Understanding Objects and Fields in Salesforce
Understanding Objects and Fields in Salesforce
Salesforce is a powerful CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform used by businesses to manage customers, sales, and services. One of the first concepts every Salesforce learner should understand is Objects and Fields.
📦 What Are Objects in Salesforce?
In simple terms, Objects are like tables in a database.
They store data in Salesforce.
Each object is made up of records (like rows in a table) and fields (like columns).
There are two main types of objects:
1. Standard Objects
These are created by Salesforce by default.
Examples:
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Account – Stores company information
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Contact – Stores individual people info
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Lead – Stores potential customers
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Opportunity – Stores deals in progress
2. Custom Objects
These are created by users to store specific business data.
Example:
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Student__c for storing student info
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Project__c for tracking projects
Note: Custom object names end with
__c.
🧩 What Are Fields?
Fields store information inside an object.
Think of fields as the attributes or properties of a record.
Example in a Student__c object:
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Name
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Email
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Phone Number
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Date of Birth
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Course
Just like objects, there are two types of fields:
1. Standard Fields
These are automatically available in every object.
Examples:
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Id – Unique identifier
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Name – Name of the record
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CreatedDate – When the record was created
2. Custom Fields
Created by users based on business needs.
They also end with __c.
Examples:
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Course__c
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EnrollmentDate__c
🧱 Types of Fields in Salesforce
Salesforce provides different types of fields to store specific kinds of data:
| Field Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Text | Stores short text (e.g., names) |
| Text Area | For longer text (e.g., descriptions) |
| Number | Stores numeric values |
| Date/DateTime | Stores date or date+time |
| Checkbox | Stores true/false (Yes/No) |
| Picklist | Dropdown menu with predefined values |
| Lookup Relationship | Link to another object |
| Formula | Calculates values based on other fields |
🔄 Relationship Between Objects
Objects in Salesforce can be related to each other to represent real-world connections. There are two key relationships:
1. Lookup Relationship
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A basic connection between two objects
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One object can "look up" another
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Example: A
Project__cmay look up aManager__c
2. Master-Detail Relationship
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A tighter bond between objects
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The child record depends on the parent
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If parent is deleted, child gets deleted too
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Example:
Invoice__c(child) related toCustomer__c(parent)
💡 Real-Life Example
Let’s say you’re building an app to manage college courses.
You may create:
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Object: Student__c
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Fields: Name, Email, Course__c
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Object: Course__c
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Fields: Course Name, Duration
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Object: Enrollment__c (to link students with courses)
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Fields: Enrollment Date, Status
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You can link Student__c and Course__c using relationships.
🔍 Viewing Objects and Fields in Salesforce
You can view and manage objects and fields through:
🔧 Object Manager:
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Go to Setup
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Click on Object Manager
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Select the object (e.g., Account or your custom object)
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You’ll see tabs like Fields & Relationships, Page Layouts, etc.
⚙️ Use Cases
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Sales Teams use Account and Opportunity objects
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Support Teams use Case and Contact objects
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Custom Apps may use objects like Delivery__c or Booking__c
✅ Tips to Remember
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Always use naming standards like
Student__cfor custom objects -
Don’t create duplicate fields – reuse when possible
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Use picklists to control input choices
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Use formula fields for automatic calculations
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Plan object relationships wisely for future reporting
📌 Summary
| Concept | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Object | Table that holds data (like Customer, Student) |
| Field | Column in the table (like Name, Email) |
| Record | Row in the table (actual data) |
| Standard | Default by Salesforce |
| Custom | Created by users |
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