Winter '27 adds record previews in Lightning reports, sentiment formulas and hierarchy navigation in Data 360 reports, and Gantt charts in CRM Analytics. Record previews and sentiment formulas are beta features; both require settings to be enabled.
What’s new
1. Preview records alongside Lightning reports
Record previews in Lightning reports (beta) open record details in a side panel. Filters, columns, and the record list stay visible.
Enable **Show record previews on Lightning Reports (Beta)** in Reports and Dashboards Settings, then use the eye icon in report view mode.
The useful test is whether reviewers can get the details they need from the panel, rather than opening each record.
2. Classify text with Data 360 sentiment formulas
Sentiment formulas in Data 360 reports (beta) add AI_SENTIMENT to row-level and summary-level formulas. The function classifies unstructured text as Positive, Negative, Neutral, Mixed, or Unknown without code or pipelines. Supported examples include support tickets, reviews, and call transcripts.
Enable **AI Sentiment Function in Data Cloud Reports (Beta)** in Reports and Dashboards Settings. A formula can then use AI_SENTIMENT(Support_Ticket_Text__c).
Validate classifications against the original text before using them for business decisions. Include Mixed and Unknown results in that review.
3. Navigate Data 360 hierarchies without rebuilding the report
Dimensional hierarchies in Data 360 reports are generally available. Users can drill from category to subcategory to product and roll back up without adding or removing individual fields.
Add a hierarchy field to **Columns** or **Group Rows**, then navigate with the **+ / X** controls or the column actions menu.
4. Put schedules and overlaps on a Gantt chart
Gantt charts in CRM Analytics display activity schedules, task durations, and overlaps in lenses and dashboards. Standard filtering and faceting remain available.
Select **Gantt** from **Charts** and map fields to **Start Date**, **End Date**, and a category. Optional dimension separators and vertical grid lines provide additional separation for dense timelines.
What to know
5. Data 360 field presentation changes are not local to a lens
Data 360 field customization in CRM Analytics lets authors rename fields, edit field values, and assign chart colors for data lake objects, data model objects, and calculated insight objects.
The underlying Data 360 data stays unchanged, but the presentation changes apply everywhere the source is used.
Make edits through the action menu in the lens explorer’s **Fields** panel. First, identify the lenses and dashboards using that source and agree on labels, displayed values, and colors with their owners.
6. Viewers control column visibility; authors control widths
Flexible table column visibility in CRM Analytics lets viewers hide, freeze, and reorder columns through the column header action menu.
Column widths remain an author control. Set them in edit mode by dragging the divider between headers.
If a dashboard variant exists only to hide or reorder columns, these viewer controls are worth testing before maintaining another copy.
7. Deleted assets get 30 days in the recycle bin
The dedicated CRM Analytics recycle bin is generally available. Deleted dashboards and lenses have a 30-day window for viewing, management, and restoration.
Associated subscriptions and notifications pause during retention. Owners need to know that before deletion, not when an expected notification fails to arrive.
Use **Move to Recycle Bin** from the Action menu in edit mode. Open the **Recycle Bin** from the Home page, and decide whether to restore the asset within the 30-day window.
What needs your attention
8. Inspect chart segments after enabling gaps or borders
Segment gap and border controls in CRM Analytics add **Show Segment Gap** and **Show Segment Border** for Bar, Column, Stacked Bar, Stacked Column, Funnel, and Pie charts.
Both settings are off by default. Existing chart formatting is unchanged.
The controls help support WCAG 2.1 non-text contrast and Use of Color guidelines, but enabling them is not proof of accessibility. Inspect the rendered chart in grayscale or high-contrast conditions to check segment boundaries.
9. Refresh measures for 18-digit precision
Expanded CRM Analytics measure support adds 18-digit precision to prevent value overflow errors in calculated values at scale. Orgs with null measure handling enabled also get faster query performance.
Existing measure values need a refresh. For orgs created before Spring '17, first check whether **Allow null measure handling for datasets** needs to be enabled in Analytics settings.
Run recipes with a full data sync. Then validate calculated measures that previously encountered overflow.
10. Request capacity before designing above 20 pages
Increased CRM Analytics dashboard page limits allow up to 30 pages in one dashboard, up from 20.
The increase is not automatic. Request it from Salesforce Support before committing to a design above 20 pages.
That extra capacity can keep a guided workflow in one dashboard instead of linking separate dashboards and re-creating filter configurations.