Force.com Fundamentals - Learn How the Cloud Makes Developing Apps 5x Faster

So far we've accomplished a fair amount—we've created the Recruiting app and built out a fully functional Position custom object with a tab and several types of fields. It's a good start, but there's more to do.

Having just one object in our Recruiting app is like having a party with just one guest—not all that interesting! We need to invite more "people" to the party by building custom objects to represent candidates, job applications, and reviews, and, even more importantly, we need to create relationships between them. Just like a party isn't all that fun if you don't know any of the other guests, an app isn't all that powerful unless its objects have links to other objects in the app. That's going to be the focus of this chapter, so let's get started!

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Introducing Relationships

So what is a relationship, and why are they important for our app? Just as a personal relationship is a two-way association between two people, in terms of relational data, a relationship is a two-way association between two objects. Without relationships, we could build out as many custom objects as we could think of, but they'd have no way of linking to one another.

For example, after building a Position object and a Job Application object, we could have lots of information about a particular position and lots of information about a particular candidate who's submitted an application for it, but there would be no way of seeing information about the job application when looking at the position record, and no way of seeing information about the position when looking at the job application record. That's just not right!

With relationships, we can make that connection and display data about other related object records on a particular record's detail page. For example, once we define a relationship between the Position and Job Application objects we just talked about, our position record can have a related list of all the job applications for candidates who have applied for the position, while a job application record can have a link to the positions for which that candidate is applying. Suddenly the "people" at our Recruiting app "party" know some of the other guests, and the app just got a lot more interesting.

Relationships Allow Information about Other Object Records to be Displayed on a Record Detail Page

Introducing Relationship Custom Fields

As we learned in Reviewing Database Concepts, we can define a relationship between two objects through the use of common fields. On the platform, we can define relationships between objects by creating a relationship custom field that associates one object with another. A relationship field is a custom field on an object record that contains a link to another record. When we place a relationship custom field on an object, we're effectively creating a many-to-one relationship between the object on which the relationship field is placed and the other object.

There are different types of relationship fields, each with different implications. The simplest and most flexible type is a lookup relationship field, which creates a simple relationship between two objects. For example, if we place a lookup relationship field on a Job Application object that references position records, many job application records can be related to a single position record. This will be reflected both with a new Position field on the job application record and with a new Job Applications related list on the position record. You can also put multiple lookup relationship fields on a single object, which means that our Job Application object can also point to a Candidate object.

A second type of relationship field, master-detail relationship, is a bit more complex, but more powerful. Master-detail relationships create a special parent-child relationship between objects: the object on which you create the master-detail relationship field is the child or "detail," and the object referenced in the field is the parent or "master." In a master-detail relationship, the ownership and sharing of detail records are determined by the master record, and when you delete the master record, all of its detail records are automatically deleted along with it. Master-detail relationship fields are always required on detail records, and once you set a master-detail relationship field's value, you cannot change it.

When do you use a master-detail relationship? If you have an object that derives its significance from another object. For example, say you have a Review custom object that contains an interviewer's feedback on a job application. If you delete a job application record, you will probably want all of its review records deleted as well, being that reviews of something that no longer exists aren't very useful. In this case, you want to create a master-detail relationship on the Review custom object with the Job Application object as the master object.

That's the sort of thing that we're going to do in this chapter. First, let's start with the really quick and easy example of putting a Hiring Manager field on our Position object—we'll create a many-to-one relationship between the Position object and the standard User object that comes with every organization, reflecting the fact that a hiring manager can be responsible for several positions at a time. Then we'll build out a few more objects and implement a more complex relationship involving positions, job applications, candidates, and reviews.

Try It Out: Relating Hiring Managers to Positions

For our first relationship, let's associate a hiring manager with a position by putting a lookup relationship field on the Position object. The lookup field will allow users to select the hiring manager for the position by selecting from all the users of the Recruiting app.

For example, if Ben Stuart, our recruiter, wants to assign Anastasia O'Toole as the hiring manager for the Benefits Specialist position, he'll be able to do so by clicking the lookup icon next to the lookup relationship field that we are going to create. Her name will then appear on the Position detail page.

To create the lookup relationship field that accomplishes this, we'll need to go back to the now familiar Position object detail page.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Position.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select Lookup Relationship, and click Next.
5. In the Related To drop-down list, choose User, and click Next.

As we've mentioned, User is a standard object that comes with all organizations on the platform. It contains information about everyone who uses the app in your organization.

1. In the Field Label text box, enter "Hiring Manager". Once you move your cursor, the Field Name text box should be automatically populated with Hiring_Manager.
2. Click Next.
3. Accept the defaults in the remaining two steps of the wizard.
4. Click Save.

Look at What We've Done

Now return to the Positions tab, and click New. The Position edit page includes a new Hiring Manager lookup field! If you click the lookup icon next to this field, you can search through all of the users of the Recruiting app and select one as the hiring manager. That user's name now appears on the position record:

Hiring Manager Lookup Relationship

As you can see, it was easy to set up this simple relationship between positions and users. And as a general rule, you'll find that relationships are pretty easy to set up.

What gets a little tricky is when we start wanting to create relationships that don't represent a simple many-to-one relationship. We'll see an example of one of those in a little bit. Right now, let's build a custom object for candidates so we'll be able to create some more relationships in our Recruiting app.

Adding Candidates to the Mix

Let's add a Candidate custom object to our app so we can manage the information about our candidates. We'll also add fields to the object, modify the page layout properties, and create a candidate record. The process for creating the Candidate custom object is almost identical to the one we followed to create the Position custom object, so we'll zip through this quickly.

Try It Out: Creating the Candidate Object

To create our Candidate custom object, navigate back to Setup | Create | Objects, click New Custom Object, and fill out the page according to the following table.

Field	Value
Label	Candidate
Plural Label	Candidates
Object Name	Candidate
Description	Represents an applicant who might apply for one or more positions
Context-Sensitive Help Setting	Open the standard Salesforce Help & Training window
Record Name	Candidate Number
Data Type	Auto Number
Display Format	C-{00000}
Starting Number	00001
Allow Reports	Yes
Allow Activities	Yes
Track Field History	Yes
Deployment Status	Deployed
Add Notes & Attachments related list to default page layout	Yes
Launch New Custom Tab Wizard after saving this custom object	Yes

To create the Candidates tab, select a Tab Style in the first step of the wizard, and then accept all the defaults until you get to the Add to Custom Apps page. On this page, select only the Recruiting App and click Save.

The Recruiting app now has three tabs: Home, Positions, and Candidates. Now let's add some custom fields to the Candidate object.

Try It Out: Adding Fields to the Candidate Object

To create custom fields on the Candidate object, click Setup | Create | Objects, and click Candidate to view its detail page. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, use the New button to create custom fields according to the following table. Where necessary, we've indicated some additional values you'll need to fill in. Otherwise, you can simply accept all defaults.

One difference you'll see in the Candidate object fields is that three of them—First Name, Last Name, and Email—have the External ID option selected. This option allows the values in these fields to be indexed for search from the sidebar of the application. If we didn't select these values as external IDs, we'd only be able to search for records based on the Candidate Number field. Setting the Email field as an external ID is also going to help us with importing data a little later in this chapter.

Data Type	Field Label	Other Values
Text	First Name	Length: 50 External ID: Selected
Text	Last Name	Length: 50 External ID: Selected
Phone	Phone
Email	Email	External ID: Selected
Text	Street	Length: 50
Text	City	Length: 50
Text	State/Province	Length: 50
Text	Zip/Postal Code	Length: 15
Text	Country	Length: 50
Text	Current Employer	Length: 50
Number	Years of Experience	Length: 2 Decimal Places: 0
Text	SSN	Length: 9
Picklist	Education	Picklist values: HS Diploma BA/BS MA/MS/MBA Ph.D. Post Doc
Checkbox	Currently Employed	Default: Checked
Checkbox	US Citizen	Default: Checked
Checkbox	Visa Required	Default: Unchecked
Phone	Mobile
Phone	Fax

Try It Out: Modifying the Candidate Page Layout Properties

To finish up with this object, let's organize all of our fields on the page layout and mark some fields as required. To do so, let's go to the Page Layout Properties page.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Candidate.
3. In the Page Layouts related list, click Edit next to the Candidate Layout.
4. Create three new double-column sections below the Information section: Address, Employment, and Additional Details. Drag the appropriate fields into them, as shown in Candidate Object Page Layout, and don't forget to click Quick Save so you can save your work as you go.
5. Set the First Name, Last Name, and Email fields to required as follows:
   1. Use CTRL+click to select all three required fields.
   2. Click the Edit Properties button.
   3. Select the Required checkbox in the Select All row, and click OK.
6. Click Save.

Your Page Layout Properties page should now look similar to the following screenshot.

Candidate Object Page Layout

Look at What We've Done

Here's a quick way to verify that you did everything correctly.

1. Click the Candidates tab.
2. Click New.
3. Create a new record for a candidate named Ethan Tran.
4. Enter a value for each of the required fields. Salesforce will not verify the email address you enter in the Email field right now, so feel free to enter a fictitious one.
5. Click Save.

How does the page layout look? Are the fields where you want them? If you were able to successfully create a new candidate record, and everything looks okay, let's move on to the Job Application object!

Bringing Candidates and Positions Together with Job Applications

Our app can track candidates and open positions, but there's a crucial element that's missing: how do we know which candidates are interested in which positions? We can create lookup relationship fields on the Candidate object that let recruiters specify the positions in which the candidate is interested, but what if we want to track additional information, such as whether the candidate is currently scheduled to interview for one of those positions? And wouldn't it be helpful if the recruiter has a way of storing the cover letters that candidates tailor for each specific job to which they are applying?

We can satisfy these requirements with a Job Application custom object that stores data about an individual candidate's application to a single position. Each time a candidate wants to apply for a position, the recruiter can create a job application record that contains the candidate's name and the position to which he or she is applying, as well as any cover letter that the candidate may have submitted specifically for that position. Recruiters will also be able to indicate the status of the candidate's application, such as whether he or she is scheduled for an interview or if the application has been rejected. After we create the Job Application object and its fields, we'll make a few small modifications to the Position, Candidate, and Job Application objects so that each position record displays the names of the candidates who have applied to it, and each candidate record displays the name of the positions to which the candidate has applied.

Try It Out: Creating the Job Application Object

You should be a pro at this by now! To create our Job Application custom object, navigate back to Setup | Create | Objects, click New Custom Object, and fill out the page according to the following table.

Field	Value
Label	Job Application
Plural Label	Job Applications
Object Name	Job_Application
Description	Represents a candidate's application to a position
Context-Sensitive Help Setting	Open the standard Salesforce Help & Training window
Record Name	Job Application Number
Data Type	Auto Number
Display Format	JA-{00000}
Starting Number	00001
Allow Reports	Yes
Allow Activities	Yes
Track Field History	Yes
Deployment Status	Deployed
Add Notes & Attachments related list to default page layout	Yes
Launch New Custom Tab Wizard after saving this custom object	Yes

To create the Job Applications tab, select a Tab Style in the first step of the wizard, and then accept all the defaults until you get to the Add to Custom Apps page. On this page, select only the Recruiting app, and then click Save.

We're now just a few custom fields away from linking the Job Application object with the Position and Candidate objects.

Try It Out: Adding Fields to the Job Application Object

Here's another procedure that we've done several times before, but this time we only need to define four custom fields instead of the nearly twenty that we built for the Candidate object. We'll need to add a text field for the candidate's cover letter, a picklist field so that we can track the application's status, and two lookup relationship fields that will create relationships between the Job Application object and the Position and Candidate objects.

Although these fields are almost identical to the ones we created earlier, you'll notice when you're defining the lookup relationship fields that there's a new step in the custom field wizard Step 6: Add Custom Related Lists. This step of the wizard is where we can specify a heading for the Job Applications related list that will show up on both the Candidate and Position detail pages.

Why didn't we see this step earlier when we created our Hiring Manager lookup field? It turns out that User is a unique standard object: it doesn't have a tab, and you cannot add related lists to it. The platform knows this, so it leaves out the related list step whenever someone adds a lookup relationship field that references the User object.

Now that we're all squared away with that small difference, let's finish up these Job Application fields. Click Setup | Create | Objects, and then click Job Application to view its detail page. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, use the New button to create custom fields according to the following table. Where necessary, we've indicated some additional values you'll need to fill in. Otherwise you can simply accept all defaults.

Data Type	Field Label	Other Values
Lookup Relationship	Candidate	Related To: Candidate Related List Label: Job Applications
Lookup Relationship	Position	Related To: Position Related List Label: Job Applications
Text Area (Long)	Cover Letter	Length: 32,000 # of Visible Lines: 6
Picklist	Status	Picklist values: New Review Resume Phone Screen Schedule Interviews Extend an Offer Hired Rejected Use first value as default value: Selected

Before we move on, there is one more important step: we need to enter a name for the child relationship that the Position field created between the Job Application and Position objects. This step is only necessary for the Position relationship field because of how we will use this relationship when we create our candidate map feature in Moving Beyond Native Apps.

To name the child relationship:

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects, and click Job Application.
2. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click Positions, then click Edit.
3. In the Child Relationship Name field, enter "Job Applications" and click Save. The Force.com saves the child relationship name as "Job_Applications"

Look at What We've Done

Tada! If you click on the new Job Applications tab and click New, you'll see the Candidate lookup field, a Position lookup field, the candidate's cover letter, and a Status picklist field.

Custom Fields on the Job Application Edit Page

But there's more! Because we've built a couple of lookup relationships, our candidate and position record detail pages now each have a new Job Applications related list. And the Job Application detail page includes links to the candidate and position records that it references. All three objects are now related and linked to one another!

Job Application Links to Position and Candidate Data

Before we move on, let's see if we can clean up the usability of our app a bit more so our users don't have to identify candidates and job applications by number when they click the lookup button in the Job Application edit page, or when they look at the Job Applications related list on the Candidate or Position detail pages.

Introducing Search Layouts

By default, all lookup dialogs and related lists that result from new relationships, such as the ones we've defined in this chapter, only display the record name or number. For example, if you go ahead and create a job application, you might find the Candidate lookup dialog a little cryptic because the only listed field is Candidate Number, as shown in the following screenshot.

Default Candidate Lookup on the Job Application Object

Likewise, the Job Applications related lists on the Position and Candidate detail pages only display a job application number. It is much more useful if these related lists also include the associated candidate's name or position.

To fix these issues, we can add fields to the search layouts for the objects that we've defined. Search layouts are ordered groups of fields that are displayed when a record is presented in a particular context, such as in search results, a lookup dialog, or a related list. By adding fields, we can give users more information and help them locate records more quickly.

The Search Layouts related list on the custom object detail page is the place to modify these sets of fields. Go to Setup | Create | Objects and select the Candidate object. You'll see that the available search layouts include the following:

Layout Name	Description
Search Results	The search results that originate from searching in the left Sidebar Search of the application or in Advanced Search.
Lookup Dialogs	The lookup dialog results that originate from clicking the button next to a lookup field on an edit page.
Tab	The list of recent records that appears on the home page of a tab, and in related lists on other object detail pages.
Search Filter Fields	The filters that can be applied to search results.

Note	The List View layout also appears in the Search Layouts related list, but it's not for specifying fields. Instead, it allows you to specify the buttons that appear on the list view page for an object.

Try It Out: Adding Fields to the Candidate Lookup Dialog

Let's add fields to our Candidate lookup dialog:

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Candidate.
3. In the Search Layouts related list, click Edit next to the Lookup Dialogs layout.

The Edit Search Layout page includes a list of available fields from the Candidate object. You can choose up to ten fields to include in the lookup dialog, and order them in any way you choose, except that the object's unique name or number field (such as Candidate Number) must be listed first.

1. Move the following fields into the Selected Fields box under Candidate Number:
   • First Name
   • Last Name
   • City
   • State/Province
   • Phone
2. Click Save.

That's it! To try it out, return to the Job Applications tab, and click New. When you click the lookup icon next to the Candidate field, the dialog is now much more useful.

Modified Candidate Lookup on the Job Application Object

Try It Out: Updating Additional Search Layouts

Now that we've updated one search layout for lookups, the rest should be easy. Use the Search Layouts related list on the custom object detail page to modify the other search layouts as described in the following table.

Object	Search Layout	Add These Fields
Candidate	Search Results Candidates Tab	Candidate Number First Name Last Name City State/Province Phone
Candidate	Search Filter Fields	Candidate Number First Name Last Name Education Years of Experience City State/Province Country Currently Employed
Position	Search Results Lookup Dialogs Positions Tab Search Filter Fields	Position Title Location Functional Area Job Level Type Hiring Manager Status Open Date Close Date
Job Application	Search Results Lookup Dialogs Job Applications Tab Search Filter Fields	Job Application Number Candidate Position Status Created Date Owner First Name Owner Last Name

Now let's create one more custom object to provide our hiring managers and interviewers with a place to enter their comments about job applications.

Managing Review Assessments

Interviewers, recruiters, and hiring managers need to be able to create reviews so that they can record their comments about each candidate's job application, and rate the candidate's suitability for the position. They also need to see the reviews posted by other people. To allow our users to perform these tasks, we'll need to create a custom Review object and relate it to the Job Application object.

The Review object has a many-to-one relationship with the Job Application object because one job application can have one or more reviews associated with it. A related list on the job application record will show the associated reviews, representing the "many" side of the relationship.

Review Has a Many-to-One Relationship with Job Application

However, instead of creating this relationship with a lookup relationship field, this time we'll use a master-detail relationship field. A master-detail relationship field makes sense in this case because reviews lose their meaning when taken out of the context of a job application, so we'll want to automatically delete reviews when we delete the job application to which they're related.

Try It Out: Creating the Review Object

To create the Review object, navigate back to Setup | Create | Objects, click New Custom Object, and fill out the page according to the following table.

Field	Value
Label	Review
Plural Label	Reviews
Object Name	Review
Description	Represents an interviewer's assessment of a particular candidate
Context-Sensitive Help Setting	Open the standard Salesforce Help & Training window
Record Name	Review Number
Data Type	Auto Number
Display Format	R-{000000}
Starting Number	000001
Allow Reports	Yes
Allow Activities	Yes
Track Field History	Yes
Deployment Status	Deployed
Add Notes & Attachments related list to default page layout	Yes
Launch New Custom Tab Wizard after saving this custom object	No

Notice that we didn't launch the tab wizard this time. Reviews don't need a tab of their own because they can be accessed via a related list on the Job Application detail page. When you create an object with a tab, the platform provides access to that object's records in various places other than just the tab, such as in search results and the Recent Items list in the sidebar area of every page. Because most Recruiting app users won't need to see reviews unless it's in the context of a job application, we don't need to create a separate tab for them.

Now let's finish up the custom fields on the Review object.

Try It Out: Adding Fields to the Review Object

Let's start out by adding the master-detail relationship field, which will relate our Review object with the Job Application object. To create the master-detail relationship field, access the Review object detail page.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Review.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select Master-Detail Relationship, and click Next.
5. In the Related To drop-down list, choose Job Application, and click Next.
6. In the Field Label text box, enter "Job Application".

Notice that the Required checkbox is automatically selected and cannot be changed. As mentioned earlier, master-detail relationship fields are always required on detail records.

1. Select the Read/Write radio button.

This sharing setting prevents people from creating, editing, or deleting a review unless they can also create, edit, or delete the associated job application. We'll learn all about sharing and security in the next chapter.

1. Click Next.
2. Accept the defaults in the remaining three steps of the wizard.
3. Click Save.

Your master-detail relationship is complete! Now that it's in place, let's think about the other types of fields that would be useful to people looking at a review record.

Most likely, you are going to want to see the name of the candidate and the position for which they are being reviewed. We could create a lookup relationship to the Position and Candidate objects, and then require reviewers to enter those fields when creating a review record, but what if they select the wrong value? Besides, wouldn't it be better if these fields were somehow automatically populated?

To solve this, we'll tap into the synergy of formulas and relationships to create cross-object formulas. Cross-object formulas are formulas that span two or more objects by referencing merge fields from related records. This means that formulas on our Review object can access fields on the Job Application object, and formulas on the Job Application object can access fields on both the Position and Candidate objects. We're going to take it even one step further by creating formula fields on our Review object that span the Job Application object to reference fields on the Candidate and Position objects. You'll quickly discover that using related data is much easier than it sounds!

Let's begin by building a formula field on the Review object that references the title of the position on the review's parent job application record.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Review.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select the Formula data type, and click Next.
5. In the Field Label field, enter "Position". Once you move your cursor, the Field Name text box should be automatically populated with Position.
6. Select the Text formula return type and click Next.
7. Click the Insert Field button.
8. Select Review in the first column.

When you choose Review, the second column displays all of the Review object's fields as well as its related objects, which are denoted by a greater-than sign (>). Notice that the Created By and Last Modified By fields also have greater-than signs. This is because these are lookup fields to the User object.

1. Select Job Application > in the second column. The third column displays the fields of the Job Application object.
2. Select Position > in the third column. The fourth column displays the fields of the Position object.

Be sure that you select Position > (with the greater than sign) and not Position. The one with the greater-than sign is the Position object, while the one without the greater than sign is the Position lookup field on the Job Application object. In most cases, formulas that access lookup fields return a cryptic record ID. Instead, we want our formula to return the position's title.

1. Choose Position Title in the fourth column.
2. Click Insert.

Your formula now looks like this:

Job_Application__r.Position__r.Name

The formula spans to the review's related job application (Job_Application__r), then to the job application's related position (Position__r), and finally references the position's title (Name). Notice that each part of the formula is separated by a period, and that the relationship names consist of the related object followed by __r.

1. Click Next.
2. Accept all remaining field-level security and page layout defaults.
3. Click Save.

That wraps up our first cross-object formula field. Let's try another. This time, we'll add a cross-object formula field on our Review object that displays the first and last names of the candidate being reviewed. We'll also up the ante by using the HYPERLINK function so that users can access the candidate's record by clicking the field.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Review.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select the Formula data type, and click Next.
5. In the Field Label field, enter "Candidate". Once you move your cursor, the Field Name text box should be automatically populated with Candidate.
6. Select the Text formula return type and click Next.
7. From the Functions list, double-click HYPERLINK.

The HYPERLINK function lets you create a hyperlink to any URL or record in Salesforce. The text of the hyperlink can differ from the URL itself, which is useful here because we want our hyperlink to display the first and last names of the candidate while the URL points to the candidate record itself.

1. Delete url from the HYPERLINK function you just inserted, but leave your cursor there.
2. Click the Insert Field button, and select Review >, Job Application >, Candidate >, Record ID, and click Insert.

Salesforce generates a unique ID for every record. By inserting the record ID of the candidate in our HYPERLINK function, we're enabling our formula field to locate and link to the candidate's record.

1. Delete friendly_name from the HYPERLINK function, but leave your cursor there.
2. Click the Insert Field button, and select Review >, Job Application >, Candidate >, First Name, then click Insert.
3. Enter a space, then click the Insert Operator button and choose Concatenate.

The Concatenate operator inserts an ampersand (&) in your formula, and joins the values on either side of the ampersand. Here we're going to use the Concatenate operator to join the first and last names of the candidate in a single field, even though they are stored in separate fields on the Candidate object. The Concatenate operator also lets us insert a space between the two names, as you'll see in the next step.

1. Enter another space, then type a blank space enclosed in quotes, like this:

   " "

   This appends a blank space after the first name of the candidate.
2. Enter a space, then click the Insert Operator button and choose Concatenate once more to add a second ampersand in your formula.
3. Click the Insert Field button, and select Review >, Job Application >, Candidate >, Last Name, then click Insert.
4. Delete [ target ] from the HYPERLINK function. This is an optional parameter that isn't necessary for our formula field.
5. Click Check Syntax to check your formula for errors. Your finished formula should look like this:

   HYPERLINK
        ( Job_Application__r.Candidate__r.Id , 
        Job_Application__r.Candidate__r.First_Name__c 
        &
        " " 
        & 
        Job_Application__r.Candidate__r.Last_Name__c )

6. Click Next.
7. Accept all remaining field-level security and page layout defaults.
8. Click Save.

Whew! That one required a little more thought, but using a bit of brainpower here has tremendously improved the usability of our app, which you'll see in a moment when we test our changes to the Review object. Before we start testing, though, let's quickly add two more easy fields to finish our Review object. We need a text area field for the reviewer's assessment, and a number field in which the reviewer can give the candidate a numeric score.

Go to Setup | Create | Objects and select the Review object. Use the New button in the Custom Fields & Relationships related list to create the remaining custom fields for the Review object according to the following table. Where necessary, we've indicated some additional values you'll need to fill in. Otherwise, accept all defaults.

Data Type	Field Label	Other Values
Text Area (Long)	Assessment	Length: 32,000 # of Visible Lines: 6
Number	Rating	Length: 1 Always require a value in this field in order to save a record Help text: "Enter a 1-5 rating of the candidate."

When you're done, add a quick validation rule to ensure that the Ratings field only accepts the numbers 1 through 5. This will keep our review rating system consistent throughout our organization.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Review.
3. In the Validation Rules related list, click New.
4. In the Rule Name text box, enter "Rating_Scale_Rule".
5. Select the Active checkbox.
6. In the Description text box, enter "Rating must be from 1 to 5."
7. Enter the following error condition formula:

   (Rating__c < 0) || (Rating__c > 6)

   This formula prevents the record from being saved if the value of the Rating field is less than one or greater than five.
8. In the Error Message text box, enter "Invalid rating. Rating must be from 1 to 5."
9. Next to the Error Location field, select the Field radio button, and then choose Rating from the drop-down list.
10. Click Save.

Our Review object is complete! We've added several features that will help users access the data they need in order to asses each job application. There's just one more easy improvement we need to streamline our job application review process. It involves returning to our Job Application object and taking advantage of one of the benefits we gain by using a master-detail relationship.

Introducing Roll-Up Summary Fields

The rating system we created on the Review object lets users quickly see each reviewer's opinion of the candidate's suitability for the position. While each individual opinion is important, it would be even better to see these ratings compiled in a way that summarizes how the candidate did overall. For example, wouldn't it be great if we could have a Total Rating field on each Job Application record that shows the sum of all the job application's review ratings?

The good news is that we can! A simple roll-up summary field on the Job Application object can summarize data from a set of related detail records and automatically display the output on a master record. Use roll-up summary fields to display the sum, minimum, or maximum value of a field in a related list, or the record count of all records listed in a related list.

Try It Out: Creating Roll-Up Summary Fields

Begin creating your roll-up summary just as you create any other custom field:

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Job Application.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select the Roll-Up Summary data type, and click Next.

When creating a field on an object that is not the master in a master-detail relationship, the Roll-Up Summary data type is not available. This is because roll-up summary fields are only available on the master object in a master-detail relationship.

1. In the Field Label field, enter "Total Rating". Once you move your cursor, the Field Name text box should be automatically populated with Total_Rating.
2. Click Next.
3. In the Summarized Object drop-down list, choose Reviews.
4. Under Select Roll-Up Type, select SUM.
5. In the Field to Aggregate drop-down list, select Rating.
6. Leave All records should be included in the calculation selected, and click Next.
7. Accept all remaining field-level security and page layout defaults.
8. Click Save.

Now our job application records aggregate the ratings of their related reviews. This data could be a little deceptive, though, since some job applications might get reviewed more than others. It would be more helpful if we could see the average rating.

Roll-up summary fields themselves don't allow you to average values together, but you can use them in formulas that do. Let's create a second roll-up summary field on the Job Application object, and then build a simple formula field that uses both roll-up summary fields to find the average rating.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Job Application.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select the Roll-Up Summary data type, and click Next.
5. In the Field Label field, enter "Number of Reviews". Once you move your cursor, the Field Name text box should be automatically populated with Number_of_Reviews.
6. Click Next.
7. In the Summarized Object drop-down list, choose Reviews.
8. Under Select Roll-Up Type, select COUNT.

We don't need to specify a Field to Aggregate this time since we're just counting the number of related detail records and are not interested in any specific field.

1. Leave All records should be included in the calculation selected, and click Next.
2. Accept all remaining field-level security and page layout defaults.
3. Click Save.

Both roll-up summary fields are in place now. Let's build a formula field called Average Rating that divides the value of the first roll-up summary field by the value of the second.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Job Application.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select the Formula data type, and click Next.
5. In the Field Label field, enter "Average Rating". Once you move your cursor, the Field Name text box should be automatically populated with Average_Rating.
6. Select the Number formula return type and click Next.
7. Click the Insert Field button.
8. Select Job Application >, then Total Rating, and click Insert.
9. Click the Insert Operator button and choose Divide.
10. Click the Insert Field button again.
11. Choose Job Application >, then Number of Ratings, and click Insert. Your formula should look like this:

    Total_Rating__c / Number_of_Reviews__c

12. Click Next.
13. Accept the defaults in the remaining three steps of the wizard.
14. Click Save.

That wraps up all the fields and relationships we need to manage our reviews. Let's quickly organize the presentation of our fields and then test everything we've created.

Try It Out: Customizing the Review Object's Page and Search Layouts

First, let's update the page layout of the Review object so that the Assessment text field is in a single column section of the same name.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Review.
3. In the Page Layouts related list, click Edit next to Review Layout.
4. Click Create New Section and define a new one-column section named "Assessment".
5. Move the Assessment section just below the Information section, and put the Assessment and Rating fields in it.
6. Click Save.

Now, let's configure our Review search layouts so that reviews are always displayed with the associated job application, position, and candidate.

1. In the Search Layouts related list on the Review object detail page, click Edit next to Lookup Dialogs and add the following fields:
   • Review Number
   • Rating
   • Job Application
   • Candidate
   • Position
   • Created Date
2. Repeat for the Search Filter Fields layout.

To update the Reviews related list that appears on the Job Application detail page, we'll have to edit the related list directly on the Job Application page layout. This is different from how we added fields to the Job Application related list on the position and candidate detail pages because the Review object doesn't have an associated tab, and therefore, doesn't have a tab search layout. Remember—the tab search layout is responsible for both the fields that appear in the list on the tab home page and the default fields that appear in related lists on other object detail pages.

Note

The tab search layout is responsible for the fields in the related list layout only if the related list properties have not been modified on other objects' page layouts. For example, if you modify the properties of the Job Application related list on the Position page layout, those changes will always override the field specifications of the Job Application tab search layout.

Because the Review object doesn't have a tab search layout, we have to set those fields another way.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Job Application.
3. In the Page Layouts related list, click Edit next to Job Application Layout.
4. Scroll down to the Related List Section, select Reviews and click Edit Properties.
5. Add the following fields to the Selected Fields box:
   • Review Number
   • Rating
   • Candidate
   • Position
   • Created Date
6. From the Sort By drop-down list, choose Review Number.
7. Click OK.
8. Click Save on the page layout edit page.

Look at What We've Done

Terrific! Let's go see what we've made:

1. Click the Job Applications tab and select a record, or create one if you haven't already.

Tip	When you use the Candidate and Position lookup dialogs as you're creating a job application record, note that, by default, they only display the most recently viewed records. You can locate additional records by using the search box, which returns records based on the Candidate Number or Position Title fields, respectively.
Use the * wildcard with other characters to improve your search results. For example, searching on C* returns every candidate record. Likewise, searching on *e returns all position records that include the letter 'e' in the title.

After the job application is created, notice that the Reviews related list now appears on the Job Application detail page. That's because we related the Review object to the Job Application object with a master-detail relationship.

1. In the Reviews related list, click New Review to create a review.

Do you see how the platform automatically filled in the job application number in the review's edit page? That's one of the small, but important, benefits of using the platform to build an application like this—not only is it easy to create links and relationships between objects, but the platform anticipates what we're doing and helps us accomplish our task with as few clicks as possible.

1. Complete the fields on the review, and click Save.

Notice that the name of the candidate and the title of the position appear on the review detail page. If you click the candidate's name, his or her record displays.

Go ahead and click around the rest of the app, creating a few more positions, job applications, candidates, and reviews. Pretty neat, huh? Our data is all interconnected, and our edits to the search layouts allow us to view details of several related objects all at once.

Creating a Many-to-Many Relationship

Our Recruiting app now has quite a few many-to-one relationships, but what if we needed to create a many-to-many relationship? For example, what if we have an object that stored information about various employment websites, and we wanted to track which open positions we posted to those sites? This would require a many-to-many relationship because:

• One position could be posted on many employment websites.
• One employment website could list many positions.

Here's where we get a little creative. Instead of creating a relationship field on the Position object that directly links to the Employment Website object, we can link them using a junction object. A junction object is a custom object with two master-detail relationships, and is the key to making a many-to-many relationship.

For our app, we're going to create a junction object called Job Posting. A job posting fits into the space between positions and employment websites—one position can be posted many times, and one employment website can have many job postings, but a job posting always represents a posting about a single position on a single employment website. In essence, the Job Posting object has a many-to-one relationship with both the Position and the Employment Website objects, and through those many-to-one relationships, we'll have a many-to-many relationship between the Position and Employment Website objects.

Tip

In many apps, the sole purpose of a junction object is to simply relate two objects, so it often makes sense to give the junction object a name that indicates the association or relationship it creates. For example, if you wanted to use a junction object to create a many-to-many relationship between bugs and cases, you could name the junction object BugCaseAssociation.

Let's look at a typical scenario at Universal Containers. There are open positions for a Project Manager and a Sr. Developer. The Project Manager position is only posted on Monster.com, but the Sr. Developer position is more difficult to fill, so it's posted on both Monster.com and Dice. Every time a position is posted, a job posting record tracks the post. As you can see in the following diagram, one position can be posted many times, and both positions can be posted to the same employment website.

Using a Job Posting Object to Create a Many-to-Many Relationship Between Positions and Employment Websites

In relational database terms, each job posting record is a row in the Job Posting table consisting of a foreign key to a position record and a foreign key to an employment website record. The following entity relationship diagram shows this relationship.

Entity Relationship Diagram for the Position, Job Posting, and Employment Website Objects

Consequently, in order to define a many-to-many relationship between the Position and Employment Website objects, we'll need to create a Job Posting object with the following fields:

• A Position master-detail relationship
• An Employment Website master-detail relationship

Let's get started.

Try It Out: Creating the Employment Website Object

To create our Employment Website custom object, navigate back to Setup | Create | Objects, click New Custom Object, and fill out the page according to the following table.

Field	Value
Label	Employment Website
Plural Label	Employment Websites
Object Name	Employment_Website
Description	Information about a particular employment website
Context-Sensitive Help Setting	Open the standard Salesforce Help & Training window
Record Name	Employment Website Name
Data Type	Text
Allow Reports	Yes
Allow Activities	Yes
Track Field History	Yes
Deployment Status	Deployed
Add Notes & Attachments related list to default page layout	Yes
Launch New Custom Tab Wizard after saving this custom object	Yes

To create the Employment Website tab, select a Tab Style in the first step of the wizard, and then accept all the defaults until you get to the Add to Custom Apps page. On this page, select only the Recruiting App, and then click Save.

Let's wrap up the Employment Website object by adding a few custom fields.

Try It Out: Adding the URL Field to the Employment Website Object

Obviously, the Employment Website object needs to store the Web address of the employment website. We'll use the URL data type for this field. That way, when users click the field, the URL will open in a separate browser window. In addition to the URL, since most employment websites charge per posting, we'll want to keep track of how much it costs to post there, as well as our maximum budget for posting on the site.

Click Setup | Create | Objects, and then click Employment Website to view its detail page. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, use the New button to create custom fields according to the following table. Where necessary, we've indicated some additional values you'll need to fill in. Otherwise you can simply accept all defaults.

Data Type	Field Label	Other Values
URL	Web Address	Required
Currency	Price Per Post	Length: 5 Decimal Places: 2 Required
Currency	Maximum Budget	Length: 6 Decimal Places: 2 Required

Try It Out: Creating the Job Posting Object

Now it's time to create our Job Posting junction object! Navigate back to Setup | Create | Objects, click New Custom Object, and fill out the page according to the following table.

Field	Value
Label	Job Posting
Plural Label	Job Posting
Object Name	Job_Posting
Description	Represents the junction object between a position and an employment website
Context-Sensitive Help Setting	Open the standard Salesforce Help & Training window
Record Name	Job Posting Number
Data Type	Auto Number
Display Format	JP-{00000}
Starting Number	00001
Allow Reports	Yes
Allow Activities	Yes
Track Field History	Yes
Deployment Status	Deployed
Add Notes & Attachments related list to default page layout	Yes
Launch New Custom Tab Wizard after saving this custom object	No

That was simple enough, but we're not quite done. We need to create the master-detail relationship fields that relate the Job Posting object with the Position and Employment Website objects.

Try It Out: Adding Fields to the Job Posting Object

To turn the Job Posting object into the junction object that relates the Position and Employment Website objects, we'll need to add two master-detail relationship fields. The first master-detail relationship will be the primary relationship. The detail and edit pages of our junction object (Job Posting) will use the color and any associated icon of the primary master object (Position). In addition, the junction object records will inherit the value of the Owner field and sharing settings from their associated primary master record.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Job Posting.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select Master-Detail Relationship, and click Next.
5. In the Related To drop-down list, choose Position, and click Next.
6. In the Field Label text box, enter "Position". When you move your cursor, the Field Name text box should be automatically populated with Position as well.
7. Accept the remaining defaults, and click Next until you reach the final step of the wizard.

Here, we are given the chance to add the Job Postings related list to the Position object page layout. Instead of displaying information about related job postings, we want this list to show all the employment websites where this position is posted. So let's add the Job Posting related list, but rename it "Employment Websites".

1. In the Related List Label text box, enter "Employment Websites".
2. Accept the other defaults and click Save & New.

We're halfway through the creation of our many-to-many relationship. The next step is to create a second master-detail relationship on the Job Posting object to link it with the Employment Website object.

The second master-detail relationship creates a secondary relationship. Unlike the primary relationship, the secondary relationship has no affect on the look and feel of the junction object. However, just as in the primary relationship, the sharing settings of the master record in the secondary relationship also affect who can access the junction record, and deleting a record of the secondary master object will automatically delete its associated junction object records. So in our app, if you delete an employment website record, all of its associated job posting records are deleted as well, even if the position is open.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Job Posting.
3. In the Custom Fields & Relationships related list, click New.
4. Select Master-Detail Relationship, and click Next.
5. In the Related To drop-down list, choose Employment Website, and click Next.
6. In the Field Label text box, enter "Employment Website". When you move your cursor, the Field Name text box should be automatically populated with Employment_Website as well.
7. Click Next. Because we are creating a master-detail relationship, these settings cannot be changed.
8. Click Next. These settings cannot be changed as well.
9. Click Next to view the final step of the wizard.

This time we are given the chance to add the Job Postings related list to Employment Website object page layout. We'll eventually configure this related list to show all the positions that are posted on this website, so let's add the Job Postings related list but rename it "Positions".

1. In the Related List Label text box, enter "Positions".
2. Accept the other defaults and click Save.

Now our many-to-many relationship is complete! Or is it?

While we have an Employment Websites related list on the Position object and a Positions related list on the Employment Websites object, both related lists still display job posting records. This won't do.

In order to achieve our goal of listing multiple positions on an employment website record and multiple employment websites on a position record, we need to customize the fields in these related lists.

Customizing Related Lists in a Many-to-Many Relationship

The capability to customize related lists in a many-to-many relationship is more robust than the capability to customize related lists in a lookup relationship. When you have a lookup relationship between two objects (like the one we created between the Job Application and Candidate objects), the related list on one object can only display fields from the object to which it is directly related; it cannot span to other objects the way formulas can. For example, the Job Applications related list on a candidate record can display any job application field, but it can't display any fields from the Position object, even though the Job Application object has lookup relationships with both the Candidate and Position objects.

Fortunately for us, many-to-many relationships allow for greater flexibility. When working with a many-to-many relationship, the junction object's related list on one master object can display the other master object's fields. We're going to take advantage of this by configuring the Positions related list on each employment website record to display fields from the Position object and vice versa, thus allowing these two objects to span to each other. It's all coming together now!

Try It Out: Customizing the Positions and Employment Websites Related Lists

Let's start by modifying the Employment Websites related list on the Position object.

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Position.
3. In the Page Layouts related list, click Edit next to the Position Layout.
4. Scroll down to the Related List Section and double-click on Employment Websites.

In the popup window that appears, you'll notice the Available Fields column lists fields from both the Job Posting object and the Employment Website object. If there wasn't a master-detail relationship between job postings and employment websites, the Available Fields column list would only list job posting fields.

1. Move the Employment Website: Employment Website and Employment Website: Web Address fields to the Selected Fields column, and use the up and down arrows to arrange the fields in the following order:
   • Employment Website: Employment Website
   • Employment Website: Web Address
   • Job Posting: Job Number
2. Click OK.
3. A message appears reminding you to save your page layout. Click OK.
4. Click Save on the page layout.

Now do the same for the Positions related list on the Employment Website object as follows:

1. Click Setup | Create | Objects.
2. Click Employment Website.
3. In the Page Layouts related list, click Edit next to the Employment Website Layout.
4. Scroll down to the Related List Section and double-click Positions.
5. Move the following fields to the Selected Fields column, and use the up and down arrows to arrange them in the following order:
   • Position: Title
   • Job Posting: Job Number
   • Position: Functional Area
   • Position: Location
   • Position: Open Date
6. Click OK.
7. A message appears reminding you to save your page layout. Click OK.
8. Click Save on the page layout.

Look at What We've Done

Our many-to-many relationship is complete! Let's see it in action.

1. Create a few sample position and employment website records.
2. Scroll down to the Employment Websites related list at the bottom of any position record, and click New Job Posting. The Job Posting edit page appears.
3. Use the lookup icon to select the employment website where you want to post the position, and click Save.

The Employment Websites related list on that position now shows the name and Web address of the website to which you just posted, as well as the job posting number. Click the name of the employment website in the related list and scroll down to view the Positions related list, which shows all the positions posted to that website.

Now you know how easy it is to make related information just a click away!

Putting it All Together

We just created several objects and a lot of relationships. The following simple diagram shows us what we've accomplished so far.

Recruiting App Relationships

All of these relationships, objects, and fields are shown below in an entity relationship diagram. An entity relationship diagram (ERD) is a conceptual representation of structured data, and is especially useful for planning and understanding an app.

Recruiting App Entity Relationship Diagram

We've now built all of our Recruiting app objects and tabs, and we've defined lots of custom fields—everything from text fields and picklists to more complex formula fields and lookup relationship fields. We've created a robust user interface so that our recruiters and hiring managers can enter and retrieve data about positions and related candidates, job applications, and reviews, and we did all of this without writing a single line of code!

Remember when we assigned Clark Kentman as the hiring manager for the Benefits Specialist position? Let's look at what Clark can do now: He can create and update his positions, and track which websites he's posted them on. He can look at details about any candidates who have applied for the Benefits Specialist job, and he can review their related job applications. He can also check the status of the job applications. He no longer has to go to Human Resources to search through Microsoft Word documents and spreadsheets to manage his tasks in the hiring process. The Recruiting app is well on its way to becoming a fully-functional and useful application!

However, before we leave this chapter behind, let's get ourselves prepared for the rest of this book by creating and importing some real data. It'll help us when we get to our next chapter on security and sharing if we have some records that we can work with.

Try It Out: Downloading Sample Data

In addition to entering data via our tabbed pages, we can also use the handy Import Wizard to import multiple records at a time. The ability to easily import data into your custom objects is one of the Force.com's key benefits. Let's download some sample data so we can add more records to our custom objects without tons of typing.

1. Download the RecruitingApp-3_0.zip file containing the sample CSV (comma-separated values) import files from http://wiki.apexdevnet.com/index.php/Force_Platform_Fundamentals.
2. Extract the zip file to C:\dev\recruiting (or any directory on your computer).
3. Go to C:\dev\recruiting. This directory contains three CSV files: Positions.csv, Candidates.csv, and JobApplications.csv. (The directory also contains one other file that you'll use later when we build composite components for our app in Moving Beyond Native Apps.)

Before we import anything, we need to make a modification to the import file for positions. The sample Positions.csv you downloaded contains fictional users in the Hiring Manager column. The names of these users most likely won't match any user in your organization, and if you import the file "as is," the Import Wizard won't be able to find any matching users, and the Hiring Manager field on each position record will be left blank. So let's go ahead and make that change.

1. Go to C:\dev\recruiting, and open Positions.csv in Excel, a text editor, or any other program that can read CSV files.
2. In the Hiring Manager column, replace the fictional users with the first and last name of a user in your organization.
3. Save the file, making sure to maintain the CSV format.

Note	If your locale isn't English (United States), the date and field values in Positions.csv are also invalid. You'll need to change them before you import.

Try It Out: Using the Import Wizard

Now, let's walk through the process of importing position records using the Import Wizard and the Positions.csv file you downloaded.

1. Click Setup | Data Management | Import Custom Objects.
2. Click Start the Import Wizard!. The Import Wizard appears.
3. Select Position for the type of record you're importing, and click Next.
4. Choose Yes to prevent duplicate position records from being created as a result of this import. Accept the other defaults for matching, and click Next.
5. Select None for the record owner field. We didn't include a User field in the CSV file to designate record owners. The Import Wizard assigns you as the owner of all new records.
6. Choose the Hiring Manager lookup relationship field so you can link position records with existing User records in the Recruiting app, and click Next.
7. Select Name as the field you want to match against as the Import Wizard compares Hiring Manager names in your import file with User names in the system, and click Next.
8. Click Browse, and find C:\dev\recruiting\Positions.csv. Click Next.
9. Use the drop-down lists to specify the Salesforce fields that correspond to the columns in your import file. For your convenience, identically matching labels are automatically selected. Click Next.
10. Click Import Now!

Use the following table to repeat the import process for candidate records. You'll notice the wizard skips the two steps about lookup relationship field matching—because the Candidate object doesn't have any lookup relationship fields, the Import Wizard automatically leaves those steps out.

For this wizard step...	Select these options...
1. Choose Record	Candidate
2. Prevent Duplicates	No—insert all records in my import file
3. Specify Relationships	None
4. File Upload	Browse to C:\dev\recruiting\Candidates.csv
5. Field Mapping	Accept all defaults
6. Verify Import Settings	Click Import Now!

Finally let's do it one more time for job application records. In this iteration, we're going to make use of the Email field, an external ID on the Candidate object, to match up job applications with the correct candidate records.

For this wizard step...	Select these options...
1. Choose Record	Job Application
2. Prevent Duplicates	No—insert all records in my import file
3. Specify Relationships	Which user field...? None Which lookup fields...? Candidate, Position
4. Define Lookup Matching	Which field on Candidate...? Email (External ID) Which field on Position...? Position Title
5. File Upload	Browse to C:\dev\recruiting\Job_Applications.csv
6. Field Mapping	Email (col 0): Candidate Position Title (col 1): Position
7. Verify Import Settings	Click Import Now!

Great! While the files are importing, you can go to Setup | Monitoring | Imports to check on their status.

Once the import operations have completed, return to the Positions, Candidates, or Job Applications tab and click Go! next to the View drop-down list. You'll see a list of all the new records you just imported.

We've just added a bunch of data to our app without a lot of work. In the next chapter, we'll take a look at all the ways we can control access to this data using the built-in tools of the platform. We'll get into the nitty-gritty about security, sharing rules, permissions, roles, and profiles.

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