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What field types can I add to an object

What field types can I add to an object

Jul 23, 2019

There are specific data fields that can be created in Sales Force. Here is a description of the data fields in Saleforce

Data typeNotes
Auto numberAutomatically assigns a unique number to each record. The maximum length of any auto-number field is 30 characters, 20 of which are reserved for prefix or suffix text. Not available for external objects.
Formula

Allows users to automatically calculate values based on other values or fields such as merge fields. Not available for external objects.

NOTE: Salesforce uses the round half up tie-breaking rule for numbers in formula fields. For example, 12.345 becomes 12.35 and −12.345 becomes −12.34.

Roll-up summaryAutomatically displays the record count of related records or calculates the sum, minimum, or maximum value of related records. The records must be directly related to the selected record and on the detail side of a custom master-detail relationship with the object that contains the roll-up summary field. For example, a custom field called “Total Number of Guests” displays the number of guest custom object records in the Guests related list. Not available for external objects.
Lookup relationship

Creates a relationship between two records so you can associate them with each other. For example, opportunities have a lookup relationship with cases that lets you associate a particular case with an opportunity.

  • A parent isn’t needed, meaning the relationship is optional
  • There is no impact to security. Security will be set independent of any related object
  • Roll-up summary fields can not be created on lookup fields
Master detail relationship

Creates a relationship between records where the master record controls certain behaviors of the detail record such as record deletion and security.

  • Child records must have a parent
  • Record level security cascades from the parent to the child records
  • Record deletion cascades from the parent to the child records (delete the parent, the child is also deleted)
  • Roll-up summary fields can be created on the parent record
  • Standard objects cannot be the detail object in the relationship
External lookup relationshipWhen you create an external lookup relationship field, the standard External ID field on the parent external object is matched against the values of the child’s external lookup relationship field. External object field values come from an external data source.
CheckboxAllows users to check a box, indicating a true or false attribute of a record. When using a checkbox field for a report or list view filter, use “True” for checked values and “False” for unchecked values. The Data Import Wizard and the weekly export tool use “1” for checked values and “0” for unchecked values.
Currency

Allows users to enter a currency amount. The system automatically formats the field as a currency amount. This formatting is useful if you export data to a spreadsheet application. Not available for external objects. 

NOTE: Salesforce uses the round-half-to-even tie-breaking rule for currency fields. For example, 23.5 becomes 24, 22.5 becomes 22, −22.5 becomes −22, and −23.5 becomes −24.
Values lose precision after 15 decimal places.

DateAllows users to enter a date or pick a date from a popup calendar. In reports, you can limit the data by specific dates using any custom date field.
Date/timeAllows users to enter a date or pick a date from a popup calendar and enter a time of day. The date and time fields are separate, and the initial time is set to 12:00 PM when you select a date in the calendar.
EmailAllows users to enter an email address of up to 80 characters, which is validated to ensure proper format. If this field is specified for contacts or leads, users can choose the address when clicking Send an Email. You can't use custom email addresses for mass emails.
Geolocation

Allows users to specify a location by its latitude and longitude. Geolocation is a compound field that counts toward your org’s limits as three custom fields: one for latitude, one for longitude, and one for internal use. Not available for external objects. More info

NumberAllows users to enter any number. This number is treated as a real number and any leading zeros are removed. NOTE: Salesforce uses the round half up tie-breaking rule for number fields. For example, 12.345 becomes 12.35 and −12.345 becomes −12.34. Salesforce rounds numbers referenced in merge fields according to the user’s locale, not the number of decimal spaces specified in the number field configuration.
Percent

Allows users to enter a percentage number as a decimal—for example, 0.10. The system automatically converts the decimal to a percentage—for example, 10%.

NOTE: Values lose precision after 15 decimal places. Also, if you enter a value with more than 15 decimal places and add a percent sign to the number, a runtime error occurs.

Phone

Allows users to enter any phone number. Character limit is 40. Salesforce automatically formats it as a phone number. 

PicklistLets users select a single value from a list that you define. Available for external objects only with the cross-org adapter for Salesforce Connect.
Picklist (multi-select)Allows users to select more than one picklist value from a list that you define. These fields display each value separated by a semicolon. Available for external objects only with the cross-org adapter for Salesforce Connect.
TextAllows users to enter any combination of letters, numbers, or symbols. You can set a maximum length, up to 255 characters.
Text areaAllows users to enter up to 255 characters that display on separate lines similar to a Descriptionfield.
Text area (long)Allows users to enter up to 131,072 characters that display on separate lines similar to a Descriptionfield. You can set the length of this field type to a lower limit, if desired. Any length from 256 to 131,072 characters is allowed. The default is 32,768 characters. Every time you press Enter within a long text area field, a line break, and a return character are added to the text. These two characters count toward the 131,072 character limit. The first 999 characters in a rich text area or a long text area are displayed in a report.
Text area (rich)With the use of a toolbar, users can format the field content and add images and hyperlinks. The toolbar allows the user to undo, redo, bold, italicize, underline, strike-out, add a hyperlink, upload or link to an image, modify alignment, add a numbered or non-numbered list, indent, and outdent. The maximum field size is 131,072 characters, inclusive of all the formatting and HTML tags. The first 999 characters in a rich text area or a long text area are displayed in a report. The maximum size for uploaded images is 1 MB. Only gif, jpeg and png file types are supported. Not available for external objects.
Text area (encrypted)Allows users to enter any combination of letters, numbers, or symbols that are stored in encrypted form. You can set a maximum length of up to 175 characters. Encrypted fields are encrypted with 128-bit master keys and use the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm. You can archive, delete, and import your master encryption key. Not available for external objects.
TimeAllows users to enter a time of day, including hours, minutes, second, and milliseconds. Append a “Z” at the end to denote Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).17:30:45.125, 17:30:45, 17:30, and 17:30:45Z are all examples of valid entries. The time displays in a 12-hour notation with AM or PM. The displayed time depends on the Locale setting on the Company Information page in Setup.
URLAllows users to enter up to 255 characters of any valid website address. Only the first 50 characters are displayed on the record detail pages. Internal Salesforce URLs open in the same window and external URLs open in a separate browser window.