ActivitiesSettings Metadata Type in SFDX

Architectural Overview#

The ActivitiesSettings metadata type governs the core database and UI behavior of Task and Event records across Salesforce. For Technical Architects, ActivitiesSettings is critical because it controls Shared Activities (allowUsersToRelateMultipleContactsToTasksAndEvents), activity timeline rollup behavior (rollUpActivitiesToContactsAcct), multiday events (enableMultidayEvents), and email/task notification defaults.

When Shared Activities is enabled in ActivitiesSettings, Salesforce alters the underlying polymorphism of the WhoId relationship, enabling junction records in TaskRelation, EventRelation, TaskWhoRelation, and EventWhoRelation so a single meeting or call log can link up to 50 Contacts and 1 WhatId record. Any ApexClass or Flow that queries TaskWhoRelation will fail to compile unless Activities.settings-meta.xml has Shared Activities enabled first.

Directory and File Conventions#

In SFDX source format (apiVersion 68.0), ActivitiesSettings is stored in the settings/ folder and referenced via Settings:Activities.

Key Metadata Fields#

The ActivitiesSettings XML schema exposes the following architectural flags:

Declarative XML and Package Manifest Examples#

Below is a production-ready Activities.settings-meta.xml configuration for an enterprise Sales and Service Cloud implementation:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ActivitiesSettings xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <allowUsersToRelateMultipleContactsToTasksAndEvents>true</allowUsersToRelateMultipleContactsToTasksAndEvents>
    <enableActivityReminders>true</enableActivityReminders>
    <enableClickCreateEvents>true</enableClickCreateEvents>
    <enableDragAndDropScheduling>true</enableDragAndDropScheduling>
    <enableEmailTracking>true</enableEmailTracking>
    <enableGroupTasks>true</enableGroupTasks>
    <enableListViewScheduling>true</enableListViewScheduling>
    <enableMultidayEvents>true</enableMultidayEvents>
    <enableRecurringEvents>true</enableRecurringEvents>
    <enableRecurringTasks>true</enableRecurringTasks>
    <rollUpActivitiesToContactsAcct>false</rollUpActivitiesToContactsAcct>
    <showEventDetailsMultiUserCalendar>true</showEventDetailsMultiUserCalendar>
</ActivitiesSettings>

Scratch Org Configuration (config/project-scratch-def.json)#

{
  "orgName": "Enterprise Activities Scratch Org",
  "edition": "Enterprise",
  "settings": {
    "activitiesSettings": {
      "allowUsersToRelateMultipleContactsToTasksAndEvents": true,
      "rollUpActivitiesToContactsAcct": false,
      "enableMultidayEvents": true,
      "enableEmailTracking": true
    }
  }
}

Package Manifest (package.xml)#

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>Activities</members>
        <name>Settings</name>
    </types>
    <version>68.0</version>
</Package>

CLI Retrieval and Deployment Commands#

Manage ActivitiesSettings using Salesforce CLI:

# Retrieve Activities.settings-meta.xml from the org
sf project retrieve start --metadata Settings:Activities

# Deploy Activities.settings-meta.xml to the target org
sf project deploy start --metadata Settings:Activities

Architect Best Practices and Gotchas#

• Controlling Account Data Skew with rollUpActivitiesToContactsAcct: In B2B orgs that use Contacts to Multiple Accounts (AccountContactRelation) or placeholder bucket Accounts, set <rollUpActivitiesToContactsAcct>false</rollUpActivitiesToContactsAcct>. Leaving it true causes activities logged on a Contact for a partner deal (WhatId) to roll up and expose sensitive activity timelines on the Contact’s primary employer Account.
• Trigger Behavior with Shared Activities: When Shared Activities is enabled, Task.WhoId holds only the Primary Contact ID, while additional contacts are inserted into TaskRelation (IsWhat = false). Write Apex triggers on TaskRelation or query TaskWhoRelation when you need to inspect all Contacts on a call log.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important architectural setting inside ActivitiesSettings?

allowUsersToRelateMultipleContactsToTasksAndEvents enables Shared Activities, which allows relating up to 50 Contacts to a single Task or Event and provisions the TaskWhoRelation and EventWhoRelation views.

Can Shared Activities be disabled once enabled in ActivitiesSettings?

No. Enabling allowUsersToRelateMultipleContactsToTasksAndEvents is a one-way irreversible schema change in Salesforce.

How do I retrieve ActivitiesSettings using Salesforce CLI?

Run sf project retrieve start with the metadata parameter set to Settings:Activities, which creates force-app/main/default/settings/Activities.settings-meta.xml.

What does rollUpActivitiesToContactsAcct control in ActivitiesSettings?

It controls whether Tasks and Events logged against a Contact automatically roll up to display on the Contact's primary Account activity timeline even when WhatId points elsewhere.