Multipicklists and when to use them

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/246568944213819393/610943206590251008/rant_on_multi_select_picklist_multipicklist.png

Text from image:

sorry
if I don't get pinged I tend to go off do something else
short version is multipicklists suck
they suck hard enough to use them to clean my flat when my hoover's on the fritz.
longer version is that a multipicklist in SF is literally just concatenation values together as text
so if you try to use this later you'll get values concatenated together with ;, not a list
which means it sucks for reporting
it sucks for apex code
it sucks when you want to do a list view filter
etc.
a junction object in the end is pretty much the same thing: you get multiple stuff on one single record
except it can store more info
you can report on it
you can list and sort it
and, if the user REALLY wants that on an object
you can even roll it up to concatenate as string in a field
thereby giving the user what they wanted.
the only reasons to ever use multipicklist for me are if
  - you don't intent to report on that field
  - it's literally just there to highlight stuff that's useful to the user but nothing else
  - using a junction object would put undue stress on the user.


Revision #3
Created 14 August 2019 10:05:39 by Windyo
Updated 7 March 2023 00:46:45 by thejamesjames