ERD Conventions for sf-diagram

ERD Conventions for sf-diagram

Standardized conventions for Salesforce data model diagrams with object type indicators, LDV markers, OWD annotations, and relationship type labels.

Object Type Indicators

Examples

Account [STD]         → Standard Salesforce object
Invoice__c [CUST]     → Custom object
SAP_Product__x [EXT]  → External object via Salesforce Connect

LDV (Large Data Volume) Indicator

Objects with >2M records should display an LDV indicator to highlight potential performance considerations.

Query Record Count

sf data query --query "SELECT COUNT() FROM Account" --target-org myorg --json

In Diagram

erDiagram format (in entity description):

Account {
    Id Id PK "[STD] LDV[~4M]"
    Text Name "Required"
}

Flowchart format (in node label):

Account["Account<br/>LDV[~4M]"]

OWD (Org-Wide Default) Display

Display sharing model on entities to show default record access levels.

Query OWD

sf sobject describe --sobject Account --target-org myorg --json | jq '.result.sharingModel'

Common OWD Patterns

Relationship Type Labels

Distinguish between Lookup and Master-Detail relationships for understanding data dependencies.

In erDiagram Syntax

erDiagram
    Account ||--o{ Contact : "LK - has many"
    Account ||--o{ Invoice__c : "MD - owns"

In Flowchart Syntax

flowchart TB
    Account -->|"LK"| Contact
    Account ==>|"MD"| Invoice

Cardinality Notation (Crow's Foot)

Standard ERD cardinality symbols:

Common Salesforce Patterns

erDiagram
    %% One Account has many Contacts (optional)
    Account ||--o{ Contact : "has many"

    %% One Opportunity has many Line Items (optional)
    Opportunity ||--o{ OpportunityLineItem : "contains"

    %% Contact required for OpportunityContactRole
    Contact ||--|{ OpportunityContactRole : "plays role"

    %% Self-referential (Account hierarchy)
    Account ||--o{ Account : "parent of"

Entity Metadata Row Pattern

Add a special metadata row in erDiagram entities to consolidate annotations:

erDiagram
    Account {
        Id Id PK "[STD]"
        Text Name "Required"
        Lookup ParentId FK "Account (Self)"
        Text __metadata__ "LDV[~4M] | OWD:Private"
    }

Note: The __metadata__ row is a convention for displaying object-level info within the erDiagram entity block.

Color Palette for ERD

Entity Colors (for Flowchart ERD)

Subgraph Colors (for Grouping)

Style Declarations

%% Standard Object - Sky Blue
style Account fill:#bae6fd,stroke:#0369a1,color:#1f2937

%% Custom Object - Orange
style Invoice fill:#fed7aa,stroke:#c2410c,color:#1f2937

%% External Object - Green
style SAP_Product fill:#a7f3d0,stroke:#047857,color:#1f2937

%% Subgraph - Standard group
style std fill:#f0f9ff,stroke:#0369a1,stroke-dasharray:5

Query Commands Reference

Batch Query Script

Use the provided Python script for efficient metadata queries:

python3 ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/sf-skills/sf-diagram-mermaid/scripts/query-org-metadata.py \
    --objects Account,Contact,Lead,Opportunity,Case \
    --target-org myorg \
    --output table

Manual Queries

Record Count (LDV):

sf data query --query "SELECT COUNT() FROM Account" --target-org myorg --json

OWD Setting:

sf sobject describe --sobject Account --target-org myorg --json | jq '.result.sharingModel'

Object Type Check:

sf sobject describe --sobject Invoice__c --target-org myorg --json | jq '.result.custom'

Complete Example

Flowchart ERD with All Conventions

%%{init: {"flowchart": {"nodeSpacing": 60, "rankSpacing": 50}} }%%
flowchart TB
    subgraph legend["LEGEND"]
        direction LR
        L_STD["Standard [STD]"]
        L_CUST["Custom [CUST]"]
        L_EXT["External [EXT]"]
        L_LK["─── LK (Lookup)"]
        L_MD["═══ MD (Master-Detail)"]

        style L_STD fill:#bae6fd,stroke:#0369a1,color:#1f2937
        style L_CUST fill:#fed7aa,stroke:#c2410c,color:#1f2937
        style L_EXT fill:#a7f3d0,stroke:#047857,color:#1f2937
        style L_LK fill:#f8fafc,stroke:#334155,color:#1f2937
        style L_MD fill:#f8fafc,stroke:#334155,color:#1f2937
    end

    subgraph std["STANDARD OBJECTS"]
        Account["Account<br/>LDV[~4M] | OWD:Private"]
        Contact["Contact<br/>OWD:Parent"]
        Opportunity["Opportunity<br/>LDV[~2M] | OWD:Private"]
    end

    subgraph cust["CUSTOM OBJECTS"]
        Invoice["Invoice__c<br/>OWD:Private"]
        InvoiceLine["Invoice_Line__c"]
    end

    subgraph ext["EXTERNAL OBJECTS"]
        SAP["SAP_Product__x"]
    end

    %% Relationships
    Account -->|"LK"| Contact
    Account -->|"LK"| Opportunity
    Account ==>|"MD"| Invoice
    Invoice ==>|"MD"| InvoiceLine
    InvoiceLine -->|"LK"| SAP

    %% Standard Objects - Sky Blue
    style Account fill:#bae6fd,stroke:#0369a1,color:#1f2937
    style Contact fill:#bae6fd,stroke:#0369a1,color:#1f2937
    style Opportunity fill:#bae6fd,stroke:#0369a1,color:#1f2937

    %% Custom Objects - Orange
    style Invoice fill:#fed7aa,stroke:#c2410c,color:#1f2937
    style InvoiceLine fill:#fed7aa,stroke:#c2410c,color:#1f2937

    %% External Objects - Green
    style SAP fill:#a7f3d0,stroke:#047857,color:#1f2937

    %% Subgraph styling
    style legend fill:#f8fafc,stroke:#334155,stroke-dasharray:5
    style std fill:#f0f9ff,stroke:#0369a1,stroke-dasharray:5
    style cust fill:#fff7ed,stroke:#c2410c,stroke-dasharray:5
    style ext fill:#ecfdf5,stroke:#047857,stroke-dasharray:5

Best Practices

1. Always include a legend in flowchart diagrams for color/arrow meaning
2. Query live org data for accurate LDV and OWD values
3. Use consistent naming - API names, not labels
4. Group related objects using subgraphs
5. Limit fields shown to key relationships (5-10 per entity max)
6. Show relationship direction - parent on left, child on right
7. Mark required relationships with appropriate cardinality

References

• Salesforce Data Model Notation
• Mermaid ERD Syntax
• Mermaid Flowchart Syntax
• sf-diagram Color Palette