Insert
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:
- Insert a single record and a list of records
- Read the auto-populated Id after an insert succeeds
- Handle a validation failure using try/catch
Prerequisites: "What Is DML?"
Inserting a single record
Account acc = new Account(Name = 'Riverbend Farms');
insert acc;
System.debug(acc.Id); // now populated — e.g. 001XX000003DHP0YAOBefore insert, acc.Id is null — it's assigned automatically by Salesforce the instant the insert succeeds. This is exactly the 18-character Id format from Module 18.
Inserting a List at once
List<Account> newAccounts = new List<Account>{
new Account(Name = 'Riverbend Farms'),
new Account(Name = 'Northwind Traders')
};
insert newAccounts;
for (Account acc : newAccounts) {
System.debug(acc.Id);
}Inserting a List performs a single DML statement covering every record in it — this is exactly the bulkification instinct from Module 7's "Loops and Governor Limits" lesson, and it's the standard way to insert multiple records safely.
Handling a validation failure
try {
Account acc = new Account(); // no Name — Name is required on Account
insert acc;
} catch (DmlException e) {
System.debug('Insert failed: ' + e.getMessage());
}A record that violates a required-field or validation rule throws a DmlException when insert runs — exactly Module 13's try/catch pattern, now catching a database-level failure instead of a runtime language error.
Exercise
Build a List<Account> with two new Accounts (Name only), insert them, and debug each one's Id after the insert.
Show hint
insert the whole List at once.
Insert Quiz
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Summary
insert creates one or more brand-new records — a single sObject or a whole List at once — and Salesforce assigns each one a real, permanent Id the moment it succeeds.