Introduction

Salesforce users often face challenges when comparing data across related objects or different datasets within the CRM. Standard Salesforce functionality and its data views, such as Related Lists, do not allow side-by-side comparisons of records across multiple objects. This limitation hampers users' ability to analyze linked data effectively without downloading the data into Excel and manually performing comparisons, which is time-consuming and prone to errors.

Orenda Grids provides a solution with its Extended Related Lists (XRL) feature, which allows Salesforce users to create customized, side-by-side grids for data comparison. With XRL, users can compare multiple records across different objects in a single view, streamlining analysis and improving decision-making.

Challenges in Standard Salesforce Data Views

Salesforce's default functionality presents several challenges for users who need to work with complex data sets:

• No Side-by-Side Comparison: Salesforce does not allow for direct, side-by-side comparison of records within the same object or across different objects with linked fields. This lack of visibility complicates cross-object data analysis.
• Difficulty Identifying Subtle Changes: In large datasets that accumulate over time, identifying small but important differences between records can be difficult without a clear comparison interface.
• Manual Data Exports: To perform detailed data comparisons, users often have to download data into Excel, which is not only cumbersome but also consumes a significant amount of time.

The current options available in Salesforce for such a comparison includes:

1. Manual Data Export: Users must export multiple datasets (in Excel or CSV formats) by defining reports with filters and exporting them. This step is not only tedious but prone to mistakes, especially when managing large datasets or applying complex filters.
2. VLOOKUP and Similar Functions: After exporting datasets, users rely on external tools like Excel for comparison, where they must manually create VLOOKUP functions or similar formulas. This is a time-consuming process, often resulting in duplicated values or incorrect matches if not performed carefully.
3. Error-Prone Copying of Data: Users frequently encounter issues when copying fields from one dataset to another based on VLOOKUP matching. Manual handling of this data increases the likelihood of human error.
4. Limited Real-Time Operations: All comparisons are done on exported, static data, making it impossible to perform real-time operations or gain up-to-date insights directly within Salesforce. Users cannot take actions on the data while comparing, limiting productivity.

To mitigate these limitations, Orenda Grids Extended Related Lists enables Comparison Interface that allows users to compare two objects- same objects but different instances or two completely different objects having common fields.

Leveraging Orenda's Extended Related Lists for Data Comparison

Orenda Grids addresses these challenges by providing a configurable interface where users can set up side-by-side data views. This feature makes it easy to identify changes, trends, and correlations across different Salesforce objects. On customer request, Orenda can configure this interface within an organization's Salesforce environment, enabling users to create customized comparison views.

Procedure

We will take example of Opportunity Comparison to show how can we compare two or more objects. There are two aspects to Comparison of objects- 

1. Comparing different versions of the same object: 
   For example, Sales rep needs to compare two different versions of same opportunity object to track changes made during sales cycle. In this scenario, they need to sift through multiple reports or record history involving lot of manual work and inefficiency.
2. Comparing data across different objects: For example, Price comparison in Opportunity and Pricebook. Sales Manager needs to compare Opportunity Line Item prices against the corresponding Pricebook entries to ensure accuracy and identify potential discrepancies.​

Use Case 1: Same object comparison

Orenda Grids enables direct side-by-side comparison of two versions of the same record within the Salesforce interface. For example, users can easily compare key fields in an Opportunity—such as pricing changes, updated close dates, or modified discount structures—without exporting data. For this case, we will use- Coca Cola Bottling 1 Opportunity as seen below and compare two different versions of it. 

Step 1: Go to desired object page such as Coca-Cola Bottling Version 1 Opportunity as seen in the image below.

Step 2: Through this Opportunity Page, go to pre-configured Opportunity Comparison tab as mentioned in Prerequisite.

Step 3: In Opportunity Comparison, you will see interface as seen in the image where you have the option to configure different instances of Opportunity object for comparison.

Step 4: In next step, you can choose among the different version of the objects from the dropdown to compare using Select an option button. For instance, you can select, Coca-Cola Bottling Version 2 as shown in the image.

Step 5: Press OK button after selection and you will see the two versions side by side for comparison.

Step 6: The comparison will happen based on a specific field that is pre-configured in Comparison Interface. For instance, in current example, the two versions of Opportunity are compared with respect to Product Code field.

Step 7: Alongside the primary field, other predefined fields, as configured in the Comparison Interface, will also appear. These fields display relevant data and highlight any variations in data points for matching product codes, as shown in the image above for the fields- Quantity and List Price.

Step 8: Orenda Grids’ comparison interface offers various filters to refine your view:

• In Master: Displays product codes that exist only in the original Opportunity record.
• In Compared: Shows product codes unique to the compared version.
• Matched: Lists product codes with matching data across both master and compared records.
• Unmatched: Highlights records in the master and compared versions where data does not match.

Use Case 2: Different Object Comparison

XRL interface allows comparison among different objects which have some common data points. For instance, Sales Manager needs to compare Opportunity Line Item prices against the corresponding Pricebook entries to ensure accuracy and identify potential discrepancies. Comparison interface comes handy in this scenario as it allows a side by side comparison of individual records and highlights the differences and matching aspects. Taking this example, we need to go through following steps to compare the two objects.

Please note like use case 1, for a sample Opportunity such as shown below- Coca Cola Bottling Version- 1, get the Comparison Interface configured from Orenda team.

Step 1: In the opportunity page Coca Cola Bottling- Version 1, click on the Opportunity Vs PriceBook Entry tab

Step 2: From the record selection search box, select any record against which you need to make the comparison. For example, you can select Standard Price Book here.

Step 3: The selected option will reflect now in the search box. Next, click on OK button.

Step 4: All the records which share common product code will be compared in Opportunity and Price Book.

Results

Orenda Grids’ Extended Related Lists (XRL) feature makes it easier for Salesforce users to compare data directly within the platform. By providing side-by-side record views, users no longer need to export data to Excel for manual comparisons. The XRL interface allows for quick identification of changes and differences across records or different versions of the same record, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.

For those working with complex data sets, this built-in comparison tool simplifies the process, offering filters and customizable views to help users analyze data more effectively. With XRL, users can perform their comparisons within Salesforce, making data review faster, easier, and more reliable.