Salesforce Reporting Snapshots Overview

Reporting Snapshot in Salesforce is an out-of-the-box tool that enables Salesforce users to create and save data summaries for monitoring with the help of custom objects. With Salesforce reporting snapshot, you can report on historical data, and it allows you to work with report data similar to other Salesforce records. Only authorized users can store the results of a table or summary report in a custom object field and then compare those fields with the corresponding fields on the target object.

Once you’re done with the setup of reporting snapshot, you can efficiently perform the following activities:

• Create and execute custom Reports from the target object.
• Create dashboards from the source document/report.
• Specify listing views on the target object only if included on a custom object tab.

This feature helps you get report results for a certain period, and once the report is ready, you don’t need to use it again regularly. In the case of summary reporting, the reports are executed automatically, and the summary results are saved in the target object based on your selection. With this feature, you can find comparisons between different report images at other times and get detailed reports within the organization.

Let’s now discuss step-by-step how to create a reporting snapshot in Salesforce.

Steps To Create A Reporting Snapshot

• Create A report
• Create a custom object to hold/store the data
• Add fields to the custom object
• Create reporting snapshot – This process saves data from your source report into your Custom Object.
• Setup field mappings
• Schedule reporting snapshot
  
  1. Create A Report 

• Create a New Report via Sales or any other Cloud/Console.
• Click on New Report.

• Choose the Report type as per your choice. (Like I’m using the Opportunity Object here) & click on continue.
• Now, you can add/remove the field from the column here, whichever you want to choose.

• After customizing the Report as per your choice, simply click on Run. 

2. Create a custom object to hold/store the data 

First, you must create a custom object to host the snapshot data.

Steps for the following: Select Setup → Object Manager → Create → Custom Objects

Populate the following fields:

Object Name(Label): The Name of the Object (I’m naming my custom object as Opp Snapshot)

Plural: The plural form of the Object – this would be “Opp Snapshots.”

Object Name: Keep this the same as the Object Label

Data Type: Text

Allow Reports: Checked

Please leave all other settings on this page as per the defaults & Save it.

3. Adding fields to the custom object

You need to add all the fields you want to store on the object. It is important to note that these fields must be of the same data type as the Source Object. 

Example:  If wishing to store Opportunity Name, this is a Text (100) on the Opp Snapshot object, so it must also be a Text (100) on the custom Reporting Snapshot object.

Here is a simple example, having added Stage, Opp Name, Type.

4. Creating Reporting Snapshot 

• The next step is to map the fields from the above report to the fields you added to your custom object. 
• Steps to perform: Select Setup → Search Reporting Snapshot in the Quick find box → Click on Reporting Snapshot.

• Click on New Reporting Snapshot to create a New Snapshot as per requirement.

• After clicking on the New Reporting Snapshot, You’ve to provide a Name to your Reporting Snapshot.
• Choose the Running User (Make sure the Running User has permission to view and report the data you push into your custom object).
• Choose the Source Report and Target Object from the Source Report and Target Object drop-down list. My Source Report will be New Opportunities Report & Target Object will be Opp Snapshot.
• Click on Save 

5. Setup Field Mappings 

The next step is completing the mapping from the report you created in Step 4 and the fields you added to the Snapshot Object in the above Step. An example related to this is shown in the below screenshot.

Edit Field Mappings to Map the columns from your source report to the right fields in your custom object. When you are finished, click on Save.

6. Schedule Reporting Snapshot – 

Now, the next step is scheduling it to run. This is essentially the report you created in Step 1, automatically running and populating the custom Object you created in Step 2 with the mappings you entered in Step 5.

Click Edit next to Schedule Reporting Snapshot.

Choose the frequency and the time for your Source Report to run and be saved in your custom object.

The setup of your snapshot is completed. After the first launch, you can save data in your custom report.

Steps To Analyze Reporting Snapshot in Salesforce

You have to create a Report using a Report Type to base your new report.

1. Seach Report Type in the Quick Find Box.
2. Click on Report Types.
3. Select New Custom Report Type
4. Select Primary Object as the Object you created in Step 1
5. Enter a meaningful description
6. Store in any Category
7. Select Deployed as Deployment Status
8. Then, select Next
9. Click through the next page, and Save

Creating a Report using the Above create Report type- 

The final step is creating your new Snapshot Report, which can be created in the same way as creating any normal report. 

• Navigate to the Reports menu
• Select New Report
• Search for and select the Report Type you created above, i.e., Opportunity Report
• Select Continue
• Add/ Remove the column/field as per your choice in this Report.

After this run several times, let’s assume daily – then report on the data at a specific point in time; you would need to add a filter to your Report to look at the particular date the Snapshot ran, using the Created Date field. You’ve to wait to run it at the assigned time.

After running the Reporting Snapshot successfully, you’ll see the Run history in the Reporting Snapshot that you have created, as shown in the below screenshot.

Also, the Report you have created via Report type of Custom object getting records by Reporting Snapshot will now have records in it.

Conclusion

Salesforce Reporting Snapshots is an essential component that uses data analytics for reporting and achieving actionable insights. The Reporting Snapshot in Salesforce allows you to plan the report of each report in your custom object fields based on the data type and see the success of previous executions. After defining your Snapshot Run, collecting sufficient complete data on the Custom Object may take some time to help in reporting. And for this, you can upload the sample data using Apex Data Loader or other data tools for other custom objects.

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