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Create Parent and Child Account Relationships Using Account Hierarchy in Salesforce

Publish Date: Apr 2, 2026
Description

Businesses often work with organizations that have multiple locations or divisions. In Salesforce, this structure can be represented using parent-child relationships between records, commonly implemented through Account Hierarchies.

For example, a company like Acme may have multiple offices (California, New York, etc.). Each office can be represented as a child account linked to a parent account.

This structure helps organize data, improve visibility, and better reflect real-world business relationships.

Resolution

Parent-child relationships are created using the Parent Account field on Account records. You can set up relationships for new or existing records.

Create New Parent and Child Records

  1. Go to the Accounts tab
  2. Click New to create a parent account
  3. Enter details and click Save
  4. Click New again to create a child account
  5. Enter details
  6. In the Parent Account field, select the parent account created earlier
  7. Click Save
  8. Repeat for additional child accounts as needed

Update Existing Records to Create Hierarchy

  1. Go to the Accounts tab
  2. Open an existing account (child record)
  3. Click Edit
  4. In the Parent Account field, select the parent account
  5. Click Save
  6. Repeat for other records as needed

View Account Hierarchy

  • Open any parent or child account record
  • Click the Hierarchy icon near the account name
  • View the full parent-child structure
Knowledge Article Number

000391142

 
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Salesforce Help | Article