Salesforce App Builder Practice Exam

Is it possible to have multiple records with the same external ID?

1. Yes, it's standard practice.

2. No, that would defeat its purpose.

3. Only if the records are inactive.

4. Only in custom applications.

The correct answer is: No, that would defeat its purpose.

The concept of an external ID in Salesforce is specifically designed to maintain a unique identifier for records that are integrated with external systems. By definition, an external ID is intended to ensure that each record can be distinctly referenced without ambiguity. Therefore, allowing multiple records to share the same external ID would undermine this unique identification principle and lead to significant data integrity issues. It would create confusion when attempting to integrate or perform operations based on that external ID, as the system would not be able to determine which record is being referenced. In this context, the ability to have only one record per external ID is fundamental to the effective functioning of external data integration and management within Salesforce. Other options presented relate to situations or practices that would not accurately reflect the purpose or functionality of external IDs, making them less relevant in this scenario.