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Full Primary Partner entry
How-to guide

Set the Primary Partner on an Opportunity

Flag one of the linked partners as Primary so channel reports, partner-portal visibility, and commission systems treat them as the lead collaborator for the deal.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated May 26, 2026

Flag one of the linked partners as Primary so channel reports, partner-portal visibility, and commission systems treat them as the lead collaborator for the deal.

  1. Open the Opportunity

    Navigate to the deal record. Scroll to the Partners related list. The list shows every Partner Account linked to the opportunity with their Role.

  2. Confirm the partners are linked

    Every partner who will be reported on must appear here. If a partner is missing, click New Partner and link them with the appropriate Role before setting primary.

  3. Open the partner row to edit

    Click the partner you want as primary. The OpportunityPartner detail opens with the IsPrimary checkbox visible.

  4. Check Primary

    Mark IsPrimary true. Save. Salesforce automatically unsets the flag on any previously primary partner in the same transaction.

  5. Verify the change in reports

    Open any channel-pipeline report. Confirm the opportunity now appears under the new primary partner. Refresh dashboards if needed.

  6. Document the change

    For changes mid-deal or after close, add a Chatter post on the opportunity with the reason for the change. This is your audit evidence if commission is later disputed.

Key options
IsPrimary checkboxremember

The flag on OpportunityPartner that designates the primary channel partner.

Partner Roleremember

Picklist that classifies the partner (Distributor, Reseller, System Integrator, Referral). Independent of the primary flag.

Account-to-Account relationshipremember

Background junction between the customer Account and the Partner Account; the OpportunityPartner row is created when this relationship is invoked on a deal.

Channel Sales Operations roleremember

The team owning primary-partner accuracy. Without ownership, attribution drifts.

Gotchas
  • The platform enforces exactly one primary at a time. There is no way to have zero primaries (if no partner is involved, leave the related list empty) and no way to have two.
  • Changing primary on a closed opportunity has commission implications. Most channel programs require written justification for post-close changes.
  • Partner portal visibility flips immediately when primary changes. A partner who was reading an opportunity yesterday may lose access today; communicate the change.
  • The IsPrimary flag is not visible on standard list views by default. Add it to the related-list layout so reps can see at a glance which partner is currently primary.

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