Salesforce is one of the leading customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, offering a wide range of solutions for businesses to manage their sales, marketing, and customer service needs. As organizations increasingly rely on Salesforce to streamline their operations, the demand for skilled Salesforce Developers has skyrocketed. Salesforce Developers are responsible for designing, coding, and implementing custom Salesforce solutions to enhance business processes.
So, let’s get started and help you ace your interview with the curated list of Salesforce Interview questions.
About Salesforces
Salesforce is the leading CRM service provider globally, capturing more than 40% market share in the Cloud CRM space. Salesforce was rated the world’s #1 CRM for two consecutive years. This has prompted us to write a blog on the most frequently asked Salesforce interview questions with answers.
Most Commonly Asked Salesforce Developer Interview Questions
1. What is CRM?
Answer: Customer relationship management (CRM) is a system that allows you to manage your company's interactions and relationships with potential customers. The purpose is to strengthen commercial ties. Companies can use a CRM to stay in touch with customers, streamline procedures, and increase profits. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a system that allows you to manage your company's interactions and relationships with potential customers. The purpose is to strengthen commercial ties. Companies can use a CRM to stay in touch with customers, streamline procedures, and increase profits
2. What is the difference between Salesforce.com and Force.com?
Answer: Salesforce.com is based only on Force.com; Force.com allows you to create bespoke apps, whereas Salesforce.com is a collection of pre-packaged solutions like sales and service cloud. Salesforce.com is a software-as-a-service provider, whereas Force.com is a platform-as-a-service provider.
3. What are the different types of sandboxes available in Salesforce, and what are their uses?
Answer: A sandbox is a replica of the production environment or organisation used for testing and development. It's beneficial because it permits Apex code development without disrupting the production environment. There are four types of sandboxes in Salesforce, namely:
→ Developer Sandbox: This is a critical sandbox Salesforce with all of the metadata from the production environment, but no data moved across that will be used for development.
→ Developer Pro Sandbox: They're just a better form of developer sandbox; they have more storage than developer sandbox but only move production metadata.
→ Partial Copy Sandbox: You can copy metadata and bits of live data in this type of sandbox. However, this is frequently utilised as a SIT environment in which to test your integration. Other features with data that is similar to real-time data.
→ Full Sandbox: This is a copy of the production environment that is typically used to test functionality and provide full user training.
Answer: The Governor Limits feature in Salesforce regulates how much data or information you may store in shared databases. Because Salesforce is built on the multi-tenant architecture philosophy. To put it another way, Salesforce stores the data of various clients/customers in a single database.
Salesforce developed the notion of Governor Limits, which is rigidly enforced by the Apex run-time engine, to ensure that no single client monopolises shared resources. The most challenging difficulty for a Salesforce developer is Governor Limits. Because if the Apex code ever goes beyond the limit, the anticipated governor throws an unhandled run-time exception.
Answer: Apex is an object-oriented programming language with a robust type system. The developer can use it to run flows and transaction control statements. Most system events, such as button clicks related to record updates and VisualForce pages, can be extended with Apex’s business logic.
6. What is Apex Interface?
Answer: The interface is a collection of methods that have yet to be implemented. This will define the method's signature, as well as the sorts of inputs and outputs that will be passed to it. In general, we treat the interface methods as global.
7. Explain various methods of batch Apex class?
Answer: The batch apex class deploys the batchable database interface with the three methods as follows:
→ Start: At the start of the batch apex task, we use the start method. It's used to gather objects or records and send them to the interface for processing. It returns a DatabaseQueryLocator object, which contains the objects or records sent to the task.
→ Finish: Once the batch processing is complete, we call this function. This technique is used to send confirmation emails and perform post-processing tasks.
→ Execute: Every batch of records provided to the method is processed using this method. This method is used to process data. This approach accomplishes the following tasks: a. sObjects records list b. Reference to the DatabaseBatcheable context.
8. What are the ways to call the Apex class?
Answer: Below mentioned are the ways in Salesforce to call Apex class. → From another class → From developer console → From JavaScript links → From home page components → By using trigger → From VisualForce page
9. What is SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language)?
Answer: Salesforce's proprietary language is SOQL. You may use SOQL to search the Salesforce data in your company. SOQL and SQL are similar in certain ways (Structured Query Language). SOQL, on the other hand, was built particularly for Salesforce data by its creators.
The "queryString" parameter in the "query()" operation can be used to generate SOQL queries. Within Apex software, developers can make SOQL queries. Visualforce's "controller" and "getter" methods allow you to write SOQL queries. SOQL queries can be created using the Salesforce CLI (Command Line Interface), as well as the Salesforce extensions for Visual Studio Code. Read more, Introduction to JQuery
10. What are the different annotations supported by Apex?
Answer: Apex annotations are similar to Java annotations. Apex annotations change the behaviour of a method or class. Annotations are defined by Apex developers with a "@" symbol at the start, followed by the keyword. The following annotations are supported by Apex: “@AuraEnabled”, “@Deprecated”, “@Future”, “@invocableMethod”, “@IsTest”, “@ReadOnly”, “@RemoteAction”, “@TestSetup”, “@TestVisible”.
11. What is the difference between SOQL and SOSL?
Answer: The basic differences between SOQL and SOSL is given in the table below: Search Language) in a tabular format:
Parameters
SOQL
SOSL
Full Form
Salesforce Object Query Language
Salesforce Object Search Language
Purpose
Used to retrieve records from a specific Salesforce object.
Used to search for records across multiple Salesforce objects.
Search Scope
Can only query one object at a time, including related objects.
Searches across multiple objects and fields simultaneously.
Query Type
Queries are written to select specific fields from records.
Searches text strings across objects to match certain criteria.
Usage
Fetches records based on criteria (e.g., SELECT Id, Name FROM Account).
Searches for records containing a specific keyword (e.g., FIND 'Acme').
Return Type
Returns records with the fields specified in the query.
Returns IDs of matching records from different objects.
Wildcards
Does not support wildcards.
Supports wildcards like * and ? for partial matches.
When to Use
Use when you need to retrieve records from one or more related objects.
Use when searching for text across multiple objects and fields.
Performance
Generally faster for retrieving specific records from a single object.
Slower when searching across multiple objects due to broader scope.
Limitations
Cannot search across multiple objects unless using relationship queries.
Limited to searching text fields like Name, Phone, Email, etc.
12. Can you describe the main differences between Sales Cloud & Service Cloud?
Answer: Sales and Service Cloud are Salesforce's key CRM platforms, and the majority of businesses will use them. While they have some similarities, they are two unique items with distinct features for their respective functions.z
→ Sales Cloud – This tool is intended to aid firms in their sales process. Taking a potential customer on a journey from lead qualification through conversion into an Opportunity, where the major sales cycle takes place. From quoting to forecasting, Sales Cloud includes a number of different services to help with this process.
→ Service Cloud – Service Cloud, on the other hand, aids businesses in their customer service operations. Customers can start the assistance process by sending an email, calling, or filling out an online form. Agents can use tools like a Knowledge base to help discover answers to problems, milestones to guarantee SLA (Service Level Agreements) are reached, and live chat to talk to clients in real-time once this case has been created in Salesforce.
13. What are objects in Salesforce, and how are they used?
Answer: An object in Salesforce is essentially a data table in database terminology. A table of data will have several fields, each of which will contain information such as an email address, phone number, or company name.
There are two types of objects in Salesforce: 1. Standard: Standard objects are those that come pre-installed with Salesforce products. Most Salesforce products, for example, include Accounts and Contacts as basic features. In Sales Cloud, objects like Lead and Opportunity will be available, whereas Cases and Entitlements will be popular in Service Cloud. 2. Custom: Custom Objects, on the other hand, are those that you created yourself. These are the objects that can be used as a starting point for developing custom apps.
14. What is Salesforce Customer 360?
Answer: Salesforce has been working on a suite of products that would allow users of its platform to have a 360-degree view of their customers for a few years now. This means Salesforce users can view every interaction with a customer, from the initial inquiry via the website to the products they've purchased and any issues or questions they have with them.
This benefits businesses by helping them to better serve their consumers by knowing everything there is to know about them and guaranteeing that they are operating from a single source of truth.
15. Can you describe the differences between a Role and a Profile?
Answer: The Salesforce platform has two essential concepts: roles and profiles. They have complete control over what users are able to see and do on the site.
What a person can do on the platform is controlled by their profile. They can, for example, regulate the access permissions a user has to a given object, such as the ability to create, read, edit, or remove it. Individual rights such as "Export Reports," "Create Dashboard Folders," and "Modify All Data" are also under their control.
Roles, on the other hand, are used to limitingOldat users may see. They're made to let more senior members of the organisation see more records by opening up access through a hierarchy. Someone at the bottom of the hierarchy, such as an Account Executive, might only be able to see their own work.
Parameters
Role
Profile
Definition
A role defines a user's data visibility through the organization’s hierarchy.
A profile controls a user's permissions and access to system functionalities (e.g., objects, fields, apps).
Purpose
Used to manage data access levels and visibility within a hierarchy.
Used to define what a user can do within the system (CRUD operations, app access).
Data Access
Controls access to records (e.g., "Who can view or edit this record?").
Controls access to objects, fields, and other system functions (e.g., "What can a user do?").
Hierarchy
Part of the Role Hierarchy, enabling users higher in the hierarchy to access records owned by users lower in the hierarchy.
No hierarchy is involved; it is specific to permissions and object access.
Visibility Scope
Controls record-level access based on ownership and the role hierarchy.
Controls system-wide access such as object permissions, field-level security, and app visibility.
Example Usage
A Sales Manager role allows access to all sales records of their subordinates.
A Sales Profile allows users to create, read, update, and delete opportunities, but not modify system settings.
Sharing Rules
Works in conjunction with sharing rules to provide access to records based on roles.
Profiles don't control sharing rules; they only manage permissions and access.
Assignment
Each user can be assigned to one role in the hierarchy.
Each user must be assigned one profile, but permission sets can extend access.
Can be Modified?
Yes, roles can be customized based on the organization’s structure.
Yes, profiles can be customized or cloned to fit specific user needs.
Default vs. Custom
Roles are defined based on the organizational structure but are optional.
Profiles are mandatory and every user must have one (default or custom).
16. What is the Salesforce Order of Execution?
Answer: When a record is saved in Salesforce, the Salesforce Order of Execution is a set of rules that explains what happens next. There is a consistent sequence in which validation rules, flows, Apex triggers, and other events are activated, for example.
17. Explain the benefits provided by Salesforce CRM.
Answer: The following are some of the advantages of Salesforce CRM (customer relationship management: a. Faster and better sales opportunity management; the capacity to take a rigorous and analytical approach to customer acquisition. b. Increasing customer satisfaction while simultaneously cutting costs. c. Repetitious tasks can be automated; d. Improved communication. e. Increased efficiency.
18. What is an “object relationship” in Salesforce?
Answer: The phrase "object relationship" in Salesforce refers to a two-way connection between two items. A relationship can be established by adding a custom relationship field to an object. When users examine a record, they can see and access the related data.
In Salesforce, you can link standard and custom object records in a related list. This is possible thanks to the "object relationship" overview. Different forms of relationships can be formed. This allows you to link unique client cases to specific business cases. When you construct a custom relationship on an object, you can define many sorts of relationships.
19. Explain the use of a Visualforce page.
Answer: A Visualforce page (Vf page) is one of the Salesforce developer's buildings components. A Visualforce page and a conventional web page have a lot in common. Visualforce pages, on the other hand, provide a number of useful features. These functionalities allow users to access, display and edit an organisation’s Salesforce data. A unique URL, similar to a typical web server, can refer to a Salesforce page.
Visualforce makes use of a markup language that is very similar to HTML. This markup language is based on tags. A user interface component is represented by a Visualforce tag. A segment of a page, a list view, or a specific field are examples of these components. There are numerous Visualforce components available, and developers can create their own. You can use both Visualforce and HTML markup.
20. Mention the different types of reports available in Salesforce.
Answer: The following are the different sorts of reports available in Salesforce:
→ Reports that provide the grand total in a tabular style are known as tabular reports. → Row-based and column-based grouping options are available in matrix reports. → Column-based grouping is available in summary reports. → A joined report is made up of two or more reports.
21. What is Trigger.new?
Answer: The command trigger.new returns a list of records that have been added to the sObjects recently. To be more specific, records that have yet to be stored in the database will be returned. This sObject list is only usable in insert and update triggers, and records can only be updated prior to triggers.
Trigger, on the other hand, old returns a list of the old versions of the sObject records for your information. This sObject list is only available in update and removes triggers, so keep that in mind.
22. What is a public cloud?
Answer: In simple terms, the public cloud is a hosting service in which your data is kept in the provider's data centre. He is in charge of maintaining and operating the data centre, which is shared with other businesses. Salesforce is a cloud service that is available to the general public.
23. What is an app in Salesforce?
Answer: In Salesforce, an app is nothing more than a container with the app's name, logo, and a series of arranged tabs. Remember that your objects, apex classes, triggers, and other metadata have nothing to do with an app. The app simply allows you to group all of the items that assist you in achieving a flow.
Example: The Sales app (Standard app) has a tab for each object in the Sales cycle, such as Account, Contact, Opportunity, Lead, Order, and so on.
24. What are the different types of object relationships available in Salesforce?
Answer: There are two types of relationships in Salesforce: a. Master-Detail: It's a closely connected relationship that lets you connect two objects in an infinite number of ways.
b. Lookup: It's a loosely connected relationship that lets you connect two objects in an infinite number of ways.
c. Self Relationship: It is possible to create an object from a relationship, but it must be a lookup relationship. The Account's Parent account box allows us to select an account to be the parent account of an existing one.
d. Hierarchical Relationship: Only the user object has access to this feature. To link users, utilise a lookup field. It makes no reference to itself, either indirectly or directly. This is an example of a custom hierarchical relationship field that may be used to store every user's direct manager.
e. Many to Many Relationship: You may model many-to-many relationships between any two items using master-detail relationships. Each record of one object can link to numerous records of another object and vice versa in a many-to-many relationship. A junction object functions as a detail for both master objects and is used to construct several relationships; for example, price book entry is a junction item in standard objects between product and price book.
f. External Lookup Relationship: It connects a child's Standard, Custom, or External object to the External object of the parent. The parent external object's Default External Id field matched the external lookup relationship field. To map the child’s External lookup field, use the External Column Name.
g. Indirect Lookup Relationship: It connects the External object of a child to a parent's Standard or Custom object. The indirect lookup relationship field on an external child item is mapped to a custom unique + external Id on the parent object.
25. What is the page layout in Salesforce?
Answer: The layout and organisation of buttons, fields, related lists on object record pages and custom links are all controlled by page layouts. They can be used to personalise the content of record pages that are visible to your users. Which fields are visible, read-only, and necessary are determined by the page layout.
26. What is an external ID?
Answer: The 'External ID' column is used to refer to a unique identifier from another system. External IDs can be searched in Salesforce, and you may use the upsert API call with an External ID to refer to records when using Data Loader to make changes.
27. What is OWD?
Answer: Organization-Wide Defaults (OWD) are utilised to control access to any object. When we set OWD for a particular item, we also specify whether or not access is granted within the role hierarchy.
28. What can all be done using a workflow?
Answer: We can only perform the below actions using workflows : → Field updates → Email Alert → Create Task → Send an outbound message
29. What is the Sales cloud in Salesforce?
Answer: Put all of the information about your customers in one place. Learn more about Sales. Get real-time statistics on how your business is doing, and the user-friendly workspace will help you be more productive. In other words, it focuses on improving the effectiveness of a company's sales team and, as a result, increasing sales.
30. What is MVC architecture?
Answer: It's a coding pattern that divides your code into sections. → Model - Our subjects in Salesforce are models. → UI Controller – How data is represented on the user interface. → View – How data is represented on the user interface. Controllers can be considered Apex classes.
Your code will have a better structure, making it easier to alter and maintain. You should, for example, be able to replace the entire view with little influence on the model or controller logic. MVC architecture is used in Salesforce for VF pages.
31. Explain different types of apps we can use in Salesforce.
Answer: In Salesforce, we may construct two different sorts of apps. They are as follows:
→ Custom apps: They are primarily utilised by business owners who wish to create an app that meets their specific business needs on a regular basis. It's a popular product on the market.
→ Console app: It can only be employed in the client service industry, where we concentrate on resolving the client's problems. It isn't as commonly used in the market as a bespoke app.
32. What is a trigger in Salesforce?
Answer: The trigger is defined as an Apex code that executes to conduct custom actions on Salesforce records before or after modifications such as insert, update, delete, and so on.
Top-level standard items, such as contact or account, as well as custom objects and a few standard child objects, can all have triggers configured. When they're first created, they're turned on by default. Salesforce automatically fires active triggers when the specified database events occur. The following syntax can be used to create a trigger is given below:
trigger TriggerName on ObjectName (trigger_events) { code_block }
Multiple trigger events, such as before insert, before deletion, after insert, after the update, and so on, can be specified in a comma-separated list to run a trigger before or after insert, update, delete, and undelete operations.
33. What is the difference between static and dynamic dashboards in Salesforce?
Answer: The main difference between static and dynamic dashboards is:
Parameters
Static Dashboard
Dynamic Dashboard
Definition
Displays data from the perspective of a specific, fixed user.
Displays data from the perspective of the logged-in user.
Data View
Shows the same data for all users, based on the specified user’s data.
Data changes based on who is viewing the dashboard.
Use Case
Useful for managers who need to monitor overall company data or specific teams.
Useful for individual users to view their own data without needing separate dashboards.
Sharing
Can be shared with users who have access to the specified user’s data.
Data is displayed based on the viewer’s access and permissions.
Setup Limitations
Requires creating multiple dashboards for different users if data perspectives need to vary.
No need to create multiple dashboards, as the same dashboard serves different users dynamically.
Customization
Limited customization based on the assigned running user.
Highly customizable as it adapts to the logged-in user's access and permissions.
Viewer Access
Only users with access to the running user’s data can view the dashboard.
Accessible to users based on their individual role and data access.
Example Scenario
A Sales VP can see the entire sales team's performance through a static dashboard.
Individual sales representatives can view their own performance data using the same dynamic dashboard.
Licensing Requirements
No additional licensing required.
Requires "Enterprise Edition" or higher with specific permissions (e.g., 'View My Team's Dashboards').
Complexity
Easier to set up as it shows data from a single perspective.
Slightly more complex to configure due to the need for dynamic data display.
Salesforce protects your data from other customers' data by utilising a unique identity that limits access to your data at all levels to anybody outside of your company, including us.
What is Salesforce sales data?
Salesforce records data on the details like customer details, sales numbers, customer served, repeat customers and use these records for creating detailed charts, dashboards, and reports.
What is security in Salesforce?
It's software that secures customer data and makes it more secure.
What is saas?
Software as a service (SaaS) is a cloud-based software delivery model in which the cloud provider creates and maintains cloud application software, offers automatic software upgrades, and makes software available to clients on a pay-as-you-go basis via the internet.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed Salesforce Developer Interview Questions Answers. Preparing for a Salesforce Developer interview requires a strong understanding of both the platform's core concepts and its development capabilities. This blog has provided a comprehensive set of Salesforce Developer interview questions and answers, covering key topics such as Apex, Visualforce, SOQL, SOSL, Salesforce Lightning, and more.
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