When you name a field, there are two definitions to consider
- The field label, which is shown to your users
- The field name (or API name), which is the technical name used by systems
When you rename either of these definitions, Salesforce pops a warning message. This warning makes sense for the field name, as there could be apex and integration references.
However in today’s world, changing the label doesn’t really have any negative impacts. So feel free to relabel existing fields without much concern.
Now, when you change the label, should you also update the name?
Here are some considerations
- If the field was recently created and not really used yet, you’re fine to update the name
- You can always click the button “Where is this used?”, to see most (but not all) references to the field
- If the field isn’t used in apex or integrations, you’re OK to update the name. Note: Flows will automatically adjust
- It’s annoying to see fields with different labels and names (or is it just me?), and it can cause confusion for administrators
So unless there’s a complicated process to update the name, I recommend changing it to match the label.
The takeaway
Just because Salesforce warns you, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rename fields. Just consider the implications first.
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Salesforce