We all know that a CRM is only as good as the data it holds. However, getting that data into a format that is easily accessible and discernable is not always easy. Having a solid understanding of the numerous reporting features and best practices that are available to us is an important part of any Salesforce Admin’s job.
Let’s be honest, I’m sure all of us have spent WAY too much time trying to create and format reports to provide what our users request. I have certainly done this, only to later find out about a great new reporting feature that would have allowed me to create the same reports in minutes. Here are some of the features that will provide a tremendous bang for your buck:
Quickly identify records with or without related records.
Ex. Accounts without Contacts
Allow objects to count themselves; use in other formulas.
Use for more complex reports on related objects.
Reports allow us to return a set of records that are the basis of our analysis. Charts and Dashboards are a mechanism for visually consuming this data in a manner that can surface trends, point out key metrics, and summarize and categorize values.
Categorize a group of values.
Ex. Group into region based on country
Summarize numeric values.
Ex. Show sales compared to Goal
Show blocks of different data points & objects in one screen.
Ex. See sales from this month, this year and last 12 months in one report view
Keeping up to date about all the new features in each release is not easy. Luckily, each release notes documentation contains a section on Analytics, which includes all-new features for Reports, Dashboards, and Einstein Analytics. The last couple of releases have had some really great new features that you should certainly take advantage of:
Filter reports based on comparisons to other fields.
Ex. Show Campaigns with actual cost > budgeted cost
Quickly see how many unique objects are in your report.
Ex. How many Accounts are in an Opportunity Pipeline
Reduces the need for custom formula fields on objects.
Ex. Days to Close = Close Date – DATEVALUE(Created Date)
Use Cases: An executive wants to see the number of days between when an opportunity was created and when it closed, without creating a new custom field.
Having a solid skill set in reporting is an essential skill that all admins should have and will always be in demand. Just like all of our other job skills, reporting should be continuously improved. Focusing your time on developing this portion of your toolbox will undoubtedly pay dividends to you, your organization, and your stakeholders. The tips and tricks showcased in this post will bring value to your end users, allow better decision-making to be done in your organization, and save you tons of time.
You can watch Aaron’s DF19 presentation on advanced reporting features for new admins here.
Trailhead Modules:
Use Summary Formulas in Your Reports
Evaluate Each Record in Reports with Row-Level Formulas
Blog post: Two Additional Ways to Filter Your Reports
Reports and dashboards are one of the go-to tools admins can use to make data actionable. I’ve heard countless stories from admins about how they built a dashboard, showed leadership, and got a “This is amazing!” response. Admins have shown me reports and dashboards to track all sorts of key performance indicators (KPIs) that have […]
If you’ve tuned into any podcast or blog post on data recently, chances are you’ve heard data referred to in lofty terms. “The oil of the 21st century” and “the lifeblood of any business” are some that come to mind for me. What is definitely true, in the context of your Salesforce environment, is that […]
Twenty years ago, while managing systems for the IT team at a small software company, I was encouraged by our CEO to think of myself as a business person first and an IT person second. He knew of my love for working with systems and data, and suggested that employing those talents to optimize processes […]
