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What is the difference between SOQL and SOSL in Salesforce, and when would you use each one?

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Answer:

SOQL: SOQL stands for Salesforce Object Query Language. It is Salesforce's querying language used to retrieve data from Salesforce objects such as accounts, contacts, and leads. SOQL is very similar to SQL, but specifically designed for Salesforce. It is used to query records that meet a specific criterion or condition from a single Salesforce object, or from a group of Salesforce objects that are related to each other. SOQL also supports aggregate functions which can be used to summarize data with queries.

SOSL: SOSL stands for Salesforce Object Search Language. It is used to search for data from multiple Salesforce objects at the same time. SOSL is used for text searches in all objects that are specified in the query. It is also useful for finding data that relates to each other, but is stored in different objects. SOSL returns a list of lists of sObjects. The outer list contains a list of search results for each object type searched, while the inner list contains the search results for each object type.

When to use each one: While both SOQL and SOSL are used to query Salesforce data, there are some differences in their use cases. We should prefer SOQL when:

  • The query is focused on specific records or a single object.
  • You want to retrieve data from one object or multiple related objects.
  • You require aggregate functions or reports


In contrast, SOSL should be preferred when:

  • Looking to search across multiple objects simultaneously.
  • You want to search for specific text phrases in multiple objects
  • You want to search for records without knowing the specific object they are in



References:

  1. Salesforce Object Search Language (SOSL)
  2. Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL)

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