Custom Report Builder is one of the most powerful parts of HubSpot, which is a polite way of saying it can also be where your afternoon goes to quietly disappear.

HubSpot is rolling out usability improvements that should make report building less painful.

The builder is now organized into clearer tabs for Data, Style, and Filters. Tables are the default starting visualization, fields show clearer data-source labels, drag-and-drop areas are easier to understand, and there is now a Visualization only mode so you can look at the chart without the table taking up half the room like an overeager intern.

There is also an AI summary option for quick insights, plus a more noticeable auto-refresh setting.

Nothing here changes what Custom Report Builder fundamentally is: powerful, slightly fussy, and capable of making you question whether you understand objects.

But these updates should make it easier to get from “I need a report” to “oh thank goodness, there it is.”

Use Custom Workflow Properties Before Your Workflow List Becomes a Junk Drawer

If your HubSpot account has more than, say, 40 workflows, your workflow index is probably already starting to look like a storage unit with Wi-Fi.

You know the vibe:

“New Lead Routing - FINAL”

“New Lead Routing - final final[DEPRECATED]”

“Copy of New Lead Routing - do not use”

“OLD - maybe delete?”

“2023 version - ask Rebecca”

This is where custom workflow properties are quietly very useful.

Instead of relying only on naming conventions, folders, and the emotional memory of whoever built the thing two years ago, you can add structured metadata to your workflows.

Think of workflow properties like little admin labels that answer questions your future self will absolutely have:

Who currently owns this workflow? What process does it support? Is it active, legacy, testing, or ready for cleanup? It is a one-time run? Does it touch lifecycle stage, owner assignment, routing, scoring, Salesforce sync, notifications, or reporting? Should this be reviewed quarterly? Is this workflow safe to edit, or is it holding up the CRM with duct tape and vibes?

This is especially helpful during audits. Instead of opening 87 workflows one by one and playing “what fresh nonsense is this,” you can filter by process, owner, status, or risk area.

My favorite use case is creating a property for something like Workflow Function with options like Routing, Lifecycle, Data Cleanup, Sales Notification, Salesforce Sync, Form Follow-Up, Internal Admin, and Reporting Support.

Then add another property for Workflow Status: Active, Needs Review, Legacy, Testing, Ready to Delete.

That tiny bit of structure turns the workflow tool from a haunted filing cabinet into something you can actually govern.