Salesforce Reports: Types, Formats, and Scheduling Guide

This guide provides a detailed overview of Salesforce reports, covering the various types available, their specific formats, and how to schedule them for maximum efficiency. It explains how Salesforce reporting tools help users analyze data, generate insights, and make informed decisions. Readers will learn the differences between report types, how to choose the right format for their needs, and best practices for automating report delivery through scheduling features, improving workflow and productivity within the platform.

Every action taken by a team should be backed by a report that offers detailed insights into performance metrics. Salesforce’s Reports and Dashboards are designed to provide crucial answers to business-related questions.

For instance, they can help determine how many leads were successfully converted into accounts, identify which sales team brought in the most leads, or track how many employees received bonuses exceeding 20% during the year.

Salesforce uses the data stored across different objects to automatically generate answers to such important queries through its Reports and Dashboards features.

Reports in Salesforce are essentially lists of records arranged based on defined criteria, presented in a table-like format. These records meet specific conditions and can be organized with filters or grouped by any field, often enhanced with charts for better clarity.

Key features of Salesforce Reports include the ability for users to customize the way data is filtered and sorted, ensuring that real-time data is reflected accurately. Reports can also be visualized with interactive dashboards and scheduled to run periodically, helping organizations stay updated on important trends and KPIs.

Different report types in Salesforce are determined based on the data available and reporting needs. When creating a report, selecting a report type is the initial step. A report type defines the main object and any related objects that can be used in the report.

These related objects must have a direct or indirect relationship with the main object, but no report type can involve more than four objects. Once a report is made, its type is locked in and cannot be modified later.

Salesforce offers two primary report types: standard and custom. Each serves different reporting purposes and involves different fields and features.

Standard report types are automatically created when objects or relationships are set up and cannot be customized. They include both standard and custom fields and always have inner joins.

Custom report types, on the other hand, are templates created manually to cater to specific reporting needs. Admins or users with special permissions can define these types, allowing them to specify which objects and records are included.

In custom report types, users can choose whether records with or without associated child records are included. However, after saving, the main object cannot be changed. If a custom object used as the primary object is deleted, both the report type and its reports will also be removed.

Deleting an object from a report type will erase all its references across reports and dashboards linked to that type. After finalizing the report type, users proceed to the report builder to start creating their report.

Salesforce offers four report formats to match different analytical needs.

The Tabular Report format presents records in a simple table format without grouping. It's great for generating basic lists or summaries but cannot create charts or group data.

For example, a company can use a tabular report to view all customer support cases that have been resolved within a certain period.

The Summary Report format allows grouping records based on field values and supports subtotals and charts. It’s useful for situations where you need numerical insights categorized by another field.

An example would be analyzing the number of leads converted from different sources by grouping leads according to their origin.

The Matrix Report format is more advanced, letting you group records by both rows and columns. It displays complex data relationships and supports detailed visualizations such as charts.

For instance, a sales manager can create a matrix report to review product sales performance across different regions and industries simultaneously.

A key point: you can add a stacked bar chart to a matrix report, but not to a summary report.

Joined Reports offer a way to combine multiple report types into one view. Each section within a joined report acts as an independent sub-report with its own setup.

A company selling both hardware and software products can use a joined report to see hardware and software sales separately but within a single unified report.

A few essential things to keep in mind: when a report is saved, only its configuration is stored, not the data itself, which is always updated when the report is run. Reports can be run manually or scheduled automatically.

The data that appears in the report depends on the sharing and security settings of the running user. When scheduling a report, the user’s security settings must be considered.

Each report is stored within a specific folder. Access to run or edit the report depends on folder permissions. Individual users, groups, or roles can have specific access levels.

When creating a report that pulls data from two objects, the objects may be related or unrelated, and multiple report types can be combined if needed.

Note: the preview pane shows only a sample of records; you need to fully run the report to see all the data.

Scheduled Reports in Salesforce help automate the delivery of reports at set intervals, so you don't need to manually refresh and run them. You can schedule when a report should start, how often it should run, and when it should stop, with up to 200 scheduled reports allowed per organization. However, joined reports cannot be scheduled.

Scheduling reports in Salesforce brings several advantages, such as automatically receiving updated data, setting customized intervals (daily, weekly, or monthly), and receiving the report directly via email with a quick link to the full report.

Folder access levels in Salesforce determine who can view or manage reports stored within them.

The Viewer access level allows users to view but not edit reports, except by cloning them.

Editor access enables users to modify the reports but doesn't allow them to add new users to the folder.

Manager access grants all Viewer and Editor privileges, with the added ability to control folder access, rename, or delete folders and their contents.

To manage folder access, navigate to the Reports tab, find the folder, use the dropdown menu to "Share," select users or groups, assign an access level, and save your changes. This helps maintain security while encouraging collaboration.

Some important notes: by default, the creator of a folder becomes its Manager. If no Manager access is assigned, the folder becomes public, and users with the right permissions can view and run reports in it.

Reports placed in public folders can also be shared via email. If privacy is needed, users should save reports in "My Personal Custom Reports."

Reports can be exported as .xlsx or .csv files, but are limited to 2,000 rows when viewed online. Larger reports can be emailed as Excel attachments.

While report running permission depends on folder access, the data a user can see within a report depends on their own object, field, and record-level security permissions.

A single report cannot be saved in two folders simultaneously; if needed elsewhere, a copy must be made.

Also, a user cannot create a report based on an object they don't have access to.

In summary, Salesforce reports are powerful tools for analyzing business data, tracking performance, and making strategic decisions. From simple lists to complex grids, Salesforce offers a wide range of report formats to meet any need.

When used effectively - along with scheduled reports and proper folder access management - Salesforce reporting ensures that business stakeholders always have timely and accurate insights for better decision-making.

For questions or comments write to contactus@bostonbrandmedia.com

Source: s2labs‍