It is Monday morning and your staff meeting starts in 10 short minutes. You need to quickly get the latest information about key records in Salesforce. How do you get the data you need in time for the meeting? Many users automatically think of a report when they think of getting a summary of data, but list views can also quickly present your data and provide different functionality. Which tool is best for your needs? The answer depends on what you want to do. Below are some key highlights and features of list views and reports. Both have distinct advantages to help you quickly find and work with your data.
USE A LIST VIEW IF:
- You only need information from one Salesforce tab (i.e. Salesforce “object”)
- You want to edit multiple records at once (such as setting a field in multiple records to the same value)
- You want to quickly filter a set of records by the value of one or more fields
- You want to see your data in a Kanban view grouped by a picklist field, such as the stages of an Opportunity or the steps of a specific process (only available in Lightning Experience)
USE A REPORT IF:
- The data you want to see spans multiple objects
- You want to group data by something other than picklist values
- You want to receive regular updates via email
- You want to export the information to Excel or some other record/data management system
- You want some version of the data to be used in a dashboard
To learn more about List Views and Reports, check out these modules put together by Salesforce’s Trailhead Team.
- List Views in Lightning Experience
- Reports and Dashboards in Salesforce Classic
- Reports and Dashboards in Lightning
Need help customizing your Salesforce reports and lists? Contact us to see how we can help.