Types of Relationships in Salesforce

There are several types of relationships that can be established between objects in Salesforce:

1. Lookup Relationship: This is a relationship between two objects where one object has a reference to another object. Lookup relationships are used to create one-to-one or one-to-many relationships between objects.
2. Master-Detail Relationship: In a master-detail relationship, one object is the master and another is the detail. The detail object inherits security and sharing settings from the master object. Master-detail relationships are used for creating stronger relationships between objects and enforcing data integrity rules.
3. Many-to-Many Relationship: Many-to-many relationships are created using junction objects in Salesforce. Junction objects contain two master-detail relationships to connect two objects in a many-to-many relationship. This type of relationship is used when multiple records of one object can be linked to multiple records of another object.

When to use each type of relationship:

• Lookup Relationship: Use lookup relationships when you want a flexible relationship between objects without impacting security and data integrity.
• Master-Detail Relationship: Use master-detail relationships when you want a strong relationship between objects, with automatic deletion of detail records when the master record is deleted, and when you want to enforce sharing and security settings.
• Many-to-Many Relationship: Use many-to-many relationships when you have a many-to-many relationship between objects and need to track additional information about the relationship using junction objects.