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
SELECT
TYPEOF
USING SCOPE
WHERE
Comparison Operators
Logical Operators
Date Formats and Date Literals in WHERE
Filter on Polymorphic Relationship Fields
Query Multi-Select Picklists
Use null in WHERE
WITH
GROUP BY
HAVING
ORDER BY
LIMIT
OFFSET
FOR VIEW and and FOR REFERENCE
UPDATE
SET OPTIONS
FOR UPDATE
SOQL SELECT Examples
SOQL SELECT Functions
Relationship Queries
Change the Batch Size in Queries
SOQL Object Limits and Limitations
Syndication Feed SOQL and Mapping Syntax
Location-Based SOQL Queries
Considerations for Querying Currency Data Using SOQL
Salesforce Object Search Language (SOSL)
PDF

Query Multi-Select Picklists

You can search for individual values in multi-select picklists, which are regularly used in client applications.

Client applications use a specific syntax for querying multi-select picklists, which allows selection of multiple items . In API version 39.0 and later, query for picklist values by the value’s API name, which can be different from the actual value.

The following operators are supported for querying multi-select picklists:

Operator Description
= Equals the specified string.
!= Does not equal the specified string.
includes Contains the specified string.
excludes Does not contain the specified string.
; Specifies AND for two or more strings. Use ; for multi-select picklists when two or more items must be selected. For example:
1'AAA;BBB'

Examples

The following query filters on values in the MSP1__c field that are equal to AAA and BBB selected (exact match):

1SELECT Id, MSP1__c FROM CustObj__c WHERE MSP1__c = 'AAA;BBB'

In the following query:

1SELECT Id, MSP1__c from CustObj__c WHERE MSP1__c includes ('AAA;BBB','CCC')

the query filters on values in the MSP1__c field that contains either of these values:

  • AAA and BBB selected.
  • CCC selected.

A match will result on any field value that contains 'AAA' and 'BBB' or any field that contains 'CCC'. For example, the following will be matched:

  • matches with ' AAA;BBB':
1    'AAA;BBB'
2             'AAA;BBB;DDD'
  • matches with ' CCC':
1    'CCC'
2             'CCC;EEE'
3                      'AAA;CCC'