When tracking a positive and negative response in Salesforce, most consultants would simply create a boolean field and call it a day. But you’re a “good enough” consultant, so you know there’s another choice.
The other option is a picklist with “True”/”False” or “Yes”/”No” choices. Here are the differences between these approaches.
Imagine a field that records whether a contact smokes or not.
Firstly, with a boolean, the answers can only be positive or negative. It’s impossible to know whether the question was even asked.
With a picklist, the default is blank. This means the question hasn’t even been answered. Choosing “No” confirms the response and that it was negative.
Secondly, sometimes “Yes” or “No” answers make more sense than “True” or “False”. There’s a nuance that can be leveraged.
Lastly, a picklist allows for easier modifications. A new answer, “Yes, but is trying to quit” can be easily added to a picklist, but not a boolean.
The takeaway
Before creating a boolean, consider whether a picklist is a better choice.