In Chapter 1, Organization Administration and Chapter 2, User Management in Salesforce CRM, we were introduced to the profile feature in Salesforce, which 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 interface 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 for configuring and tailoring the application to suit the way your company information can be best represented within the Salesforce CRM application.

We will look at the mechanisms for storing data in Salesforce and at 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 in detail at related lists and list views.