What is SOQL?

SOQL is similar to SQL but designed specifically for Salesforce objects.

It allows you to:
● Retrieve records
● Filter data
● Sort results
● Access related objects

SOQL always returns records as sObjects.

Basic SOQL Syntax

SELECT Field1, Field2
FROM ObjectName
WHERE Condition
ORDER BY Field
LIMIT Number

Not all clauses are mandatory.

Querying Records in Apex

Example – Fetch Account Names

Input

Assume your org has these Account records:

Acme Corp
Global Tech
MSD Automations

Code:

List<Account> accounts =
    [SELECT Id, Name FROM Account];

for(Account acc : accounts) {
    System.debug(acc.Name);
}

Output:

Acme Corp
Global Tech
MSD Automations

Explanation

● Query returns a list of Account records
● Each record is an sObject
● Fields are accessed using dot notation

Filtering Records Using WHERE

Example – Fetch Only Active Accounts

Input:

Account A → Active__c = true
Account B → Active__c = false
Account C → Active__c = true

Code:

List<Account> activeAccounts =
    [SELECT Name FROM Account WHERE Active__c = true];

for(Account acc : activeAccounts) {
    System.debug(acc.Name);
}

Output:

Account A
Account C

Explanation

● WHERE clause filters records

● Only matching records are returned

Sorting Records Using ORDER BY

Example – Sort Accounts by Name

Input:

Zeta Corp
Alpha Inc
Beta Ltd

Code:

List<Account> accounts =
    [SELECT Name FROM Account ORDER BY Name ASC];

for(Account acc : accounts) {
    System.debug(acc.Name);
}

Output:

Alpha Inc
Beta Ltd
Zeta Corp

Explanation

● ORDER BY sorts the result

● ASC = ascending, DESC = descending

Limiting Records Using LIMIT

Example – Fetch Only 2 Records

Input:

5 Account records exist

Code:

List<Account> accounts =
    [SELECT Name FROM Account LIMIT 2];

System.debug(accounts.size());

Output:

Explanation

● LIMIT restricts number of returned records

● Useful for testing and pagination

Relationship Queries (Parent Fields)

Example – Fetch Account Name from Contact

Input:

Contact: Divyesh
Account: MSD Automations

Code:

List<Contact> contacts =
    [SELECT Name, Account.Name FROM Contact];

for(Contact con : contacts) {
    System.debug(con.Name + ' → ' + con.Account.Name);
}

Output:

Divyesh → MSD Automations

Explanation

● Parent fields accessed using dot notation

● Reduces extra queries

Bind Variables in SOQL

Example – Dynamic Filter

Input:

searchName = 'MSD%'

Code:

String searchName = 'MSD%';

List<Account> accounts =
    [SELECT Name FROM Account WHERE Name LIKE :searchName];

for(Account acc : accounts) {
    System.debug(acc.Name);
}

Output:

MSD Automations
MSD Solutions

Explanation

● Colon (:) binds Apex variable into SOQL

● Prevents SOQL injection
● Enables dynamic queries

Common Pitfalls

● Querying unnecessary fields

● SOQL inside loops
● Forgetting LIMIT in testing
● Hardcoding filter values

Productivity Tips

● Query only required fields

● Use bind variables
● Test queries in Developer Console first
● Log result sizes during debugging

Conclusion

You now understand:
● Basic SOQL syntax

● Filtering, sorting, limiting
● Relationship queries
● Bind variables

Happy Coding! 🚀

Apex Beginner to Advance

SOQL Basics in Apex