The report builder is a visual, drag-and-drop tool which you use to create reports and edit existing ones. The report builder is where you choose a report type, report format, and the fields that make up your report.
You can launch the report builder from the Analytics tab or the Reports tab.
One or more fields describe each report result. If you imagine that your report as a table of information, then each row is a result and each column is a field.
For example, a human resources manager creates a report about employees. Each result is an employee, and each field is a different piece of information about the employee: first name, last name, job title, start date, and so forth.
When you create or edit a report, you choose which fields you want to include in your report. To ensure your reports run quickly, it's a good idea to include only the fields that you need.
Limit the data that your report returns by using filters. Filters are useful for many reasons, such as focusing your report on specific data, or ensuring that your report runs quickly.
For example, say your report returns all the Cases in your company, but you only want to see Cases which are open and assigned to you. Filter the report on the Owner field and Status field.
Add filters in the Report Builder. In Lightning Experience, you can add, edit, or remove filters while reading a report, too.
The report type governs which fields are available in your report. For example, File and Content reports have fields like File ID, File Name, and Total Downloads. Accounts reports have fields like Account ID, Account Name, and Phone.
The first thing you do when creating a report is choose a report type.