Salesforce Platform Developer Practice Exam

What is the maximum number of external IDs an object may have?

1. 1

2. 2

3. 3

4. 4

The correct answer is: 3

The maximum number of external IDs that an object in Salesforce can have is three. External IDs are used to establish a unique identifier for a record based on data from an external system. They can help in processes like data imports, integrations, and syncing records from outside Salesforce. Having three external IDs available allows for flexibility in scenarios where multiple external systems are involved or when you need to match records based on different criteria. This is particularly useful for ensuring data integrity and supporting integration efforts across various applications. While some may think more external IDs could provide additional versatility, Salesforce has set a limit of three to maintain system performance and data integrity. Therefore, having three external IDs ensures that users can effectively cross-reference records while keeping the data model manageable and efficient.