Object Manager and Lightning App Builder15% of the exam

Fields, page layouts and field deletion impacts

How to create and change custom fields (required, unique, external ID, roll-up summary, cross-object formula, dependent picklists), what page layouts, compact layouts and field-level security each control, and what happens when a field is deleted, restored or has its type changed.

Official exam objective
Explain how to create, delete, and customize fields and page layouts on standard and custom objects, and know the implications of deleting fields (roll-up summaries, cross object formulas, picklist dependencies, relationship fields).

~7 min read · 16 practice questions ·

What the exam expects

  • Choose the right field type and attributes for a requirement: roll-up summary, cross-object formula, universally required, unique and external ID.
  • Configure dependent picklists and know which fields can control and which can depend.
  • Separate what a page layout controls from what field-level security and compact layouts control.
  • Predict what deleting a field does, including roll-up summaries, cross-object formulas, picklist dependencies and relationship fields, and how to restore it.
  • Anticipate the risks of changing a custom field's data type.

Key facts

Deleted custom field retention
Detail
Restorable with its data for 15 days
Delete permissions
Detail
Customize Application and View All Data
Field referenced by another field
Detail
Can't be deleted until the reference is removed
Field history on delete
Detail
History data deleted; tracking stops
Restored field attributes
Detail
Unique and required removed; dependencies removed
Deleted relationship field
Detail
Converted to a lookup if restored
Required in field definition
Detail
Enforced everywhere in Salesforce, including the API
External ID fields per object
Detail
Up to 25 (Unique fields count toward it)
Roll-up summary types
Detail
COUNT, SUM, MIN, MAX, with optional filter criteria
Multi-select picklist
Detail
Dependent only, never controlling
Checkbox
Detail
Controlling only, never dependent
Controlling field values
Detail
Up to 300
Highlights panel (Lightning Experience)
Detail
First seven compact layout fields
Layout versus field-level security
Detail
Most restrictive setting applies
Sources for this section (7)
  • Which two permissions are needed to delete a custom field, and for how long can it be restored?
  • Why must an admin revisit a field after restoring it?
  • Where does a roll-up summary field live, and which four calculation types does it offer?
  • Which field types can act as a controlling field for a dependent picklist?
  • When a page layout marks a field required but field-level security makes it read-only, which setting wins?

The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.

Keep reading with the Platform Administrator pack

  • Core concepts
  • Exam traps
  • Worked scenario

The pack includes:

  • All 28 lessons of the Platform Administrator guide, with reading progress
  • Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
  • Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (16 questions for this lesson)
  • An official source cited for every claim
  • An AI tutor that answers from the guide
  • Unlimited timed practice exams

Practice for the Platform Administrator exam