.
2. Inventory all existing reports and understand where gaps lie.
3. Rebuild core reports in the new system.
4. Train your team with role-based learning and documented guides.
5. Update technical systems and API integrations.
6. Run parallel testing to reconcile differences.
7. Execute a controlled cutover with appropriate support.
8. Monitor, iterate, and send feedback as needed.

With good preparation, your team can emerge stronger: leveraging better tools, smarter workflows, and deeper insights — rather than scrambling to catch up.

Let me know if you’d like a version tailored to your team’s size, or a condensed executive version.

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