Dependent Picklist Considerations

When defining dependent picklists, review these considerations.

Required Editions

Available in: both Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience

Available in: All Editions

User Permissions Needed
To define and edit dependent picklists:	Customize Application

Checkboxes	Checkbox fields can be controlling fields but not dependent fields.
Connect Offline	While controlling fields and dependent picklists are available in Connect Offline, the logic between them isn’t.
Converting fields	When you convert existing fields to dependent picklists or controlling fields, it doesn’t affect the existing values in your records. After conversion, the dependency rules apply to new records and to any changes to existing records.
Default values	You can prepopulate a record event with default values in dependent picklists. Default values on dependent picklists are available on accounts, opportunities, contacts, leads, and custom objects. If the Automated Account Field setting is enabled, you can’t prepopulate dependent picklists with default values.
Dependency limitations	Before defining a dependency, make sure that your picklist has at least one value. Standard fields such as Product Family don’t contain values until you add them. If a standard controlling field relies on functionality that you disable, then the dependency rules for the picklist no longer apply. For example, if you disable the Self-Service portal, and Closed by Self-Service User is a controlling field, its dependent picklist shows all available values. If you replace a parent value in a controlling picklist, the picklist dependency is lost. After replacing the parent value, re-create the dependency by using the new parent value. You can update the field dependency of a managed controller picklist field only from the UI and not by using the Metadata API. Picklist dependencies are created based on the API names of individual picklist values. If these API names are modified after the dependency is configured, the dependent field relationship doesn’t work as expected.
Field-level security	Field-level security settings for a controlling field and dependent picklist are independent. Remember to hide a controlling field whenever its correlating dependent picklist is hidden.
Import	The Data Import Wizard doesn’t consider field dependencies. You can import any value into a dependent picklist regardless of the value imported for a controlling field.
Lead conversion	If you create a dependency for lead fields that map to account, contact, and opportunity fields for lead conversion, create the same dependency on the account, contact, or opportunity. You can map dependent picklists and controlling lead fields to account, contact, or opportunity fields with different dependency rules.
Lightning pages	Dynamic Forms-enabled Lightning pages that contain dependent picklists must also contain their controlling picklist fields, or the dependent picklist values don't appear.
Multi-select picklists	Multi-select picklists can be dependent picklists but not controlling fields.
Page layouts	Page layouts that contain dependent picklists must also contain their controlling picklist fields, or the dependent picklist values don't appear. Make sure that the dependent picklist is lower on the page layout than its controlling field. If a dependent picklist is required and no values are available for it based on the controlling field value, users can save the record without entering a value. The record is saved with no value for that field.
Picklist limitations	A controlling field can have up to 300 values. If a field is both a controlling field and dependent picklist, it can’t contain more than 300 values. No checks are performed for dependent fields when a controlling field is updated. These fields aren’t available as controlling fields. Activity Fields Call Type Create recurring series of events Show Time As Subject Task Type Contact Fields Salutation Contact Currency Custom Object Fields Currency Lead Fields Converted Unread By Owner
Record types	You can define or change the record type for your dependent picklist only within the Preview dialog when creating or editing the field dependency values. The record type controls what values are available in the controlling field. The record type and the controlling field together determine what values are available in the dependent picklist. For example, a dependent value is only available if it’s available in the selected record type and the selected controlling value.
Standard versus custom picklists	Custom picklist fields can be either controlling or dependent fields. Standard picklist fields can be controlling fields but not dependent fields.