Excessive number of custom fields
Why is this an issue?
Objects with too many custom fields may indicate:
Poor data model design: Data that should be in related objects is denormalized
Technical debt: Fields accumulated over time without cleanup
Approaching limits: Salesforce enforces a maximum number of custom fields per object
Excessive fields make objects harder to understand and maintain.
Examples
Example of incorrect design (too many fields):
<CustomObject>
<fullName>Account__c</fullName>
<fields>
<fullName>Field_001__c</fullName>
</fields>
<fields>
<fullName>Field_002__c</fullName>
</fields>
<!-- ... 200+ fields on one object -->
<fields>
<fullName>Field_250__c</fullName>
</fields>
</CustomObject>
Example of correct design (normalized):
<!-- Main object with core fields -->
<CustomObject>
<fullName>Account__c</fullName>
<!-- 30-40 core fields -->
</CustomObject>
<!-- Related object for address data -->
<CustomObject>
<fullName>Account_Address__c</fullName>
<!-- Address-specific fields -->
</CustomObject>
<!-- Related object for financial data -->
<CustomObject>
<fullName>Account_Financial__c</fullName>
<!-- Financial-specific fields -->
</CustomObject>
How can I fix violations?
Review field usage: Identify fields that are rarely used or redundant.
Normalize data: Move related fields to child objects.
Delete unused fields: Remove fields that are no longer needed.
Use custom metadata: For configuration data, use custom metadata types instead of fields.
When should I disable this rule?
You may dismiss specific violations for objects that legitimately require many fields, such as complex product configurations.
Resources