What is the Difference Between SOQL and SOSL?

Nilesh Parashar
4 min readFeb 16, 2023

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SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language) and SOSL (Salesforce Object Search Language) are both available in Salesforce’s REST API and are two highly effective query tools for searching your data within Salesforce. SOQL stands for “Salesforce Object Query Language,” and SOSL stands for “Salesforce Object Search Language.”

When working with Salesforce data and records, users will often make use of both SOQL and SOSL. In SQL, the “SELECT” operator may be used, and SOQL queries can do a search inside the database in addition to supporting this operator. On the other hand, SOSL is essentially a technique to programming that does record searches by making use of keyword words.

WHAT IS THE SOQL QUERY IN SALESFORCE?

SOQL stands for the Salesforce Object Query Language, which is the language used by your company to search the data stored in Salesforce for certain information. The SELECT statement is one of the most used components of Structured Query Language, and SOQL is pretty comparable to it (SQL).

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WHAT IS THE SOSL QUERY IN SALESFORCE?

SOSL is an acronym for Salesforce’s Object Search Language, which enables users to search across numerous objects with a single query. In the following contexts, you may use a single query to search text, email, and phone fields for numerous objects, including custom objects, that you have access to. This includes searching for multiple objects that you have created.

  1. Calls made using SOAP or REST
  2. Statements made by Apex.
  3. Controllers for Visualforce as well as getter methods.
  4. Eclipse’s Schema Explorer may be found in the toolkit.

WHEN TO USE SOQL QUERY?

  1. Get data either from a single item or from numerous objects that are connected to each other in some way.
  2. Determine the amount of records that are suitable for your needs and count them.
  3. Include sorting of the results in the query.
  4. Retrieve information from fields that include numbers, dates, or checkboxes.

WHEN TO USE SOSL QUERY?

  1. To obtain data for a certain time period from inside a field where you are aware that it exists. SOSL searches are faster and have the potential to provide results that are more relevant since SOSL can tokenize numerous words included inside a field and create a search index from this.
  2. To quickly retrieve numerous items and fields, while the objects themselves may or may not be associated with one another.
  3. To access data for a specific division inside an organisation by using the capability offered by that division.

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SOQL SALESFORCE SYNTAX

The SELECT clause is the first part of a SOQL query, and it is followed by one or more optional phrases such as the WHERE clause, the GROUP BY clause, the TYPE OF clause, and the ORDER BY clause.

The syntax for SOQL Query:

SELECT <fields>

FROM <Object name>

WHERE <Conditions>

SELECT: Every SOQL query must start with this keyword. This keyword tells which “fields” from the XYZ Object you are interested in.

FROM: This keyword helps mention which “object” you are interested in.

WHERE: This keyword helps you mention the “condition” of fetching records. i.e, only those records we can fetch that match your business requirement.

Example: SELECT name FROM Account WHERE Name! = “

SOSL Salesforce Syntax

The syntax for the SOSL Query is as follows:

FIND ‘SearchQuery’ [IN SearchGroup] [RETURNING ObjectsAndFields]

SearchQuery:

It is the text in which a search for a particular word or phrase may be carried out. It’s possible to describe search phrases using logical operators like AND and OR, as well as parenthesis.

SearchGroup:

This is not required at all. It lays down the parameters of the searchable fields, including the following:

All of the fields

Name fields

Email address boxes

Phone service areas

ObjectsAndFields:

It refers to the information that will be shown as the search result.

Example: Contact (FirstName,LastName,Department)

The Constraints Placed on SOQL and SOSL Queries

100 different SOQL queries were simulated in all.

The total number of SOSLs that were simulated is twenty.

The total number of records that a single SOSL query was able to get was 200.

50,000 is the total amount of records that may be retrieved by SOQL searches.

10,000 entries in all were retrieved by using the Database.getQueryLocator function.

200 is the total number of queries that have been simulated for Batch Apex and future techniques.

CONCLUSION

You may get records pertaining to a single object by using the SOQL query. You are able to search fields inside a variety of objects by using the SOSL query.

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Nilesh Parashar

I am a marketing and advertising student at Hinduja College, Mumbai University, Mumbai, and I have been studying advertising since 4 years.