Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record Error

Understanding the Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access Error

This error occurs when multiple processes attempt to modify the same record simultaneously in Salesforce. The platform prevents data corruption by blocking concurrent modifications, ensuring data integrity in the multi-tenant environment.

Causes of the Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access Error

• Concurrent Apex transactions accessing the same record through triggers, batch jobs, or scheduled processes
• Multiple user sessions attempting to save changes to identical records at the same time
• Workflow rules and process builders executing simultaneously on the same record during DML operations
• Integration processes running parallel data updates while users are actively modifying records

How to Handle the Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access Error

• Implement retry logic in your Apex code using try-catch blocks to handle DmlException and retry the operation after a brief delay
• Use Database.SaveResult methods with allOrNone=false parameter to process records individually and handle failures gracefully
• Optimize trigger logic by bulkifying operations and reducing the number of DML statements to minimize lock duration
• Schedule batch processes during off-peak hours to avoid conflicts with active user sessions and reduce concurrent access attempts

Conclusion

The exclusive access error protects data integrity by preventing simultaneous modifications. Implementing proper exception handling, retry mechanisms, and optimizing concurrent processes will resolve this issue and improve system reliability.