Reports and Dashboards in Salesforce

Kajal Yadav

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 Reports and Dashboards in Salesforce

Salesforce provides a powerful set of tools for generating Reports and Dashboards,
enabling users to visualize and analyze data.

 Reports in Salesforce:

What are Reports?

Reports contains a collection of Records collected from One/More Objects, and will represent
them in the form of Tabular format.
We can represent the report data in the form of pictorial format, with the help of “Dashboards”.
Reports can be customized to show relevant data, grouped, filtered, and summarized.

Types of Reports:

Salesforce provides two types of Reports:

1. Standard Reports
2. Custom Reports

1. Standard Reports:

These are the readymade reports provided by Salesforce by default as part of

Salesforce CRM, i. e. we have a set of readymade reports related to Sales, Service and
Marketing Applications.

2. Custom Reports:

The Salesforce Administrator/Developer can configure their own

Application/Business Specific reports based on the requirement.

Note: We can configure the Daily Reports/ Weekly/ Monthly/ Quarterly reports based
on the need.

 Each Report get resides inside a report folder. Salesforce provides a types of
Report Folders.

1. Standard Report Folders:

These are the readymade folders provided by Salesforce by default.

Ex: Unfiled Custom Reports, Sales Report, Account Report, Opportunity Reports
Folder, Service Reports etc.

2. Custom Report Folders:

The Developer/ Administrator can create their own Application/ Module specific
folders.

Ex: Banking Report Folder, Finance Report Folder, Loan Report Folder etc.

Note: Each Report contains a set of Report Configuration Parameters as below.

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 1. Contains the Report Type.

2. What fields to be visible in the Report.

3. What Order, the field should be visible.

4. What filter conditions to be applied for the report.

5. What chart components, to be used to represent the report data.

6. Contains the scheduling information.

 Types of Custom Reports:

● Tabular Reports
● Summary Reports
● Matrix Reports
● Joined Reports

o Tabular Reports:

● The simplest form of report, displaying data in rows without any groupings.
● Fields in tabular reports are ordered in columns, with matching records listed
in rows. You can customize tabular reports by applying filters or configuring
the outline.
Note: Tabular Report Data can’t be represented in the “Chart Components”

Note: While creating a Report we can add the required user defined conditions
by using the below filter types.
1. Field Filter:
This feature allows us to Add one or more filter conditions to be applied
based on the “Fields” exist inside the object.
2. Cross Filter:
By using this feature, we can fetch the records from the object, by adding
the conditions on the Related Objects.
3. Row Limit Filter (Only in Salesforce Classic):
This filter is used to restrict the number of records to be visible inside the
report.
Note: This filter is available only in Salesforce classic, not available in
Lightning Experience.

You should use a tabular Salesforce report when you want to:

● Access your records fast.

● Update multiple records.
● Quickly export and share the data outside of Salesforce.

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 Key Features:

● Data displayed in a table format, with each row representing a record.

● Easy to create and use for exporting raw data to Excel or other external tools.

● Cannot be used in dashboards unless you limit the number of rows.

● No grouping or summaries available.

o Summary Reports:

● Summary Report allows us to Group the Report Data based on the specified
field. We can apply max. of “3 Levels of Grouping” inside the summary report.
● We can represent the Summary Report in the form of Chart Component. We can
schedule the Summary Reports to be run based on the periodical intervals.
You should use summary reports when you want to:

● Analyze data by a specific field.

● Get a quick summary of key metrics.
● Compare data across different record groups.
● Analyze data by time period.

Key Features:

● Group records by rows (e.g., group Opportunities by Stage or Account).

● Add summaries to perform calculations like totals, averages, minimums, and
maximums.
● Supports charts, which makes it possible to display data visually in a dashboard.
● Great for use in dashboards (as they allow for deeper analysis of grouped data).
● Conditional highlighting can be applied to show trends or outliers.

o Matrix Reports:

● Data is grouped by both rows and columns, useful for comparing related totals.
● A matrix report allows you to lay out the data in multiple dimensions. In simple
terms, it’s a summary report that can also be grouped by both rows and columns.

You should use matrix reports when you want to:

● Analyze data across multiple dimensions (e.g., the total number of sales per
sales rep over time).
● Create heavily customized reports.

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 Key Features:

● Group records both by rows and columns (e.g., group Opportunities by both
Sales Rep and Stage, or Account and Close Date).
● View data in a grid format with summaries for each group.
● Excellent for complex comparisons or reports with hierarchical data.
● Supports subtotals and grand totals for both rows and columns.
● Can be used in dashboards to create detailed visual comparisons.
● Requires more effort to set up and interpret compared to Summary or
Tabular reports.

● Joined Reports:
● Joined reports allows us to group/combine the multiple reports data into a single
report.
● We can add multiple blocks inside the Joined Report. For each block we can add the
different conditions/ filters and we can represent different fields inside its.
Note: A joined Report can have max. of 5 blocks.
Note: Joined Reports Data can’t be represented in “Chart Format” and
“Scheduling can’t be Applicable” for Joined Report.

You should use joined reports when you want to:

● Analyze data from different objects (e.g., see the data both at the Accounts level
and the Opportunities level).
● Include different report formats in one tab.
● Get a high-level overview of your sales performance data (e.g., for a quarterly
performance review).

Key Features:

● Multiple report blocks (each block can represent a different report type,
like Opportunities and Cases, or Leads and Campaigns).
● Group and summarize data within each block.
● Show data from multiple related objects or report types side by side.
● Useful for showing multiple perspectives of the same data or cross-object
comparisons.
● More complex to set up, but highly powerful for multi-object analysis.
● Can be displayed on dashboards.

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  Dashboards in Salesforce

What are Dashboards?

A Dashboard is a visual display of key metrics and trends based on data from Salesforce
reports. It helps users monitor and analyze their data at a glance, providing insights in
the form of charts, tables, and gauges. Dashboards are made up of different components,
each one representing data from a report.

Dashboard Components:

● Charts: Bar, pie, line, and donut charts for visualizing data trends.
● Tables: Display detailed data from reports.
● Gauges: Show progress toward a goal (e.g., sales quota).
● Metrics: Single-number metrics that display one key figure (e.g., total sales).
● Visualforce Components: Custom components built using Visualforce pages.

Dashboard Components:

1. Charts:

● Charts allow you to visualize trends, comparisons, and patterns in your data.
Salesforce provides several types of charts to help present data graphically.

Bar Chart:

○ Description: Displays data in horizontal or vertical bars, where the

length represents a value.
○ Example: Compare Sales by Region or Opportunities by Stage.

Pie Chart:

○ Description: Shows proportions by dividing a circle into segments, each

representing a part of the whole.
○ Example: Revenue distribution by Product or Market Share
by Competitor.

● Line Chart:

○ Description: Displays data points connected by lines to show trends over

time.
○ Example: Revenue Growth Over Time or Support Tickets Closed per
Month.
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 ● Donut Chart:

○ Description: Similar to a pie chart, but with a hole in the middle,

showing the total value of the segments.
○ Example: Sales Breakdown by Product with the total sales displayed at
the center.

2. Tables:

● Description: Displays data from reports in a tabular format, showing

detailed information in rows and columns.
● Example: A table of Open Opportunities, showing fields like Account Name,
Close Date, Opportunity Stage, and Amount.

Key Features:

○ Provides more granular data than charts.

○ Can display several columns and rows, making it ideal for detailed views.
○ Often used in conjunction with other dashboard components to
provide detailed context.

3. Gauges:

● Description: A gauge chart displays a single value within a range, allowing you
to visualize progress toward a target or goal.
● Example: Sales Quota Achievement (e.g., 75% of a quarterly sales target),
Customer Satisfaction Score.

Key Features:

○ Set min, max, and midpoint values to define thresholds like "Low,"
"Medium," and "High."
○ Display only one metric at a time, making it highly focused on a single KPI.
○ Excellent for monitoring progress at a glance.

4. Metrics:

● Description: Displays a single key figure or value, often used to highlight a

specific, important data point.
● Example: Total Sales Revenue, Number of Open Opportunities, or Total Active
Customers.

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 Key Features:

○ Simple and straightforward, with no charts or groupings.

○ Typically used for quick insights into high-priority metrics or
key performance indicators.

5. Visualforce Components:

● Description: Custom dashboard components built using Visualforce,

Salesforce's custom development framework.
● Example: A custom sales leaderboard, interactive maps, or a dynamic chart that
pulls data from multiple objects.

Key Features:

○ Fully customizable to display data in ways not natively supported

by Salesforce.
○ Can integrate external data sources or use complex logic to drive the
component’s content.
○ Requires Visualforce coding expertise but allows for flexibility and
tailored functionality.

Key tips in Report and Dashboard:(Simple understanding)

Reports:

● Tabular Reports: Simple, list-style reports for quick data views.

● Summary Reports: Grouped data with summaries—perfect for tracking KPIs.
● Matrix Reports: Compare data across rows and columns for deep analysis.
● Joined Reports: Combine multiple data sets to get a comprehensive view.

Dashboards:

● Charts: Visualize trends with bar, pie, line, or donut charts.

● Tables: Display detailed data from reports.
● Gauges: Track progress toward goals (like sales quotas).
● Metrics: Highlight single-number stats for quick insights.
● Custom Visualforce Components: Tailor your dashboard with custom solutions.

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