Salesforce Report on Reports: Clean Up Your Org with This Custom Report. “Can’t see the wood for the trees?” If you’re a Salesforce Admin, you’ve probably felt this way staring at hundreds of reports — many outdated, unused, or unclear in purpose. This article will walk you through creating a Salesforce report on reports to bring clarity and control to your reporting chaos.
Why Create a Salesforce Report on Reports?
Every admin has been there:
- Endless lists of reports
- No idea what’s still relevant
- Wasted time searching for that one important report
The solution? Create a custom report type that audits your reports — a true report audit in Salesforce.
🔍 Why “Report on Reports” Matters for Admins and RevOps
A Salesforce report on reports isn’t just a meta novelty — it’s a powerful admin tool for auditing user behavior, understanding dashboard engagement, and spotting outdated or unused reports that clutter your org. For RevOps, it enables you to quantify which teams are actively using analytics and where visibility is falling short.
Especially in larger orgs, tracking report usage is critical for maintaining data quality and surfacing blind spots in decision-making.
📆 Track Report Usage & Last Run Date
One of the most useful fields in this type of report is Last Run Date — it tells you when a report was last accessed. You can use this to:
- Identify reports that haven’t been opened in 30, 60, or 90+ days
- Spot team members who aren’t leveraging shared dashboards
- Highlight reports that need to be retired, refreshed, or archived
This is a practical way to conduct a lightweight Salesforce report audit without manually inspecting every report.
🗃️ Build a Custom Report Type to Audit Reports
To go deeper, create a custom report type using the Report and Report Metadata objects. This allows you to:
- Filter by folder, owner, or report type
- Add columns like Last Modified By, Created Date, and Last Run Date
- Drill into specific business units or teams that underutilize reporting
Add logic like: “Last Run Date = blank” to surface never-used reports — perfect for cleanup.
How to run a Salesforce Report Audit
You’ll start by creating a custom report type:
- Go to Setup > Report Types > New
- Primary Object: Reports
- Secondary Object: Dashboard Components
- Save the report type and give it a clear name like: Report Usage Audit
Create the Report on Salesforce Reports
- Go to Reports and click New Report
- Select your new custom report type
- Include these columns:
Report NameFolder NameCreated DateLast Run DateDashboard Component(if available)
How to Use It
Once your report is live, you can:
- Filter by Last Run to find reports that haven’t been touched in years
- Group by Report Type to see which custom types are unused
- Use Dashboard Component to find reports embedded in dashboards
🧠 Use This for Governance and Optimization
Running a report on reports in Salesforce is a quick win for admins who want to:
- Declutter the Reports tab
- Improve org performance
- Tighten up security by removing unnecessary access
- Drive better adoption by tracking actual usage
Tie this in with your broader Salesforce optimization strategy or monthly admin checklist.
📈 Turn Report Usage Into a KPI
For RevOps leaders or data teams, report usage metrics can even become performance indicators. Create a dashboard that shows:
- Top 10 most-used reports
- Users who haven’t run reports in 30+ days
- New reports created this quarter
This transforms Salesforce from a reporting system into a feedback engine for how well your data strategy is working.
Salesforce Report Audit FAQs
❓What is the “Reports” report type in Salesforce?
It’s a standard report type that shows metadata about reports — like names, folders, creators, and last run dates.
❓Can I schedule a “Report on Reports”?
Yes! Just like any other report, you can schedule it to be emailed regularly to admins or power users.
❓Who can access the “Reports” report type?
Only users with permission to manage reports and access report folders can use this report type.
❓Can I use it to audit dashboard components?
Not directly — but you can combine this with a dashboard audit manually or use installed packages to get deeper insights.
❓What’s the benefit of adding Dashboard Components as a secondary object?
It shows which reports are being used in dashboards — preventing accidental deletions of high-visibility assets.
❓Can I use the standard Reports report type instead?
Yes, but adding the Dashboard Component relationship gives you more insight into where each report is surfaced.
❓Can I filter by who last ran the report?
Absolutely. Add the “Last Run By” field if you want to track who’s actively using reports in your org.
Need Help? Learn More from Salesforce
Check out my other guide on dynamic search in Salesforce screen flows. Want to explore more about report types or metadata? Check out the official Salesforce guide on report types.
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