Custom Big Objects in Salesforce are designed to handle and store massive amounts of data. Unlike standard and custom objects, big objects operate outside of core Salesforce storage limits and are optimized for long-term data retention and querying. We have covered about an overview of Big Objects in Big Objects in Salesforce: An overview – Mortgage Banking Technology | Origination Strategy Consulting. In this article, let us discuss how to create Big Objects in Salesforce.
Defining Custom Big Objects:
- Navigate to Setup:
- Enter “Big Objects” in the Quick Find box, and select “Big Objects”.
- Create a big object and add basic details.
- Add Custom Fields:
- Custom fields store unique data on your big object.
- Custom fields store the unique data for your big object. You can also create custom relationship fields to associate your big object with another object in Salesforce. Add custom fields to a big object the same way you would add custom fields to any object in Salesforce.
- Create an Index:
- The index is a crucial component of a Custom Big Object as it defines the composite primary key and determines how the data can be queried.
- The fields you include in the index directly impact the performance and flexibility of your queries, so careful planning is essential.
- The index should include fields that are most relevant to your queries.
- Field order matters—place the most frequently queried field first.
- SOQL queries can only filter on indexed fields and must follow the defined order.
- Different field positions allow for specific comparison operators in queries.
- The index must contain at least one custom field and can include up to five custom fields.
- All custom fields in the index must be marked as required.
- Long Text Area fields cannot be included in the index.
- The total number of characters across all text fields in the index must not exceed 100.
- Once an index is created, it cannot be edited or deleted. If changes are needed, you must create a new Big Object with a revised index.
- The index defines the fields that make up your Custom Big Object’s index, determining both the fields used for queries and their sorting order.
- Key Index Components:
- Label: The user-friendly name used to reference the index in the UI.
- Name: The API name assigned to the index.
- Index Fields: Specifies the fields included in the index, along with their order and sorting direction. Assign Position 1 to the most frequently used filter parameter. Valid values for Index Direction are Ascending and Descending. Carefully structuring your index ensures efficient querying and optimal performance for your Big Object.
4. Deployment:
- Save the big object and change the status to “Deployed” once ready.
- After defining fields and index, you’re ready to deploy it.
To learn more about how to Create Big Objects in Salesforce, click Big Objects | Big Objects Implementation Guide | Salesforce Developers
