Salesforce Platform Developer Practice Exam

In Salesforce, which two fields can be used to match existing records when importing data?

1. User Email Field

2. Account ID Field

3. Custom External ID Field

4. Record Name Field

The correct answer is: Custom External ID Field

When importing data into Salesforce, matching existing records is essential to avoid duplication. The correct choice highlights the use of a Custom External ID Field for this purpose. A custom external ID field is specifically designed to hold unique values that can persist across different systems or databases. When you import data, Salesforce can utilize this field to match records in its database with those provided in the import file. This is particularly useful if the external system uses a different identifier than Salesforce's record IDs. Using a custom external ID field allows for flexibility, ensures data integrity, and vastly simplifies the data import process, making it a valuable tool for maintaining accurate records. While the User Email field, Account ID field, and Record Name field could be used for matching in certain contexts, they don't provide the same level of reliability or customization as a custom external ID. The User Email field may not be universally applicable for all records, as not every record has an associated email. The Account ID field is specific to the account object and cannot be used for other objects, whereas the Record Name field is not guaranteed to be unique or consistent across records. Therefore, utilizing a custom external ID field stands out as the best option for matching existing records during data import.