Your Guide to Configuring the Salesforce Highlights Panel

The Salesforce Highlights Panel, a prominent feature within the Lightning Experience, offers a customizable snapshot of key information about your Salesforce records. It provides quick access to key data, streamlines workflows, and fosters data comprehension. However, some users encounter confusion regarding its functionality and customization options.

Understanding the Salesforce Highlights Panel

Located at the top of most record detail pages in Lightning Experience, the Highlights Panel displays a concise selection of fields relevant to the specific record type (e.g., contact, opportunity). These fields showcase crucial information at a glance, helping you quickly grasp the record’s essence.

Highlights Panel vs. Compact Layout

Both the Compact Layout and Highlights Panel serve as valuable tools for displaying key Salesforce record information. However, they cater to different needs and offer unique functionalities within the Lightning Experience. 

Compact Layout

Imagine the Compact Layout as a cheat sheet for your most critical record details. It’s a condensed view, typically displayed directly below the record name, showcasing a limited set of pre-defined fields. This layout prioritizes immediate visibility and ease of access to frequently used fields.

Here are some key characteristics of the Compact Layout:

• Compact layouts serve as a means to swiftly present the vital field values of a record for immediate reference within the Salesforce interface.
• These layouts support a maximum of 10 fields, ensuring concise and focused information display tailored to user needs.
• The Salesforce mobile app, an enterprise-grade solution, empowers users with instant access to their company’s CRM data on mobile devices, facilitating seamless interaction and productivity on the go.

Also Read – Lightning Experience Reports in Salesforce

Highlights Panel

The Highlights Panel, in contrast, offers a more comprehensive and customizable approach to presenting key record data. Think of it as a flexible dashboard specifically tailored to the record type you’re viewing. Key features of the Highlights Panel include:

• It can accommodate up to eight fields, providing a broader view of the record compared to the Compact Layout.
• You can configure the fields displayed in the Highlights Panel layout based on your specific needs. This allows you to prioritize different fields depending on the record type and your workflow.
• The Highlights Panel isn’t restricted to standard field types. You can include formulas, rich text fields, and other dynamic elements, offering a more versatile way to showcase crucial information.
• Since the Highlights Panel layout can be customized for each record type, you can create a focused view that emphasizes the most relevant data points for each category of records.

Setting up Highlights Panels for a Console in Salesforce Classic

1. Access Page Layout Customization – Navigate to Salesforce Classic and access page layout customization.
2. Check User Permissions

   – Ensure you have the necessary permissions: Customize Application, and either Service Cloud User or Sales Console.

3. Edit the Highlights Panel

   – Hover over the Highlights Panel and click the wrench icon or double-click to edit it.

4. Modify Fields

   – Add or change fields by selecting them from the available lists.

   – If necessary, add fields to the detail page layout first.

5. Remove Fields

   – Remove fields by selecting “-None-” from the field lists.

6. Adjust Columns

   – Add or remove columns using the respective options.

7. Save Changes

   – Click OK in the Highlights Panel Properties dialog box to save your changes.

   – Save the page layout.

8. Enable Highlights Panels

   – Ensure Highlights Panels are enabled in the console settings to display them.

Customizing the Highlights Panel in Case Feed

1. Access Case Object Settings: Navigate to the settings for the Case object.
2. Go to Page Layouts: Open the Page Layouts section.
3. Select Case Feed Layout: Choose the layout for Case Feed users.
4. Edit Detail View: Click to edit the detail view of the selected layout.
5. Modify Highlights Panel: Hover over the Highlights Panel and click the wrench icon.
6. Adjust Fields: Edit the fields within the Highlights Panel as needed.
7. Specify Information: Use dropdown menus to choose the type of information for each field.
8. Confirm Changes: Click OK to confirm your modifications.

Tutorial: Creating Compact Layouts

Creating Compact Layouts:

• Access Management Settings: Navigate to the management settings of the desired object within Salesforce.
• Locate Compact Layouts: Look for the Compact Layouts option within the settings.
• Generate New Layout: Create a new compact layout and assign it a descriptive label for easy identification.
• Select Fields: Choose up to 10 fields to include in the compact layout. Prioritize placing the object’s Name field first to provide crucial context.
• Arrange Field Order: Use the provided options to arrange the fields in the desired sequence, ensuring optimal user experience.
• Save Layout: Once satisfied with the configuration, save the layout to finalize the creation process.

Assigning Compact Layouts to Record Types:

• Navigate to Compact Layout Assignment: From the management settings of the object, locate the Compact Layouts section again.
• Override Record Types (If Applicable): If your Salesforce object has multiple record types, you can override the primary compact layout and assign different layouts to specific record types.
• Select Record Types: Choose the record types to which you want to assign a specific compact layout. Each record type can have its own tailored layout.
• Choose Layouts: Select the appropriate compact layout from the dropdown list for each of the selected record types.
• Save Changes: Once all selections are made, save the changes to apply the compact layout assignments effectively.

Conclusion

By understanding its functionality and mastering customization options, you can transform the Salesforce Highlights Panel into a powerful tool. This valuable feature empowers you to streamline your workflow, gain instant insights from key data points, and make informed decisions quickly within the Lightning Experience.

Ready to elevate your Salesforce skills further? Sign up for a free trial at saasguru and gain access to over 18 Salesforce Certification Courses, including comprehensive resources like 50+ mock exams and 50+ Salesforce Labs for hands-on learning. 

Start your journey toward Salesforce mastery with saasguru today!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is a highlights panel in Salesforce?

The highlights panel is a customizable table located at the top of every primary tab in a console, allowing users to view key information quickly. To configure the highlights panel, simply edit any page layout.

2. What are the limitations of the Salesforce Highlights Panel?

• It can only display up to four fields per column and up to four columns per panel.
• Rich text area, custom long-text area, and transcript fields cannot be displayed.
• The highlights panel cannot be used in Lightning Experience or the mobile app.

3. How many fields can be added to each page’s highlights panel in Salesforce?

Each page’s highlights panel in Salesforce can be modified to add up to six fields, allowing users to quickly access important information for better navigation and understanding.

4. How do I change the highlight panel in Salesforce Lightning?

As explained earlier in this blog, you can customize the Highlights Panel to better suit your preferences. Follow the steps from the section “Customizing the Highlights Panel.”

5. What is the difference between Highlights Panel and Compact Layout in Salesforce?

6. How do I add a field to the Highlights Panel in Salesforce?

To add or modify fields, click on the relevant column and choose fields from the options available in the Top Field and Bottom Field lists. If the desired fields are not listed, ensure they are added to the detail page layout beforehand.