Creating a Territory is a sequence of dependent steps: confirm the Territory Model is in Planning state, define the territory record, configure rules and manual assignments, assign users, and activate the model.
- Open the Territory Model in Planning state
Setup, Territory Models. Open the active Planning model. New territories should be added in Planning, not Active, to avoid premature sharing changes.
- Create the Territory record
Click New Territory inside the model. Set Name (Pacific Northwest), Label (display name), Parent Territory (if part of a region tree), Territory Type, Account Access Level.
- Add Account Assignment Rules
Open the territory, Assignment Rules tab, New. Define criteria (BillingState in CA, OR, WA). Mark Active. Optionally apply to child territories.
- Assign users to the territory
Territory page, Users tab, Add User. Pick the salesperson, set the optional Role label, save. Multiple users per territory are supported.
- Run assignment rules to populate accounts
Click Run Rules at the territory level. The platform evaluates the rules against all accounts and creates ObjectTerritory2Association rows for matches. Audit the count before activation.
- Add manual account assignments if needed
For strategic accounts that should belong to the territory regardless of rules, manually assign them from the Accounts tab on the territory page. The manual flag overrides future rule changes.
- Activate the Territory Model
When the territory structure and assignments are stable, activate the Territory Model. This is the irreversible step that turns on territory-based sharing org-wide.
Display name of the territory (Pacific Northwest, Strategic Accounts EMEA). Must be unique within the parent territory.
User-facing label shown in territory pickers and reports. Defaults from Name but can be customized.
Classification used for organizational and reporting purposes. Admin-defined picklist values.
View Only, View and Edit, or Transfer Records. Applies uniformly to all accounts in the territory.
The parent model this territory belongs to. Defaults to the currently open model. Cannot be changed after creation.
- A user assigned to a parent territory inherits access to every account in every child territory. The inheritance is automatic and powerful, often unintentionally granting broad access.
- Manual account assignments are sticky. They override rule changes and persist until explicitly removed. Audit the IsManual field on ObjectTerritory2Association quarterly.
- Opportunity Territory inheritance picks the first matching account territory, which may not be what the team wants. Build a Flow on Opportunity Create to set the right territory deliberately.
- Activating a Territory Model is irreversible without rebuilding. Plan the activation timing carefully, ideally during a maintenance window.
- Territories cap at 1,000 per model and 5 levels deep. Larger organizations split the territory structure across multiple models, which then needs careful coordination.