USEFUL VALIDATION RULES

Available in: Contact Manager, Group, Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer
Editions

User Permissions Needed

To view field validation rules: “View Setup and Configuration”
To define or change field validation rules: “Customize Application”

Use the following samples for validation rules in Salesforce.com and Force.com AppExchange
apps, including:

• Account Validation Rules

• Contact Validation Rules
• Opportunity Management Validation Rules
• Quote Validation Rules
• Call Center Validation Rules
• User, Role, and Profile Validation Rules
• Account Address Validation Rules
• Date Validation Rules
• Number Validation Rules
• Cross Object Validation Rules
• Community Validation Rules (Answers and Ideas)
• Other Validation Rules

Account Address Validation Rules

Canadian Billing Postal Code

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Billing Zip/Postal Code is in the
correct format if Billing Country is Canada.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: AND(
OR(BillingCountry = "CAN", BillingCountry = "CA",
BillingCountry = "Canada"),
NOT(REGEX(BillingPostalCode,
"((?i)[ABCEGHJKLMNPRSTVXY]\\d[A-Z]?\\s?\\d[A-Z]\\d)?"))
)

Error Message: Canadian postal code must be in A9A 9A9 format.

Error Location: Billing Zip/Postal Code

Billing Zip Code is in Billing State

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Billing Zip/Postal Code is valid
by looking up the first five characters of the value in a custom object
called Zip_Code__c that contains a record for every valid zip code
in the US. If the zip code is not found in the Zip_Code__c object,
or the Billing State does not match the corresponding
State_Code__c in the Zip_Code__c object, an error is displayed.
Formula: VLOOKUP(
$ObjectType.Zip_Code__c.Fields.City__c ,
$ObjectType.Zip_Code__c.Fields.Name ,
LEFT(BillingPostalCode,5)) <> BillingCity

Error Message: Billing Zip Code does not exist in specified Billing State.
Error Location: Billing Zip/Postal Code

US Billing Zip Code

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Billing Zip/Postal Code is in 99999
or 99999-9999 format if Billing Country is USA or US.
Formula: AND(
OR(BillingCountry = "USA", BillingCountry = "US"),
NOT(REGEX(BillingPostalCode, "\\d{5}(-\\d{4})?"))
)

Note: This example uses the REGEX function; see

“Shipping Zip Code” in the Salesforce.com online help if
you are not familiar with regular expressions.

Error Message: Zip code must be in 99999 or 99999-9999 format.

Error Location: Billing Zip/Postal Code

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Shipping Zip Code

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Shipping Zip/Postal Code is in 99999 or
99999-9999 format if Shipping Country is USA or blank.
Formula: AND(
OR(ShippingCountry = "USA",
ISBLANK(ShippingCountry)),
OR(
AND(LEN(ShippingPostalCode) <>5,
LEN(ShippingPostalCode) <> 10),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
LEFT( ShippingPostalCode, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 2, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 3, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 4, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 5, 1))),
AND(
LEN(ShippingPostalCode) = 10,
OR(
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 6, 1) <> "-",
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 7, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 8, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 9, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( ShippingPostalCode , 10, 1)))
)
)
)
)

Note: This example interprets a blank country as US. To use this

example with other countries, remove the clause that checks the
length of the country field. Also, validation rule criteria are case
sensitive, so this rule is only enforced when the country is blank
or “USA” in all capital letters. The rule is not enforced when the
country is “usa.”

Tip: You can also validate zip codes using a regular expression;
for an example of a formula using a regular expression, see
“REGEX” in the Salesforce.com online help.

Error Message: Zip code must be in 99999 or 99999-9999 format.

Error Location: Shipping Zip/Postal Code

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Valid Billing State (US)

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Billing State/Province is a valid
two-character abbreviation if Billing Country is US, USA, or
blank.
Formula: AND (
OR(BillingCountry = "US", BillingCountry="USA",
ISBLANK(BillingCountry)),
OR(
LEN(BillingState) < 2,
NOT(
CONTAINS("AL:AK:AZ:AR:CA:CO:CT:DE:DC:FL:GA:HI:ID:"
&
"IL:IN:IA:KS:KY:LA:ME:MD:MA:MI:MN:MS:MO:MT:NE:NV:NH:"
&
"NJ:NM:NY:NC:ND:OH:OK:OR:PA:RI:SC:SD:TN:TX:UT:VT:VA:"
&
"WA:WV:WI:WY", BillingState)
)))

Note: This example interprets a blank country as US. To

use this example with other countries, remove the clause
that checks the length of the country field. Also, validation
rule criteria are case sensitive, so this rule is only enforced
when the country is blank or “USA” in all capital letters.
The rule is not enforced when the country is “usa.”

Error Message: A valid two-letter state code is required.

Error Location: Billing State/Province

Valid Billing Province (Canada)

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Billing State/Province is a valid two-character
abbreviation if Billing Country is CA or CAN.
Formula: AND (
OR(BillingCountry = "CA", BillingCountry="CAN"),
OR(
LEN(BillingState) < 2,
NOT(
CONTAINS("AB:BC:MB:NB:NL:NT:NS:NU:ON:PC:QC:SK:YT",
BillingState)
)))

Error Message: A valid two-letter province code is required.

Error Location: Billing State/Province

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Valid Shipping State

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Shipping State/Province is a valid
two-character abbreviation if Shipping Country is US, USA, or blank.
Formula: AND (
OR(ShippingCountry = "US", ShippingCountry="USA",
ISBLANK(ShippingCountry)),
OR(
LEN(ShippingState) < 2,
NOT(
CONTAINS("AL:AK:AZ:AR:CA:CO:CT:DE:DC:FL:GA:HI:ID:" &
"IL:IN:IA:KS:KY:LA:ME:MD:MA:MI:MN:MS:MO:MT:NE:NV:NH:" &
"NJ:NM:NY:NC:ND:OH:OK:OR:PA:RI:SC:SD:TN:TX:UT:VT:VA:" &
"WA:WV:WI:WY", ShippingState)
)))

Note: This example interprets a blank country as US. To use this

example with other countries, remove the clause that checks the length
of the country field. Also, validation rule criteria are case sensitive, so
this rule is only enforced when the country is blank or “USA” in all
capital letters. The rule is not enforced when the country is “usa.”

Error Message: A valid two-letter state abbreviation is required.

Error Location: Shipping State/Province

Valid Shipping Province (Canada)

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Shipping State/Province is a valid
two-character abbreviation, if Billing Country is CA or CAN.
Formula: AND (
OR(ShippingCountry = "CA", ShippingCountry="CAN"),
OR(
LEN(ShippingState) < 2,
NOT(
CONTAINS("AB:BC:MB:NB:NL:NT:NS:NU:ON:PC:QC:SK:YT",
ShippingState)
)))

Error Message: A valid two-letter province abbreviation is required.

Error Location: Shipping State/Province

Valid Billing Country

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Billing Country is a valid ISO 3166 two-letter
code.

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Field Value
Formula: OR(
LEN(BillingCountry) = 1,
NOT(
CONTAINS(
"AF:AX:AL:DZ:AS:AD:AO:AI:AQ:AG:AR:AM:" &
"AW:AU:AZ:BS:BH:BD:BB:BY:BE:BZ:BJ:BM:BT:BO:" &
"BA:BW:BV:BR:IO:BN:BG:BF:BI:KH:CM:CA:CV:KY:" &
"CF:TD:CL:CN:CX:CC:CO:KM:CG:CD:CK:CR:CI:HR:" &
"CU:CY:CZ:DK:DJ:DM:DO:EC:EG:SV:GQ:ER:EE:ET:FK:" &
"FO:FJ:FI:FR:GF:PF:TF:GA:GM:GE:DE:GH:GI:GR:GL:" &
"GD:GP:GU:GT:GG:GN:GW:GY:HT:HM:VA:HN:HK:HU:" &
"IS:IN:ID:IR:IQ:IE:IM:IL:IT:JM:JP:JE:JO:KZ:KE:KI:" &
"KP:KR:KW:KG:LA:LV:LB:LS:LR:LY:LI:LT:LU:MO:MK:" &
"MG:MW:MY:MV:ML:MT:MH:MQ:MR:MU:YT:MX:FM:MD:MC:" &
"MC:MN:ME:MS:MA:MZ:MM:MA:NR:NP:NL:AN:NC:NZ:NI:" &
"NE:NG:NU:NF:MP:NO:OM:PK:PW:PS:PA:PG:PY:PE:PH:" &
"PN:PL:PT:PR:QA:RE:RO:RU:RW:SH:KN:LC:PM:VC:WS:" &
"SM:ST:SA:SN:RS:SC:SL:SG:SK:SI:SB:SO:ZA:GS:ES:" &
"LK:SD:SR:SJ:SZ:SE:CH:SY:TW:TJ:TZ:TH:TL:TG:TK:" &
"TO:TT:TN:TR:TM:TC:TV:UG:UA:AE:GB:US:UM:UY:UZ:" &
"VU:VE:VN:VG:VI:WF:EH:YE:ZM:ZW",
BillingCountry)))

Error Message: A valid two-letter country code is required.

Error Location: Billing Country

Account Validation Rules

Account Number Is Numeric

Field Value
Description: Validates that the Account Number is numeric if not blank.
Formula: AND(
ISBLANK(AccountNumber),
NOT(ISNUMBER(AccountNumber))
)

Error Message: Account Number is not numeric.

Error Location: Account Number

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Account Number Length

Field Value
Description: Validates that the Account Number is exactly seven digits (if it is
not blank). The number seven is simply illustrative. You can change
this to any number you like.
Formula: AND(
ISBLANK(AccountNumber),
LEN(AccountNumber) <> 7
)

Error Message: Account Number must be seven digits.

Error Location: Account Number

Annual Revenue Range

Field Value
Description: Validates that the account Annual Revenue is not negative and
does not exceed $100 billion. This limit is designed to catch typos.
Formula: OR(
AnnualRevenue < 0,
AnnualRevenue > 100000000000
)

Error Message: Annual Revenue cannot exceed 100 billion.

Error Location: Annual Revenue

Number Validation Rules

Time Cards Must Total 40 Hours

Field Value
Description: Ensures that users cannot save a time card record with more than 40
hours in a work week. This example requires five custom fields on
your custom object, one for each day of work.

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Field Value
Formula: Monday_Hours__c +
Tuesday_Hours__c +
Wednesday_Hours__c +
Thursday_Hours__c +
Friday_Hours__c > 40

Error Message: Your total hours cannot exceed 40.

Error Location: Top of Page

Number Cannot Be Negative

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Hours Worked is not a negative
number.
Formula: Hours_Worked__c < 0

Error Message: Hours Worked cannot be less than zero.

Error Location: Hours Worked

Number Must Be Even

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Ark Passengers is a
non-negative even number.
Formula: OR(
Ark_Passengers__c < 0,
MOD( Ark_Passengers__c, 2) <> 0
)

Error Message: Ark Passengers must be a positive even number.

Error Location: Ark Passengers

Number Must Be Odd

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Socks Found is a non-negative
odd number.

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Field Value
Formula: OR(
Socks_Found__c < 0,
MOD( Socks_Found__c, 2) = 0
)

Error Message: Socks Found must be an odd number.

Error Location: Socks Found

Number Must Be a Multiple of Five

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Multiple of 5 is a multiple
of five.
Formula: MOD( Multiple_of_5__c, 5) <> 0

Error Message: Number must be a multiple of five.

Error Location: Multiple of 5

Number Must Be an Integer

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called My Integer is an integer.
Formula: FLOOR( My_Integer__c) <> My_Integer__c

Error Message: This field must be an integer.

Error Location: My Integer

Number Must Be Between -50 and 50

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Volume is between -50 and 50.
Formula: ABS( Volume__c) > 50

Error Message: Volume must be between -50 and 50.

Error Location: Volume

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Number Range Validation

Field Value
Description: Validates that the range between two custom fields, Salary Min
and Salary Max, is no greater than $20,000.
Formula: (Salary_Max__c - Salary_Min__c) > 20000

Error Message: Salary range must be within $20,000. Adjust the Salary Max or Salary
Min values.
Error Location: Salary Max

Percentage Must Be Between Zero and 100

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Mix Pct is between 0 and 100%.
Note that percent fields are expressed divided by 100 in formulas
(100% is expressed as 1; 50% is expressed as 0.5).
Formula: OR(
Mix_Pct__c > 1.0,
Mix_Pct__c < 0.0
)

Error Message: Mix Pct must be between 0 and 100%.

Error Location: Mix Pct

Contact Validation Rules

Mailing Address Fields Are Required

Field Value
Description: Validates that the contact Mailing Street, Mailing City, and
Mailing Country are provided.

Formula: OR(
ISBLANK( MailingStreet ),
ISBLANK( MailingCity ),
ISBLANK( MailingCountry )
)

Error Message: Mailing Street, City, and Country are required.

Error Location: Top of Page

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Mailing Street Is Required

Field Value
Description: Validates that the contact Mailing Street is provided.
Formula: ISBLANK( MailingStreet )

Error Message: Mailing Street is required.

Error Location: Mailing Street

Mailing Zip Code

Field Value
Description: Validates that the contact Mailing Zip/Postal Code is in 99999 or
99999-9999 format if Mailing Country is USA or blank.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: AND(
OR(MailingCountry = "USA", ISBLANK(MailingCountry)),

OR(
AND(LEN(MailingPostalCode) <>5,
LEN(MailingPostalCode) <> 10),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
LEFT( MailingPostalCode, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( MailingPostalCode , 2, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( MailingPostalCode , 3, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( MailingPostalCode , 4, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( MailingPostalCode , 5, 1))),
AND(
LEN(MailingPostalCode) = 10,
OR(
MID( MailingPostalCode , 6, 1) <> "-",
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( MailingPostalCode , 7, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( MailingPostalCode , 8, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( MailingPostalCode , 9, 1))),
NOT(CONTAINS("0123456789",
MID( MailingPostalCode , 10, 1)))
)
)
)
)

Note: This example interprets a blank country as US. To use this

example with other countries, remove the clause that checks the
length of the country field. Also, validation rule criteria are case
sensitive, so this rule is only enforced when the country is blank
or “USA” in all capital letters. The rule is not enforced when the
country is “usa.”

Tip: You can also validate zip codes using a regular expression;
for an example of a formula using a regular expression, see
“REGEX” in the Salesforce.com online help.

Error Message: Zip code must be in 99999 or 99999-9999 format.

Error Location: Mailing Zip/Postal Code

Phone Number Has International Format

Field Value
Description: Validates that the Phone number begins with a plus sign (+) for
country code. Note that this validation rule conflicts with the ten-digit
rule.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: LEFT(Phone, 1) <> "+"

Error Message: Phone number must begin with + (country code).

Error Location: Phone

US Phone Number Has Ten Digits

Field Value
Description: Validates that the Phone number is in (999) 999-9999 format. This
works by using the REGEX function to check that the number has
ten digits in the (999) 999-9999 format.
Formula: NOT(REGEX(Phone, "\\D*?(\\d\\D*?){10}"))

Error Message: US phone numbers should be in this format: (999) 999-9999.

Error Location: Phone

Date Validation Rules

Date Must Be a Weekday

Field Value
Description: Validates that the value of a custom date field is a weekday (not
Saturday or Sunday).
Formula: CASE(MOD( My_Date__c - DATE(1900, 1, 7), 7),
0, 0,
6, 0,
1) = 0

Error Message: Date must be a weekday.

Error Location: My Date

Date Must Be a Weekend Day

Field Value
Description: Validates that the value of a custom date field is a Saturday or Sunday.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: CASE( MOD( My_Date__c - DATE(1900, 1, 7), 7),
0, 1,
6, 1,
0) = 0

Error Message: Date must be a weekend day.

Error Location: My Date

Date Must Be in the Current Month

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom date field contains a date within the current
month and year.
Formula: OR (
YEAR( My_Date__c ) <> YEAR ( TODAY() ),
MONTH( My_Date__c ) <> MONTH ( TODAY() )
)

Error Message: Date must be in the current month.

Error Location: My Date

Date Must Be in the Current Year

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom date field contains a date within the current
year.
Formula: YEAR( My_Date__c ) <> YEAR ( TODAY() )

Error Message: Date must be in the current year.

Error Location: My Date

Date Must Be the Last Day of the Month

Field Value
Description: Validates whether a custom field called My Date is the last day of
the month. To do this, it determines the date of the first day of the
next month and then subtracts 1 day. It includes special case logic
for December.

14
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Field Value
Formula: DAY(My_Date__c) <>
IF(Month(My_Date__c)=12, 31,
DAY(DATE(YEAR(My_Date__c),MONTH(My_Date__c)+1,1)
- 1))

Error Message: Date must be the last day of the month.

Error Location: My Date

Date Must Be Within One Year of Today

Field Value
Description: Validates whether a custom field called Follow-Up Date is within
one year of today’s date. This example assumes a 365 day year. (It
does not handle leap years.)
Formula: Followup_Date__c - TODAY() > 365

Error Message: Follow-Up Date must be within one year of today.

Error Location: Follow-Up Date

Day of Month Cannot Be Greater Than 15

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Begin Date contains a date in
the first 15 days of the specified month.
Formula: DAY( Begin_Date__c ) > 15

Error Message: Begin Date cannot be after the 15th day of month.
Error Location: Begin Date

End Date Cannot Be Before Begin Date

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called End Date does not come before
another custom field called Begin Date.
Formula: Begin_Date__c > End_Date__c

Error Message: End Date cannot be before Begin Date.

Error Location: Begin Date

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Expiration Date Cannot Be Before Close Date

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Expiration Date does not
come before Close Date.
Formula: Expiration_Date__c < CloseDate

Error Message: Expiration Date cannot be before Close Date.

Error Location: Expiration Date

Opportunity Management Validation Rules

Conditionally-Required Field Based on Opportunity Stage

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Delivery Date is provided if
an opportunity has advanced to the Closed Won or
Negotiation/Review stage.
Formula: AND (
OR (
ISPICKVAL(StageName, "Closed Won"),
ISPICKVAL(StageName, "Negotiation/Review")),
ISBLANK(Delivery_Date__c)
)

Error Message: Delivery Date is required for this stage.

Error Location: Delivery Date

Close Date Cannot Be Prior to Current Month

Field Value
Description: Validates that the Close Date of an opportunity is not within a
month prior to the current month. Note the use of ISNEW and
ISCHANGED in this formula to ensure the condition is only
checked when the opportunity is being created or the Close Date
field is modified subsequently.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: AND(
OR (
ISNEW(),
ISCHANGED( CloseDate )),
CloseDate < DATE( YEAR(TODAY()), MONTH(TODAY()),
1) )

Error Message: Close Date cannot be prior to current month.

Error Location: Close Date

Close Date Must Be a Future Date

Field Value
Description: Ensures that users do not change the Close Date of an opportunity to
a day in the past.
Formula: CloseDate < TODAY()

Error Message: Close Date cannot be a day in the past.

Error Location: Close Date

Discounts on Opportunities

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom discount percent field is between 0 and 40%.
Formula: OR(Discount_Rate__c < 0, Discount_Rate__c > 0.40)

Error Message: The Discount Rate must not exceed 40%.

Error Location: Discount Rate

High-Value Opportunity Must Be Approved Before Closed

Field Value
Description: Opportunities with amounts greater than $50,000 require that a
custom checkbox field called Approved is checked in order to change
the stage to Closed Won or Closed Lost. To automate this, set
field-level security on the Approved checkbox so that it can only be
checked via a custom approval process (Enterprise Edition or
Unlimited Edition).

17
 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: AND(
OR(
ISPICKVAL(StageName,"Closed Won"),
ISPICKVAL(StageName,"Closed Lost")),
(Amount > 50000),
NOT(ISPICKVAL(Approval_Status__c ,"Approved")))

Error Message: All high-value opportunities must be approved for closure. Click the
Request Close button.
Error Location: Top of Page

Opportunity Amount Cannot Exceed $10 Million

Field Value
Description: Validates that opportunity Amount is positive and no more than $10
million. This limit is designed to catch typos.
Formula: OR(
Amount < 0,
Amount > 10000000
)

Error Message: Amount cannot exceed $10 million.

Error Location: Amount

Opportunity Check for Products

Field Value
Description: Validates that an opportunity has at least one opportunity product before
users can save a change to an opportunity.
Formula: NOT(OR(ISNEW(),HasOpportunityLineItem))

Error Message: You must add products to this opportunity before saving.
Error Location: Top of Page

Opportunity Must Have Products if Beyond “Needs Analysis” Stage

Field Value
Description: Validates that an opportunity has opportunity products before the
Stage can move beyond Needs Analysis.

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Field Value
Formula: AND (
CASE( StageName,
"Value Proposition", 1,
"Id. Decision Makers", 1,
"Perception Analysis", 1,
"Proposal/Price Quote", 1,
"Negotiation/Review", 1,
"Closed Won", 1,
0) = 1,
NOT(HasOpportunityLineItem)
)

Error Message: Opportunity products are required to advance beyond the Needs
Analysis stage.
Error Location: Top of Page

Opportunity Name Format

Field Value
Description: Validates that an opportunity contains a hyphen as a way of enforcing
an “[Account] - [Amount]” opportunity naming convention.
Formula: FIND( " - ", Name ) = 0

Error Message: Opportunity Name should use “[Account] - [Amount]” format.

Error Location: Opportunity Name

Prevent Sales Reps from Moving Opportunity Stage Backwards

Field Value
Description: Prevent sales reps from changing opportunity Stage “backwards” to
specific values, once they have accepted the opportunity via a custom
approval process. The approval process sets the custom Accepted
Flag checkbox to True.

Formula: AND(
Accepted_Flag__c,
OR ( ISPICKVAL( StageName, "Stage 1"),
ISPICKVAL( StageName, "Stage 2"))
)

Error Message: Invalid stage for accepted opportunity.

Error Location: Stage

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Probability Must Be 100% for Won Opportunities

Field Value
Description: Validates that the probability of a won opportunity is properly set to
100%. This is useful for data cleanliness and reporting purposes.
Formula: AND (
ISPICKVAL( StageName, "Closed Won"),
Probability <> 1)

Error Message: Probability must be 100% for won opportunities.

Error Location: Probability

Probability Must Be Zero for Lost Opportunities

Field Value
Description: Validates that the probability of a lost opportunity is properly set to
zero. This is useful for data cleanliness and reporting purposes.
Formula: AND (
ISPICKVAL( StageName, "Closed Lost"),
Probability <> 0)

Error Message: Probability must be 0% for lost opportunities.

Error Location: Probability

Project Start Date

Field Value
Description: Validates that a field is conditionally required based on the values of other
fields. Use this validation formula to ensure that users include a Project
Start Date for an opportunity that is closed/won.

Formula: AND(ISPICKVAL(StageName, "Closed Won"),

ISNULL(Project_Start_Date__c))

Error Message: Project start date is required for won opportunities.

Error Location: Project Start Date

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 Useful Validation Rules

Quote Validation Rules

Display Error if Quote Line Item Discount Exceeds 40%

Field Value
Description: Shows an error if a quote line item's discount exceeds 40%.
Formula: Discount > .40

Error Message: The discount on this quote line item cannot exceed 40%.
Error Location: Discount on quote

Call Center Validation Rules

Conditionally Require Description When Case Reason is “Other”

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field called Other Reason contains a value
if a case has a Case Reason of “Other.”
Formula: AND(
ISPICKVAL( Reason, "Other" ),
ISBLANK(Other_Reason__c)
)

Error Message: Description of Other Reason is required.

Error Location: Other Reason

Prevent Open Cases from Being Reset to New

Field Value
Description: If a case is already open, prevents the Status from being changed
back to “New.”

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Field Value
Formula: AND(
ISCHANGED( Status ),
NOT(ISPICKVAL(PRIORVALUE( Status ), "New")),
ISPICKVAL( Status, "New")
)

Error Message: Open case Status cannot be reset to New.

Error Location: Status

Restrict Status of Re-Opened Cases

Field Value
Description: Validates that the case Status is “Re-opened” when a closed case
is opened again.
Formula: AND(
ISCHANGED( Status ),
OR(
ISPICKVAL(PRIORVALUE( Status ), "Closed"),

ISPICKVAL(PRIORVALUE( Status ),
"Closed in SSP")),
NOT( ISPICKVAL( Status, "Re-Opened"))
)

Error Message: Closed case can only be changed to “Re-opened.”

Error Location: Status

User, Role, and Profile Validation Rules

Discount Percent Does Not Exceed Role-Based Limit

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom field on opportunities called Discount
Percent does not exceed a maximum value that varies depending
on the user’s role. The default maximum is 15%.

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Field Value
Formula: Discount_Percent__c >

VLOOKUP($ObjectType.Role_Limits__c.Fields.Limit__c,

$ObjectType.Role_Limits__c.Fields.Name,
$UserRole.Name)

Error Message: Discount (%) exceeds limit allowed for your role.
Error Location: Discount Percent

Expense Amount Does Not Exceed User's Max Allowed Expense

Field Value
Description: Validates a custom field called Expense Amount against a custom
user field called Max Allowed Expense.
Formula: Expense_Amount__c > $User.Max_Allowed_Expense__c

Error Message: Amount cannot exceed your maximum allowed expense.

Error Location: Expense Amount

Only Record Owner Can Change Field

Field Value
Description: Ensures that only the record owner can make changes to a custom
field called Personal Goal.
Formula: AND(
ISCHANGED( Personal_Goal__c ),
Owner <> $User.Id
)

Error Message: Only record owner can change Personal Goal.

Error Location: Personal Goal

Only Record Owner or Administrator Can Change Field

Field Value
Description: Ensures that a user can make changes to a custom field called
Personal Goal only if the user is the record owner or has a custom
profile of “Custom: System Admin.”

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: AND(
ISCHANGED( Personal_Goal__c ),
Owner <> $User.Id,
$Profile.Name <> "Custom: System Admin"
)

Note: $Profile merge fields are only available in Enterprise,

Unlimited, and Developer Editions.

Error Message: Only record owner or administrator can change Personal Goal.
Error Location: Personal Goal

Opportunity Close Date Can Only Be Back-Dated by Administrator

Field Value
Description: Validates that the Close Date of an opportunity does not fall prior
to the current month, except for users who have a custom profile
called “Custom: System Admin.”
Formula: AND(
OR (
ISNEW(),
ISCHANGED( CloseDate )),
CloseDate < DATE( YEAR(TODAY()), MONTH(TODAY()),
1),
$Profile.Name <> "Custom: System Admin"
)

Note: $Profile merge fields are only available in Enterprise,

Unlimited, and Developer Editions.

Error Message: Close Date cannot be prior to current month.

Error Location: Close Date

Cross Object Validation Rules

Discounts Must Be Within Range

This example consists of three validation rules on opportunity products. The examples below work
together to help you manage discount amounts for products and require a custom percent field on
opportunity products called Line Discount. The examples below also require you to use price
books and customize the Product Family field to include the following values: Software,
Consulting, and Training.

24
 Useful Validation Rules

Software Discounts

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from saving software products
with a discount over 10 percent.
Formula: AND(Line_Discount__c > 0.10,
ISPICKVAL(Product2.Family,
"Software"))

Error Message: The discount must be 10% or less for software

products.
Error Location: Line Discount

Consulting Discounts

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from saving consulting products
with a discount over 15 percent.
Formula: AND(Line_Discount__c > 0.15,
ISPICKVAL(Product2.Family,
"Consulting"))

Error Message: The discount must be 15% or less for consulting

products.
Error Location: Line Discount

Training Discounts

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from saving training products
with a discount over 20 percent.
Formula: AND(Line_Discount__c > 0.20,
ISPICKVAL(Product2.Family,
"Training"))

Error Message: The discount must be 20% or less for training

products.
Error Location: Line Discount

Prevent Changing Opportunity Products on Closed Opportunities

This example consists of two validation rules: one on opportunity products and another on
opportunities.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from editing opportunity products
after an opportunity is closed. Create the
following validation rule example on opportunity
products.
Formula: OR(ISPICKVAL(Opportunity.StageName,
"Closed Won"),
ISPICKVAL(Opportunity.StageName,
"Closed Lost"))

Error Message: Cannot change opportunity products for closed

opportunities.
Error Location: Top of Page

The following validation rule is on opportunities.

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from deleting opportunity
products after an opportunity is closed. Create
the following validation rule example on
opportunities. It uses a custom roll-up summary
field on opportunities that counts the number
of opportunity products on an opportunity.
Formula: AND(OR(ISPICKVAL(StageName,
"Closed Won"),
ISPICKVAL(StageName, "Closed
Lost")), Number_of_Line_Items__c
<
PRIORVALUE(Number_of_Line_Items__c)
)

Error Message: Cannot delete opportunity products for closed

opportunities.
Error Location: Top of Page

Prevent Saving a Case When Account Does Not Have Support

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from saving a case for an account
that does not have support. This example
assumes you have a custom checkbox field on
accounts called Allowed Support that tracks
if the account has support.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: Account.Allowed_Support__c =
FALSE

Error Message: Unable to create cases for this account because

it is not signed up for support.
Error Location: Top of Page

Prevent Saving a Case When Contact is No Longer with the Company

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from saving an open case
associated with a contact that is no longer with
the company. This example uses a custom
checkbox field on contacts called No Longer
With Company.

Formula: AND(Contact.Not_Longer_With_Company__c,

NOT(IsClosed))

Error Message: Unable to save this case because the related

contact is no longer with the company. To
continue, choose another contact.
Error Location: Contact Name

Community Validation Rules

Preventing Offensive Language in Questions

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from entering offensive language in the Title and
Description fields when asking a question.

Formula: OR(CONTAINS(Title, 'darn'), CONTAINS(Body,

'darn'))

Error Message: Question title or description contains offensive language.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Preventing Offensive Language in Replies

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from entering offensive language when replying to a
question.
Formula: OR(CONTAINS(Body, 'darn'), CONTAINS(Body, 'dang'))

Error Message: Reply contains offensive language.

Preventing Offensive Language in Ideas

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from entering offensive language in the Title and
Description fields when posting an idea.

Formula: OR(CONTAINS(Title, 'darn'), CONTAINS(Body,

'darn'))

Error Message: Idea title or description contains offensive language.

Preventing Offensive Language in Idea Comments

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from entering offensive language when posting a
comment.
Formula: OR(CONTAINS(CommentBody , 'darn'),
CONTAINS(CommentBody, 'dang'))

Error Message: Comment contains offensive language.

Other Validation Rules

Allow Number to Be Increased but Not Decreased

Field Value
Description: Allows a custom field called Commit Amount to be increased but
not decreased after initial creation. This rule uses the
PRIORVALUE() function to compare the updated value of the field
to its value prior to update.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: PRIORVALUE(Commit_Amount__c) > Commit_Amount__c

Error Message: Commit Amount cannot be decreased.

Error Location: Commit Amount

California Driver's License

Field Value
Description: Ensures that a custom field called Drivers License is in the
correct A9999999 format when the Mailing State is “CA”.
Formula: AND(
MailingState = "CA",
NOT(REGEX(Drivers_License__c, "([A-Z]\\d{7})?"))
)

Error Message: Invalid California driver's license format.

Error Location: Drivers License

Force Users to Check “I Accept Terms” to Enter Certain Values

Field Value
Description: Uses a checkbox labeled “I accept terms” to force the user to select a
checkbox in order to enter a value called Number of Days that
exceeds their Paid Time Off (PTO) balance available.
Formula: AND(
NOT( I_accept_terms__c ),
Number_of_Days__c > $User.PTO_Balance__c
)

Error Message: Request will cause a negative PTO balance. You must accept Negative
PTO Balance terms.
Error Location: I accept terms

Prohibit Changes to a Field After It Has Been Saved

Field Value
Description: Prevents users from changing a custom field called Guaranteed
Rate after it has been saved initially.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: AND(
NOT( ISNEW() ),
ISCHANGED( Guaranteed_Rate__c )
)

Error Message: Guaranteed Rate cannot be changed.

Error Location: Guaranteed Rate

Social Security Number Format

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom text field called SSN is formatted in
999-99-9999 number format (if it is not blank). The pattern specifies:
• Three single digits (0-9):\\d{3}
• A dash
• Two single digits (0-9):\\d{2}
• A dash
• Four single digits (0-9):\\d{4}

Formula: NOT(
OR(
ISBLANK(Social_Security_Number__c),
REGEX( Social_Security_Number__c ,
"[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{4}")
)
)

Error Message: SSN must be in this format: 999-99-9999.

Error Location: SSN

Valid Currency

Field Value
Description: Validates selected currency against an explicit subset of active
currencies in your organization using the Currency picklist. Use
this example if you only allow some of the active currencies in your
organization to be applied to certain types of records.
Formula: CASE(CurrencyIsoCode,
"USD", 1,
"EUR", 1,
"GBP", 1,
"JPY", 1,
0) = 0

Error Message: Currency must be USD, EUR, GBP, or JPY.

30
 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Error Location: Currency

Valid Credit Card Number

Field Value
Description: Validates that a custom text field called Credit_Card_Number is
formatted in 9999-9999-9999-9999 or 9999999999999999 number
format when it is not blank. The pattern specifies:
• Four digits (0-9) followed by a dash: \\d{4}-
• The aforementioned pattern is repeated three times by wrapping
it in () {3}
• Four digits (0-9)
• The OR character (|) allows an alternative pattern of 16 digits
of zero through nine with no dashes: \\d{16}

Formula: NOT( REGEX( Credit_Card_Number__c ,

"(((\\d{4}-){3}\\d{4})|\\d{16})?"))

Error Message: Credit Card Number must be in this format: 9999-9999-9999-9999

or 9999999999999999.
Error Location: Credit Card Number

Valid IP Address

Field Value
Description: Ensures that a custom field called IP Address is in the correct
format, four 3-digit numbers (0-255) separated by periods.
Formula: NOT(
REGEX( IP_Address__c,
"^((25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)\\.)
{3}(25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)$" ))

Error Message: Error: IP Address must be in form 999.999.999.999 where each part
is between 0 and 255.
Error Location: IP Address

Website Extension

Field Value
Description: Validates a custom field called Web Site to ensure its last four
characters are in an explicit set of valid website extensions.

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 Useful Validation Rules

Field Value
Formula: AND(
RIGHT( Web_Site__c, 4) <> ".COM",
RIGHT( Web_Site__c, 4) <> ".com",
RIGHT( Web_Site__c, 4) <> ".ORG",
RIGHT( Web_Site__c, 4) <> ".org",
RIGHT( Web_Site__c, 4) <> ".NET",
RIGHT( Web_Site__c, 4) <> ".net",
RIGHT( Web_Site__c, 6) <> ".CO.UK",
RIGHT( Web_Site__c, 6) <> ".co.uk"
)

Error Message: Web Site must have an extension of .com, .org, .net, or .co.uk.
Error Location: Web Site

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