Definition
An Indirect Lookup Relationship is a relationship type used with Salesforce Connect that links a child external object to a parent standard or custom Salesforce object by matching values in a unique External ID field on the parent, rather than matching on Salesforce Record IDs. This is specifically designed for scenarios where external data does not contain Salesforce record IDs, enabling seamless integration of external data sources.
Real-World Example
Consider a scenario where a business analyst at Clearwater Inc. is working with Indirect Lookup Relationship to improve how the organization tracks relationships and interactions. By setting up Indirect Lookup Relationship properly, the team gains better visibility into their customer base, which leads to more informed decisions and stronger customer relationships across the board.
Why Indirect Lookup Relationship Matters
An Indirect Lookup Relationship is a relationship type used with Salesforce Connect that links a child external object to a parent standard or custom Salesforce object. Unlike a standard lookup that uses Salesforce Record IDs, indirect lookups match on a unique External ID field on the parent Salesforce object. This is necessary because the external data (the child) doesn't contain Salesforce record IDs; it contains its own external identifiers that need to be matched against the Salesforce parent.
Indirect Lookups complement External Lookups (where the parent is the external object). Together, they enable bidirectional relational integration between Salesforce data and external systems through Salesforce Connect. A typical pattern: Account in Salesforce has an External ID field with the customer code from the source system; an external object representing orders from the source system has an indirect lookup to Account using the customer code as the matching key. Users can then navigate from Salesforce Accounts to their associated external orders through the relationship.
How Organizations Use Indirect Lookup Relationship
- •TerraForm Tech — Uses Indirect Lookups to link external order data (from their ERP) back to Salesforce Account records using customer codes as matching keys.
- •NovaScale — Built indirect lookups from external invoice records to Salesforce Accounts, letting users navigate from Account pages to live invoice data without sync.
- •CodeBridge — Distinguishes External Lookups (when external is parent) from Indirect Lookups (when Salesforce is parent and external is child) when designing data models.