Introduction

Creating reports in Salesforce is one of the most powerful ways to turn your CRM data into insights. Whether you’re tracking sales performance, pipeline status, service metrics, or custom KPIs, Salesforce Reports help teams make smarter decisions on the fly.

But if you’re new to Salesforce—or even if you’ve used it for years—the reporting interface can feel overwhelming.

So, how do you create a report in Salesforce quickly and correctly?

Let’s break it down step-by-step.

Salesforce reports help your team:

• Visualize key business metrics

• Track performance in real time

• Identify bottlenecks in sales, service, or operations

• Build dashboards for leadership

• Automate recurring data insights

In short, Salesforce reporting turns raw CRM data into actionable decisions.

Reports can be used across different parts of the platform:

• Dashboards

• Lightning Home Page components

• Record page components

• Salesforce Mobile App

• Embedded in Experience Cloud

• Custom LWCs or Visualforce pages

Ways to Create a Report in Salesforce

The standard drag-and-drop interface for building and customizing reports.

Determines which objects and fields are available in your report.

Clone and modify prebuilt reports for speed and consistency.

Offers modern controls, inline filtering, and real-time previews.

Creating a Salesforce Report Step-by-Step

Go to App Launcher → Reports → New Report.

Choose the object(s) your report is based on—e.g., Accounts, Opportunities, Leads.

Apply filters to narrow down your data:

• Show Me

• Date Range

• Field-specific filters

Drag-and-drop fields to customize your report layout.

Grouping helps you create summary and matrix reports for deeper insights.

Add visual elements to make the report dashboard-ready.

Use SUM, COUNT, AVG, MIN, and MAX to create meaningful summaries.

Assign a name, description, and folder—then run it to view real-time data.

Types of Reports You Can Create in Salesforce

Best for simple lists and exports.

Grouped data perfect for dashboards.

Multi-dimensional analysis using row + column grouping.

Combine multiple views into one report for advanced analytics.

Using Reports in Salesforce Dashboards

Dashboards turn reports into visual, actionable insights for teams and leadership.

Use charts, gauges, metrics, and tables powered by your reports.

Best Practices for Creating Salesforce Reports

• Keep filters simple

• Use clear naming conventions

• Organize reports into folders

• Avoid too many columns

• Use row-level formulas for calculations

Common Issues and Fixes

Check sharing settings, permissions, and the selected report type.

You may need a different report type.

Charts require at least one grouping.

Remove unnecessary filters and fields.

Conclusion

Creating a report in Salesforce becomes straightforward once you understand report types, filters, grouping, and summaries. With the right structure, reports turn CRM data into powerful analytics that drive smart decisions across every department.

FAQs

Yes, reports can be automatically emailed daily, weekly, or monthly.

Absolutely—just make sure a custom report type exists.

Summary reports work best.

Yes, you can export in CSV or Excel formats.

Check field-level security, object permissions, and report filters.