The document discusses how to create effective reports by first defining the question the report aims to answer. It provides tips for customizing report types and fields, manipulating data, and presenting reports to different audiences. A case study example outlines a client's request to analyze service revenue breakdowns and proportion of invoices. The solution involves custom report types and formula fields to calculate percentages and identify records needing additional invoice lines.

1. Reporting and Data
Manipulation
Tony Kirumba

2. You already know how to create a
report…..
but do you know how to create a report?
● Why does your report exist
● How does your report serve a particular need?
● What needs to be done with the data in the
report?

3. 1. Agenda
➔ Report = Question + Answer
➔ Case Study
➔ Custom Report Types & Formula
Fields
➔ Audience & Presentation
➔ Exports & Data Manipulation
➔

4. # Key Takeaway:
A report is a tool to answer questions
about data in the org.
Define the question, then use
the report to answer it. Tip
Put the question in your
report description.

5. # Case Study:
ClientA: “
● I want to see how our service revenue is spread across different
invoice lines. So when we bill something, I want to know, are we
billing 30% of the service? 50%, etc.
● Whenever we bill less than 30% of the service on a given invoice
line, I want a new identical line for another 5% IF the service
frequency is >= 1/month. ”

6. Question
● FOR Accounts with Multiple Active
Services, what proportion of the
Service {Total} is any given Invoice
Line {Amount}? (<30, <60, <90, 90+)
● Data manipulation: Create new Invoice
Lines for 5% of the Service {Total} if
less than 50% of the Service {Total}
was billed and Service {Frequency} > 1.
● Report of Payment Schedules
○ What is the Invoice Line {Amount}?
○ What is the Service {Total}?
○ What assumptions exist about our data
model?
■ Invoice line recordTypes match
Service recordTypes
■ Accounts have only ONE active
service per recordtype.
○ What % of the Service {Total} is the
Invoice Line {Amount}?
○ Filter for only Accounts that have
multiple Services WHERE {Active} =
‘Yes’
Answer

7. Solution: Formula
Fields
Your formula field will represent:
● A datapoint to show on the report
● A datapoint to filter with
E.g. (Account) Roll-Up Summary: COUNT(Services
Problem: Missing Data
Your report design may require
datapoints that don’t currently exist
e.g. “Number of Active Service ON Account”

8. Custom Report Types
● What objects?
● What relationship (equijoin vs.
left outer)
● What fields do I need to
display/filter with?
● PS/*Custom report types can get
out of date
● PS/*“Field from related record”
Tip
Unless you will need a
row-level formula, use a
left outer join. Then you
can filter it down later.

9. When you first create a
report,
Start with all the data then whittle it down as needed. It’s
always better to show data that wasn’t intended than miss
records because your filter was too narrow.
Tip
Always start with owner
= all records and
createddate = all time

10. Excel Data Manipulation
Enhanced filtering
Text-to-columns
VLOOKUP()
Tip
Beware of how exporting
records can compromise your
org security!

11. Thank you, any
questions?
Tip
Remember: Define your
question, then use your
report to answer it!