Basics
SOQL WHERE
Filtering with WHERE
SOQL WHERE filters records using conditions like AND and OR.
Introduction to SOQL WHERE Clause
The SOQL WHERE clause is used to filter records in Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL) queries. By applying conditions, you can retrieve only those records that meet specific criteria. This is particularly useful when dealing with large datasets where you only need a subset of information.
Basic Syntax of WHERE Clause
The syntax for a basic WHERE clause in SOQL is:
Here, field1 and field2 are the fields you want to retrieve from the Object. The condition is used to filter the records.
Using Logical Operators: AND & OR
Logical operators such as AND and OR can be used to combine multiple conditions in a WHERE clause. Here's how they work:
In the example above, the query retrieves the names of accounts where the Industry is 'Technology' and the BillingCountry is 'USA'. Both conditions must be true for a record to be included in the result.
Here, the query retrieves account names where either the Industry is 'Technology' or the BillingCountry is 'USA'. A record can satisfy either condition to be included in the results.
Negating Conditions with NOT
The NOT operator can be used to exclude records that meet a certain condition. For example:
This query retrieves the names of accounts where the Industry is not 'Technology'.
Combining Multiple Conditions
You can combine multiple conditions using parentheses to control the order of evaluation. This is especially useful in complex queries:
In this query, accounts are retrieved if they are in the 'Technology' or 'Finance' industry and their BillingCountry is 'USA'. The conditions within parentheses are evaluated first.
Conclusion
The SOQL WHERE clause is a powerful tool for filtering records based on specific conditions. By effectively using logical operators and combining conditions, you can craft precise queries to meet your data retrieval needs.
