Top 40+ Salesforce Interview Questions for Experienced Professionals

Landing a job in the Salesforce ecosystem can be a game-changer for your career. As you gain experience in the field, you’ll be expected to answer more complex and in-depth questions during interviews. 

In this article, we’ll provide you with Salesforce interview questions and answers specifically tailored for experienced candidates, broken down by years of experience, to help you prepare for your next opportunity. 

Meanwhile, you can also check out our Salesforce Interview Preparation Guide

Let’s get started!

Salesforce Interview Questions for 2 Years Experience

Basic Salesforce Concepts

Q1: What is the difference between standard and custom objects in Salesforce?

Standard objects are the pre-defined objects provided by Salesforce, such as Account, Contact, Opportunity, Lead, and Case. These objects are integral to the basic functionality of Salesforce.

Conversely, custom objects are developed by Salesforce users to cater to unique business requirements. For example, a user might create a custom object to track Project data, with custom fields for Start Date, End Date, Budget, and Project Lead.

Q2: Can you explain the importance of the role hierarchy in Salesforce?

The role hierarchy in Salesforce represents the hierarchical model of an organization. It is primarily used to control data visibility and access. Users assigned to any specific role can access, modify, and generate reports on all data owned by or shared with subordinate users in the hierarchy. This ensures the right data access and visibility level based on the user’s roles within the organization.

Q3: Explain at least 3 types of relationships in Salesforce and how they function.

• Lookup: It’s a type of relationship that isn’t strongly bound. Even if the parent record is removed, the child record persists in the system. 
• Master-Detail: This denotes a closely-bound relationship. If the parent record gets deleted, the child record also gets deleted (cascade delete). The child record follows the parent’s security and sharing settings. 
• Many-to-Many: This type of relationship can be formed by leveraging a junction object, a custom object that forms two master-detail relationships with two different record types.

Q4: How does the Salesforce data model work?

The Salesforce data model revolves around objects, fields, and relationships. Objects are like tables in a database and represent a type of data, like Account or Contact. Fields are like columns in a table, representing attributes of the object, like Account Name or Contact Email. Relationships establish how objects interrelate, such as an Account associated with multiple Contacts.

Q5: What is the purpose of using Salesforce Chatter, and how does it benefit organizations?

Salesforce Chatter represents a collaboration utility embedded within Salesforce. It helps users work together, communicate more effectively, share information and ideas, and stay connected regardless of their location. Chatter can increase productivity, foster better teamwork, speed up decision making, and enhance the sharing of knowledge and expertise across the organization.

Salesforce Administration

Q6: How do you create a Flow in Salesforce? Describe the steps.

To create a Flow in Salesforce, follow these steps:

• Go to Setup in Salesforce.
• Search for “Flows” and select “Flows.”
• Click “New Flow.”
• Choose the type: Autolaunched Flow (trigger-based) or Screenflow (user interaction).
• Name your Flow and define the starting point.
• Drag and drop elements onto the canvas to create the flow.
• Connect the elements to define the flow’s sequence.
• Configure each element by providing details and settings.
• Add screens for user input in a Screen Flow.
• Test the Flow using debug mode or a sandbox environment.
• Activate the Flow for production use.
• Use the Flow in Salesforce processes, automation, or user interfaces.
• Flows automate processes, improve data entry, and enhance user experiences in Salesforce.

Q7: Why use validation rules, and how do they function? 

Salesforce validation rules are employed to guarantee data accuracy, completeness, and format. These rules confirm that the user-entered data in a record meets the predefined standards before it can be saved. A validation rule might include a formula or expression that examines the data in one or multiple fields and returns a “True” or “False” value. If the validation rule formula is “True”, it means the data is invalid, and the user sees the error message.

Q8: How can you control user access to objects and fields in Salesforce?

Salesforce provides several layers of data access control:

• At the object level, you can use profiles and permission sets to control which users can create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) access.
• At the field level, you use field-level security (FLS) to control the visibility and editability of individual fields in an object. Yet again, this is managed via profiles and permission sets. 
• Record-level access is regulated through organization-wide defaults (OWD), role hierarchy, sharing rules, manual sharing, and teams.

Q9: What are some common use cases for using Flows?

1. Automating data entry processes.
2. Updating records and fields based on conditions or triggers.
3. Streamlining approval processes.
4. Guiding customer onboarding.
5. Automating case escalation and assignment.
6. Qualifying leads and opportunities.
7. Creating custom wizard-like interfaces.
8. Performing data validation and error handling.
9. Integrating and synchronizing data with external systems.
10. Enhancing user experiences with customized interfaces.
11. Flows offer flexibility and automation capabilities to optimize various business processes in Salesforce.

Q10: Can you explain the purpose of assignment rules in Salesforce?

Salesforce assignment rules automate the lead generation and support processes of your organization. The rules of Lead assignment determine how leads are allocated to users or queues based on your criteria. Similarly, case assignment rules help to automate case assignments to appropriate individuals or teams in your support organization, ensuring that cases are handled by the correct person as efficiently as possible.

Salesforce Development

Q11: What are Apex classes and triggers? How are they used in Salesforce?

Apex is a robustly-typed, object-oriented programming language enabling developers to run flow and transaction control statements on Salesforce servers.

Apex Classes: These are sets of instructions that can be called through the execution of triggers, class methods, Visualforce pages, etc. They serve the purpose of creating reusable code and logic. 

Apex Triggers: These are event-based pieces of code that run before or after a record in Salesforce gets inserted, updated, deleted, or undeleted. They are used to perform operations that go beyond the capabilities of Salesforce declarative automation tools.

Q12: Could you clarify the application of Visualforce in Salesforce? 

Visualforce is a framework for web development, enabling developers to construct intricate, tailor-made user interfaces that are hosted natively on the Salesforce platform. It integrates a tag-based markup language, akin to HTML, and a cluster of server-side “standard controllers” that simplify basic database operations like queries and saves.

Q13: How does the SOQL query language differ from SQL, and when should you use it?

SOQL, or Salesforce Object Query Language, is used to query Salesforce data. It is similar to SQL but specifically designed for Salesforce data. Unlike SQL, SOQL doesn’t support all standard SQL commands. For example, you can’t perform delete or update operations with SOQL.

SOQL is used when you know which objects you want to retrieve, and you are interested in specific fields of these objects. It’s often used in Apex code and in Visualforce controllers to get the specific data you need from your Salesforce org.

SQL:

SELECT * FROM Account

SOQL:

SELECT Id, Name, Industry FROM Account

Q14: What is the role of test classes in Salesforce development?

Test classes are integral to Salesforce development. They are utilized to test Apex classes and triggers to confirm their functionality as per expectations. Writing test classes is a best practice and is mandatory when deploying code to a production environment. Salesforce requires at least 75% of your Apex code to be covered by tests, and all of those tests must pass.

Q15: Can you describe the differences between synchronous and asynchronous Apex?

Synchronous Apex: This is a type of Apex code that executes in a single thread. When a synchronous process is run, the user interface waits for the process to complete and doesn’t allow the user to continue until it’s done.

Asynchronous Apex: This form of Apex code facilitates running processes on a separate thread at a future time. The user interface doesn’t wait for the process to complete and allows the user to continue working. Asynchronous processes are useful when you’re dealing with operations that take a significant amount of time, like callouts to external systems or complex, long-running processes.

Also Read – A comprehensive list of Salesforce interview questions and answers prepared by experts

Salesforce Interview Questions for 3 Years Experience

Advanced Salesforce Concepts

Q16: What is the significance of the Salesforce Governor Limits, and how can they impact your work?

Salesforce Governor Limits signify the runtime restrictions enforced by the Apex runtime engine to ensure no Apex code or processes run out of control and monopolize shared resources. These constraints prevent any single organization from taking over shared resources in a multi-tenant environment.

If your code exceeds these limits, you will receive a runtime exception that cannot be handled. Therefore, when developing in Apex, it’s crucial to write efficient code and take these limits into account.

Salesforce Governor Limits can be categorized into per-transaction limits, per-transaction certified managed package limits, Lightning platform Apex limits, static Apex limits, size-specific Apex limits, and miscellaneous Apex limits. These limits regulate various aspects of Apex code execution and help maintain the platform’s performance, resource allocation, and security.

Q17: How do batch Apex and future methods help with processing large data volumes?

Batch Apex and Future methods are both used to process large amounts of data asynchronously, helping to bypass governor limits.

• Batch Apex: It lets you define a single job that can be divided into manageable portions, thereby allowing you to process up to 50 million records.
• Future Methods: These allow specific method calls to run in the background, specifically for operations you’d like to run asynchronously, like callouts to external web services.

Q18: Could you explicate the differences between Salesforce Classic and Salesforce Lightning Experience?

Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience represent two distinct user interfaces.

• Salesforce Classic is the older user interface, which offers a plethora of features and functionalities, but it lacks the responsiveness and flexibility of the modern UI.
• Lightning Experience is an advanced, swift, and smart user interface that facilitates sales and service teams to work more intuitively and efficiently. It offers more customization options, a component-based framework for building custom applications, and a more interactive and intuitive user interface.

Q19: What are the diverse types of sandboxes in Salesforce, and how are they employed? 

Salesforce offers 4 types of sandboxes: 

1. Developer Sandbox: It is utilized for development and testing in a secluded environment. It comprises a copy of your org’s configuration. 
2. Developer Pro Sandbox: Similar to Developer Sandbox, but with more storage for data and files. It’s useful for handling more extensive development and testing.
3. Partial Copy Sandbox: It consists of your org’s metadata and a sample of your production org’s data defined by a sandbox template. Useful for testing and training. 
4. Full Sandbox: A perfect copy of your production org, including all data, such as object records and attachments and metadata. It’s utilized for performance testing, load testing, and staging.

Q20: How do you employ custom settings and metadata types in Salesforce? 

Custom Settings: These resemble custom objects and enable application developers to produce custom sets of data, along with creating and associating custom data for an organization, profile, or specific user. They are frequently used to store data that does not change often, like organization-level settings.

Custom Metadata Types: These are essentially custom objects, but they are customizable, deployable, packageable, and upgradeable application metadata. Similar to custom settings, custom metadata types store data to be accessed across various classes and triggers. A key advantage of custom metadata types is their deployability via change sets, a feature absent in custom settings.

Salesforce Integration

Q21: What are the key considerations when integrating Salesforce with external systems?

When integrating Salesforce with external systems, several key considerations should be kept in mind:

• Security: This includes data encryption, user authentication, and compliance with privacy laws.
• Data Quality: It’s crucial to ensure that data shared between systems is dependable, precise, and updated regularly.
• Performance: The integration should not significantly degrade the performance of either system.
• Scalability: The integration should be capable of handling increased data volume as the business grows.
• Error Handling: The integration should have mechanisms for dealing with errors and failures, ensuring they’re communicated and can be addressed promptly.

Q22: How can you integrate Salesforce with other platforms using REST and SOAP APIs?

REST API: REST (Representational State Transfer) API in Salesforce can be used to expose Salesforce data via RESTful endpoints, which can be accessed via standard HTTP methods. This is typically used for mobile applications or web projects.

SOAP API: SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) API is an influential tool enabling you to interact with Salesforce data employing XML through the SOAP protocol. It’s ideal for integrations that require detailed processing, have complex requirements, or must handle bulk data.

Q23: Describe the role of external objects in Salesforce integration.

Salesforce’s external objects denote data located outside your Salesforce org. They allow you to access, explore, and report on external data just like you would standard and custom data in Salesforce. This is achieved through Salesforce Connect, a service that uses OData protocols to integrate with external systems.

Q24: What is the difference between inbound and outbound integration in Salesforce?

Inbound Integration: This happens when an external system sends data to Salesforce. An example would be a website capturing leads and sending the data to Salesforce.

Outbound Integration: This occurs when Salesforce sends data to an external system. An example is Salesforce sending data to an ERP system when a new order is created.

Q25: Can you explain how webhooks can be used in Salesforce integrations?

Webhooks provide a way for applications to carry out real-time notifications triggered by specific events to other applications. Salesforce does not natively support webhooks, but developers can create webhooks using outbound messaging or by using Apex to make a callout to the webhook URL. For example, you can create a webhook to notify an external system every time a new lead is created in Salesforce.

To create a webhook-supported URL in Salesforce, follow these steps:

Create an Apex REST API: Write an Apex class with a @RestResource annotation to define the REST API endpoint and handle incoming webhook requests.

Create a public Site: Set up a public Site in Salesforce to expose the webhook endpoint publicly. This allows external systems to send HTTP requests to the URL associated with the Site.

Enable Apex class access to the site: Grant access to the Apex class created in step 1 for the public Site. This ensures that the Site can execute the code and handle incoming webhook requests.

Salesforce Lightning

Q26: Explain the main components of the Salesforce Lightning Component Framework.

This UI development framework allows the creation of dynamic, responsive web applications suitable for mobile and desktop devices. The main components are:

• Lightning Components: These are self-sustained and reusable sections of an app. They represent a reusable section of the UI and can range in granularity from a single line of text to an entire app.
• Events: These are used for communication between components to create a decoupled and modular architecture.
• Client-side Controller: This is JavaScript that provides the core behavior of a component.
• Helper: This is also JavaScript, but it’s reusable code that can be used in the client-side controller.

Q27: How does the Lightning Data Service operate, and what benefits does it offers?

Lightning Data Service (LDS) is a standard controller for Lightning components. It provides a layer of data caching, which minimizes network trips, leading to better performance. LDS follows a CRUD model and can be used without writing a single line of Apex code.

Benefits of LDS include:

• Shared Record Cache: LDS uses a shared record cache across all Lightning components within a single Lightning Experience page. This leads to minimal server trips, better performance, and a consistent view of data.
• Data Consistency: LDS ensures that all components that refer to the same record show the same data.

Q28: Can you describe the use of Lightning Web Components in Salesforce?

Lightning Web Components (LWC) is an innovative programming model designed for crafting Lightning components. It utilizes custom elements, templates, decorators, modules, and other new language constructs available in ECMAScript 6 and later. LWC can coexist and interoperate with the original Aura programming model and delivers exceptional performance.

Q29: What are the key differences between Aura Components and Lightning Web Components?

Aura Components and Lightning Web Components (LWC) both serve as frameworks for creating reusable components in Salesforce, but they differ in their underlying architecture and functionality. The older of the two, Aura, employs a component-based, event-driven model that doesn’t align as neatly with standard JavaScript, which can make it more challenging for developers already familiar with JavaScript.

In contrast, Lightning Web Components leverage modern web programming standards, including custom elements, templates, and features from recent versions of JavaScript (ECMAScript 6 and beyond). This alignment with standard web development practices makes LWC more intuitive for developers. Furthermore, LWC is more efficient and performs better compared to Aura due to less JavaScript abstraction. 

Q30: Can you outline the steps to create an App Home Page using the Lightning App Builder in Salesforce?

The steps to create an App Home Page using the Lightning App Builder in Salesforce are as follows:

• Go to Setup and search for “App Builder” in the Quick Find box.
• Click on “Lightning App Builder” and then select “New”.
• Choose “App Page” and click “Next”.
• Provide a label for the app page and click “Next”.
• Select a page template and click “Done”.
• Drag and drop components onto the page and rearrange them as needed.
• Configure the properties of each component by clicking on them.
• Configure the page properties by clicking in the empty area of the canvas or on the Page link in the breadcrumb.
• Optionally, add global actions to the page by clicking “Select” in the page properties and managing the actions.
• Click “Save” to finish editing the page.
• Remember to activate the page to grant user access.

These steps allow you to create and customize an App Home Page using the Lightning App Builder in Salesforce.

Salesforce Interview Questions for 5 Years Experience

Salesforce Architecture

Q31: What is a multi-tenant architecture, and how does Salesforce utilize it?

Multi-tenant architecture is a software design where a single software instance runs on a server and caters to multiple tenants (users or groups of users). In this model, users share common resources like infrastructure and databases but maintain separate, secure instances for their data. Salesforce utilizes multi-tenant architecture to optimize resources, providing all users with the same infrastructure, innovation, and features while ensuring each tenant’s data is securely separated and inaccessible to others.

Q32: Can you explain Salesforce’s data storage architecture and its implications for large organizations?

Salesforce’s data storage is based on a multi-tenant architecture. Data is stored in shared databases, and a layer of abstraction is used to separate each customer’s data. This design enables Salesforce to deploy improvements and uphold stringent security standards swiftly. For large organizations, this means they don’t need to worry about infrastructure management, security, or updates. However, it also means they are subject to storage limits and must often consider additional storage or data management solutions.

Q33: How does Salesforce maintain a high availability and disaster recovery for its customers?

Salesforce ensures high availability and disaster recovery through a robust infrastructure. Data is securely stored in data centers, with real-time replication to disaster recovery centers. In case of a disaster or system failure, the data can be swiftly restored or transitioned to the backup system. Salesforce also utilizes advanced monitoring systems to identify potential issues and proactively address them, minimizing downtime risk.

Q34: What is the purpose of Salesforce Identity in a Salesforce ecosystem?

Salesforce Identity serves the purpose of providing centralized access control and authentication management for users across various applications and resources within the Salesforce ecosystem. It ensures that the right individuals have appropriate access to the right resources at the right time. By enabling single sign-on capabilities, users can access multiple connected apps with a single set of credentials, enhancing user experience and productivity. Additionally, Salesforce Identity enhances security by allowing organizations to control access to their orgs, applications, and data, both within Salesforce and across other platforms and devices.

Q35: Can you describe the various Salesforce API types and their use cases?

Salesforce provides several types of APIs, each suited to different use cases:

• SOAP API: Ideal for integrations that require detailed processing or handling large amounts of data. It’s a robust and powerful tool for building server-to-server integrations.
• REST API: Best suited for mobile applications and web projects. It’s lightweight and follows a stateless, cacheable communication protocol.
• Bulk API: Utilized when there’s a need to process large volumes of data. It’s asynchronous, meaning it processes requests in the background.
• Streaming API: Used for applications that require real-time, push-style data transfer. It’s helpful for apps that need to immediately reflect data changes in Salesforce.
• Metadata API: Used for managing customizations and for building tools that manage the metadata model.

Salesforce Security

Q36: How does Salesforce ensure data security and privacy for its customers?

Salesforce ensures data security and privacy through a multi-layered approach. It includes robust physical security in data centers, network security to protect against threats, application security to ensure only authorized access, and system security with regular patches and updates. Additionally, Salesforce employs advanced threat detection mechanisms, encrypted data transmission, and rigorous access controls. Customers can further enhance security by utilizing built-in features like two-factor authentication, IP whitelisting, and field-level security.

Q37: What are the different types of authentication methods supported by Salesforce?

Salesforce supports multiple authentication methods to verify user identities. These include standard username and password authentication, SAML for single sign-on (SSO) from identity providers, OAuth for API integrations, and delegated authentication for SSO with a client’s authentication method. Salesforce also supports two-factor authentication using Salesforce Authenticator or other TOTP authenticator apps for added security.

Q38: How do you manage and enforce data security at the field level in Salesforce?

Salesforce provides field-level security (FLS) to manage access to specific data fields. Administrators can set FLS permissions to control the visibility of fields in detail and edit views, ensuring users only see relevant and permitted data. FLS can be set for individual profiles or permission sets, providing granular control over data access and maintaining data security.

Q39: Can you explain the Salesforce sharing model and its various components?

The Salesforce sharing model governs the visibility and access users have to records. It consists of several layers:

• Organization-wide Defaults (OWD): This sets the baseline level of access for all records of an object.
• Role Hierarchies: These allow access to records to naturally flow upwards through the hierarchy.
• Sharing Rules: These are automatic exceptions to OWD for particular groups of users to give more access.
• Manual Sharing: This allows record owners (or anyone with Full Access) to share the record with other users.

Q40: What are the key considerations for complying with data privacy regulations like GDPR in Salesforce?

Compliance with GDPR and other data privacy regulations in Salesforce involves several considerations:

• Data minimization: Only collect and process necessary personal data.
• Consent Management: Ensure proper consent is obtained before data processing. Salesforce provides tools to track and manage consent.
• Right to access and erasure: Salesforce allows easy retrieval and deletion of personal data to comply with these user rights.
• Data security: Implement stringent security measures to protect personal data.
• Data processing agreements: Establish agreements with Salesforce as a data processor, ensuring it also complies with GDPR requirements.

Salesforce Best Practices

Q41: What are some key considerations for optimizing Salesforce performance?

Optimizing Salesforce performance involves strategies like reducing page complexity, optimizing SOQL queries, and utilizing pagination for large data sets. Using indexes effectively, minimizing synchronous Apex code, and ensuring efficient use of API calls can also boost performance. Regularly monitoring and analyzing performance using Salesforce’s built-in tools can identify potential bottlenecks and areas for improvement.

Q42: How can you ensure code maintainability and reusability in Salesforce development?

Code maintainability and reusability can be ensured by following best practices such as using descriptive naming conventions, commenting code appropriately, and structuring code into small, manageable methods. Using design patterns and separating concerns can also enhance reusability. Furthermore, adopting a test-driven development approach and maintaining high code coverage can ensure the codebase remains robust and adaptable.

Q43: What are some best practices for implementing a Salesforce release management process?

A successful Salesforce release management process should include a well-defined deployment strategy with clear roles and responsibilities, automated testing and continuous integration, and version control to track code changes. Regular communication and coordination between teams, along with detailed release planning and post-release reviews, are also crucial. It’s important to consider the use of different environments, such as sandboxes, for development, testing, and staging before the production deployment.

Q44: How can you build event-driven architectures using the Salesforce Platform Events?

Salesforce Platform Events can be used to build event-driven architectures by creating and subscribing to custom events. These events are used to communicate changes or actions between loosely coupled components of an application, improving scalability and responsiveness. Events can be published using Apex or Process Builder and can be subscribed to by other parts of Salesforce, external systems, or real-time interfaces using CometD.

Q45: What are the key principles of effective Salesforce data management and data quality?

Effective Salesforce data management and data quality hinge on several principles. These include having a clear data governance strategy, defining and enforcing data standards, and implementing regular data cleansing routines. Validation rules and duplicate management can help maintain data quality, while robust security and sharing settings can ensure appropriate data access. Regular backups and a clear disaster recovery plan are also essential for data management.

Summing Up

Preparing for a Salesforce interview can be challenging, especially as you gain experience and interviewers expect more in-depth knowledge. We hope these Salesforce interview questions and answers for experienced professionals, broken down by years of experience, help you feel more confident and prepared for your next opportunity. 

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