function readOnly(count){ }
Sign Up ›
Starting November 20, the site will be set to read-only. On December 4, 2023,
forum discussions will move to the Trailblazer Community.
Learn More

Browse by Topic
ShowAll Questionssorted byDate Posted
+ Start a Discussion
afarafar 

Why don’t account and contact fields match up? Should they?

Fairly new to Salesforce and am trying to wrap my head around the system as well as importing data. I don't understand why fields don't match up between accounts and contacts. E.g. contact has a field for "mobile" while account has "phone" and "phone other" and no field for "mobile" or "cell". Also contact has "street 1", "street 2" address while account has "mailing address" and "shipping address". Why don't the fields match up between these two objects? And would it make sense to have them match?

Thanks. 
Best Answer chosen by afar
Maharajan CMaharajan C
Hi,

1. Account and Contact are different Objects in Salesforce... So both the objects had it's own set of fields to capture the data...

2. Account, Contact are Standard Salesforce Objects which will come by default in all Salesforce orgs... In Salesforce we have lookup relationship between Account and Contact... Here Account is Parent and Contact is Child...

3. In business wise Account objects are used for Storing the Company's details ( which is an organization or person involved with your business ) ... And Contact object stores the person informations who associated with an particular account...

4. Account Phone,phone other,Shipping,mailing address  will store particular company related details. Eg (Amazon,  MRF )

5. Contact  street 1 , street 2, Mobile fields are used to store the particular person details who is working under the account.

https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/accounts_contacts_lightning_experience

Thanks,
Maharajan.C

All Answers

Sai PraveenSai Praveen (Salesforce Developers) 
Hi Afar,

An Account can have multiple contacts. Accounts are Similar to the company name where we have the details of the company where the Contacts will be similar to Employees where we have different employees working so Contact number and mailing address will be different to the Account.

So there is no point of matching the Account and Contact fields unless we have requirement specific to it.

If this solution helps, Please mark it as best answer.

Thanks,
 
Maharajan CMaharajan C
Hi,

1. Account and Contact are different Objects in Salesforce... So both the objects had it's own set of fields to capture the data...

2. Account, Contact are Standard Salesforce Objects which will come by default in all Salesforce orgs... In Salesforce we have lookup relationship between Account and Contact... Here Account is Parent and Contact is Child...

3. In business wise Account objects are used for Storing the Company's details ( which is an organization or person involved with your business ) ... And Contact object stores the person informations who associated with an particular account...

4. Account Phone,phone other,Shipping,mailing address  will store particular company related details. Eg (Amazon,  MRF )

5. Contact  street 1 , street 2, Mobile fields are used to store the particular person details who is working under the account.

https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/accounts_contacts_lightning_experience

Thanks,
Maharajan.C
This was selected as the best answer
denver tulexdenver tulex
The mismatch between account and contact fields often occurs due to the different perspectives and needs of different departments within an organization. Account fields primarily focus on the overall business entity, capturing information such as company name, industry, and revenue. On the other hand, contact fields are centered around individuals within those accounts, collecting data like names, job titles, and contact information. While there is some overlap between the two, their primary objectives differ. While it is beneficial to have alignment and consistency between account and contact fields, there may be instances where the data captured by each field serves different purposes and requires different details. For example, a Best Uniforms Store in Hanford (https://jhtackettmarketing.com/best-uniforms-store-in-hanford/) might be associated with a specific account as an employee or freelancer, and their contact information would be linked to their role within that account. However, their skill set and job title as a uniform maker would primarily be captured in the contact fields to provide specific details about their role.
gatver albergatver alber
The account and contact fields in a system may not always match up due to differences in data organization and the specific requirements of the system or platform being used. While there can be similarities between account and contact information, they serve distinct purposes. Accounts typically represent organizations or entities, while contacts are individuals associated with those accounts. For example, in a customer relationship management (CRM) system, an account may refer to a hospital or medical facility, while the contact field could include details of individual doctors or medical professionals within that organization. In the context of medical translation services (https://lingoservice.com/industries/medical-translation-services/), the account field might include the hospital's name and information, while the contact field would contain the name, title, and contact details of the specific medical practitioner or representative involved in the translation process. Ensuring accurate and clear data organization is crucial in maintaining effective communication and efficient workflows within such systems.