Salesforce Report Generator

Overview

Lightning Reports define how Salesforce data is queried, grouped, filtered, and displayed. Each report is a single .report-meta.xml file placed under reports/<FolderName>/ within the project's source directory (check sfdx-project.json → packageDirectories[].path for the source root).

Critical Rules (Read First)

TOP DEPLOYMENT KILLERS — check these BEFORE generating any report:

1. Grouping fields in columns — Fields in <groupingsDown> or <groupingsAcross> must NEVER also appear in <columns>
2. Wrong column names — Column names are report-type-specific. ALWAYS call MCP tools to verify (see references/column-names.md)
3. Wrong scope — LeadList uses org, not organization
4. Filter column dot notation — Filter <column> values use FLAT names (INDUSTRY, TYPE) NOT dot notation (ACCOUNT.INDUSTRY is INVALID)
5. Multi-value picklist filters — Use ONE <criteriaItems> with comma-separated <value> (e.g., Technology,Financial Services). Do NOT split into multiple criteriaItems with booleanFilter

Rule 1: Format Determines Required Elements

Format	<groupingsDown>	<groupingsAcross>	<block>
Tabular	Not allowed	Not allowed	No
Summary	At least 1 (max 3)	Not allowed	No
Matrix	At least 1 (max 3)	At least 1 (max 3)	No
Joined	Not at top level	Not at top level	At least 2 (max 5)

Rule 2: Use Platform Column Names

Report metadata uses platform report column names, NOT raw API field names. ALWAYS call get_metadata_type_sections or get_metadata_type_context to confirm valid column names. See references/column-names.md for common mappings per report type.

Rule 3: Valid Report Type Required

<reportType> must be a standard API name (e.g., Opportunity, AccountList, CaseList, LeadList, AccountContactRole) or a deployed custom report type developer name.

Rule 4–5: Chart & Aggregates Require Summary/Matrix

Charts and <aggregateTypes> (Sum, Average, etc.) only work in Summary and Matrix reports.

Rule 6–8: Limits

• Max 3 cross-filters per report, each with up to 5 criteria items
• <filterLogic> must reference all filters sequentially (e.g., 1 AND (2 OR 3))
• Joined reports: 2–5 blocks, each block format must be Summary or Matrix (not Tabular)

Rule 9: Folder Structure

Reports must live inside a folder with a corresponding folder metadata file:

<sourceDir>/reports/<FolderName>/<ReportName>.report-meta.xml
<sourceDir>/reports/<FolderName>-meta.xml

Determine <sourceDir> from sfdx-project.json (commonly force-app/main/default, but this is configurable).

Rule 10–11: Date Columns & Scope

• Date columns use platform names (CLOSE_DATE, not CloseDate)
• LeadList scope is org; Opportunity/AccountList/CaseList use organization

Rule 12–13: Description & Groupings

• <description> max 255 characters
• Grouping fields must NOT appear in <columns> — automatic deployment failure

Rule 14: Folder Metadata Requires <sharedTo>

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ReportFolder xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <folderShares>
        <accessLevel>Manage</accessLevel>
        <sharedTo>AllInternalUsers</sharedTo>
        <sharedToType>Group</sharedToType>
    </folderShares>
    <name>My Report Folder</name>
</ReportFolder>

Rule 15: Valid Date Intervals Only

Use INTERVAL_CURRENT for "this quarter", INTERVAL_CURY for "this year", INTERVAL_LAST30 for last 30 days. Do NOT use INTERVAL_CURQ — it is not valid. See references/date-intervals.md for the full list.

Top-Level Elements

Element	Required	Notes
<name>	Yes	Report name (max 40 chars)
<reportType>	Yes	Report type API name
<format>	Yes	Tabular, Summary, Matrix, or Joined
<scope>	Recommended	organization (or org for LeadList)
<columns>	Yes	Field columns — each has <field> and optional <aggregateTypes>
<filter>	No	Contains <criteriaItems> with <column>, <operator>, <value>
<groupingsDown>	Conditional	Row groupings: <field>, <dateGranularity>, <sortOrder>
<groupingsAcross>	Conditional	Column groupings (Matrix only)
<timeFrameFilter>	Recommended	<dateColumn>, <interval>, optional <startDate>/<endDate>
<chart>	No	See references/chart-types.md
<buckets>	No	Bucket field definitions
<crossFilters>	No	Cross-object filters (with/without)
<showDetails>	Recommended	true/false
<showGrandTotal>	Recommended	true/false
<showSubTotals>	Recommended	true/false
<description>	Recommended	Business purpose (max 255 chars)
<block>	Conditional	Joined format blocks

Filter Syntax

<filter>
    <criteriaItems>
        <column>STAGE_NAME</column>
        <operator>equals</operator>
        <value>Closed Won</value>
    </criteriaItems>
</filter>

Multi-value picklist: Use ONE criteriaItem with comma-separated values:

<criteriaItems>
    <column>INDUSTRY</column>
    <operator>equals</operator>
    <value>Technology,Financial Services</value>
</criteriaItems>

Common operators: equals, notEqual, lessThan, greaterThan, contains, startsWith, includes, excludes, isBlank, notBlank. Full list in references/filter-operations.md.

Generation Workflow

1. Gather Requirements — object, fields, groupings, filters, chart needs
2. Determine Format — no groupings → Tabular; row groupings → Summary; row + column → Matrix; multiple objects → Joined
3. Identify Column Names — call get_metadata_type_sections MCP tool to get valid platform column names for the report type
4. Author Metadata — start from closest example in examples/ and adapt
5. Create Folder — generate folder directory + <FolderName>-meta.xml with <folderShares>
6. Validate — run through references/verification-checklist.md

Reference File Index

File	When to read
references/column-names.md	Step 3 — column name mappings per report type
references/date-intervals.md	When setting timeFrameFilter intervals
references/chart-types.md	When adding a chart — all 17 types + legendPosition rules
references/filter-operations.md	When building filters — complete operator reference
references/verification-checklist.md	Step 6 — pre-deploy validation
references/errors-and-troubleshooting.md	When fields are missing or deployment fails
examples/TabularOpportunitiesReport.report-meta.xml	Tabular report template
examples/OpportunitiesByStageReport.report-meta.xml	Summary report with chart
examples/OpportunitiesByStageAndQuarter.report-meta.xml	Matrix report template
examples/AccountsCreatedThisYear.report-meta.xml	Filtered report with time frame