Reports Overview
A report is a list of records that meet the criteria you define. It’s displayed in Salesforce in rows and columns, and can be filtered, grouped, or displayed in a graphical chart. Other programs may refer to a report as a Query or Criteria-Based Search.
Reports in Salesforce can use up to 3 objects when filtering for criteria. These objects are called Primary objects and Related objects. The Primary Object
Report Types Overview
A report type is like a template which makes reporting easier. The report type determines which fields and records are available for use when creating a report. This is based on the relationships between a primary object and its related objects. For example, with the ‘Contacts and Opportunities’ report type, ‘Contacts’ is the primary object and ‘Opportunities’ is the related object.
Salesforce objects can be joined together using different methods:
Primary WITH Related (inner join) - returns records with matching values in both tables (e.g. only contacts with opportunities)
Primary WITH OR WITHOUT Related - returns all records from object A and matching records from object B (e.g. all contacts, and include matching opportunity information if applicable)
Report Formats
Information taken from: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=reports_changing_format.htm&siteLang=en_US&type=0
Format
Tabular
Summary
Matrix
Joined
Description
Tabular reports are the simplest and fastest way to look at data. Similar to a spreadsheet, they consist simply of an ordered set of fields in columns, with each matching record listed in a row. Tabular reports are best for creating lists of records or a list with a single grand total. They can't be used to create groups of data or charts, and can't be used in dashboards unless rows are limited. Examples include contact mailing lists and activity reports.
Summary reports are similar to tabular reports, but also allow users to group rows of data, view subtotals, and create charts. They can be used as the source report for dashboard components. Use this type for a report to show subtotals based on the value of a particular field or when you want to create a hierarchical list, such as all opportunities for your team, subtotaled by Stage and Owner. Summary reports with no groupings show as tabular reports on the report run page.
Matrix reports are similar to summary reports but allow you to group and summarize data by both rows and columns. They can be used as the source report for dashboard components. Use this type for comparing related totals, especially if you have large amounts of data to summarize and you need to compare values in several different fields, or you want to look at data by date and by product, person, or geography. Matrix reports without at least one row and one column grouping show as summary reports on the report run page.
Joined reports let you create multiple report blocks that provide different views of your data. Each block acts like a “sub-report,” with its own fields, columns, sorting, and filtering. A joined report can even contain data from different report types.
Limitation: only queries using Outer Joins.
Joined reports are available only in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions.
Filters
When you’re using the report builder to ask a question about your data, filters and filter logic allow you to get more specific, and row limits help you limit the answer you receive. A list of filter operators can be found here: https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=filter_operators.htm&language=en_US&type=0
The operator in a filter is like the verb in a sentence. Operators specify how filter criteria relate to one another. Refer to this list of filter operators when setting filters on list views, reports, dashboards, and some custom fields.
Operator
equals
less than
greater than
less or equal
greater or equal
not equal to
contains
does not contain
starts with
includes
excludes
between
within
Uses
Use for an exact match. For example, “Created equals today.”
Use for results that are less than the value you enter. For example, “Quota less than 20000” returns records where the quota field ranges from 0 to 19,999.99.
Use when you want results that exceed the value you enter; for example, “Quota greater than 20000” returns records where the quota amount begins at 20,000.01.
Use for results that match or are less than the value you enter.
Use for results that match or exceed the value you enter.
Shows results that don’t have the value you enter. This operator is useful for eliminating empty fields. For example, “Email not equal to <blank>.”
Note
If evaluating more than one value, none of the specified values can exist on the record. For example, if you specify not equal to A & C, only records where the value is neither A nor C are returned.
Use for fields that include your search string, but sometimes also include other information. For example, “Account contains California” would find California Travel, California Pro Shop, and Surf California. Keep in mind that if you enter a short search string, it can match a longer word. For example, “Account contains pro” would find California Pro Shop and Promotions Corporation. This operator is not case-sensitive.
Eliminates records that don’t contain the value you enter. For example, “Mailing Address Line 2 does not contain P. O. Box.”
Note
When specifying filter criteria on roll-up summary fields, does not contain uses “or” logic on comma-separated values. On list views, reports, and dashboards, does not contain uses “and” logic.
This operator is not case-sensitive.
Use when you know what your value starts with, but not the exact text. This operator is a narrower search term than “contains.” For example, if you enter “Account starts with California,” you find California Travel and California Pro Shop, but not Surf California.
Available when you choose a multi-select picklist as the selected field. Use this operator to find records that include one or more of the values you enter.
For example, if you enter “Interests includes hockey, football, baseball,” you find records that have only hockey selected, and records that have two or three of the values entered. Results do not include partial matches of values.
Available when you choose a multi-select picklist as the selected field. Use this operator to find records that do not contain any values that match the ones entered.
For example, if you enter “Interests exclude wine, golf,” your report lists records that contain any other values from that picklist, including values that are blank. Results do not include partial matches of values.
Enter values on separate lines.
Available for dashboard filters only. Use to filter on ranges of values. For each range, the filter returns results that are greater than or equal to the minimum value and less than the maximum value.
For example, if you enter “Number of Employees from 100 through 500,” your results include accounts with 100 employees up to those with 499 employees. Accounts with 500 employees aren’t included in the results.
Available when you create list views based on a Geolocation custom field. Shows results that are within the specified radius from a fixed latitude and longitude. For example, if you enter “Warehouse location within 50 miles 37.775° –122.418°,”, your list view includes all warehouses within a 50–mile radius of San Francisco, California.
Filter Logic
Filter Logic allows users to adjust filter criteria conditionally using the AND, OR, and NOT operators.
Example Filters:
Filter 1. Account Owner equals Allison Wheeler
Filter 2: Industry equals Manufacturing
Filter 3: Annual Revenue greater than 500,000
If you apply filter logic (1 AND 2) OR 3, then you’ll see any manufacturing accounts owned by Allison, or any accounts with a revenue greater than 500,000.
Alternatively, if you apply filter logic 1 AND (2 OR 3), you’ll see accounts owned by Allison that are either in the manufacturing industry or are greater than 500,000.
Helpful Resources
Training Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0D95738791A97DF1
Embedding Charts Anywhere
Analytics Folder Sharing
Report Notifications
Tips for Scheduling Reports
Making Your Reports Run Faster
How to Use Cross Filters in Salesforce Reports
Building Matrix Reports
Getting Started with Buckets
Getting Dashboard to Display Right Data
Dashboard Overview