A Report in Salesforce is a saved query that returns CRM records in a structured format — Tabular, Summary, Matrix, or Joined. It’s the analytics layer over the database, built with point-and-click in the Lightning Report Builder.
What a report is built from
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Report Type | Defines which objects and fields are available (e.g. “Accounts with Contacts”) |
| Filters | Limit which records show — by field value, date range, scope |
| Columns | What to show |
| Groupings | Group by field — required for Summary/Matrix |
| Format | Tabular, Summary, Matrix, or Joined |
| Chart | Optional visual rendered above the table |
The four formats at a glance
- Tabular — flat list, like a spreadsheet row dump. Fastest, simplest. Cannot feed dashboards by default.
- Summary — grouped by one or more rows, with subtotals. Most common dashboard source.
- Matrix — grouped by both rows and columns. Pivot-table style.
- Joined — multiple “blocks” of different report types side by side, with shared filters.
What you can do with a report
- Save and share with other users (via folders)
- Schedule email delivery to recipients
- Chart it in the report itself
- Surface it on a Dashboard
- Export to CSV or Excel
- Subscribe (5 reports/user/month sent on a recurring cadence)
- Use in Lightning report charts on record pages
Reports vs SOQL
| Report | SOQL | |
|---|---|---|
| Built by | Admins via point-and-click | Developers in Apex / API |
| Source | Report Type → underlying objects | Any object the user has access to |
| Limits | 2,000 rows in the UI, 100,000 via report API | 50,000 rows per query (Apex) |
| Sharing-aware | Yes — respects sharing | Depends on running-user context |
| Output | Tabular/Summary/Matrix/Joined | Raw record list |
Reports are for human consumption; SOQL is for code.
Where reports live
Reports are saved into Folders, which control sharing:
- Public folders — shared with the whole org or specific groups/roles
- Private folder — visible only to the report creator
- Standard folders — shipped by Salesforce (“Account and Contact Reports”, “Opportunity Reports”, etc.)
Run-as / running user
Reports run as the viewing user by default — they see what their sharing model lets them see. Dashboards have a separate “Running User” concept that lets one source feed many viewers with the same data — see Dynamic Dashboards for the per-user variant.
Common follow-ups
- Maximum rows in a report? — 2,000 rows in the UI, 100,000 via report API and 2,000 in dashboard charts.
- Can I share a report directly with one user? — Not natively — sharing is at the folder level. You add the user to the folder.
- What’s a “scheduled report”? — A report set to email itself to recipients on a recurring cadence.
Verified against: Salesforce Help — Reports. Last reviewed 2026-05-17 for Spring ‘26.