A Reporting Snapshot Source Report is a tabular report referenced by a snapshot definition. The steps below cover the source-report side of the configuration; the target object and field mapping live in the snapshot definition itself.
- Build the tabular source report
Create a Tabular report that returns one row per record you want to snapshot, with every field you want to capture as a column. Save the report in a folder the Running User can read.
- Confirm the format is tabular
In Lightning Report Builder, the format is tabular when there are no row groupings and no column groupings. If groupings exist, remove them. The Reporting Snapshot wizard will not let you pick a non-tabular source.
- Add the timestamp formula columns
Add a formula column called Run Date with the formula TODAY() and another called Run Datetime with NOW() if you want the target rows to know when the snapshot ran. The snapshot copies these formula values per row at run time.
- Set a Row Limit if you expect more than 2,000 rows
On the source report's properties, set the Row Limit to the volume you need, up to 100,000. Without this setting, the snapshot truncates silently at 2,000 rows.
- Save in a stable folder and reference it from the snapshot
Move the report to a folder you will not rename or delete. The snapshot stores the source report by reference; renaming the folder or moving the report breaks the link. Open the Reporting Snapshot record in Setup and pick the report from the Source Report dropdown.
Cap the number of rows the source report returns. Required when expecting more than 2,000 rows.
Add a TODAY() or NOW() formula column to give each snapshotted row a timestamp of when the source ran.
Use date or status filters in the source report to limit the rows to the records relevant to the snapshot. The fewer rows, the faster the snapshot runs.
- Source reports must be tabular. If a colleague changes the report to summary or matrix, the next snapshot run will error and the target object will get no new rows. Lock down edit access to the source report folder in production.
- Snapshots truncate at 2,000 rows by default. Reports that return more rows lose data silently. Set a Row Limit on the source report or split the snapshot into multiple reports with non-overlapping filters.
- The Running User's sharing determines which records the source report sees. A snapshot run as a sales user will not see Service Cloud records. Set the Running User to an administrator or a service identity with broad visibility.