15 SOQL Interview Questions and Answers

SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language) is a specialized query language designed specifically for querying data within the Salesforce platform. It allows users to retrieve, manipulate, and analyze Salesforce data efficiently. SOQL is similar to SQL but tailored to work with Salesforce’s data model, making it an essential tool for developers and administrators working within the Salesforce ecosystem.

This article provides a curated selection of SOQL interview questions and answers to help you prepare effectively. By familiarizing yourself with these questions, you will gain a deeper understanding of SOQL’s capabilities and nuances, enhancing your ability to tackle real-world challenges in a Salesforce environment.

SOQL Interview Questions and Answers

1. Write a basic query to retrieve all fields from the Account object.

To retrieve all fields from the Account object in Salesforce using SOQL, you must explicitly list the fields you want to retrieve, as SOQL does not support the wildcard (*) like SQL. For example:

SELECT Id, Name, Industry, AnnualRevenue FROM Account

2. How would you filter records to only include Accounts created in the last 30 days?

To filter records to include only Accounts created in the last 30 days, use the WHERE clause with a date function:

SELECT Id, Name, CreatedDate 
FROM Account 
WHERE CreatedDate = LAST_N_DAYS:30

This query selects Accounts where the CreatedDate is within the last 30 days.

3. Write a query to sort Contacts by their LastName in ascending order.

To sort Contacts by their LastName in ascending order, use:

SELECT Id, FirstName, LastName FROM Contact ORDER BY LastName ASC

This query sorts Contacts by the LastName field in ascending order.

4. How would you retrieve all Contacts related to a specific Account?

To retrieve all Contacts related to a specific Account, use:

SELECT Id, Name, Email FROM Contact WHERE AccountId = '001xx000003DHP0'

Replace ‘001xx000003DHP0’ with the actual Account ID to get Contacts related to that Account.

5. Write a query to get the Account details for a given Contact.

To get Account details for a given Contact, use a parent-to-child relationship query:

SELECT Account.Name, Account.Industry, Account.AnnualRevenue 
FROM Contact 
WHERE Id = '003XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX'

This retrieves the Account’s details for a specific Contact.

6. Write a query to find all Opportunities closed in the current fiscal quarter.

To find all Opportunities closed in the current fiscal quarter, use:

SELECT Id, Name, CloseDate 
FROM Opportunity 
WHERE IsClosed = TRUE 
AND CALENDAR_QUARTER(CloseDate) = CALENDAR_QUARTER(TODAY)
AND CALENDAR_YEAR(CloseDate) = CALENDAR_YEAR(TODAY)

This query selects Opportunities closed in the current fiscal quarter.

7. How would you use the LIKE operator to find Accounts whose names start with ‘Acme’?

To find Accounts whose names start with ‘Acme’, use the LIKE operator:

SELECT Id, Name FROM Account WHERE Name LIKE 'Acme%'

This query returns Accounts where the Name starts with ‘Acme’.

8. Write a query to find all Contacts where the Email field is null.

To find Contacts where the Email field is null, use:

SELECT Id, Name FROM Contact WHERE Email = null

This query selects Contacts with a null Email field.

9. How would you limit your query to return only the first 10 records?

To limit your query to return only the first 10 records, use the LIMIT keyword:

SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 10

This query retrieves only the first 10 Account records.

10. Write a query to find all Accounts that meet multiple conditions: Industry is ‘Technology’ and AnnualRevenue is greater than $1M.

To find Accounts where the Industry is ‘Technology’ and AnnualRevenue is greater than $1M, use:

SELECT Id, Name, Industry, AnnualRevenue 
FROM Account 
WHERE Industry = 'Technology' AND AnnualRevenue > 1000000

11. What techniques can you use to optimize SOQL queries for better performance?

To optimize SOQL queries for better performance, consider these techniques:

• Use selective queries with indexed fields in the WHERE clause.
• Utilize the Query Plan Tool to analyze query costs.
• Apply filters early in the query to limit data retrieval.
• Use LIMIT and OFFSET for efficient pagination.
• Retrieve only necessary fields to reduce data volume.
• Consider bulk queries for large data sets.

12. Write an advanced query to retrieve all Cases related to Contacts, which are in turn related to a specific Account.

To retrieve all Cases related to Contacts, which are in turn related to a specific Account, use a nested SOQL query:

SELECT Id, Name, (SELECT Id, LastName, (SELECT Id, CaseNumber FROM Cases) FROM Contacts) 
FROM Account 
WHERE Id = '001XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX'

This query retrieves Cases related to Contacts associated with a specific Account.

13. Explain the difference between SOQL and SOSL.

SOQL and SOSL are both query languages in Salesforce but serve different purposes. SOQL retrieves records from specific objects, while SOSL performs text searches across multiple objects.

Example SOQL query:

SELECT Id, Name FROM Account WHERE Industry = 'Technology'

Example SOSL query:

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

Key differences:

• SOQL is for querying specific records; SOSL is for text searches across objects.
• SOQL uses a SELECT statement; SOSL uses a FIND statement.

14. How would you use aggregate functions in SOQL?

Aggregate functions in SOQL perform calculations on data within a query. Common functions include COUNT(), SUM(), AVG(), MIN(), and MAX().

Example:

SELECT COUNT(Id) FROM Account

This query counts the number of Account records.

To group results, use the GROUP BY clause:

SELECT Industry, SUM(AnnualRevenue) FROM Account GROUP BY Industry

This query returns total annual revenue for each industry.

15. How do you handle null values in SOQL queries?

In SOQL, handle null values using operators like =, !=, and NULL. For example:

SELECT Id, Name FROM Account WHERE Phone != NULL

This retrieves accounts where the Phone field is not null.

To filter records where a field is null:

SELECT Id, Name FROM Account WHERE Phone = NULL

This retrieves accounts where the Phone field is null.

Alternatively, use the ISNULL function:

SELECT Id, Name, Phone FROM Account WHERE ISNULL(Phone)

This retrieves accounts where the Phone field is null using ISNULL.