Salesforce App Builder Practice Exam

If cascade-delete isn't available for external object relationships, what does this imply?

1. Manual deletion is always required.

2. Data integrity can be compromised.

3. External relationships have different rules from internal ones.

4. It does not impact parent record deletion.

The correct answer is: External relationships have different rules from internal ones.

The statement that cascade-delete isn't available for external object relationships indicates that external relationships function under different rules compared to internal relationships. In Salesforce, internal object relationships, such as master-detail relationships, support cascade-delete functionality, which allows for automatic deletion of child records when a parent record is deleted. However, external object relationships, which typically link to data outside Salesforce (e.g., through Salesforce Connect), do not have this feature. This difference in behavior highlights a fundamental distinction between how Salesforce manages internal data versus external data. While internal relationships can have complex dependencies with automatic cascading actions, external relationships prioritize the integrity and independence of the external data source. Consequently, users need to handle deletions of external objects manually, which can impact efficiency and manageability but does not compromise data integrity or influence the ability to delete parent records. This understanding is critical for developers and administrators working with different types of data within Salesforce, as it shapes how they design their data models and manage lifecycle events for records.