Object types beyond standard and custom objects
Key Takeaway
Choose the object type by its job: external objects show data that lives outside Salesforce, platform events send real-time event messages, and big objects store massive amounts of data.
Beyond standard objects (built in, like Account) and custom objects (ones you create), Salesforce supports three other object types: external objects, platform events, and big objects. Standard and custom objects are the most common, so the other three usually appear in scenarios where a standard or custom object doesn't fit.
Matching a scenario to an object type
If the data must stay in another system and be seen in real time...
The scenario points to external objects.
If the scenario needs real-time messages between processes or systems...
The scenario points to platform events.
If the scenario involves archiving or analyzing very large record volumes...
The scenario points to big objects.