---
title: Planning for analytics and reporting
description: Include analytics requirements during the design phase to enable meaningful reporting and insights from the start. Analytics cannot be an afterthought when building on the ServiceNow AI Platform. Defining KPIs and reporting needs during app design ensures that data is captured correctly and supports dashboards, performance metrics, and decision-making.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/application-development/planning-analytics-analysis.html
release: australia
topic_type: concept
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Plan your app before you start building, Standard app development, Getting Started guide for developers, Building applications]
---

# Planning for analytics and reporting

Include analytics requirements during the design phase to enable meaningful reporting and insights from the start. Analytics cannot be an afterthought when building on the ServiceNow AI Platform. Defining KPIs and reporting needs during app design ensures that data is captured correctly and supports dashboards, performance metrics, and decision-making.

## Key considerations

-   Identify business KPIs and reporting requirements upfront.
-   Verify that your data model supports queries for analytics and dashboards.
-   Plan for integration with ServiceNow performance analytics and reporting tools.
-   Consider data retention and conformance requirements for analysis.

## General guidelines

Embed analytics logic into workflows where possible, validate data quality during development, and use ServiceNow's built-in reporting capabilities to avoid custom solutions. Document your analytics plan for stakeholders.

**Parent Topic:**[Plan your app before you start building](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/application-development/plan-app-building.md)