Select a Report Type

1. To get started with a new Report, visit the Reports tab at the top of your Salesforce dashboard. Then click New Report in the top-right corner of the Reports page.

2. Select a Report Type from the available options. This list can be a little overwhelming, so here's a few tips. If you haven't already, start by reviewing Terminology. Next, think about which core object you're actually trying to find, and select a Report Type that begins with that object. Finally, use the category filters on the left and the search filter up top, to only show relevant options.

3. Click Continue in the bottom-right corner. Onward! 🏃‍♂️

Build an Outline

1. The first tab (and initial view) on your new Report is the Outline. This is where we set the fields we want included on the "results" of our Report.

2. You have complete control of the columns on your report. Don't need a field? Click ❌ to remove it. Want to add something? Search the Add column... field.

3. The order of your columns can also be updated. Just drag-and-drop the column headers (up top) or column entries (under the Outline tab) to rearrange.

Apply the Filters

1. The second tab on your Report is called Filters. These allow us to limit the results of a Report, similar to search value in Patriot's Advanced Search page.

2. Out of the box, most Report Types will set at least one or two Filters for you. Start by updating these, to avoid unwanted filtering. For example, we might change Show Me to All Accounts and Created Date to All Time.

3. Just like your Outline, you have lots of flexibility with your Filters. Use the Add filter... field, along with the ❌, to add or remove a value from your search. In the screenshot above, we're filtering out Contacts born after Y2K.

Run, Forrest, Run!

1. Now that the legwork is done, let's give this thing a go! If you toggle on Update Preview Automatically in the top-right corner, you should see a preview of results. This is a handy feature, especially when you're first learning or tinkering with a new report, and it can be turned on at any point in the process.

2. To get all the results, click Run in the top-right corner. You should see the Total Records count in the top-left corner. Even after running the Report, you can still remove columns and change the sort order, by clicking the 🔽 next to a column header.

3. If you need to make any changes, just click Edit in the top-right corner. This will bring you back to the original setup screen, where you can update your Filters and Outilne.

Saving & Exporting

If you plan to re-run a particular Report in the future, or other staff members need the same data, read on for 🌟bonus-points🌟 on saving & exporting.

1. In addition to the Edit button, you have access to a drop-down menu in the top-right corner. Click it to reveal some additional "follow-up" actions you can take.

2. Click Export to download your Report results, either as a well-formatted Excel sheet or a stripped-down CSV. The former is great if the Report is for human consumption; the latter is better for computers (eg, importing the data into another system).

3. To save the Report for later use, either by you or someone else on staff, click Save from the drop-down. Give it a Name, Description and, optionally, put it in a Folder. Important notes on folder-use below.