In the previous 2 blog posts we talked about Salesforce SOQL and SOSL and how to structure queries. This blog dives a bit deeper into both technologies, offering a bit of a refresher on each and helps to put into perspective WHEN to use SOQL or SOSL.

Salesforce provides two powerful query languages: SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language) and SOSL (Salesforce Object Search Language). Both serve the purpose of querying Salesforce data, but each is optimized for different use cases. Choosing the right one can significantly impact the efficiency and performance of your Salesforce application. In this blog post, we’ll take a deep dive into the technical differences between SOQL and SOSL, outlining when and why to use each in your Salesforce development.

What is SOQL?

Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL) is used to query records from a single Salesforce object or related objects. It operates in a manner similar to SQL (Structured Query Language) and is designed to work within Salesforce’s object model, primarily retrieving data in the form of rows from a specific object, filtering them by conditions, and returning the selected fields.

Key Characteristics of SOQL:

• Queries are performed on a single object or a relationship between objects.
• Supports complex filters, sorting, and aggregation.
• Uses the SELECT keyword to specify which fields to retrieve.
• It’s ideal for retrieving data from one or more related objects in a structured way.

Basic SOQL Syntax Example:

SELECT Id, Name, Account.Name 
FROM Contact 
WHERE Account.Industry = 'Technology' 
ORDER BY LastName

This query retrieves the Id, Name, and Account.Name fields from the Contact object, filtering results by the Industry field in the related Account object.

What is SOSL?

Salesforce Object Search Language (SOSL), on the other hand, is used to perform text-based searches across multiple Salesforce objects and fields simultaneously. SOSL is optimized for full-text searches, such as finding records that contain a specific word or phrase, especially in fields indexed for search, like Name, Email, or Description.

Key Characteristics of SOSL:

• Allows searching across multiple objects at once (e.g., Contact, Account, Opportunity).
• Retrieves records based on matching text in one or more fields.
• Primarily used when the exact object or record type isn’t known and you want to search a broader set of data.
• Provides more flexibility for free-text search, making it ideal for full-text search queries.

Basic SOSL Syntax Example:

FIND {John*} 
IN ALL FIELDS 
RETURNING Contact(Id, Name), Account(Id, Name), Opportunity(Id, Name)

This query searches for any record containing the word “John” in any indexed field across Contact, Account, and Opportunity objects and returns the Id and Name fields.

SOQL vs SOSL: Key Differences

When to Use SOQL?

1. Structured Queries on a Single Object or Relationship
If you know the specific object or related objects you want to query, SOQL is the best choice. For example, querying the Contact object to retrieve all contacts in the “Technology” industry, or fetching opportunities for a specific account. SOQL shines when you need to retrieve detailed and specific data, especially when you want to leverage the full power of Salesforce’s object relationships.

Example Use Case: You are building a report that needs to show all Contacts associated with Accounts in a specific industry. You may also want to sort the contacts by their LastName. This type of task is best handled with SOQL.

SELECT Name, Email, Account.Name 
FROM Contact 
WHERE Account.Industry = 'Technology' 
ORDER BY LastName

2. Complex Filtering and Sorting
SOQL allows more advanced filtering, sorting, and aggregation than SOSL. If you need to group results, aggregate data (e.g., summing or averaging fields), or sort results in a particular way, SOQL is the way to go.

Example Use Case: Retrieving the sum of all opportunity amounts for a specific account:

SELECT Account.Name, SUM(Amount) 
FROM Opportunity 
WHERE Account.Name = 'Acme Corp' 
GROUP BY Account.Name

3. Relationship Queries
When querying data across related objects, such as parent-child or child-parent relationships, SOQL’s ability to perform relationship queries (via dot notation) is extremely useful.

Example Use Case: Finding all Contacts for a particular Account:

SELECT Name, Email 
FROM Contact 
WHERE Account.Name = 'Acme Corp'

When to Use SOSL?

1. Full-Text Searches Across Multiple Objects
SOSL is designed for broad text-based searches across multiple Salesforce objects. If you are trying to search for a keyword, name, or other text fields across different objects (e.g., searching for an email address across Contact, Account, and Opportunity), SOSL is the way to go.

Example Use Case: Searching for the keyword “Invoice” across Contact, Account, and Opportunity objects:

FIND {Invoice}
IN ALL FIELDS 
RETURNING Contact(Id, Name), Account(Id, Name), Opportunity(Id, Name)

2. When You Don’t Know Where the Data Resides
If you need to search across different objects and you’re unsure which object contains the desired data, SOSL is ideal. For example, if you’re unsure whether a particular term (like “John”) exists in a Contact, Account, or Opportunity, SOSL will allow you to search all these objects at once.

3. Searching Text-Based Fields
SOSL is best suited for scenarios where you need to perform a text-based search for keywords or phrases within indexed fields. SOSL uses wildcards to enhance search capabilities, such as searching for records that begin with “John” (John*) or exact matches for words (John?).

Performance Considerations

• SOQL Performance:
  SOQL is typically faster for queries that target specific objects and use indexed fields. By limiting the fields, applying filters, and utilizing efficient queries, you can ensure good performance. However, large queries with complex filters may cause performance issues, especially if not using indexed fields.
• SOSL Performance:
  SOSL queries can be slower than SOQL for large datasets, especially if searching across many fields or objects. It’s important to keep SOSL queries focused and limited to necessary fields to avoid performance bottlenecks. Also, keep in mind that SOSL returns up to 2,000 records per query, and pagination might be necessary for larger result sets.

Conclusion

Both SOQL and SOSL have distinct use cases and are optimized for different types of queries. SOQL is the go-to tool when you need to retrieve structured data from a single object or related objects, especially with filters, sorting, and aggregations. SOSL, on the other hand, excels at full-text searches across multiple objects, making it ideal when you’re unsure where the data is stored or when you need to search through text fields quickly.

Understanding these differences and choosing the right tool for the job can greatly enhance the efficiency and performance of your Salesforce application.