SF-Data-Arch Data Modeling and Database Design Practice Question
A Salesforce architect is designing a data model for a recruiting application. A Candidate can apply to many Positions, and a Position can receive applications from many Candidates. For each application, the company needs to track the Application Date and the Source (for example, LinkedIn or Referral). Which data modeling approach should the architect use?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that two lookup fields between the same objects can model many-to-many, when a junction object is required to store attributes of the relationship.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a junction object Application__c with master-detail relationships to both Candidate and Position, and add custom fields for Application Date and Source.
The many-to-many relationship between Candidate and Position requires a junction object. That object holds the two master-detail relationships and the fields that describe each application, such as Application Date and Source. Master-detail relationships on the junction enforce that every application has both a candidate and a position, and they provide cascade delete and sharing inheritance. Other approaches either cannot store per-application attributes or do not enforce referential integrity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create a junction object Application__c with master-detail relationships to both Candidate and Position, and add custom fields for Application Date and Source.
Why this is correct
A junction object with two master-detail relationships is the standard Salesforce pattern for many-to-many relationships. It allows each application to link one candidate and one position while storing attributes unique to that pairing, such as Application Date and Source. This design also provides cascade delete and sharing inheritance from both parents, which supports data integrity and security.
- ✗
Create a lookup relationship from Candidate to Position and a lookup relationship from Position to Candidate.
Why it's wrong here
Two lookups between the same objects do not create a proper many-to-many model; they create two separate one-to-many relationships. There is no single record that represents a candidate applying to a position, so you cannot store Application Date and Source per application. This design also leads to data duplication and inconsistent tracking, failing the requirement to capture attributes per application.
- ✗
Add two lookup fields on the Candidate object, one for Position and one for Application Date, and a text field for Source.
Why it's wrong here
This approach only allows a candidate to have one position and one application date at a time, which cannot represent multiple applications per candidate. It also does not allow a position to have many candidates with separate application details. The model fails to capture the many-to-many nature of the relationship and the per-application attributes, making it incorrect.
- ✗
Create a custom object Application__c with lookup relationships to Candidate and Position, and use a validation rule to prevent duplicates.
Why it's wrong here
A junction object with lookups can represent many-to-many, but lookups do not provide the same cascade delete and sharing inheritance as master-detail. More importantly, lookups allow orphaned records and do not enforce that both parents are always present unless made required. While this could work with additional configuration, the master-detail junction is the recommended pattern for this scenario because it enforces integrity and lifecycle.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Salesforce exam blueprint
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