Pacific College of Health and Science Help Center

    Support Home Administration Admissions How to Build a Report in Salesforce
    Student?Click here for student support

    How to Build a Report in Salesforce

    May 6th, 2019

    Lightning report builder is a powerful and intuitive tool for analyzing your Salesforce data. Group, filter, and summarize records to answer business questions like “How much revenue did we generate from new business in California last quarter?” For a visual overview of your data, add a report chart. When finished, run your report to see full results.

    1. From the reports tab, click New Report.

      If you have access to both the Lightning report builder and the Classic report builder, then you can open the Classic report builder by clicking New Report (Salesforce Classic). If you have access to the Classic report builder, but not the Lightning report builder, then clicking New Report opens the Classic report builder.

    2. Choose a report type, then click Continue.

      The report type you choose determines which records are returned and which fields are available in your report.

    3. The report opens in edit mode and shows a preview.

      In edit mode, add and remove fields to your report as columns, group rows and columns, filter report data, and show or hide a chart. Customize your report until it shows exactly the data that you need.

    4. To add a column to your report,
      1. Choose a field from the Add column... picklist.
      2. Alternatively, expand the Fields pane, then drag-and-drop a field onto the Columns list or directly onto the report preview.

    5. To remove a column from your report,

      1. From the Columns list, find the column you want to remove. Then click X.
      2. Alternatively, from the preview pane, find the column you want to remove. Click | Remove Column.
      3. To remove all columns from your report, from the Columns list, click .

    6. Removing a column from your report doesn’t delete the field. If you remove a column, but want it back, add it again.

    7. To summarize a column in your report,
      1. From the preview pane, find the column you want to summarize. Click | Summarize.
      2. Choose how you want to summarize the column: Sum, Average, Max, Min.
    8. To group records in your report,
      1. Choose a column from the Add group...picklist under GROUP ROWS.

        After grouping a row, you can group a column by choosing a column from the Add group... picklist under GROUP COLUMNS. Group up to 2 rows and 2 columns.

        After grouping records by a date field, you can also customize date granularity. First, select the date field you want to group your report by. Then, for Group Date By..., apply a calendar or fiscal period.

      2. Alternatively, drag-and-drop a column from the Columns list or from the preview pane onto the GROUP ROWS or GROUP COLUMNS list.
      3. Alternatively, from the preview pane, find the column you want to group. Click | Group Rows by This Column(or Group Columns by this Column).

    9. After adding a group, you can show or hide detail rows, subtotals, and a grand total by toggling switches at the bottom of the preview pane.

      To ungroup records in your report,

      1. From the Groups list, find the group you’d like to ungroup and then click X.
      2. Alternatively, drag-and-drop the group onto the preview pane.
      3. To ungroup all groups in your report, from the Groups list, click .

    10. Unless you drag-and-drop the group onto the preview pane, removing a group also removes the column from your report. If you still want to show the column, add it back.

    11. To filter records from your report, click  FILTERS.

      Depending on which report type you chose, your report has between two and four standard filters which are applied by default. Most templates include a Show Me filter and a Date filter. The Show Me filter scopes report results around common groups, like “my opportunities” or “all opportunities”. The Date filter scopes results around a date field, like “created date” or “closed date”.

      1. To add a field filter, choose a field from the Add filter... picklist.
      2. To edit a filter, including standard filters, click the filter.
      3. To remove a filter, click the X icon on the filter.

    12. For more information about filtering reports, see Filter Report Data in the Salesforce help.

    13. To add a chart, first add at least 1 group, then click Add Chart.

      A chart appears. To customize the chart, click . Change the chart type, color palette, and more.

      To show or hide the chart, click Togle Chart.

      To remove the chart, click | Remove Chart.

    14. Click Save. If you’re creating a brand new report, give it a name. Optionally, give it a description. With access and sharing in mind, save the report in an appropriate folder.
    15. To view complete report results, click Run.

    Now you know how to harness your Salesforce data to answer your business questions. So, “How much revenue did we generate from new business in California last quarter?”, anyways?

    To find out, first create a report based on the Opportunities report type. Then, add these filters:

    • Close Date range is Previous FQ.
    • Billing State is California.
    • Type is New Business.

    Summarize the Amount column.

    Finally, run the report and take note of the total.

    Table of Contents

      Related Questions

      Can’t find what you’re looking for?

      Use the form below to submit a ticket, we will get back to you as soon as we can!



      By submitting this form, you attest that the concern or complaint is an honest account of what transpired and agree to allow Pacific College to review and investigate the matter.

      The college recognizes that confidentiality is important. The college will make every effort to respect the confidentiality and privacy of all parties involved. When looking into the matter, particularly when a grievance is filed, the school will pay attention to any due process or other rights the accused might have.