Does JSON Serialization Break SObject Equality?

Question:

When an SObject containing Decimal fields is serialized and deserialized using JSON, the equality operator (==) no longer returns true, even if the field values appear identical. Why does this happen, and how can it be fixed?

For example:

Opportunity o1 = new Opportunity(Amount = 12.3);
Opportunity o2 = (Opportunity) JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(o1), Opportunity.class);
System.debug(o1 == o2); // false

Interestingly, if the Amount field values are logged:

System.debug(o1.Amount); // 12.3
System.debug(o2.Amount); // 12.3

The values look identical, yet o1 == o2 evaluates to false.

In contrast, SObjects without Decimal fields, such as:

Opportunity o3 = new Opportunity(Name = 'Example');
Opportunity o4 = (Opportunity) JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(o3), Opportunity.class);
System.debug(o3 == o4); // true

Answer:

The issue arises because JSON serialization and deserialization can subtly alter the internal representation of Decimal fields. While the deserialized value may display identically when logged, it is no longer considered the same instance or representation, breaking the equality contract.

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To fix this, you can explicitly cast the Decimal fields back to their original type after deserialization.

Here’s the corrected code:

Opportunity o1 = new Opportunity(Amount = 12.3);
Opportunity o2 = (Opportunity) JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(o1), Opportunity.class);

System.debug(o1.Amount); // 12.3
System.debug(o2.Amount); // 12.3
System.debug(o1 == o2); // false

// Fix: Recast the Amount field
o2.Amount = (Decimal) o2.Amount;

System.debug(o1 == o2); // true

Explanation:

The code demonstrates that JSON serialization and deserialization can alter the internal representation of Decimal fields, causing the equality operator (==) to return false even when the values appear identical. Recasting the Decimal field after deserialization ensures the internal representations match, restoring equality.

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