SOQL and SOSL Reference

Introduction to SOQL and SOSL
Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL)
Typographical Conventions in This Document
Quoted String Escape Sequences
Reserved Characters
Alias Notation
SOQL SELECT Syntax
SOQL SELECT Examples
SOQL SELECT Functions
Relationship Queries
Change the Batch Size in Queries
SOQL Limits on Objects
Syndication Feed SOQL and Mapping Syntax
Location-Based SOQL Queries
Async SOQL
Salesforce Object Search Language (SOSL)
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Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL)

Use the Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL) to search your organization’s Salesforce data for specific information. SOQL is similar to the SELECT statement in the widely used Structured Query Language (SQL) but is designed specifically for Salesforce data.
With SOQL, you can construct simple but powerful query strings in several environments.
  • Using the queryString parameter of a SOAP API query() call. See query() in the SOAP API Developer Guide.
  • Using the q parameter of a REST API query request. See Query in the REST API Developer Guide.
  • Using Apex statements. See SOQL and SOSL Queries in the Apex Developer Guide.
  • Using Visualforce controllers and getter methods. See Controller Methods in the Visualforce Developer Guide.
  • Using the Salesforce CLI. See force:data:soql:query in the data Commands topic of the Salesforce CLI Command Reference.
  • Using an extension for Visual Studio Code. See Write SOQL Queries in Salesforce Extensions for Visual Studio Code.

Similar to the SELECT command in Structured Query Language (SQL), SOQL allows you to specify the source object (such as Account), a list of fields to retrieve, and conditions for selecting rows in the source object.

SOQL doesn’t support all advanced features of the SQL SELECT command. For example, you can’t use SOQL to perform arbitrary join operations, use wildcards in field lists, or use calculation expressions.

Note

SOQL uses the SELECT statement combined with filtering statements to return sets of data, which can optionally be ordered:

For example, the following SOQL query returns the value of the Id and Name field for all Account records if the value of Name is Sandy:

Apex requires that you surround SOQL and SOSL statements with square brackets to use them in your statements. You can use Apex script variables and expressions when preceded by a colon (:).

Note

For a complete description of the syntax, see SOQL SELECT Syntax.

When to Use SOQL

Use SOQL when you know which objects the data resides in, and you want to:
  • Retrieve data from a single object or from multiple objects that are related to one another.
  • Count the number of records that meet specified criteria.
  • Sort results as part of the query.
  • Retrieve data from number, date, or checkbox fields.

With archived data and big objects, you can use only some SOQL features. For more information, see SOQL with Big Objects.

Note