Titan Guide: Export a Salesforce Report to Excel Automatically

5 min read

Nikita R.

Media-savvy content creator, with a curiosity for all Salesforce experiences.

Updated: Jan 9th, 2025

How to Automate Reports in Excel with Salesforce

How to run a report in excel? There are two ways in which you can automate Excel reports from Salesforce data. The first option is to use Salesforce’s Scheduled Reports feature, which lets you set a time for Salesforce to create and email reports automatically. If you would like to know how to set this up, please read our Export Salesforce Report to Excel Overview article, where we cover the steps.

Your second option to automate reports in Excel with Salesforce data is to use dedicated Salesforce automation tools. Many businesses turn to excel report automation tools when they need more flexibility than Salesforce’s Scheduled Reports feature.

Automate Salesforce Report Export with Third-Party Integration Platforms

1. Your first step would be to find an automation tool that suits your specific requirements for automated reporting in Excel. You could stay within the ecosystem and try Salesforce Automation Studio. This tool is located within Salesforce Marketing Cloud and is a popular option for businesses that want to create automated processes. Alternatively, you could look for third-party integration platforms that will connect with Salesforce and Microsoft Excel. Titan, Zapier, and Integromat are top third-party tool options that you could choose from.

2. Once you decide on a tool that can help you with automated Excel report options, add it to your software setup and integrate it into Salesforce and Microsoft Excel by following their specific instructions.

3. After testing that your integration works, you can trigger a report to be exported from Salesforce that can be used in Microsoft Excel.

Keep in mind that whichever tool you employ to help you automate Salesforce export to Excel, will require time and knowledge to use well. When selecting a tool that can auto export Salesforce report to Excel, remember these few other points to remember when you choose an automation tool.

Test your integrations and setup from end to end before running it in a production environment for real work.

Check that you have permission to access and export the report from Salesforce.

Consider how you will share or protect your sensitive data with your automation. If you are not sure, remember to read up on your organization’s data policies.

How to Create a Dashboard in Excel that Updates Automatically from Salesforce

To update your dashboard data automatically in Microsoft Excel and export data from Salesforce to Excel, you need to leverage the capabilities of your Salesforce and Microsoft Excel integration. Follow our guide below to see how you can automate Salesforce data export:

1. Log into your Salesforce account and think about which data you would like to add to your dashboard.

2. Export your selected data as a CSV or Excel file with your data export tools in Salesforce.

3. Head over to Microsoft Excel and create a new workbook.

4. Set up your dashboard interface on the first spreadsheet with a chart, graph, or table.

5. Import your Salesforce data into the second spreadsheet.

6. Then, select the Data tab in Microsoft Excel and choose Get Data.

7. Choose the Excel or CSV file that you exported from Salesforce and follow the instructions to import your data into Microsoft Excel.

8. To create a data connection between the data and dashboard sheets, go to the Data tab again and select Connections.

9. Use a PivotTable, Power Query connection, or other data connection technique of your choice to link the data from your imported file to your dashboard sheet.

10. To automatically update your dashboard, go to the Data tab and configure your refresh settings to set when you would like your dashboard to update automatically.

11. Lastly, you want to test your dashboard and see that it is updating data correctly as you intended.

How to Create a Schedule in Excel that Updates Automatically

Another popular question that we get asked frequently at Titan is how to create a schedule in Microsoft Excel that updates automatically with Salesforce data.

Just like the dashboard that automatically updates, for an automatically updating schedule, you will need to harness the power of Salesforce’s API integrations and Excel’s data connectivity features. Follow the guide below if you want to create a schedule that updates automatically in Microsoft Excel from Salesforce data.

1. Organize your Salesforce data that you would like to use in a schedule. These will include your objects and fields.

2. Create a connection between Excel and Salesforce with the REST API or SOAP API.

3. Then, head over to Microsoft Excel and use the data import features to pull your Salesforce data into a workbook. This will involve selecting the Data tab and choosing Get Data.

4. Choose your data connection method and provide the Salesforce API URL and any other data that is required to retrieve your Salesforce data.

5. You might need to edit your imported Salesforce data to work seamlessly with your schedule, which might need columns, calculations, and other formatting.

6. This step will ensure that your schedule’s data updates automatically with Salesforce: Go to your Power Query Editor and select the data query you created. Now, navigate to the Home tab and click on Options. Look at the Usage section and make sure to enable Refresh data when opening file and Refresh this connection on Refresh All.

7. Save and test your file to see that your schedule is indeed updating with Salesforce data.

Problems that could Arise in your Demo

Both of these guides are high-level overviews of how to work with Salesforce data in Microsoft Excel dashboards and schedules. So, keep in mind that the exact steps might differ based on which Microsoft Excel version you have, your Salesforce edition, and the requirements of your dashboard or schedule.

You might also need to take into consideration that your integration might have limits from your Salesforce API access and following these high-level overviews might not work on your end to create a report in Excel.

FAQ

What are 3 ways Salesforce enables you to export data for backup purposes?

You can export data from Salesforce using the Data Export wizard, the Data Loader tool, or DataLoader.io.

Can Salesforce reports do calculations?

Use Salesforce report formulas to create calculations, group, and compare records.

Why can’t I export a Salesforce report?

Can you see an Export button in Salesforce? If not, you might not have permission to export a report.

Successful Bi-directional Data Transfers with Titan

If you are looking for the best way to automate excel reports, or intelligent document generation solutions in Salesforce, make sure to contact Titan. With Titan and Salesforce, you can quickly filter through vast batches of information and export your data into CSV files, which can be powerfully manipulated and analyzed in MS Excel as spreadsheets.

And that’s not all. More than creating automated reports in Excel, Titan is a powerful no-code platform that integrates 100% into Salesforce for document generation or any digital use case. Workflow processes are a breeze when combined with Salesforce and Titan’s automated features. Contact us today for more information or find us on the Salesforce AppExchange.

We hope to see you soon!

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