Understanding Activity Management in Salesforce: Open Activities vs. Activity History

Core Concepts of Activity Tracking

Salesforce provides two specialized read-only components for tracking interactions with records:

1. Open Activities – Displays upcoming events and pending tasks
2. Activity History – Shows completed tasks and past events

These components appear as related lists on record pages and provide a comprehensive view of all interactions with contacts associated with the record.

Key Characteristics of Activity Objects

Read-Only Nature

• Cannot be queried directly via SOQL or API
• No direct manipulation possible through code
• UI-only interaction through standard Salesforce interfaces

Special Considerations

• Phone call activity fields only appear for organizations using Salesforce CRM Call Center
• Both components aggregate activities across all related contacts

Functional Capabilities

What Users Can Do

✔ View activities through standard and custom record pages
✔ Create new tasks/events via the Activity tab or timeline
✔ Edit existing activities through the UI interface
✔ Track completion status of all interactions

System Limitations

✖ No direct SOQL queries against OpenActivity/ActivityHistory objects
✖ No API operations (insert/update/delete) on these objects
✖ No workflow/process builder automation on the read-only objects

Practical Implementation Guide

Viewing Activities

1. Navigate to any record page (Account, Opportunity, etc.)
2. Locate either:
   • Open Activities (for pending items)
   • Activity History (for completed items)

Managing Activities

• Add new activities: Click “New Task” or “New Event” buttons
• Modify activities: Use inline edit in the related lists
• Track progress: Completed items automatically move to Activity History

Technical Architecture

These read-only objects serve as:

• Aggregated views of underlying Task and Event records
• UI presentation layers without direct database representation
• System-managed components that automatically update based on activity status changes

Alternative Approaches for Developers

While direct SOQL access isn’t available, developers can:

1. Query the underlying Task and Event objects
2. Use ActivityRelation object to track associations
3. Leverage Lightning Web Components to build custom activity views

Best Practices for Activity Management

1. Standardize naming conventions for easier tracking
2. Utilize activity types for better categorization
3. Train users on proper activity completion
4. Monitor data quality through regular audits

These read-only activity components provide essential tracking capabilities while maintaining system integrity through their protected design.