In Chapter 1, Organization Administration and Chapter 2, User Management in Salesforce CRM, we were introduced to the profile feature in Salesforce that is a controlling mechanism. Profiles are used to determine the functions users can perform, which type of data they can access, and what operations they can carry out on that data.

In this chapter, we will describe in detail the Salesforce CRM record storage features and user interfaces that can be customized, such as objects, fields, and page layouts. In addition, we will see an overview of the relationship that exists between the profile and these customizable features that the profile controls.

This chapter looks at the methods to configure and tailor the application to suit the way your company information can be best represented within the Salesforce CRM application.

We will look at mechanisms to store data in Salesforce and also explore the concepts of objects and fields. The features that allow this data to be grouped and arranged within the application are then considered by looking at apps, tabs, page layouts, and record types. Finally, we take a look at some of the features that allow views of data to be presented and customized by looking at related lists and list views in detail.

The relationship between a profile and the features that it controls

The following diagram describes the relationship that exists between a profile and the features that it controls:

The profile is used to:

• Control access to the type of license specified for the user and any login hours or IP address restrictions that are set. This was covered in detail in Chapter 1, Organization Administration.
• Control access to objects and records using the role and sharing model. If the appropriate object-level permission is not set on the user's profile, then the user will be unable to gain access to the records of that object type in the application. This was introduced in Chapter 2, User Management in Salesforce CRM, and will be covered in detail in Chapter 4, Data Management.

In this chapter, we will look at the configurable elements that are set in conjunction with a profile. These are used to control the structure and the user interface of the Salesforce CRM application.