Administration
Salesforce Reports and Dashboards
1. What are the main types of Salesforce reports?
Salesforce supports four main report types: Tabular, Summary, Matrix, and Joined reports.
2. What is a Tabular report and when should it be used?
Tabular reports display data in simple rows and columns without grouping. They are best for simple lists like contacts or accounts.
3. How does a Summary report differ from a Tabular report?
Summary reports allow grouping of rows by field values and include subtotals. They are used for grouped data like opportunities by stage.
4. What is a Matrix report?
Matrix reports group data by both rows and columns, enabling cross-tabular summaries. Useful for comparing metrics, e.g., sales by region and product.
5. What is a Joined report?
Joined reports combine multiple report blocks with different report types in one report, allowing side-by-side comparison of related data.
6. What are Bucket Fields in Salesforce reports?
Bucket fields let you group report data without creating a formula or custom field by defining categories directly in the report, such as grouping opportunity amounts into ranges.
7. What is a Dynamic Dashboard?
A dynamic dashboard runs with the viewing user’s security settings, showing personalized data without needing multiple dashboards for different users.
8. What are the types of Dashboard components?
Dashboard components include charts (bar, pie, donut), gauges, metrics, tables, and visualforce components to visualize report data effectively.
9. How do Dashboard filters work?
Dashboard filters let users dynamically filter data in dashboard components by selecting filter criteria like region or date range.
10. Can Dashboards be shared in Salesforce Communities?
Yes, dashboards can be shared and viewed in Salesforce Communities if the community users have the necessary permissions and licenses.
11. What is the difference between running a report and exporting data?
Running a report displays data within Salesforce with interactive features; exporting allows downloading the data for offline analysis or external use.
12. What are Report Types and why are they important?
Report Types define the set of objects and fields available for a report. Standard and Custom Report Types control the relationships and data accessible in reports.
13. How do you create a Custom Report Type?
In Setup, navigate to Report Types, create a new custom report type by selecting the primary object and optionally related objects, defining which fields are available.
14. How do you schedule reports?
Users can schedule reports to run at specific times and send results via email to recipients with appropriate access.
15. What is the maximum number of Dynamic Dashboards per org?
Salesforce allows up to 5 dynamic dashboards per org by default; this limit can be increased with certain licenses.
16. How do you use Dashboard Subscriptions?
Dashboard subscriptions send scheduled snapshots of dashboards to users via email, helping them stay updated without manual checking.
17. What are the main differences between Summary and Matrix reports?
Summary reports group rows only; matrix reports group rows and columns, allowing multi-dimensional data summarization.
18. How can you use filters in reports?
Filters refine report data by criteria such as date ranges, record owner, or picklist values to focus on relevant records.
19. What are the limitations of Reports and Dashboards?
Limits include row limits (up to 2,000 records displayed in reports), refresh intervals, and max dashboard components (up to 20 per dashboard).
20. How do you add charts to reports and dashboards?
Reports can have inline charts added from the report builder. Dashboards display charts as components sourced from reports.
21. What are Report Types in Salesforce and why are they important?
Report Types define the set of objects and fields available for a report. Standard report types cover common objects, while Custom report types allow combining related objects and customizing the report layout.
22. What is a Report Subscription and how does it work?
Report Subscriptions allow users to schedule reports to run automatically and receive the results via email at specified times.
23. How do joined reports enhance reporting capabilities?
Joined reports let you combine multiple report blocks with different report types into one report, enabling comparisons across related objects.
24. Can dashboards display data from multiple reports?
Yes, dashboards can include up to 20 components, each linked to different reports, enabling a consolidated data view.
25. How does a dashboard refresh work and how often can it be scheduled?
Dashboards can be refreshed manually or scheduled to refresh daily, weekly, or monthly, ensuring the displayed data is up to date.
26. What permissions are required to create and view reports and dashboards?
Users need “Run Reports” permission to view reports, and “Create and Customize Reports” plus “Manage Dashboards” permissions to create or edit them.
27. How do you use Cross Filters in reports?
Cross filters allow you to include or exclude records based on related objects’ records, e.g., Accounts with or without Contacts.
28. What is the use of report snapshots?
Report snapshots capture and save report data at specific points in time for historical comparison and trending analysis.
29. Can you use reports and dashboards in Salesforce mobile app?
Yes, Salesforce mobile app supports viewing and interacting with reports and dashboards, although with some feature limitations compared to desktop.
30. How do you add filters to dashboards?
Dashboard filters let users dynamically filter multiple dashboard components based on selected filter values like region or sales rep.