Use when you need to know which of the six SOQL aggregate functions (AVG, COUNT, COUNT_DISTINCT, MIN, MAX, SUM) a given Salesforce field type supports — e.g. diagnosing why SUM() or AVG() on a date, text, picklist, or boolean field throws a query error, confirming a field is aggregatable before you write the query, or reasoning about multi-currency and picklist-sort-order semantics. Trigger keywords: soql aggregate field type support, sum/avg unsupported field type, aggregate function malformed query, which fields support avg sum, min max picklist sort order, currency aggregate system currency. NOT for GROUP BY / HAVING / ROLLUP / CUBE / AggregateResult iteration mechanics (use apex/apex-aggregate-queries), NOT for report-builder summary formulas or the Reporting/Analytics API, and NOT for declarative Roll-Up Summary fields.
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Use when you need to know which of the six SOQL aggregate functions (AVG, COUNT, COUNT_DISTINCT, MIN, MAX, SUM) a given Salesforce field type supports — e.g. diagnosing why SUM() or AVG() on a date, text, picklist, or boolean field throws a query error, confirming a field is aggregatable before you write the query, or reasoning about multi-currency and picklist-sort-order semantics. Trigger keywords: soql aggregate field type support, sum/avg unsupported field type, aggregate function malformed query, which fields support avg sum, min max picklist sort order, currency aggregate system currency. NOT for GROUP BY / HAVING / ROLLUP / CUBE / AggregateResult iteration mechanics (use apex/apex-aggregate-queries), NOT for report-builder summary formulas or the Reporting/Analytics API, and NOT for declarative Roll-Up Summary fields.
category
apex
salesforce-version
Spring '25+
well-architected-pillars
["Reliability","Performance"]
triggers
["diagnosing why SUM() or AVG() throws a query error on a date, text, or picklist field","checking which field types support all six aggregate functions before writing the SOQL","how MIN() or MAX() orders a picklist field — alphabetical or the picklist's own sort order","my currency SUM() returns the wrong total in a multi-currency org","confirming whether a boolean, time, multipicklist, base64, or encrypted field can be aggregated at all"]
["The field API name(s) and their data type(s) you intend to aggregate","The aggregate function(s) you want to apply (AVG, COUNT, COUNT_DISTINCT, MIN, MAX, SUM)","Whether the org is multi-currency (affects currency aggregate results)"]
outputs
["A supported / not-supported verdict per (field type × function) pair","The correct function or a refactor when the intended one is unsupported","Warnings on null handling, picklist sort order, and multi-currency defaulting"]
dependencies
[]
version
1.0.0
author
Pranav Nagrecha
updated
"2026-07-08T00:00:00.000Z"
SOQL Aggregate Field-Type Support
This skill activates when a practitioner needs to know which SOQL aggregate functions apply to which field types. Salesforce publishes a dedicated reference page for exactly this because the six functions "aren't relevant for all field types" — SUM() and AVG() are numeric-only, several field types support no aggregate at all, and a few (currency, picklist) carry non-obvious semantics. The payoff is catching a SUM(CloseDate)-style mistake at authoring time instead of as a runtime query error.
Before Starting
Gather this context before working on anything in this domain:
Know the exact data type of every field you plan to aggregate. "It's a number on screen" is not enough — a currency, a percent, a formula returning text, and a picklist all behave differently. Read the type from Setup → Object Manager or a describe call, not from the label.
The most common wrong assumption is that any field can be summed or averaged.AVG() and SUM() require a fully numeric type (int, double, currency, percent). On a date, text, picklist, or boolean field the query fails — it does not silently return null.
The six functions are AVG, COUNT, COUNT_DISTINCT, MIN, MAX, SUM.MAX() has been available since API version 18.0 and later. This is longstanding core SOQL reference behavior; the docs attach no GA/Beta/Pilot/Developer-Preview label to it — do not invent one.
Multi-currency changes the answer. In a multi-currency org, aggregate results on currency fields default to the system (corporate) currency, not each record's currency.
Core Concepts
The six functions and what each returns
Function
Returns
Field-type requirement
AVG(field)
Average value of a numeric field
Numeric only
SUM(field)
Total sum of a numeric field
Numeric only
COUNT() / COUNT(fieldName)
Number of rows matching the query
Broad (see matrix)
COUNT_DISTINCT(field)
Number of distinct non-null values
Broad (see matrix)
MIN(field)
Minimum value of a field
Broad (see matrix)
MAX(field)
Maximum value of a field (API 18.0+)
Broad (see matrix)
The compatibility matrix (the reference this skill exists for)
No aggregate support — base64, boolean, time, multipicklist, address, location, encryptedstring
No
No
No
No
No
No
Calculated (formula)
Depends on the formula's return type — apply the row for that type
Two behaviors do not fit in a cell:
base64 is excluded because aggregating it "wouldn't generate any meaningful data." The exclusion is deliberate, not a bug.
MIN() / MAX() on a picklist uses the picklist's defined value sort order, not alphabetical order. So MIN(Stage) returns the first stage as ordered in Setup, which may not be the alphabetically-first label.
Null handling — COUNT() is the exception
All aggregate functions ignore null values except COUNT() and COUNT(Id). Practical consequence:
COUNT() and COUNT(Id) count every matching row (nulls included).
COUNT(fieldName) and COUNT_DISTINCT(fieldName) count only rows where that field is populated (nulls skipped).
So COUNT(Id) vs COUNT(Email) on the same result set can legitimately differ — the gap is the number of records with a blank Email.
Formula fields resolve by return type
A calculated (formula) field has no fixed rule: "Support for aggregate functions depends on the type of the calculated field." A formula returning Currency behaves like currency (all six); a formula returning Text behaves like text (no AVG/SUM). Determine the formula's return type first, then apply the matching matrix row.
Common Patterns
Earliest / latest instead of "average date"
When to use: you need a date summary across a group but reached for AVG()/SUM() out of SQL habit.
How it works: date and dateTime support MIN() and MAX() (and the counts), so use MIN(CreatedDate) for the earliest and MAX(CreatedDate) for the latest. There is no average or sum of dates — the query will error if you try.
Why not the alternative:AVG(CreatedDate) is not "unsupported but harmless" — it fails the query outright, breaking the whole request, not just that column.
Multi-currency aggregate on a currency field
When to use: you SUM() or AVG() an Amount-style currency field in a multi-currency org.
How it works: the aggregate result defaults to the corporate (system) currency, so a raw SUM(Amount) blends converted values into one number. To keep each subtotal in a single, unambiguous currency, GROUP BY CurrencyIsoCode:
SELECT CurrencyIsoCode, SUM(Amount) total
FROM Opportunity
GROUPBY CurrencyIsoCode
Why not the alternative: an ungrouped SUM(Amount) in a mixed-currency org produces a corporate-currency figure that few stakeholders expect and none can trace back to a currency; the grouped form is auditable.
Count all rows vs count populated values
When to use: you're reporting "how many" and need to be precise about nulls.
How it works: use COUNT(Id) (or COUNT()) for the total record count; use COUNT(field) or COUNT_DISTINCT(field) when you specifically want the count of records where field is populated (or the count of unique values). Keep the SOQL inside a selector method — see templates/apex/BaseSelector.cls — rather than inline in a trigger or controller.
Decision Guidance
Situation
Recommended Approach
Reason
Need a total or average of a number
SUM() / AVG() — but only on int, double, currency, or percent
Only fully numeric types support AVG/SUM
Need earliest / latest of a date or dateTime
MIN() / MAX()
Dates support MIN/MAX/COUNT but not AVG/SUM
Field is boolean, time, multipicklist, base64, address, location, or encryptedstring
Restructure — derive a numeric or supported field first
None of the six functions apply to these types
Need a distinct count of a text or picklist field
COUNT_DISTINCT(field) (ignores nulls)
Text-like types support the counts, MIN, and MAX
Aggregating a formula field
Look up the formula's return type, then apply that type's matrix row
Support "depends on the type of the calculated field"
Summing a currency field in a multi-currency org
GROUP BY CurrencyIsoCode; know the ungrouped result is corporate currency
Currency aggregates default to the system currency
Ordering a picklist with MIN/MAX
Expect picklist sort order, not alphabetical
MIN/MAX use the picklist's defined value order
Recommended Workflow
Step-by-step instructions for an AI agent or practitioner working on this task:
Enumerate the fields and their exact data types. For each field you want to aggregate, record its API name and type (Object Manager or a describe). For formula fields, record the return type.
Look up each (type × function) cell in the compatibility matrix. If the cell is "No," the query will fail when parsed or executed — do not ship it.
Swap or refactor unsupported combinations. Replace AVG()/SUM() on non-numeric fields with MIN()/MAX()/COUNT() as appropriate, or derive a numeric field upstream when you truly need a total.
Choose COUNT semantics deliberately. Use COUNT(Id)/COUNT() for total rows; use COUNT(field)/COUNT_DISTINCT(field) when nulls should be excluded.
Handle currency and picklist semantics. For multi-currency currency aggregates, decide whether to GROUP BY CurrencyIsoCode; for MIN()/MAX() on picklists, confirm picklist sort order gives the value you expect.
Validate before shipping. Run scripts/check_soql_aggregate_field_type_support.py over the query (optionally with a field-type map) and confirm it in the Developer Console Query Editor.
Review Checklist
Run through these before marking work in this area complete:
Every aggregated field's data type is confirmed and the chosen function shows "Yes" for that type in the matrix
No AVG() or SUM() on a non-numeric field (date, text, picklist, boolean, etc.)
No aggregate function applied to base64, boolean, time, multipicklist, address, location, or encryptedstring fields
Formula-field aggregates verified against the formula's return type
Multi-currency currency aggregates grouped by CurrencyIsoCode or explicitly documented as corporate-currency totals
No LIMIT clause on an aggregate query that has no GROUP BY
Salesforce-Specific Gotchas
Non-obvious platform behaviors that cause real production problems:
AVG()/SUM() on a non-numeric field fails the query — date, text, picklist, and boolean fields support only the counts and (where applicable) MIN/MAX. The whole request errors; it does not degrade gracefully.
Seven types support no aggregate at all — base64, boolean, time, multipicklist, address, location, and encryptedstring. No function, including COUNT, works on them; you must derive a supported field.
Currency aggregates default to the system (corporate) currency in a multi-currency org — an ungrouped SUM(Amount) is not "the sum of what each record shows."
MIN()/MAX() on a picklist uses picklist sort order, not alphabetical — the "minimum" stage is the first one in Setup's ordering, which can surprise anyone expecting A–Z.
COUNT(field) quietly ignores nulls — unlike COUNT()/COUNT(Id), so a populated-field count can be lower than the row count without any error to signal it.
Stdlib checker that flags unsupported (field type × function) combinations and the LIMIT-without-GROUP-BY error in a SOQL string or file
Related Skills
apex/apex-aggregate-queries — the mechanics once you know a field is aggregatable: GROUP BY, HAVING, ROLLUP/CUBE, GROUPING(), and reading AggregateResult.get('alias'). This skill answers "can I aggregate this field type at all?"; that one answers "how do I write and iterate the grouped query?"
apex/apex-decimal-arithmetic-precision — when a SUM()/AVG() result feeds further math and you need to control Decimal scale and rounding.
