Table of Contents

Top 46 Salesforce Interview Questions: Salesforce Interview Guide

Top 46 Salesforce Interview Questions: Salesforce Interview Guide

Are you prepared to navigate a series of scenario-based and theoretical Salesforce interview questions? Get ready to tackle real-world challenges that put your Salesforce expertise, problem-solving prowess, and innovative thinking to the test.

Each question is a chance to demonstrate your skills using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) – an approach that showcases your abilities comprehensively.

If you want to know how to improve software quality, adaptability and insightful problem-solving are key. These questions offer you an opportunity to shine by providing strategic and effective responses.

As you read through and master these scenarios, you’ll equip yourself with the confidence and knowledge necessary to excel in Salesforce interviews. Your journey towards a successful and rewarding career within the Salesforce ecosystem begins here.

Embrace the challenges and seize the chance to prove your mettle.

Salesforce Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers

The difficulty level of Salesforce developer interview questions for freshers can vary. Some salesforce interview questions may be relatively straightforward and focus on your understanding of basic concepts, while others could be more complex, testing your problem-solving abilities and critical thinking.

It’s important to prepare thoroughly by studying fundamental Salesforce glossary, terminology, concepts and best practices.

Freshers can expect questions about Salesforce basics, data models, object relationships, workflows, and other foundational topics. Here are examples:

1. What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software platform. It helps businesses manage customer relationships, sales processes, marketing efforts, and more.

It offers a suite of tools and applications that enable organizations to streamline their operations. It also helps improve customer interactions, and enhance overall efficiency.

Salesforce provides a unified platform for sales, marketing, customer service, analytics, and collaboration. This allows companies to have a comprehensive view of their customers and data.

It eliminates the need for on-premises software installations and offers a scalable and customizable solution accessible via the internet.

2. Explain the Concept of Custom Objects in Salesforce.

Custom objects in Salesforce are similar to database tables in a traditional database system. They allow you to store and manage data specific to your business processes.

Unlike standard objects (such as Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities), custom objects are tailored to your organization’s unique needs. You can define custom fields, relationships, and behaviors for these objects.

For instance, if your organization has a specific entity or process that is not covered by standard objects, you can create a custom object to store and manage related data.

3. What is Object Relationship Overview?

Object relationship overview in Salesforce refers to how records in different objects are related to each other. Salesforce allows you to establish relationships between objects using various types of fields, such as lookup fields and master-detail relationships.

These relationships enable you to connect and display data from related objects, making it easier to access and analyze information across different parts of your business.

4. How Does SaaS Benefit Salesforce?

SaaS (Software as a Service) benefits Salesforce in several ways and you’re very likely to get asked this during your salesforce interview Question.

Subscription Model:

SaaS allows Salesforce to offer its CRM platform on a subscription basis, reducing the upfront costs for customers and making it more accessible.

Scalability:

Salesforce can scale its infrastructure to accommodate varying numbers of users and data without requiring customers to manage hardware or software updates.

Easy Accessibility:

SaaS ensures that customers can access Salesforce’s services through a web browser, eliminating the need for complex installations and making it accessible from anywhere.

Continuous Updates:

Salesforce can continuously update its platform with new features, enhancements, and security measures without causing disruptions for customers.

Cost Savings:

Customers benefit from cost savings due to reduced IT infrastructure and maintenance expenses.

5. How Does Salesforce Facilitate Sales Tracking?

Salesforce facilitates sales tracking through various tools and features:

Opportunity Management

Salesforce allows sales teams to track and manage sales opportunities, including deal stages, value, expected close dates, and associated contacts.

Lead Tracking

Leads can be tracked from initial contact to conversion, helping sales teams prioritize leads and nurturing potential customers.

Activity Tracking

Salesforce enables logging of activities like calls, emails, and meetings, providing a comprehensive history of interactions with leads and contacts.

Reports and Dashboards

Salesforce offers customizable reports and dashboards that provide real-time insights into sales performance, pipeline, and trends.

Automation

Workflow rules and automation can be set up to trigger actions based on specific criteria, such as sending follow-up emails or assigning tasks.

6. Differentiate Between Master-Detail and Lookup Relationships.

The difference between master detail and lookup relationship:

Master-Detail Relationship:

Represents a parent-child relationship between two objects.
The child record cannot exist without a parent record.
Ownership and sharing settings of the child record are controlled by the parent.
When a parent record is deleted, its related child records are also deleted.
Roll-up summary fields can be created on the master object to aggregate data from related child records.

Lookup Relationship:

Represents a simple association between two objects.
The child record can exist independently of the parent record.
Ownership and sharing settings are independent for both parent and child records.
Deleting a parent record does not affect the child records.
No automatic roll-up summary fields are available.

7. What is the Purpose of Using Static Resources in Salesforce?

Static resources in Salesforce are used to store and manage files that need to be referenced in Visualforce pages or Lightning components.

These files can include images, JavaScript files, CSS files, and more. By using static resources, you can ensure that the resources are cached and loaded efficiently, enhancing the performance of your web pages and applications.

It also helps in maintaining a centralized repository for these files, making it easier to manage updates and changes.

8. Differentiate Between Force.com and Salesforce.com.

Force.com is the platform provided by Salesforce for building and deploying custom applications. It allows developers to create custom objects, triggers, classes, and Visualforce pages.Force.com provides a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) environment

Salesforce.com refers to the overall suite of applications and services provided by Salesforce.

It includes pre-built applications like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud. Salesforce.com offers out-of-the-box CRM functionalities and a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.

9. What are Workflow Actions?

Workflow actions in Salesforce are automated actions that are executed based on specified criteria defined in workflow rules.

These actions can include sending email alerts, updating fields, creating tasks, and outbound messages. Workflow actions help streamline and automate business processes by eliminating the need for manual intervention in routine tasks.

10. Explain Junction Objects and Their Use.

Junction objects in Salesforce are custom objects that are used to create many-to-many relationships between two objects.

They have two master-detail relationships, one with each of the objects you want to relate. Junction objects are useful when you need to establish complex relationships that cannot be achieved directly between two objects.

For example, if you want to relate a Position to multiple Candidates and each Candidate can apply for multiple Positions, a junction object “Job Application” could be used to link Positions and Candidates.

11. What is an Audit Trail in Salesforce?

An audit trail in Salesforce is a feature that records and logs changes made to the setup and configuration of the organization.

It maintains a historical record of administrative activities such as changes to user profiles, security settings, custom object definitions, and more.

The audit trail helps administrators track and review changes, ensuring accountability, compliance, and security.

12. Describe the Function of Dashboards in Salesforce.

Dashboards in Salesforce provide visual representations of data and key performance indicators (KPIs). They consolidate information from various reports into easy-to-read charts, graphs, and tables.

Dashboards offer real-time insights into business metrics, allowing users to monitor progress, identify trends, and make informed decisions. Users can customize their dashboards to display the data that matters most to them.

13. How Many Controllers Can Be Used in a Visualforce Page?

In Salesforce, a Visualforce page can have only one primary controller, but you can also include multiple extension controllers.

The primary controller handles the main logic of the page, while extension controllers can provide additional functionality or data to the page.

14. Explain the Difference Between SOQL and SOSL.

The difference between SOQL and SOSL are provided below.

SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language) —

Used to query records from a single object or related objects.
Supports relationships between objects.
Allows filtering, sorting, and aggregation of results.
Ideal for retrieving specific records or related data.

SOSL (Salesforce Object Search Language) —

Used to perform text-based search across multiple objects.
Doesn’t support relationships between objects.
Useful for global searches or finding records with specific text patterns.
Returns a list of lists of sObjects.

15. What are Governor Limits in Salesforce?

Governor limits in Salesforce are resource usage limits imposed by the platform to ensure fair usage and efficient performance for all users.

These limits prevent any single organization or user from monopolizing resources. They include limits on the number of records retrieved, the number of SOQL queries executed, the number of CPU time used, and more.

Exceeding these limits can result in exceptions and errors.

16. Why are Visualforce Pages Served from Different Domains?

Visualforce pages in Salesforce are served from different domains to enhance security. By isolating Visualforce pages from the main Salesforce domain, potential vulnerabilities are minimized.

This separation prevents malicious scripts or code from interfering with the main Salesforce application and its data.

17. How are Bucket Fields Used in Salesforce?

Bucket fields in Salesforce are used to group or categorize data based on specified ranges or criteria. They are often used to create custom segments for data analysis.

For example, you could create a bucket field to categorize Opportunities by their monetary value ranges, such as “Low,” “Medium,” and “High.”

18. Name Different Ways of Deployment in Salesforce.

Different ways of deploying changes in Salesforce include:

Change Sets
Salesforce Package
Metadata API
Salesforce CLI (Command Line Interface)
Third-party tools for continuous integration and deployment

19. Name Various Types of Sandboxes in Salesforce.

Various types of sandboxes in Salesforce are:

Developer Sandbox
Developer Pro Sandbox
Partial Copy Sandbox
Full Sandbox

Each type of sandbox serves different purposes, from development and testing to simulating production environments.

20. Give Reasons for Loss of Data in Salesforce.

Data loss can occur in Salesforce due to various reasons, such as:

Changes to data types, including date-time, percent, number, and currency fields.
Altering from multi-select picklist, checkbox, or auto-number fields to other types.
Changing to multi-select picklist from any type except picklist.
Changing to auto-number except for text fields.
Changing from text area to email, phone, URL, or text fields.

21. What is CRM?

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is a test strategy in software testing and technology that businesses use to manage interactions with customers.

CRM systems help organizations improve customer relationships. It streamline sales processes, enhance marketing efforts, and provide effective customer support.

CRM solutions enable companies to gather, store, and analyze customer data to better understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors. This leads to improved customer satisfaction, increased sales, and more personalized experiences.

22. Which Fields are Automatically Indexed in Salesforce?

In Salesforce, the following types of fields are automatically indexed:

Primary Key Fields: These are the unique identifiers for records, such as the record ID.
Foreign Key Fields: These are fields that establish relationships between objects, such as the parent ID in a master-detail relationship.
Audit Date Fields: These fields store information about when a record was created or modified.
Custom Fields: Custom fields marked as “External ID” are also automatically indexed.
Indexed fields allow for efficient data retrieval and improved performance in query operations.

23. Explain the @future Annotation in Salesforce Cloud Computing.

The @future annotation in Salesforce is used to denote that a method or code block should be executed asynchronously in the background. It is commonly used to offload time-consuming operations from the main execution thread, ensuring that the user experience remains smooth.

The @future annotation allows developers to delegate tasks like data processing, updates, or external integrations to be executed in a separate context. This helps prevent delays in user interactions and keeps the application responsive.

24. Compare Workflow and Triggers.

Workflow:

Workflow is an automated process that executes based on predefined criteria and rule evaluation.
It is declarative and can be configured using the point-and-click interface in Salesforce.
Workflow actions include field updates, email alerts, outbound messages, and task creation.
Workflow rules do not support complex logic and can’t perform advanced data manipulation.

Triggers:

Triggers are blocks of Apex code that execute in response to specific database events, such as record insert, update, or delete.
Triggers offer greater flexibility and can implement complex business logic and data transformations.
Triggers can work with multiple objects and perform a wide range of operations.
Triggers are more powerful but require development skills.

25. What is a Wrapper Class in Salesforce?

A wrapper class in Salesforce is a custom Apex class that holds a collection of related objects or data types. It is often used to display multiple sets of data on a single Visualforce page table.

By using a wrapper class, developers can combine various data types into a single structure, making it easier to iterate through and display data in Visualforce pages.

26. Can You Write Getter and Setter Methods in Salesforce?

Yes, in Salesforce, you can write getter and setter methods for custom Apex classes. Getter methods retrieve the value of a private class variable, and setter methods set the value of that variable.

Getter and setter methods allow controlled access to class properties, enabling data encapsulation and maintaining the principle of data abstraction.

27. What is APEX?

APEX is a programming language developed by Salesforce specifically for the Force.com platform. It is an object-oriented, strongly typed language that enables developers to create custom business logic, triggers, controllers, and extensions for Visualforce pages.

APEX code runs on the Salesforce servers and can interact with the underlying database, providing developers with the ability to customize and extend Salesforce functionality.

28. What is a Static Resource in Salesforce?

In Salesforce, a static resource is a cacheable collection of files that can be referenced in Visualforce pages, Lightning components, and email templates.

Static resources are typically used for storing JavaScript files, CSS files, images, and other external assets required by your application. By using static resources, you can improve the performance of your application by reducing the need to download these files from external sources every time a page is loaded.

29. Explain Apex Transactions.

An Apex transaction is a sequence of one or more operations that are executed as a single unit. It starts with the initiation of a transaction, followed by the execution of operations, and ends with the completion of the transaction.

Transactions ensure data integrity by enforcing the “all or nothing” principle. If any part of the transaction fails, all changes made within that transaction are rolled back, and the data remains consistent.

30. What Does Trigger.new Mean?

In Salesforce, Trigger.new refers to a context variable that contains a list of sObjects representing the new versions of the records that are being processed in a trigger context.

For example, in a “before insert” trigger, Trigger.new holds the list of records that are about to be inserted.

Salesforce Testing Interview Questions for Experienced

If you’re a seasoned candidate, you may expect tricky salesforce testing interview question for experienced candidates:

1.Explain the differences between a Trigger and a Process Builder in Salesforce:

A trigger is an Apex code that automatically executes in response to specific database events, such as record insertion, update, or deletion.

It is used to enforce complex business logic, validations, and cross-object data manipulations that can’t be achieved through standard configurations. Triggers operate at a granular level, allowing developers to have full control over the logic and execution order.

The Process Builder is a declarative automation tool that allows administrators and developers to create workflows visually by defining criteria and actions.

It’s designed to simplify and streamline automation tasks that can be handled through point-and-click configuration. While it’s powerful for simple scenarios, it may not offer the same level of control as triggers for complex logic.

2. What is the significance of a "Roll-up Summary" field in Salesforce? Provide an example scenario where it would be useful.

A Roll-up Summary field is a special type of field that allows you to calculate values from related child records and display them on a parent record. It’s commonly used to summarize data across related records in a master-detail relationship.

For example, in a parent Account object with related child Opportunity records, you could create a Roll-up Summary field to calculate the total sum of all Opportunity amounts associated with that Account.

3. Describe the differences between a Sharing Rule and a Manual Sharing in Salesforce. When would you choose one over the other?

A Sharing Rule is a declarative way to extend sharing access to records based on criteria. It’s used when you want to grant broader access to certain records to specific groups of users.

Sharing Rules are evaluated automatically, and they allow you to share records with roles, public groups, or roles and subordinates.

Manual Sharing allows users or administrators to manually grant access to specific records.

Manual Sharing can be time-consuming and may lead to a more complex sharing model if overused.

Choose Sharing Rules when you have consistent criteria for sharing across records, and choose Manual Sharing when you need to handle exceptional cases or one-off sharing needs.

4. Can you outline the steps involved in creating a Lightning Component? How would you communicate between components in a Lightning App.

To create a Lightning Component:

Define the component’s attributes, methods, and user interface in the component markup (.cmp) file.
Implement the component’s functionality and logic in the controller (.js) file.
Style the component using CSS in the style (.css) file.

To communicate between components:

Use Component Events: Create custom events in the child component and handle them in the parent component using the <aura:registerEvent> tag and the fireEvent() method.
Use Application Events: For communication between unrelated components, use application events that can be fired from one component and handled by any other component subscribed to the event.

5. What is Salesforce DX (Developer Experience), and how does it improve the development process.

Salesforce DX is a set of tools and features designed to enhance the development experience on the Salesforce platform. It improves the development process by:

Facilitating source-driven development with version control integration.
Providing a command-line interface (CLI) for tasks like creating, retrieving, and deploying metadata.
Enabling scratch orgs, which are ephemeral and disposable environments for development and testing.
Supporting package-based development and modular architecture.
Enhancing collaboration among developers with better merge and conflict resolution tools.

6.Explain the use case of Platform Events in Salesforce. How do they differ from traditional Salesforce Events:

Platform Events are a type of event in Salesforce that enable event-driven architecture.

They are designed to communicate changes and trigger actions in a decoupled manner between different components within and outside of Salesforce. Unlike traditional Salesforce events, Platform Events:

Can be published and subscribed to from both Apex code and external systems.
Are stored for a specified retention period, allowing subscribers to catch up on missed events.
Can be replayed to restore the state of subscribed components.
Support trigger-based publishing in Apex.

7. In what situations would you use a SOQL query instead of a SOSL?

SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language): Use SOQL when you need to retrieve records from one object and its related objects. SOQL is ideal for structured queries that involve relationships and specific fields.

SOSL (Salesforce Object Search Language): Use SOSL when you want to search across multiple objects simultaneously and return a list of records that match a specific search term. SOSL is useful for unstructured searches, such as finding records based on keywords.

8. What are Governor Limits in Salesforce? How do they impact the design and execution of your code?

Governor Limits are runtime constraints enforced by Salesforce to ensure that code runs in a multi-tenant environment without impacting the platform’s stability and performance.

They impact the design and execution of your code by requiring developers to write efficient, scalable, and optimized code to stay within these limits. Examples of Governor Limits include the number of SOQL queries, CPU time, heap size, and DML operations per transaction.

To design for Governor Limits:

Bulkify your code to handle multiple records in a single operation.
Minimize the use of queries and DML operations within loops.
Optimize complex logic to reduce CPU time consumption.
Avoid recursive triggers that can lead to excessive recursion.

9. Discuss the use cases for both Declarative and Programmatic development in Salesforce. When would you choose one approach over the other?

Use declarative development when

The desired functionality can be achieved using point-and-click tools, such as Process Builder, Flow, and Validation Rules. It’s suitable for simple automation and customization tasks that don’t require custom code.

Choose programmatic development

When more complex business logic, data manipulation, or integration is required.

This involves using Apex code, Lightning Components, Visualforce, and other development tools to create custom solutions that can’t be achieved through declarative methods.

The choice depends on the complexity of the requirement, maintainability, performance, and the balance between time-to-market and customization.

10. Explain the concept of Communities in Salesforce. How would you configure and customize a Community based on different user requirements?

Communities in Salesforce are branded spaces for external users, such as customers, partners, and employees, to interact with your data, applications, and services.

They enable self-service, collaboration, and engagement. To configure and customize a Community:

Choose a Community template based on the desired use case (Customer, Partner, Employee, etc.).
Customize the branding, layout, and navigation to align with your organization’s style.
Configure access and permissions for different user profiles and roles.
Add components and pages to provide self-service features, such as knowledge articles, forums, and case management.
Leverage Lightning Bolt Solutions for pre-built templates and components.

The customization will vary based on the type of users you’re targeting and the specific functionality you want to provide.

11. Describe how Multi-Currency support works in Salesforce. What considerations should be kept in mind when dealing with multiple currencies:

Multi-Currency support in Salesforce allows organizations to store, manage, and report on transactions and financial data in different currencies.

Key points to consider when dealing with multiple currencies include:

Enable Multi-Currency: Enable multi-currency in the organization settings to allow currency conversion and support.
Default Currency: Choose a default currency for the organization, which is used for reporting and calculations.
Currency Fields: Use currency fields to store amounts in different currencies on records.
Currency Conversion: Salesforce automatically performs currency conversion based on exchange rates.
Advanced Currency Management: For more complex needs, enable Advanced Currency Management to manage dated exchange rates and adjust data retroactively.

When designing and using reports, dashboards, and formula fields involving currency, ensure proper handling of currency conversion and display formats.

12. How would you implement Record-Level Security in Salesforce beyond the standard sharing settings:

Beyond standard sharing settings, you can implement record-level security in Salesforce using techniques such as:

Create sharing rules that share records with users based on specific criteria. For example, share records with a certain Account Type with a particular user group.

Use Apex sharing rules code to programmatically share records based on complex criteria or business logic. This allows more flexibility in determining record access.

Row-Level Formulas

Leverage row-level formulas to control visibility and access to specific records based on field values.

Use manual sharing to grant temporary or exceptional access to specific records for certain users.

Consider the balance between scalability, maintainability, and security when choosing the appropriate method for implementing record-level security.

13. Discuss the differences between Workflow Rules, Process Builder, and Flow in Salesforce. When would you choose to use each of these automation tools?

Well the differences are —

Workflow Rules

Workflow Rules are used for simple automation scenarios. They allow you to set criteria and actions that trigger immediate field updates or email notifications.

Use Workflow Rules when you need to perform simple actions on a single object without complex logic.

Process Builder

Process Builder is more versatile and can handle more complex scenarios compared to Workflow Rules.

It allows you to create workflows with multiple steps, automated actions, and the ability to trigger flows and Apex code. Use Process Builder when you need to automate multi-step processes involving different objects and actions.

Flow

Flow provides advanced automation capabilities, including decision-making, looping, and data manipulation.

It’s used for orchestrating complex business processes involving multiple steps, screens, and user interactions. Use Flow when you need to create custom wizard-like experiences or automate intricate processes.

Choose the appropriate tool based on the complexity of the process and the desired user experience.

14. What are Lightning Web Components (LWC), and how do they differ from Aura Components? How would you migrate from Aura to LWC?

Their differences along with process of migration is —

Lightning Web Components (LWC)

Lightning Web Components are a modern framework for building components on the Salesforce platform. They use standard web technologies like JavaScript and HTML to deliver enhanced performance and better development practices. LWC offers features like native shadow DOM and lightweight rendering.

Aura Components:

Aura Components are an earlier framework used for building Lightning Components. They provide a comprehensive set of components and features, but they have a larger overhead compared to LWC.

Migrating from Aura to LWC:

Start by identifying the Aura components to be migrated.
Understand the differences between Aura and LWC syntax, lifecycle, and component architecture.
Use the Lightning Web Components Migration Assistant to assess the complexity of the migration.
Refactor the code, keeping the core logic and re-implementing it in LWC syntax.
Test thoroughly to ensure the behavior matches the original Aura component.
Replace the Aura component with the LWC component in the appropriate contexts.

To optimize a Visualforce page for performance:

Lazy Loading: Use lazy loading to load resources (such as images) only when they are visible in the user’s viewport. This reduces the initial page load time.
Minimize Requests: Minimize the number of requests to external resources by combining CSS and JavaScript files and reducing unnecessary components.
Pagination: Implement pagination for lists of records. Load and display a limited number of records per page to improve load times and user experience.
Reduce Data Retrieval: Retrieve only the necessary data using SOQL queries and avoid querying fields that are not needed on the page.
Caching: Implement caching mechanisms to store frequently accessed data locally, reducing the need to fetch data from the server.
Asynchronous Loading: Use asynchronous loading for non-essential components, scripts, and external resources to prevent blocking the rendering of the page.

15. Can you explain the concept of Change Data Capture (CDC) in Salesforce?

Change Data Capture (CDC) is a feature in Salesforce that captures and makes changes to records available in near real-time.

It tracks changes to standard and custom objects and provides a way to listen to these changes and synchronize data with external systems.

CDC is beneficial for integrating Salesforce with external systems, data warehouses, and analytics platforms.

16. How can you use it to synchronize data with external systems

By subscribing to change events, external systems can receive notifications when records are created, updated, or deleted, allowing them to stay synchronized with Salesforce data without polling.

Conclusion

In Salesforce interviews questions and answers, scenario-based questions gauge candidates’ practical expertise. These queries span data management, automation, integration, and customization. Effective handling requires understanding the scenario, devising solutions, and communicating clearly.

Preparedness is key – stay updated with Salesforce features, updates, and best practices. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure responses.

Demonstrating adaptability, logical reasoning, and in-depth knowledge in salesforce interview questions can distinguish you.

Conveying how you apply expertise to real-world challenges leaves a lasting impression on interviewers, advancing your software testing techniques and career.

Author
Recent Posts

Rahnuma Tasnim

Rahnuma is a technical content writer at software testing stuff. A software engineer by degree and a dynamic content creator by passion, she brings to table over 3 years of writing experience in tech niche. Combining her enthusiasm for writing and technology, she loves to share her thoughts on the latest tech trends.

Latest posts by Rahnuma Tasnim (see all)

WordPress Web Hosting for Small Businesses: Essential Tips - October 3, 2024
Web Hosting for Online Startups: Scalability and Reliability - October 3, 2024
4 Best Upmetrics Alternatives for Your Business Planning [2024] - August 30, 2024