Learn How to Build Reports and Dashboards on Trailhead

“Did you know 90% of the world’s data was created in the last two years? There’s going to be 10 times more mobile data by 2020, 19 times more unstructured data, and 50 times more product data by 2020.” – Marc Benioff

For both beginning and seasoned Salesforce Administrators, analytics within native Salesforce has become one of the most important skillsets to master. In fact, the role of any Salesforce Administrator will include the creation and management of reports and dashboards in some shape or form in their career. Data transformation is a necessary tool for the success of every company, and the need will only accelerate as more data is entered into Salesforce orgs year after year.

Every Salesforce Administrator (Yes, this includes you, too!) has the ability to translate their company data into actionable analytics. Inside the creation of Reports and Dashboards there is the secondary skill of providing all of your Salesforce users analytics that they can take action on. These actions touch every category of Salesforce from the sales cycle to customer support and everything in-between. As we Salesforce Administrators ride on the cusp of a data revolution, why not give yourself a head start on the training that will prepare and accelerate your Salesforce Analytics future?

Just this month, May 2015, Salesforce has released an amazing free training module in Trailhead that features common Salesforce Administrator use cases for Reports and Dashboards. This training is beneficial to both new and seasoned Salesforce Administrators. Why? Because, all Salesforce Administrators want to feel confident that we can produce that last minute report for an executive quickly and easily.

Here is a small but powerful list of some of the topics covered in the Reports & Dashboards module:

·         How to build Reports and Dashboards with the variety of formatting options currently available

·         How to modify existing Reports and Dashboards as business processes change

·         An in-depth overview of filters and how they can fine tune your company data in both Reports and Dashboards

·         Scheduling Reports, Report Notifications, and Dashboards

·         How to use the AppExchange to find and install the many free Salesforce Starter packs by Salesforce Labs

The compelling factor for me that sets the Salesforce Trailhead Reports and Dashboards training apart from others is the detailed explanations for business applications. You are not only learning How to build Reports and Dashboards, you are learning Why. Understanding why you are creating analytics will forge a symbiotic relationship between you and the users that rely on the data to make business decisions. The earlier a Salesforce Administrator learns report and dashboard basics, the earlier he or she will command a seat at the table.

My own Salesforce Administrator career has spanned over a decade. Many of the analytics skills that I have now were created from trial and error from training myself before we had a Salesforce Community. I am not kidding when I say it literally took me years to understand not to drown my Salesforce Users in analytics and take the time to understand what was the business purpose of each individual Report and Dashboard. The best advice I can gift another administrator with is:  “Don’t recreate the wheel. Find your Salesforce resources and USE them!” The Trailhead Reports and Dashboards training featured in this article is one of the best free resources available. By investing a small amount of your time, you have the opportunity to gain a priceless Salesforce Administrator skillset!