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03 · Record types and when not to use them

Record types shine for genuinely different processes on one object — and multiply your maintenance everywhere else.

Article 10m 1 min read Updated 20 Apr 2025
03 · Record types and when not to use them
Modules
Apex Triggers
  1. Module overview
  2. 01 · Order of execution, the map
  3. 02 · One trigger per object
  4. 03 · The handler pattern
  5. 04 · Bulkification: 200 records or bust
  6. 05 · Recursion control
Data Model Basics
  1. Module overview
  2. 01 · Standard objects vs custom objects
  3. 02 · Relationship types, decided with three questions
  4. 03 · Record types and when not to use them
  5. 04 · Schema Builder, the honest map
  6. 05 · Junction objects in practice
Integration Patterns
  1. Module overview
  2. 01 · Request-reply with named credentials
  3. 02 · Fire-and-forget with platform events
  4. 03 · Batch sync without tears
  5. 04 · Middleware or point-to-point?
  6. 05 · Watch: a callout built end to end

Record types shine for genuinely different processes on one object — and multiply your maintenance everywhere else.

The right reason

Different sales processes, different page layouts, different picklist values for the same object: that is what record types are for. One object, several shapes.

The three warning signs

If record types differ only by one field, if users constantly pick the wrong one, or if you have more than five on an object — you probably wanted a field, a flow, or a separate object.

Practice in your org

  • Open your Developer Edition org and follow along step by step
  • Change one thing at a time and note what happens
  • When something breaks, read the error before searching for it