How To Build Reports In Salesforce. A Step By Step Guide

The sales dashboard says one revenue number and the finance spreadsheet says another.

Last updated October 2026

Usually Salesforce is right and the report is wrong, because of one filter, one date field or one missing report type. This guide shows how to build reports in Salesforce that survive the question every leader eventually asks. “Where does this number come from?”

Key takeaways

Most “wrong” numbers come from the report type, the date field or the Show Me scope, not from bad data
A standard report type like Accounts with Opportunities quietly drops every account that has no opportunity
Summary reports allow up to three row groupings, matrix reports two row and two column groupings
Each report gets one row level formula, plus as many summary formulas as you need
A one line definition under every shared report ends most arguments before they start

What is a Salesforce report?

A Salesforce report is a saved question about your data. It is built from four parts, a report type that decides which records are available, filters that narrow them down, groupings that organise them, and a format that decides how the answer is laid out. Change any one of the four and you get a different answer to what looks like the same question.

That is also why two people can build “the pipeline report” and get two numbers. Neither of them is lying. They asked Salesforce slightly different questions.

Example layout with demo data. The numbered callouts match the five steps below.

Step 1. Pick the right report type

The report type is the most important choice and the one people think about least. It defines which objects are joined and which records can appear at all.

Standard report types such as Accounts with Opportunities only include accounts that have at least one opportunity. If leadership asks how many active customers have no open deal, that report can never answer, because those accounts are not in it.

Same five accounts, two report types, two different answers. Demo data.

A custom report type fixes this. In Setup, open Report Types, choose Accounts as the primary object, add Opportunities and select the option that A records may or may not have related B records. Now accounts without opportunities stay in the report, with empty opportunity columns.

Custom report types also let you choose exactly which fields appear and give them clear names, which matters more than it sounds when a new manager builds their first report. 🔍

Step 2. Set filters that match how the business thinks

Filters are where most trust problems start. Check these four every time.

Show Me. My opportunities, my team's or all opportunities. A manager who builds a report on My will see a smaller number than finance
The date field. Close Date, Created Date and Last Modified Date answer different questions. Revenue for a quarter almost always uses Close Date
Cross filters. Use Accounts with or without a related record to answer questions like customers with no case in 90 days
Filter logic. When you combine filters, write the logic out, for example (1 AND 2) OR 3, so the next person can read it

Then write the business definition in plain words before saving. “Won revenue, all owners, Close Date in this fiscal quarter, Stage equals Closed Won.” If you cannot write it in one sentence, the report is probably answering two questions at once.

Leadership still asking for numbers outside Salesforce?

Tell us which numbers. We will show you how to build them in Salesforce with one definition everyone agrees on.

Step 3. Choose the format

In Lightning Report Builder the format follows your groupings. Add a row grouping and a tabular report becomes a summary report. Add a column grouping and it becomes a matrix. Joined reports are chosen on purpose from the format menu.

Format	Best for	Example question	Limit to know
Tabular	Lists and exports	Which deals close this month?	No groupings, no chart
Summary	Totals by one dimension	Pipeline by stage	Up to three row groupings
Matrix	Two dimensions at once	Pipeline by owner and month	Two row and two column groupings
Joined	Several views side by side	Won vs lost deals this quarter	Up to five blocks

Step 4. Add summaries, formulas and a chart

Turn on summaries for the number columns that matter, usually Sum on Amount and Average on deal size. Then decide whether you need a formula.

Row level formula. Calculated for every record, for example days between Created Date and Close Date. Each report can have one
Summary formula. Calculated on totals, for example win rate as won deals divided by all closed deals. You can add several

A chart needs at least one grouping. Pick it by the question you are answering, not by what looks nice.

Question type	Recommended chart	Example
Trend over time	Line or column chart	Won revenue by month
Comparison	Horizontal bar chart	Pipeline by owner
Share of a whole	Donut chart	Pipeline by lead source
Progress to target	Gauge on the dashboard	Quarter revenue vs quota

Step 5. Save, share and subscribe

Save the report into a shared folder that matches how the business is organised, for example Sales Leadership, Finance and Service. Share each folder with the right public groups or roles, with View access for most people and Edit or Manage access for the few who maintain the reports.

Then set up a subscription. People can receive the report by email on a schedule, or only when a condition is met, such as pipeline dropping below a threshold. A report that arrives on Monday morning gets read. A report that waits in a folder usually does not.

How to build reports in Salesforce that leaders trust

A technically correct report is not automatically a trusted one. These habits make the difference.

Trust checklist for every shared report.

Once the reports are right, the next question is which ones leaders should actually read. Our guide to three reports every director should check covers that side. If your org has years of reports nobody trusts, our Salesforce reporting setup work or a Salesforce health check is a faster way to clean them up, and Salesforce managed services keep them clean afterwards.

Common questions

What is the difference between summary and matrix reports in Salesforce?

A summary report groups records by rows only, for example pipeline by stage, with up to three row groupings. A matrix report groups by rows and columns at the same time, for example pipeline by owner and month. Use summary when one dimension answers the question, and matrix when leaders need to compare two dimensions on one screen.

Can I report on two unrelated objects in Salesforce?

Yes, with a joined report. Each block uses its own report type and filters, and blocks that share a common object can be grouped together. If the objects are related through lookups, a custom report type is usually cleaner. If they are not related at all, a joined report or a dashboard with several components is the practical answer.

How do I schedule a Salesforce report by email?

Open the report, click Subscribe and choose the frequency, time and recipients. You can also add conditions, so the email only goes out when a value crosses a threshold. Recipients see the data their own access allows, so check sharing before you subscribe a whole team.

Why does my Salesforce report show a different number than finance?

The most common causes are a different date field, a Show Me scope set to My instead of All, a report type that excludes some records, or currency and timing differences. Compare the two definitions line by line, and in most cases the gap becomes obvious within minutes.