A Guide to Using Reporting Snapshot in Salesforce

How to Use Salesforce Reporting Snapshot: A Guide

Salesforce Reporting Snapshots allows you to create and store snapshots of data that you want to monitor using custom objects. There are quite a few articles online that talk about Salesforce Analytic Snapshots but we found the advice to be limited. After figuring it all out, we thought we should put together this step by step guide to help others.

How Do I Create a Reporting Snapshot in Salesforce?

This guide is made up for three parts:

• Part 1: Creating your Report
• Part 2: Creating a Custom Object to hold the Data
• Part 3: Create an Automation which saves data from your source report into your Custom Object

Step #1: Create a new report

1. Create a New report by going to Reports | New Report

2. Choose the Report type you want to use (For this example we’re interested in Open Opportunity Value but you could use any Object).

3. Select the ‘Opportunity’ Object and then hit ‘Create’.

4. Drag in the columns you want to monitor and click ‘Run Report’.

It’s worth mentioning the report has to be in Tabular or Summary format. We also recommend choosing fields that are regularly updated to utilize the power Analytic Snapshots. 

Step #2: Create a New Custom Object to Store Your Data

5. Create a Custom Object by going to Setup | Create | Objects | New Custom Object

6. Give your Custom Object an easy to remember name and make sure the “Allow Reports” check box under Optional Features and the “Deployed” option under Deployment Status are both checked.

7. Hit Save In your Custom Object.

8. Create Custom Fields to hold the data from your source report. Give your Custom Fields the same names as the columns in your source report. Do this by clicking on New under Custom Fields & Relationships In this example we need to create Custom Fields “Opportunity Name”, “Owner” and “Opportunity Value” to mirror the columns in my source report

Step #3: Create an Automation Job

By creating an Analytic Snapshot, You are specifying a time and frequency for your source report to run and then be saved in the Custom Fields you created moments ago.

9. Go to Setup and enter “Reporting Snapshots” in the Quick Find box, then select Reporting Snapshots.

10. Give your Analytic Snapshot a name. Make sure the Running User has permission to view and report on the data you’re going to push into your custom object.

11. Choose the Source Report and Custom Object, you created moments ago, from the Source Report and Target Object drop down list respectively.

12. Hit Save & Edit Field Mappings Map the columns from your source report to the right fields in your custom object.

13. Hit Save, Click on Edit under Schedule Reporting Snapshot to choose the frequency and the time you wish for your Source Report to run and be saved in your custom object.

How Do I Analyze Reporting Snapshot Salesforce?

Once your snapshot has been configured and is operational, you’ll want to periodically monitor its progress, and analyze the trends that it captures. The beauty of the Salesforce Reporting Snapshot is that once the relevant data has been captured within the custom object, it is very easy to generate summaries and filtered reports from the compiled information.

Note: It may take some time for the reporting snapshot to capture a sufficient amount of data to be useful in historical trend analysis.

Since the winter of 2014, Salesforce has activated Historical Trend Reporting as a default setting. You can utilize this special report to explore highlights and/or changes between 5 snapshot dates. Additionally, you can use up to 4 historical filters for a more focused analysis. In the Salesforce Lightning Experience, you’re able to add filters from either the Report Builder, or the report itself as you are viewing it.

Get Started Setting Up Salesforce Reporting Snapshot

Using Salesforce Reporting Snapshots is only one piece of the puzzle, but it is an important component of successfully leveraging data analytics to yield actionable insights. If you are interested in other crucial strategies that will optimize your company’s sales performance across the board, request a demo today.