Salesforce reports are the primary tool for converting CRM data into business intelligence — answering questions like “which reps are closing the most revenue?”, “which lead sources generate the highest-quality pipeline?”, and “where are deals stalling in our process?” Understanding how to build reports correctly in Salesforce is one of the highest-value skills for any sales operations professional or administrator, because reports that do not answer the right question, or that answer the wrong question confidently, lead to management decisions based on flawed data. This guide covers every report type, how to build them, and the most important reports every sales team should have.
A practical guide should show how reporting becomes part of regular management.
The best explanation should help readers think about report design, not only report creation steps.
That means a good report should be tied to a clear business question.
For many teams, the key benefit is not just seeing data, but seeing it in a shape that leads to action.
It should also show how reports support managers, reps, and other people who need visibility into the work.
A useful guide should explain how teams decide what to report on and why that question matters before the report is built.
That makes reporting a daily operational skill rather than an advanced extra.
How to create reports in Salesforce is a practical question because reporting is one of the main ways teams understand what is happening inside the CRM. Reports turn stored data into a usable view of pipeline activity, performance, and customer behaviour.
Salesforce Report Types
Salesforce offers four report formats, each suited to different analytical questions:
Tabular Reports
The simplest format — a flat list of records with columns for each selected field, sorted by one or more columns. Tabular reports are ideal for generating exportable lists: all open opportunities for the current quarter, all leads assigned to a specific rep, or all accounts in a territory. They do not support grouping, subtotals, or charts — which means they cannot be used as dashboard components. Use tabular reports for data export and record-level review, not for analytical summaries.
Summary Reports
The most widely used format — allows grouping records by one or more fields to create subtotals and totals. A Summary report of Opportunities grouped by Stage shows the total number of deals and total value at each pipeline stage — the foundational pipeline health report. Summary reports support up to three levels of grouping (e.g., Region → Rep → Stage) and can be used as dashboard components. The vast majority of sales management reports are Summary format.
Matrix Reports
Matrix reports group by both rows and columns simultaneously — creating a cross-tabulation view. A Matrix report showing Closed Won revenue by Rep (rows) by Month (columns) produces the monthly performance leaderboard in a single view. Matrix reports are ideal for time-series comparisons and cohort analysis. They can be used as dashboard components and support conditional highlighting (colour-coding cells based on threshold values).
Joined Reports
Joined reports combine data from two or more report blocks — each using a different report type — in a single view. For example, a Joined report could show Opportunities in the pipeline alongside the Cases those accounts have open simultaneously, using the Account as the shared data point. Joined reports are the most powerful but most complex format — they cannot be used as standard dashboard components and require careful construction to avoid misleading data juxtaposition.
Report Types vs Report Formats
A common source of confusion:Report Types(not to be confused with Report Formats) define which Salesforce objects and related objects can be included in a report. The standard Report Types include: Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, Leads, Campaigns, Activities, and combinations (Opportunities with Products, Opportunities with Contact Roles, Leads with Converted Lead Information, etc.).
When a standard Report Type does not include the object relationship you need, Salesforce administrators can createCustom Report Types(Setup → Report Types) that define custom object relationships and specify which fields from related objects are available in the report. Custom Report Types are required for any report that spans non-standard object relationships — custom objects, deeply nested relationships, or cross-cloud data.
Building a Report: Step by Step
Navigate toReports → New Reportand select the appropriate Report Type. The Lightning Report Builder opens with a drag-and-drop interface:
- Add Columns: Drag fields from the Fields panel on the left into the report preview. Include only the fields relevant to your question — unnecessary columns reduce readability and increase report load time for large datasets
- Add Filters: Set filter criteria to scope the data — typically a date range filter (Close Date in current quarter, Created Date in last 30 days) and a status filter (Stage not equal to Closed Lost). Without a date range filter, reports include all historical records and become unmanageable at scale
- Add Groupings(Summary/Matrix only): Drag a field to the Row Groupings panel to group the report. Add a second grouping for sub-groupings. Select the Summary fields (Count, Sum, Average, Min, Max) that should appear at each group level
- Configure Charts: For reports used as dashboard components, add a chart in the Chart properties panel. Bar charts suit category comparisons (pipeline by rep); line charts suit trend analysis (revenue by month); funnel charts suit pipeline stage conversion analysis
- Set Report Properties: Name the report descriptively (include what it shows and the scope — e.g., “Open Pipeline by Stage — Current Quarter”), add a description, and save to an appropriate folder
Essential Reports for Every Sales Team
1. Pipeline by Stage (Current Quarter)
Type: Summary |Object: Opportunities |Grouping: Stage
Filters: Close Date = current quarter; Stage not equal to Closed Won, Closed Lost
Summary fields: Count of Opportunities, Sum of Amount, Sum of Expected Amount (weighted)
Use: The foundational weekly pipeline health report — shows how many deals are at each stage, their total value, and their probability-weighted value
2. Rep Performance Summary (Current Quarter)
Type: Summary |Object: Opportunities |Grouping: Opportunity Owner
Filters: Close Date = current quarter; Stage = Closed Won
Summary fields: Count of Opportunities, Sum of Amount
Use: Who has closed what this quarter. Run alongside the open pipeline report to show each rep’s attainment vs their pipeline coverage
3. Activity Report (Last 7 Days)
Type: Summary |Object: Activities with Accounts |Grouping: Assigned To (rep)
Filters: Activity Date = last 7 days; Closed = True (completed activities only)
Summary fields: Count by Activity Type (Call, Email, Meeting)
Use: The rep accountability report — how many calls, emails, and meetings did each rep log this week? The benchmark for minimum activity expectations
4. Lead Conversion Report
Type: Summary |Object: Leads with Converted Lead Information |Grouping: Lead Source
Filters: Created Date = this year
Summary fields: Count of Leads, Count of Converted Leads, Conversion Rate
Use: Which lead sources convert at the highest rate? Identifies which marketing channels generate quality pipeline vs high volume of low-quality leads
5. Win/Loss Analysis
Type: Summary |Object: Opportunities |Groupings: Stage (closed), Loss Reason (if custom field configured)
Filters: Close Date = last 12 months; Stage in (Closed Won, Closed Lost)
Summary fields: Count, Sum of Amount, Win Rate (requires custom summary formula: CLOSED_WON_COUNT / TOTAL_COUNT)
Use: What is our win rate by loss reason? Which competitive losses are most common? The foundation for competitive and pricing strategy discussions
6. Stalled Deals (No Recent Activity)
Type: Tabular |Object: Opportunities |Fields: Account Name, Opportunity Name, Stage, Amount, Close Date, Last Activity Date, Next Step
Filters: Stage not in (Closed Won, Closed Lost); Last Activity Date before 14 days ago (or Last Activity Date is blank)
Use: The early warning report — deals that are drifting without attention. Include in every weekly pipeline review to prompt action on at-risk deals before they slip the quarter
Report Folders and Sharing
Salesforce reports are organised inReport Folders. Best practice is to create a folder structure that mirrors team roles: “Sales Management Reports” (for managers — pipeline, activity, performance), “Rep Daily Reports” (for individual contributors — my pipeline, my activities, my leads), “Marketing Reports” (for demand gen teams — lead source attribution, campaign performance), and “Admin Reports” (for CRM administrators — data quality, stale records, duplicate detection).
Report folders have configurable sharing settings — administrators can share specific folders with specific roles, public groups, or individual users, controlling who can view, edit, or manage each folder. Sensitive reports (compensation data, individual performance metrics) should be restricted to managers only via folder permissions.
Report Subscriptions
Salesforce allows users to subscribe to reports — receiving an automated email delivery on a configured schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly) with the report results as an attachment or inline view. For standing management reports (weekly pipeline summary, daily activity counts), subscriptions eliminate the need for manual report navigation — the data arrives in the manager’s inbox at the configured time. Navigate to a report → the Subscribe button in the top right to configure delivery schedule and notification conditions.
Conclusion
Salesforce reports are the mechanism through which CRM data becomes actionable business intelligence. The value of a Salesforce deployment is directly proportional to the quality and relevance of the reports built on top of it — an organisation with well-constructed reports that leadership reviews consistently will outperform one with perfect data but no analytical framework to interpret it. Start with the six essential reports above, build them into a weekly pipeline review cadence, and expand the report library as specific analytical questions emerge from the business. The goal is not the most comprehensive report library — it is the minimum set of reports that answers every question leadership needs to make confident revenue decisions.
The best report is the one that answers a real question. If the report has no purpose, the numbers are easy to ignore.
Common Problems and Fixes
Problem: Salesforce Reports Run Slowly Because of Missing Indexes and Poor Filter Design
Reports that span large datasets without proper filtering can time out or take minutes to load, frustrating users and causing teams to abandon CRM-based reporting. The most common cause is reports without indexed field filters or reports using the “All Time” date range. To fix slow Salesforce reports: (1) Always include a date range filter on reports — “Current Quarter” or “This Month” dramatically reduces the dataset being scanned. (2) Use indexed fields as your primary filter criteria — indexed fields include standard fields like Created Date, Close Date, Owner, Record Type, and any field you have manually indexed (Setup > Object Manager > field > check “Unique” or contact Salesforce Support for additional indexing). (3) Avoid using “does not contain” or “not equal to” operators in report filters — these require full table scans and cannot use indexes, making them the slowest possible filter type for large datasets.
Problem: Custom Summary Formulas in Reports Return Wrong Values
Custom summary formulas are one of Salesforce’s most powerful reporting features — they allow calculated metrics like win rate, average deal size, and pipeline velocity — but they frequently return unexpected results because users misunderstand how they evaluate across report groupings. To get accurate formula results: (1) Understand that custom summary formulas only work Matrix, or Joined reports — not Tabular reports. (2) Use the “Summary Level” setting carefully — PARENTGROUPVAL() and PREVGROUPVAL() functions reference values from parent or sibling groupings, and the wrong level selection produces misleading numbers. (3) Test your custom summary formula against a known dataset before sharing the report — manually calculate the expected value for 3-5 rows and verify the formula matches your expectations before relying on it for business decisions.
Problem: Salesforce Report Subscription Emails Are Not Reaching Recipients
Salesforce’s report subscription feature (which automatically emails report results on a schedule) often fails silently — the subscription is configured, but recipients stop receiving emails without any error notification. Common causes include report refresh failures on large datasets, email delivery rules in recipients’ corporate email systems blocking Salesforce domains, and subscription limits. To ensure reliable report delivery: (1) Test every report subscription manually by running it immediately after setting it up and verifying the email arrives. (2) Ask IT to whitelist Salesforce’s email sending IP ranges in your email security gateway — corporate email filters frequently block automated CRM emails. (3) As an alternative to subscriptions, build a Salesforce Dashboard with the same metrics and configure Dashboard Subscriptions (more reliable than report subscriptions) or use a third-party reporting tool like Tableau or Einstein Analytics for scheduled delivery of complex reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of reports can you build in Salesforce?
Salesforce includes four report types: Tabular reports (simple flat table of records, like a spreadsheet — best for lists and data exports), Summary reports (grouped data with subtotals — best for pipeline by stage or activity count by rep), Matrix reports (two-dimensional cross-tab analysis — best for comparing metrics across two grouping dimensions like rep vs. Month), and Joined reports (combining up to 5 separate report blocks in one view — best for comparing different object data like Opportunities and Cases side by side). Most common sales and marketing reports use Summary type. Matrix reports are most useful for management dashboards requiring multi-dimensional comparisons. Tabular reports are best for raw data exports to Excel.
How do you share Salesforce reports with people who don’t have a Salesforce login?
There are several approaches to sharing Salesforce reports outside the platform: (1) Export reports to CSV or Excel format and distribute manually or through a shared folder. (2) Use Salesforce’s Report Subscriptions to auto-email scheduled report exports to internal stakeholders with Salesforce logins. (3) For external stakeholders (clients, partners, non-Salesforce users), build a public-facing dashboard in Salesforce Experience Cloud that displays selected metrics without requiring a full Salesforce login. (4) Connect Salesforce to a BI tool like Tableau, Power BI, or Google Looker Studio using Salesforce’s ODBC connector or API — these tools can publish reports accessible to non-Salesforce users with proper permissions. Option 4 is the most scalable for organizations with large non-Salesforce user populations needing regular CRM reporting.
What is a Salesforce Report Type and when do you need a custom one?
A Salesforce Report Type defines which objects and related objects are available to include in a report and how they are joined. Standard Report Types (built into Salesforce) cover common use cases like “Opportunities with Products,” “Leads with Converted Lead Information,” and “Cases with Contacts.” Custom Report Types are needed when you want to report on a combination of objects that Salesforce doesn’t include by default — such as reporting on Opportunities with their related custom objects, or creating a report that shows parent-child object relationships with specific join conditions. To create a Custom Report Type: Setup > Report Types > New Custom Report Type. Custom Report Types take 15-30 minutes to configure for simple object combinations and are one of the most valuable admin skills for creating organization-specific analytics.
Can Salesforce reports show data from external systems?
Standard Salesforce reports can only include data stored within your Salesforce org. To report on data from external systems alongside Salesforce data: (1) Use Salesforce Connect to create External Objects that represent data from external databases or APIs — these can be included in reports as if the data were native Salesforce records. (2) Import key external data points into Salesforce custom fields via API or integration to make them reportable natively. (3) Use Salesforce CRM Analytics (formerly Einstein Analytics / Tableau CRM) which can connect to external data sources and build reports and dashboards that combine Salesforce and external data in a unified analytics layer. (4) Connect Salesforce to an external BI tool (Tableau, Power BI, Looker) that can join Salesforce data with other database sources for unified reporting outside Salesforce.