Salesforce Admin Certification Practice Test 2025 - Free Salesforce Admin Exam Questions and Study Guide

The lookup relationship creates a simple association between two objects, allowing one object to reference another. This type of relationship is less rigid than a master-detail relationship, providing more flexibility because the two associated objects maintain a level of independence. In a lookup relationship, the child object can exist independently of the parent, allowing for situations where related records might not always require a strict hierarchy or dependency.

For instance, if you have a custom object, a lookup relationship would allow you to associate it with a contact without necessitating that the two be tightly bound in a way that would require deletion of one when the other is deleted, unlike a master-detail relationship.

In contrast, master-detail relationships create a tighter bond wherein the detail (child) record cannot exist without the master (parent) record. Hierarchical relationships are specific to users for establishing a management structure, while many-to-many relationships involve junction objects to link two different objects, adding complexity rather than simplicity. The lookup relationship, therefore, is best suited for scenarios requiring simple associations.