Definition
Related List is a core Salesforce concept that supports the management of customer data and business relationships. It is commonly used across sales, service, and marketing processes to maintain a complete view of customer interactions.
Real-World Example
a business analyst at Clearwater Inc. recently implemented Related List to improve how the organization tracks relationships and interactions. By setting up Related List properly, the team gains better visibility into their customer base, which leads to more informed decisions and stronger customer relationships across the board.
Why Related List Matters
A Related List in Salesforce displays child records associated with a parent record directly on the parent's record page. For example, an Account record page shows Related Lists for Contacts, Opportunities, Cases, and Activities, all linked to that Account. Related Lists provide users with immediate context about all the related data without navigating away from the current record. They are the primary mechanism for visualizing object relationships in the UI, and admins can configure which Related Lists appear, their column layout, and sort order through page layouts and the Lightning App Builder.
As organizations create more custom objects and relationships, the number of potential Related Lists on a record page can become overwhelming. An Account page with 15+ Related Lists creates information overload and slows page load times. Admins should curate Related Lists carefully, showing only the most relevant relationships for each user profile and record type. Dynamic Related Lists (available when enabled in Record Page Settings) allow filter-based control so that, for example, only open Cases appear rather than all Cases. Organizations that thoughtfully manage their Related Lists see higher user adoption because record pages feel focused and efficient rather than cluttered.
How Organizations Use Related List
- Atlas Global Trading — Atlas configured their Account record page to show Related Lists for Open Opportunities (sorted by Close Date), Active Contracts, and Recent Cases. By removing 8 rarely-used Related Lists and keeping only these 3 critical ones, page load times improved by 40% and sales reps reported that they could find the information they needed without scrolling past irrelevant data.
- NovaStar Insurance — NovaStar's Policy record had Related Lists for Claims, Endorsements, and Premium Payments. When an agent received a call about a claim, the Claims Related List on the Policy page showed the claim number, status, and amount at a glance. Agents resolved 30% more calls on the first contact because they did not need to navigate to separate screens for claim details.
- Horizon Education — Horizon's Student record page displayed Related Lists for Enrolled Courses, Grades, Attendance, and Financial Aid. Academic advisors could review a student's complete picture during advising sessions without switching between multiple pages. The university estimated that advisors saved 8 minutes per student meeting, totaling 400 hours saved per semester across 50 advisors.