Salesforce Metadata Naming Conventions

Consistent naming conventions improve maintainability, discoverability, and team collaboration. Follow these standards for all Salesforce metadata.

tools-only Updated Sep 29, 2026 7 repo stars

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Salesforce Metadata Naming Conventions

Overview

Consistent naming conventions improve maintainability, discoverability, and team collaboration. Follow these standards for all Salesforce metadata.

Custom Objects

Format

[BusinessEntity]__c

Rules

Use PascalCase
Singular form (not plural)
Max 40 characters (API name)
No abbreviations
Descriptive and business-meaningful

Examples

✅ Good:

Invoice__c
Product_Catalog__c
Service_Request__c
Customer_Feedback__c

❌ Avoid:

Invoices__c (plural)
Inv__c (abbreviated)
SvcReq__c (abbreviated)
object1__c (meaningless)

Custom Fields

Format

[Descriptive_Name]__c

Rules

Use PascalCase with underscores
Indicate purpose, not data type
Max 40 characters (API name)
Use standard suffixes for relationships

Standard Suffixes

Suffix	Use Case
`_Date`	Date fields (e.g., `Due_Date__c`)
`_Amount`	Currency/Number (e.g., `Total_Amount__c`)
`_Count`	Counts (e.g., `Line_Item_Count__c`)
`_Percent`	Percentages (e.g., `Discount_Percent__c`)
`_Flag`	Boolean indicators (e.g., `Is_Active_Flag__c`)
`_Code`	Codes/identifiers (e.g., `Region_Code__c`)

Relationship Fields

[RelatedObject]__c     // Lookup/Master-Detail field
[RelatedObject]__r     // Relationship name (auto-generated)

Examples

✅ Good:

Account_Manager__c (Lookup to User)
Total_Contract_Value__c (Currency)
Expected_Close_Date__c (Date)
Is_Primary_Contact__c (Checkbox)

❌ Avoid:

Amt__c (abbreviated)
Field1__c (meaningless)
TCV__c (acronym without context)
contactLookup__c (inconsistent casing)

Profiles

Format

[Role/Function] [Level]

Examples

Sales Representative
Sales Manager
Marketing User
System Administrator
Integration User

Notes

Standard profiles cannot be renamed
Create custom profiles for specific needs
Use Permission Sets for granular access

Permission Sets

Format

[Feature/Capability]_[AccessLevel]

Patterns

Pattern	Use Case
`[Object]_Full_Access`	Complete CRUD on object
`[Object]_Read_Only`	Read-only access
`[Feature]_Manager`	Feature management
`[Integration]_API`	Integration access

Examples

✅ Good:

Invoice_Full_Access
Customer_Portal_User
ERP_Integration_API
Report_Builder_Access
Deal_Approval_Manager

❌ Avoid:

PS1 (meaningless)
John_Smith_Access (user-specific)
Temp_Access (ambiguous)

Validation Rules

Format

[Object]_[Action]_[Condition]

Rules

Start with object name for organization
Use verb describing what it prevents/requires
End with condition being validated

Examples

✅ Good:

Opportunity_Require_Close_Date_When_Closed
Account_Prevent_Type_Change_After_Active
Contact_Require_Email_Or_Phone
Invoice_Amount_Must_Be_Positive

❌ Avoid:

VR001 (meaningless)
Check1 (undescriptive)
Validation (too generic)

Record Types

Format

[Category/Type]_[SubCategory]

Examples

✅ Good:

Business_Account
Person_Account
New_Business_Opportunity
Renewal_Opportunity
Support_Case
Billing_Inquiry

❌ Avoid:

RT1 (meaningless)
Type1 (undescriptive)

Page Layouts

Format

[Object]-[RecordType] Layout

Examples

Account-Business Account Layout
Account-Person Account Layout
Opportunity-New Business Layout
Case-Support Case Layout

Quick Reference Table

Metadata Type	Pattern	Example
Custom Object	`BusinessEntity__c`	`Invoice__c`
Custom Field	`Descriptive_Name__c`	`Total_Amount__c`
Lookup Field	`RelatedObject__c`	`Primary_Contact__c`
Permission Set	`Feature_AccessLevel`	`Invoice_Manager`
Validation Rule	`Object_Action_Condition`	`Opp_Require_Amount`
Record Type	`Category_SubCategory`	`Business_Account`
Page Layout	`Object-RecordType Layout`	`Account-Business Layout`

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Abbreviations

Instead of	Use
`Acct__c`	`Account__c`
`Opp__c`	`Opportunity__c`
`Cont__c`	`Contact__c`
`Amt__c`	`Amount__c`
`Qty__c`	`Quantity__c`

Meaningless Names

Instead of	Use
`Field1__c`	`Customer_Status__c`
`Custom__c`	`Priority_Level__c`
`Temp__c`	`Processing_Date__c`

Inconsistent Casing

Instead of	Use
`totalamount__c`	`Total_Amount__c`
`TOTAL_AMOUNT__c`	`Total_Amount__c`
`TotalAmount__c`	`Total_Amount__c`

Checklist

Before creating metadata, verify:

Name is PascalCase with underscores
Name describes business purpose
No abbreviations used
Follows standard suffix patterns
Unique within the object/type
Max length constraints met
Consistent with existing patterns

---name: salesforce-metadata-naming-conventions-2description: Consistent naming conventions improve maintainability, discoverability, and team collaboration. Follow these standards for all Salesforce metadata.---# Salesforce Metadata Naming Conventions## OverviewConsistent naming conventions improve maintainability, discoverability, and team collaboration. Follow these standards for all Salesforce metadata.---## Custom Objects### Format```[BusinessEntity]__c```### Rules- Use PascalCase- Singular form (not plural)- Max 40 characters (API name)- No abbreviations- Descriptive and business-meaningful### Examples✅ Good:- `Invoice__c`- `Product_Catalog__c`- `Service_Request__c`- `Customer_Feedback__c`❌ Avoid:- `Invoices__c` (plural)- `Inv__c` (abbreviated)- `SvcReq__c` (abbreviated)- `object1__c` (meaningless)---## Custom Fields### Format```[Descriptive_Name]__c```### Rules- Use PascalCase with underscores- Indicate purpose, not data type- Max 40 characters (API name)- Use standard suffixes for relationships### Standard Suffixes| Suffix | Use Case ||--------|----------|| `_Date` | Date fields (e.g., `Due_Date__c`) || `_Amount` | Currency/Number (e.g., `Total_Amount__c`) || `_Count` | Counts (e.g., `Line_Item_Count__c`) || `_Percent` | Percentages (e.g., `Discount_Percent__c`) || `_Flag` | Boolean indicators (e.g., `Is_Active_Flag__c`) || `_Code` | Codes/identifiers (e.g., `Region_Code__c`) |### Relationship Fields```[RelatedObject]__c // Lookup/Master-Detail field[RelatedObject]__r // Relationship name (auto-generated)```### Examples✅ Good:- `Account_Manager__c` (Lookup to User)- `Total_Contract_Value__c` (Currency)- `Expected_Close_Date__c` (Date)- `Is_Primary_Contact__c` (Checkbox)❌ Avoid:- `Amt__c` (abbreviated)- `Field1__c` (meaningless)- `TCV__c` (acronym without context)- `contactLookup__c` (inconsistent casing)---## Profiles### Format```[Role/Function] [Level]```### Examples- `Sales Representative`- `Sales Manager`- `Marketing User`- `System Administrator`- `Integration User`### Notes- Standard profiles cannot be renamed- Create custom profiles for specific needs- Use Permission Sets for granular access---## Permission Sets### Format```[Feature/Capability]_[AccessLevel]```### Patterns| Pattern | Use Case ||---------|----------|| `[Object]_Full_Access` | Complete CRUD on object || `[Object]_Read_Only` | Read-only access || `[Feature]_Manager` | Feature management || `[Integration]_API` | Integration access |### Examples✅ Good:- `Invoice_Full_Access`- `Customer_Portal_User`- `ERP_Integration_API`- `Report_Builder_Access`- `Deal_Approval_Manager`❌ Avoid:- `PS1` (meaningless)- `John_Smith_Access` (user-specific)- `Temp_Access` (ambiguous)---## Validation Rules### Format```[Object]_[Action]_[Condition]```### Rules- Start with object name for organization- Use verb describing what it prevents/requires- End with condition being validated### Examples✅ Good:- `Opportunity_Require_Close_Date_When_Closed`- `Account_Prevent_Type_Change_After_Active`- `Contact_Require_Email_Or_Phone`- `Invoice_Amount_Must_Be_Positive`❌ Avoid:- `VR001` (meaningless)- `Check1` (undescriptive)- `Validation` (too generic)---## Record Types### Format```[Category/Type]_[SubCategory]```### Examples✅ Good:- `Business_Account`- `Person_Account`- `New_Business_Opportunity`- `Renewal_Opportunity`- `Support_Case`- `Billing_Inquiry`❌ Avoid:- `RT1` (meaningless)- `Type1` (undescriptive)---## Page Layouts### Format```[Object]-[RecordType] Layout```### Examples- `Account-Business Account Layout`- `Account-Person Account Layout`- `Opportunity-New Business Layout`- `Case-Support Case Layout`---## Quick Reference Table| Metadata Type | Pattern | Example ||---------------|---------|---------|| Custom Object | `BusinessEntity__c` | `Invoice__c` || Custom Field | `Descriptive_Name__c` | `Total_Amount__c` || Lookup Field | `RelatedObject__c` | `Primary_Contact__c` || Permission Set | `Feature_AccessLevel` | `Invoice_Manager` || Validation Rule | `Object_Action_Condition` | `Opp_Require_Amount` || Record Type | `Category_SubCategory` | `Business_Account` || Page Layout | `Object-RecordType Layout` | `Account-Business Layout` |---## Anti-Patterns to Avoid### Abbreviations| Instead of | Use ||------------|-----|| `Acct__c` | `Account__c` || `Opp__c` | `Opportunity__c` || `Cont__c` | `Contact__c` || `Amt__c` | `Amount__c` || `Qty__c` | `Quantity__c` |### Meaningless Names| Instead of | Use ||------------|-----|| `Field1__c` | `Customer_Status__c` || `Custom__c` | `Priority_Level__c` || `Temp__c` | `Processing_Date__c` |### Inconsistent Casing| Instead of | Use ||------------|-----|| `totalamount__c` | `Total_Amount__c` || `TOTAL_AMOUNT__c` | `Total_Amount__c` || `TotalAmount__c` | `Total_Amount__c` |---## ChecklistBefore creating metadata, verify:- [ ] Name is PascalCase with underscores- [ ] Name describes business purpose- [ ] No abbreviations used- [ ] Follows standard suffix patterns- [ ] Unique within the object/type- [ ] Max length constraints met- [ ] Consistent with existing patterns

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