SOQL Query Tool

The SOQL Query Tool provides a powerful interface for writing and executing SOQL queries with autocomplete, vim-style navigation, inline editing, and export capabilities.

Overview

Write SOQL queries with intelligent autocomplete, execute them with a keystroke, navigate results with vim keybindings, edit data inline, and export to JSON or CSV—all in one streamlined interface.

Key Benefits:

• Autocomplete - SOQL keywords, objects, and field suggestions
• Syntax highlighting - Color-coded query visualization
• Vim navigation - Browse results with j/k keys
• Inline editing - Edit results directly and save back to Salesforce
• Export - Download as JSON or CSV
• Query history - Access previous queries
• Variables - Define global and local variables for reusable queries
• Templates - Save frequently used queries
• Quickfix list - View and navigate errors

Quick Access

Press Ctrl+Shift+Q from any Salesforce page to open the SOQL Query Tool.

Writing Queries

Basic Query Structure

SELECT Id, Name, Email
FROM Contact
WHERE Account.Name = 'Acme'
LIMIT 10

Components:

• SELECT - Fields to retrieve
• FROM - Object to query
• WHERE - Filter conditions (optional)
• LIMIT - Max records to return (optional)

Autocomplete

The query editor provides intelligent suggestions as you type.

SOQL Keywords:

Type: SEL
Suggests: SELECT, SELECT COUNT()

Type: WHERE
Suggests: WHERE, ORDER BY, LIMIT, GROUP BY

Object Names:

Type: FROM Acc
Suggests: Account, AccountContactRelation, AccountHistory

Field Names:

Type: SELECT Na
(on Contact object)
Suggests: Name, NameSuffix, NamePrefix

Relationship Fields:

Type: Account.
Suggests: Account.Name, Account.Type, Account.Owner.Name

How to Use Autocomplete:

1. Start typing a SOQL keyword, object, or field
2. Autocomplete dropdown appears automatically
3. Navigate suggestions with ↑/↓ arrow keys
4. Press Enter or Tab to accept suggestion
5. Press Esc to close autocomplete without selecting

Smart Context

Autocomplete is context-aware. After typing FROM Account, field suggestions will be Account-specific. After WHERE, operators like =, !=, IN are suggested.

Syntax Highlighting

Queries are color-coded for readability:

Element	Color	Example
Keywords	Blue	SELECT, FROM, WHERE
Strings	Green	'Acme', 'john@example.com'
Fields	White	Name, Email, CreatedDate
Operators	Orange	=, !=, >, <, IN
Numbers	Purple	100, 50.5
Functions	Yellow	COUNT(), MAX(), TODAY()

Example:

SELECT Id, Name, CreatedDate
FROM Account
WHERE AnnualRevenue > 1000000
  AND Type = 'Customer'
ORDER BY Name
LIMIT 50

Executing Queries

Run Query

Method 1: Button

• Click the "Execute" button

Method 2: Keyboard

• Press Ctrl+Enter anywhere in the query editor

Method 3: Command

• Type :execute in command mode

Execution Process:

1. Query is validated for syntax
2. Sent to Salesforce via REST API
3. Results appear in the results panel below
4. Record count displayed (e.g., "50 records found")
5. Execution time shown (e.g., "234ms")

View Results

Results appear in a table with:

• Columns - All selected fields
• Rows - Returned records (up to LIMIT)
• Scroll - Horizontal for many fields, vertical for many records
• Navigation - Vim keybindings (j/k)

Example Result:

50 records found (234ms)

Id                  Name                Email
001xx000003DH1QAAW  John Doe           john@example.com
001xx000003DH1RBAW  Jane Smith         jane@example.com
001xx000003DH1RCAW  Bob Johnson        bob@example.com
...

Navigate Results

Use vim-style keys to browse results:

Key	Action
j	Move down one row
k	Move up one row
gg	Jump to first row
G	Jump to last row
h	Scroll left
l	Scroll right
Ctrl+D	Page down
Ctrl+U	Page up

Visual Indicator:

• Selected row highlighted in blue
• Row number shown (e.g., "Row 5/50")

Fast Navigation

Use gg to jump to the top and G to jump to the bottom of large result sets. Press j 5 times or 5j (if supported) to move down 5 rows quickly.

Export Results

Export query results to JSON or CSV format.

Export as JSON

[
  {
    "Id": "001xx000003DH1QAAW",
    "Name": "John Doe",
    "Email": "john@example.com"
  },
  {
    "Id": "001xx000003DH1RBAW",
    "Name": "Jane Smith",
    "Email": "jane@example.com"
  }
]

Steps:

1. Execute a query
2. Click "Export as JSON" button
3. File downloads to Downloads/salesforce-query-results.json

Use Cases:

• Import into other tools
• Backup data
• Share with developers
• Parse programmatically

Export as CSV

Id,Name,Email
001xx000003DH1QAAW,John Doe,john@example.com
001xx000003DH1RBAW,Jane Smith,jane@example.com

Steps:

1. Execute a query
2. Click "Export as CSV" button
3. File downloads to Downloads/salesforce-query-results.csv

Use Cases:

• Open in Excel or Google Sheets
• Data analysis
• Import into databases
• Share with non-technical users

Export Limits

Exports include all returned records up to the SOQL LIMIT. If you query 2,000 records with LIMIT 2000, all 2,000 are exported. Salesforce's standard SOQL limits apply.

Query History

Access previously executed queries with command history.

How It Works:

• Every executed query is saved
• History persists across sessions
• Navigate with ↑/↓ arrow keys
• Select a query to reload it

Using Query History:

1. Focus the query editor
2. Press ↑ arrow key
3. Previous query appears
4. Press ↑ again for earlier queries
5. Press ↓ to go forward through history
6. Press Enter to execute the selected query

Example:

Current: (empty)
Press ↑ → SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 10
Press ↑ → SELECT Id, Email FROM Contact WHERE LastName = 'Doe'
Press ↑ → SELECT COUNT() FROM Opportunity WHERE StageName = 'Closed Won'
Press ↓ → SELECT Id, Email FROM Contact WHERE LastName = 'Doe'

History Limit:

• Stores last 50 queries
• Oldest queries removed automatically
• Stored in browser local storage

Query Templates

Save frequently used queries as templates for quick access.

Create Template

-- Template: Active Opportunities
SELECT Id, Name, Amount, StageName, CloseDate
FROM Opportunity
WHERE IsClosed = false
ORDER BY Amount DESC
LIMIT 50

Steps:

1. Write and test your query
2. Click "Save as Template" button
3. Enter template name (e.g., "Active Opportunities")
4. Template saved to templates list

Use Template

Steps:

1. Click "Templates" dropdown
2. Select template name
3. Query appears in editor
4. Modify if needed
5. Execute with Ctrl+Enter

Example Templates:

Common Templates:
  - Active Opportunities
  - Contacts Without Accounts
  - Recently Modified Accounts
  - Users by Profile
  - Failed Opportunities This Quarter

Manage Templates

Edit Template:

1. Load template from dropdown
2. Modify query
3. Click "Save as Template" with same name
4. Confirm overwrite

Delete Template:

1. Click "Manage Templates" button
2. Select template to delete
3. Click delete icon
4. Confirm deletion

Template Organization

Use descriptive names like "High-Value-Accounts-Last-Month" instead of "Query1". Good naming makes templates easy to find and reuse.

Variables

Define variables for dynamic, reusable queries.

Global Variables

Available across all queries in the same session.

Define Global Variable:

-- Set global variable
:let $accountName = 'Acme'

-- Use in query
SELECT Id, Name, AnnualRevenue
FROM Account
WHERE Name = $accountName

Syntax:

• :let $variableName = value
• Variable names start with $
• Values can be strings, numbers, or booleans

Example:

:let $minRevenue = 1000000
:let $type = 'Customer'

SELECT Id, Name, AnnualRevenue, Type
FROM Account
WHERE AnnualRevenue > $minRevenue
  AND Type = $type

Local Variables

Scoped to a single query.

Define Local Variable:

-- Inline variable definition
WITH minRevenue = 500000

SELECT Id, Name, AnnualRevenue
FROM Account
WHERE AnnualRevenue > minRevenue

Difference from Global:

• Local variables don't persist across queries
• Defined with WITH clause
• No $ prefix

Built-in Variables

Pre-defined variables for common values:

Variable	Value	Example
$TODAY	Today's date	2025-11-02
$TOMORROW	Tomorrow's date	2025-11-03
$YESTERDAY	Yesterday's date	2025-11-01
$THIS_WEEK	Start of this week	Monday's date
$THIS_MONTH	Start of this month	2025-11-01
$THIS_YEAR	Start of this year	2025-01-01
$USERID	Current user's ID	005xx000001AbCdEAK

Example:

SELECT Id, Name, CreatedDate
FROM Opportunity
WHERE CreatedDate = $TODAY
  AND OwnerId = $USERID

Variable Substitution

Variables are substituted before query execution. The actual query sent to Salesforce contains the resolved values, not variable names.

Inline Editing

Edit query results directly and save changes back to Salesforce.

Edit a Cell

Steps:

1. Navigate to a cell with j/k/h/l
2. Press i to enter edit mode
3. Modify the value
4. Press Enter to confirm
5. Press Esc to cancel

Visual Indicator:

• Editing cell has blue border
• Modified cells show orange border (unsaved)
• Saved cells return to normal

Save Changes

Single Record:

1. Edit fields on a record
2. Press :w to save that record
3. Changes sent to Salesforce via REST API
4. Success/error message appears

Multiple Records:

1. Edit multiple records
2. Press :wall to save all modified records
3. Each record saved individually
4. Results shown in quickfix list

Example Session:

Query: SELECT Id, Name, Email FROM Contact LIMIT 5

Results:
Id                  Name         Email
003...QAAW         John Doe      john@old.com

1. Navigate to Email cell
2. Press i to edit
3. Change to john@new.com
4. Press Enter
5. Cell shows orange border (modified)
6. Press :w to save
7. Success message: "Contact updated"

Field Validation

Inline editing respects field types:

• Text - Free-form input
• Number - Validates numeric values
• Date - Date picker appears
• DateTime - Date + time picker
• Boolean - Checkbox or true/false
• Picklist - Dropdown with valid values
• Reference - Must be valid Salesforce ID

Error Handling:

If save fails:

1. Error message appears in quickfix list
2. Cell remains orange (unsaved)
3. Fix the error
4. Retry save with :w

Validation Rules

Inline editing triggers the same validation rules as the standard UI. If a validation rule blocks the save, you'll see the error message in the quickfix list.

Quickfix List

The quickfix list displays errors, warnings, and save results.

What Appears:

• SOQL syntax errors
• Query execution errors
• Inline editing save results
• Validation rule failures
• Field-level security errors

Example Errors:

Quickfix List (3 errors):
1. Line 2: Unexpected token 'FORM'. Did you mean 'FROM'?
2. Contact 003...QAAW: Field 'Email' failed validation: Invalid email format
3. Account 001...RBAW: Insufficient access rights on field 'AnnualRevenue'

Navigate Quickfix:

Key	Action
j	Move to next error
k	Move to previous error
Enter	Jump to error location (in query or results)
:copen	Open quickfix list
:cclose	Close quickfix list

Fix Workflow:

1. Execute query with error
2. Error appears in quickfix list
3. Press Enter on error
4. Cursor jumps to error location
5. Fix the error
6. Re-execute query
7. Quickfix list clears if successful

Advanced Query Features

Subqueries

Query related records within the same query:

SELECT Id, Name,
  (SELECT Id, FirstName, LastName FROM Contacts)
FROM Account
WHERE Name = 'Acme'

Aggregate Functions

Calculate totals, averages, counts:

SELECT COUNT(Id), AVG(Amount), MAX(Amount)
FROM Opportunity
WHERE StageName = 'Closed Won'
GROUP BY OwnerId

Date Functions

Use SOQL date literals:

SELECT Id, Name, CreatedDate
FROM Account
WHERE CreatedDate = THIS_MONTH
   OR CreatedDate = LAST_N_DAYS:30

Complex Filters

Combine multiple conditions:

SELECT Id, Name, Email
FROM Contact
WHERE (Account.Type = 'Customer' OR Account.Type = 'Partner')
  AND LeadSource IN ('Web', 'Email Campaign')
  AND CreatedDate > 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z
  AND Email != null
LIMIT 100

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Shift+Q	Open SOQL Query Tool
Ctrl+Enter	Execute query
↑ / ↓	Navigate query history (in editor)
j / k	Navigate results (in results panel)
gg / G	Jump to first/last result
h / l	Scroll results left/right
i	Edit selected cell
Enter	Confirm edit
Esc	Cancel edit or close tool
:w	Save edited record
:wall	Save all edited records

Common Use Cases

Find All Contacts for an Account

SELECT Id, FirstName, LastName, Email, Phone
FROM Contact
WHERE AccountId = '001xx000003DH1QAAW'
ORDER BY LastName

Recently Created Opportunities

SELECT Id, Name, Amount, StageName, CloseDate, Owner.Name
FROM Opportunity
WHERE CreatedDate = THIS_WEEK
ORDER BY CreatedDate DESC

Users by Profile

SELECT Id, Username, Name, Email, Profile.Name, IsActive
FROM User
WHERE Profile.Name = 'System Administrator'
ORDER BY Name

Count Records by Type

SELECT Type, COUNT(Id) recordCount
FROM Account
GROUP BY Type
ORDER BY recordCount DESC

Find Duplicate Emails

SELECT Email, COUNT(Id) duplicateCount
FROM Contact
WHERE Email != null
GROUP BY Email
HAVING COUNT(Id) > 1

Technical Details

API Endpoint

Queries are executed via REST API:

POST /services/data/v61.0/query/
Authorization: Bearer {sessionId}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "query": "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 10"
}

Query Limits

Standard Salesforce SOQL limits apply:

• Max records: 2,000 per query (use QueryMore for pagination)
• Max query length: 20,000 characters
• Max subqueries: 55
• Timeout: 120 seconds

Caching

• Query results are not cached
• Each execution makes a new API call
• Templates and history stored in local storage

Performance

• Simple queries: ~100-300ms
• Complex queries with joins: ~500-1000ms
• Large result sets (2,000 records): ~1-2 seconds

QueryMore Support

For queries returning more than 2,000 records, use the QueryMore endpoint or add pagination with OFFSET. Future versions may support automatic pagination.

Troubleshooting

Query Syntax Error

Symptom: Error in quickfix list Solution:

1. Check SOQL syntax (SELECT, FROM, WHERE order)
2. Verify field names (case-sensitive)
3. Ensure object API name is correct
4. Use autocomplete to avoid typos

No Results Returned

Symptom: "0 records found" Solution:

1. Remove WHERE clause to see all records
2. Check filter conditions
3. Verify data exists in org
4. Check field-level security permissions

Can't Edit Results

Symptom: Edit mode doesn't activate Solution:

1. Ensure you're in results panel (not query editor)
2. Press i on an editable field
3. Check if field is read-only (Id, formulas)
4. Verify edit permissions on object

Save Fails

Symptom: Error in quickfix list after :wSolution:

1. Read error message carefully
2. Check validation rules
3. Verify required fields are populated
4. Ensure field-level security allows edits

Autocomplete Not Working

Symptom: No suggestions appear Solution:

1. Ensure you're typing in query editor
2. Check context (after FROM for objects, after SELECT for fields)
3. Wait 300ms for autocomplete to trigger
4. Press Ctrl+Space to manually trigger

Next Steps

• Navigator Panel - Quick metadata search
• Record Editor - Edit records with vim keybindings
• Inspector Panel - View org and object metadata
• Keyboard Shortcuts - Complete reference

Learn SOQL

New to SOQL? Check out Salesforce's SOQL documentation for a comprehensive guide to query syntax and functions.