SF-PD2 Performance Practice Question
A developer is writing a query to fetch related records. Which SOQL pattern is best for avoiding unnecessary query execution and improving performance?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often select multiple individual queries or map iterations instead of realizing that a single parent-to-child relationship query natively resolves query-in-a-loop anti-patterns.
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
✓
Use a single relationship query to fetch parent and child records.
Using relationship queries (joins) allows fetching data from parent and child objects in a single SOQL statement. This prevents the 'query-in-a-loop' anti-pattern, which is the most common cause of hitting the 100 SOQL query limit. By retrieving all necessary data at once, the developer reduces the number of server round-trips and keeps the transaction lightweight and performant, which is essential for scaling code in an enterprise environment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Perform separate queries for each record inside a loop.
Why it's wrong here
Executing a query inside a loop is a fundamental anti-pattern that violates the SOQL query limit of 100. This approach causes exponential performance degradation as the record count grows, leading to transaction failure and inefficient use of system resources, which is unacceptable for production-grade code.
- ✓
Use a single relationship query to fetch parent and child records.
Why this is correct
Relationship queries allow the retrieval of related data in one statement. This approach is highly efficient because it eliminates the need for repeated database calls, staying within governor limits and significantly reducing execution time compared to multiple individual queries performed in a loop or sequentially.
- ✗
Cache all retrieved data in a static Map variable.
Why it's wrong here
Caching data in a static Map is useful for repeat lookups but does not prevent the initial performance issue of multiple database queries. If the query is executed inefficiently, the caching happens too late. Developers should focus on writing a single, efficient query instead of relying on post-retrieval caching.
- ✗
Use the 'FOR' loop with the 'LIMIT' keyword.
Why it's wrong here
While using limits is good practice, it does not change the fact that a query inside a loop is inefficient. A query inside a loop is inherently flawed regardless of the limit set. The developer must refactor the query to be outside the loop using relationship notation.
About these practice questions
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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
This SF-PD2 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Salesforce certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SF-PD2 exam.