Salesforce Summary or Matrix Report Grand Total Appears Incorrect Due to Smart Totaling

In a Salesforce Summary or Matrix report, the Grand Total may appear incorrect when the sum total of the values within each report grouping does not match the total displayed on the report.

While this may appear incorrect, the discrepancy is caused by the Smart Totaling in Reports feature, whereby duplicate records are only counted once in each grouping. The Total displayed on the report conveys the total number of unique values within the individual grouping.

Example Scenario: Incorrect Total Due to Smart Totaling

In the scenario below, there are 6 total Cases in the report. For those 6 Cases, there are 4 unique Case Contacts. Since the report is summarized by Contact Count, the value displayed is the sum total of unique contacts, and the value displayed is 4.

A Closer Look at the Individual Horizontal Groupings

• Fred Astaire has 3 cases with 3 unique Case Contacts
• Ginger Rogers has 2 cases with 1 unique Case Contact
• Jason Wright has 1 case with 1 unique Case Contact

This would seem to be 6 Cases with 5 unique Case Contacts, which does not match the Grand Total in the report.

However, upon closer inspection, the Contact on Jason Wright's Case (Amanda Johnston) also had a Case with Fred Astaire, which results in the correctly displayed Grand Total of 6 cases with 4 unique Case Contacts.

A Closer Look at the Individual Vertical Groupings

• On August 17, 2015, there were 2 Cases opened with 2 unique Case Contacts.
• On October 1, 2015, there was 1 Case opened with 1 unique Case Contact.
• On June 30, 2016, there was 1 Case opened with 1 unique Case Contact.
• On July 11, 2016, there were 2 Cases opened with 1 unique Case Contact.

This would seem to be 6 Cases with 5 unique Case Contacts, which does not match the Grand Total in the report.

However, upon closer inspection, the Contact Amanda Johnston opened a Case on October 1, 2015 and another Case on June 30, 2016. This results in the correctly displayed Grand Total of 6 cases with 4 unique Case Contacts.

What Happens When We Add a Cumulative Line Chart to This Report?

Case Owners appear along the X-Axis and the sum of the unique Case Contacts on the Y-Axis.

Beginning at the left, Fred Astaire has 3 unique Case Contacts:

• Add the 1 unique Case Contact that Ginger Rogers worked with
• Add 1 more unique Case Contact that Jason Wright assisted.

This results in a cumulative total of 5 combinations of Case Owners with unique Case Contacts.

Note: The Case Count field in this example is a formula field on the Contact commonly referred to as the Power of One.