Let’s discuss in more detail to know about SOSL in Salesforce so that you have a better understanding of the topic.
Salesforce Object Search Language is the full form of SOSL. Force.com has incorporated SOSL and SOQL to automatically index data, whether it is structured or unstructured. Full-text search language, also known as Salesforce object Search Language, is used for unstructured searches.
Let’s explore SOSL In Salesforce in greater detail, as indicated below:
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What is SOSL in Salesforce?
Salesforce Object Search Language is its full name. Force.com has incorporated SOSL and SOQL to automatically index data, whether it is structured or unstructured. Full-text search language, also known as Salesforce object Search Language, is used for unstructured searches.
A SOQL query is used with specific filtering requirements when a term is entered to search across various fields and objects. Depending on the objects, we must decide when to utilize SOSL and when to use SOQL.
As was previously stated, SOSL is intended for searching phrases and scopes over a variety of fields, strings, and objects. We are unsure of how to search for a certain keyword in SOSL queries or what the exact format of a search term should be. The “list of string literals and wildcards” is a search word in SOSL.
Features of SOSL
The text format data, email, and phone fields for many objects, including custom objects, that we have access to in a single query, are essentially searched or found using SOSL commands.
Let’s discuss the key features of SOSL which are given below:
- You can limit, rank, and filter the results of SOSL queries.
- These filters are applied to each sObject in the RETURNING clause since SOSL queries can return multiple sObjects.
- By inserting restrictions in the WHERE clause for an object, SOSL results can be filtered.
- An object’s results can also be ordered by selecting the ORDER BY option.
- The number of records returned can be restricted.
SOSL Query Syntax in Salesforce
Now it’s time to discuss the SOSL Query Syntax in Salesforce:
- Text search using an expression (single word or phrase)
- Fields that can be searched
- List of required fields and objects
- The criteria for choosing rows from the source objects
Here are the few queries we are going to discuss in the blog which are as follows:
It makes the searchable text (words or phrases) clearer.
The range of the fields to be searched is specified by this. More specific information about the search is provided. It could have various values:
- FIELDS OF NAME
- MESSAGE FIELDS
- CALL FIELDS
- EVERY FIELD
This information will appear in the search results. A list of one or more items may be specified after this keyword. The results will consist of all found sObjetcs’ Ids if we fail to catch this.
This establishes the maximum number of rows the query may choose to return. The default value for this argument, if left empty, is 200, which is the most rows that can be returned.
We have seen all SOSL queries in salesforce in detail, Now it’s time to discuss the difference between SOQL and SOSL.
Difference between SOQL and SOSL
Let’s see the difference between SOQL and SOSL in Salesforce:
| SOQL | SOSL |
| The SELECT keyword in SOQL, which stands for Salesforce Object Query Language, is used to obtain records from the database. If we are aware of the object in which the data is located, SOQL is employed. Data from a single item as well as several connected objects can be queried using SOQL. On any field, regardless of the data type, we can query. Classes and triggers both support SOQL. On the results of a query, we can do DML operations. | Using the FIND keyword, the Salesforce Object Search Language (SOSL) gets the records from the database. If we are unsure of which object the data is present in, SOSL is used. When the items are related to one another or not, we can efficiently obtain numerous objects and field values. Only fields with the data types text, phone, and email are available for querying. Triggers cannot be used, only in classes. DML operations cannot be carried out on search results. |
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Use Case of SOSL
Here come a few SOSL examples in salesforce which can be applied in the real-world by using this technology:
- You want to locate the data as quickly as you can but are unsure of which object or field it is located in.
- You wish to efficiently get a number of objects and fields, some of which may or may not be connected to one another.
- You want to use the division’s function of the organization to retrieve data for a certain division, and you want to do so as quickly as you can.
- When you are unsure about the object or field where the data is located, use SOSL.
- Retrieve information for a term you are aware of existing in a field. Searches using SOQL (Salesforce Object Query language) are quicker and frequently produce more accurate results.
- Retrieve information that is written in Thai, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese. For CJKT terms, morphological tokenization aids in ensuring accurate results.
Conclusion
This blog has taught you that SOQL & SOSL are excellent tools for gaining access to data in your Salesforce org. You’ll have plenty of chances to put your SOQL & SOSL knowledge to use as you develop and hone your Apex coding abilities.