One of the best ways to prepare for your upcoming interview is through practice, by looking through as many Salesforce interview questions as possible.
We have compiled a list of 28 Salesforce interview questions and answers that you can use to practice and feel more confident when entering the interview room. The questions cover a range of topics, including beginner-friendly and advanced-level technical aspects of Salesforce.
So, let’s jump right into it!
Key Takeaways
- Salesforce is cloud-based software that offers customer relationship management, marketing, and sales services, to name a few.
- During your Salesforce interview, some entry-level questions you can anticipate are about Salesforce as a platform and the benefits of the services it offers.
- Intermediate-level questions focus on specific features of Salesforce, such as dynamic dashboards and types of reports.
- You should know the practical definitions and have experience with Apex, Sandbox, Salesforce Lightning, and similar platforms in order to answer advanced-level Salesforce interview questions and ace your interview.
28 Salesforce Interview Questions With Answers
Let’s get right into the 28 Salesforce interview questions and answers that you need to know before you go in for your interview.
#1. What does Salesforce do?
Candidates who are unfamiliar with Salesforce may be asked this question, which focuses on a brief description of what the platform is and what it can achieve rather than technical specifics.
Sample Answer: Salesforce provides one of the most powerful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools made available to clients in the form of software-as-a-service (SaaS) that is both affordable and convenient.
Salesforce’s CRM software and cloud-based services help businesses strengthen their client interactions. With the help of these tools, companies can keep better tabs on the activities of their clients and more efficiently handle their data.
#2. What are the governor limits in Salesforce?
This question is one of the Salesforce interview questions for a senior developer because it calls for a deeper understanding of the platform’s architecture and development procedures.
Sample Answer: To prevent unfair advantage-taking, Salesforce implements a number of controls (governor limits) on how much code can be run. If the governor’s limits are not met, an error will occur, and the program will crash.
Salesforce does this because of its multi-tenant design, in which multiple users from different companies share a single instance of a given resource.
There are four types of governor limits, including Static Apex Limits, Per-transaction Apex Limits, Size-specific Apex Limits, and Per-transaction Certified Managed Package Limits.
#3. What is meant by a Sandbox in Salesforce?
This is a beginner-friendly question used to test the candidate’s level of expertise with specific features of Salesforce, like Sandbox, and its integrated usage.
Sample Answer: A Sandbox is an enclosed testing space where code can be tried out, or experiments may be run without worrying about affecting the live system. New applications cannot be tested in a live setting because they can disrupt normal operations and are, therefore, undesirable.
Instead, developers utilize a Sandbox to avoid the issue while testing new applications. There are four types of Sandboxes: Developer, Developer Pro, Particle Copy, and Full.
#4. What is an object in Salesforce?
This is a typical first-round Salesforce interview question that tests the candidate’s familiarity with the platform’s tools.
Sample Answer: Information about a company can be stored in Salesforce Objects, which function similarly to database tables. Salesforce supports two distinct kinds of objects: the Standard Object and the Custom Object.
The Standard Object includes various types of information that may be tracked and managed within the platform. The Custom Object incorporates all user-entered changes to Salesforce. It’s where the company’s most important and distinctive data is kept safe and secure.
#5. What are dynamic dashboards?
This question is intermediate in difficulty and geared toward Salesforce administrators or business analysts familiar with the various Salesforce dashboards.
Sample Answer: User-specific data can be presented using a dynamic dashboard. Suppose you wish to display information about a single user, such as their individual revenues and caps, the number of cases they have closed, the number of prospects they have converted, etc.
In that case, you may do so with a dynamic dashboard.
#6. Can two different users have the same profile in Salesforce?
This is one of the more common Salesforce interview questions that is used to determine a candidate’s familiarity with the platform’s workforce.
Sample Answer: The profile is a set of requirements one must meet to gain access to specific files. Salesforce allows you to choose from a variety of user profiles. A salesperson, for instance, can view their leads, contacts, and so on.
Every employee in a particular department can be given the same profile. The same profile can, therefore, apply to an infinite number of individuals.
#7. What is Salesforce Lightning?
This is an introductory-level question to test the candidate’s familiarity with the platform’s user interface and development tools.
Sample Answer: Salesforce Lightning is an application development framework that includes several tools for efficiently boosting the performance of the Salesforce platform.
Key characteristics include a drag-and-drop interface for app development, reusable tools for extensions, and an AppExchange with more than 50 third-party add-ons.
#8. What are the different types of reports available in Salesforce?
This is one of the intermediate-level Salesforce interview questions used to evaluate the candidate’s proficiency in Salesforce reports.
Sample Answer: Salesforce provides users access to four distinct report formats: Tabular, Matrix, Summary, and Joined. Tabular reports provide a tally in table form; the Matrix report groups data into columns and rows; the Summary report provides in-depth information organized by columns; and Joined reports combine two or more reports into a single document.
#9. What is the difference between a Role and a Profile in Salesforce?
This question is intended for Salesforce administrators, business users, and anyone responsible for configuring Salesforce accounts and permissions.
Sample Answer: Salesforce’s roles are designed to give users more access to the system’s resources. Both rule-sharing and a well-defined set of responsibilities can help achieve this.
The profile, in contrast to the roles, is universally binding and persists at the object level. It’s considered a cornerstone of any successful business.
#10. What is meant by App in Salesforce?
This is one of the entry-level Salesforce interview questions aimed at determining the candidate’s familiarity with Salesforce apps and their applications.
Sample Answer: In Salesforce, an app is a folder that stores information like the company’s branding elements and mandatory tabs. It’s also possible to find the desired functionality by combining several tabs into one.
You can modify apps in Salesforce to meet specific needs or create entirely new applications by combining pre-existing and bespoke features. Salesforce supports two distinct app types: Custom and Console.
When it comes to meeting fluctuating business needs, the Custom app is the way to go for business owners. However, the Console app is best suited to customer service organizations whose primary function is to resolve customers’ problems.
#11. What is an Audit Trail?
This is an intermediate-level question geared towards those responsible for data security and data scientists trying to build data governance and track procedures.
Sample Answer: Thanks to the unique functionality of Salesforce’s audit trail, you can monitor and keep track of the numerous changes you and other administrators have made to the organization.
The information that the audit trail presents to you about the twenty latest modifications made in your company includes the date and time of the change, the username of the individual who implemented the change, and the specific change that was made.
#12. What are the benefits of using Salesforce?
This is a typical first-round question meant to ascertain whether or not a candidate has a conceptual grasp of the platform’s purpose and the benefits it provides to users.
Sample Answer: The advantages of using Salesforce are numerous. The four most important ones include increased awareness of organizational context, improved communication, more familiarity with the client, and more straightforward implementation of improved services.
By automating rule-based tasks, reducing costs and cycle time, and enhancing analytics and dashboards to evaluate the data, Salesforce also boosts team productivity.
#13. What is the master-detail relationship?
This is another one of the intermediate-level Salesforce interview questions that test the applicant’s knowledge of Salesforce’s master-detail relationship and its features.
Sample Answer: The relationship between the master and the details is similar to that between a company owner and its employees. The master is essentially the company owner and can have multiple employees associated with it.
If the company owner decides to close down the business, then employees will be forced to leave. If we translate this to the operations in Salesforce, the master is needed for details to exist, and the benefit of this kind of relationship is that it helps manage data and operations more effectively.
#14. Except for CRM, what other products does Salesforce offer?
This is an introductory question that is aimed at determining whether or not the applicants have a sufficient understanding of Salesforce based on how well they are acquainted with the various types of services it provides.
Sample Answer: Salesforce provides a wide range of products and services, some of which are cloud services, such as Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Revenue Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Pardot, Analytics Cloud, Experience Cloud, Commerce Cloud, Apps Cloud, and IoT Cloud.
In addition to that, it provides a selection of platforms/applications like Slack, Tableau, Genie, MuleSoft, and Net Zero.
#15. Can you define Custom Labels?
This is one of the Salesforce interview questions for software engineers that is of intermediate difficulty. Their knowledge of custom labels in regard to internal developments will be tested here.
Sample Answer: In Salesforce, the creation of a multilingual application is accomplished through the use of custom labels. Users are provided with information in the form of instructional messages and errors, both of which are written in the original language.
We are able to access the custom text values that we have defined for the custom labels through either the Lightning components or Apex Classes.
#16. What is a Queue in Salesforce?
This question is considered to be one of the more basic Salesforce interview questions because its primary purpose is to evaluate an applicant’s level of familiarity with a platform component— Queues.
Sample Answer: In Salesforce, tasks are prioritized, distributed, and assigned using Queues. In your CRM, Queues serve as holding places where records wait for an individual to pick them up and either allocate ownership to themselves or to another user.
The primary advantages of using Queues are that they simplify the process of managing a shared workload and improve visibility into what must be completed.
#17. What’s the difference between Page Layouts and Record Types?
Since an in-depth understanding of Salesforce isn’t assumed, this question is well-suited for applicants who are just getting started.
Sample Answer: The page layout determines the fields that must be visible to visitors. Any object record page can be customized with new fields, sections, custom buttons, and more using page layouts.
One user group per object or record type is the maximum that can be set for a page layout. On the other hand, with record types, you can provide users with a wide selection of business procedures, picklist options, and page layouts.
You may assign different page layouts to different objects and users using record types.
#18. Can you explain what Apex is?
This is an intermediate-level question because it requires the applicant’s solid comprehension of programming languages and relevant programming skills.
Sample Answer: Apex is an object-oriented programming language that has a strong typing system. The developer is given the ability to incorporate business logic into the majority of system events, such as pressing keys connected to record changes and VisualForce pages.
#19. What is a Fiscal year or Economic year in Salesforce?
As this question demands a more in-depth knowledge of Salesforce, it is directed toward individuals who have more experience with it.
Sample Answer: The economic year, also known as the fiscal year, is a period of time utilized in producing annual financial accounts. The beginning and ending dates of a company’s fiscal year serve as the basis for this calculation.
In Salesforce, there are two sorts of economic years: the Standard fiscal year, which has a 12-month framework, and the Custom fiscal year, which is suited for businesses that use shorter time frames for budgeting, such as weekly or quarterly.
#20. Can you define a skinny table and the factors that should be considered when designing one?
This is an advanced-level question that requires in-depth knowledge of the Salesforce components needed to get optimal results.
Sample Answer: Accessing commonly used fields without the need for joins makes skinny tables a valuable tool. They speed up the processing of read-only tasks such as reports, list views, and others.
They are very efficient since any changes made to the source table do not affect the integrity of the replica.
#21. Do you know all of the SOQL statements that can be used in Salesforce?
This is a challenging question designed to see if a candidate with a solid background in Salesforce understands the finer points of the platform.
Sample Answer: Records from the database are queried on demand using SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language). Static SOQL statements and Dynamic SOQL statements are the two forms of SOQL queries.
Similar to IINQ (Ion Integrated Query), array brackets are used in the syntax of Static SOQL. Apex programming that dynamically generates SOQL strings at runtime can be referred to as “dynamic SOQL.” It facilitates the development of software with more adaptability.
#22. What kind of skills should a Salesforce developer possess?
This is a basic question to see if the applicant has the knowledge and experience necessary to work at Salesforce as a developer and if their ideals align with the company’s.
Sample Answer: Any Salesforce developer ought to possess certain skills, including communication skills, analytical skills, the ability to provide relevant services, work well with others, and develop creative solutions to problems.
#23. What kinds of abilities does a successful Salesforce administrator need?
This is a simple question designed to ascertain whether the applicant possesses the system administrator skills essential for the position of Salesforce administrator.
Sample Answer: What a good Salesforce administrator needs to know is how to develop and sustain systems to carry out routine tasks and control who has access to certain resources and information.
They should also be able to ensure that only authorized people may access sensitive information to safeguard the business and its assets, solve any issues that may arise, and oversee all aspects of data analysis, collection, storage, and use.
#24. What do you know about Salesforce’s validation rules?
As one of the more complex Salesforce interview questions, this one is designed to see how well a candidate can analyze data.
Sample Answer: Before a record is saved, validation rules utilize a formula to check that the information in one or more fields conforms to predetermined criteria. A “True” or “False” value is returned based on the evaluation of the data.
These guidelines aid in enforcing data integrity requirements. If a rule is not met, Salesforce will move on to the next validation rule.
#25. What is Salesforce’s workflow?
This is a less advanced Salesforce interview question designed for candidates who do not have extensive experience with Salesforce.
Sample Answer: Workflow management software allows for the automating of time-consuming, repetitive tasks within an organization. It aids in the analysis of data during its creation and maintenance.
It also decides whether or not an automated action, such as sending a follow-up email, doing a marketing activity, or monitoring the customer’s progress through the sales funnel, needs to take place.
#26. How do you explain the future annotation?
This advanced-level Salesforce interview question tests a candidate’s ability to simplify difficult concepts.
Sample Answer: Future annotations denote which methods are run asynchronously. Future annotations will require these methods to be static and restricted to returning voids. All arguments listed above must be of a primitive data type or a collection of primitive data types.
#27. What are the different Salesforce email template options?
This is an advanced Salesforce interview question that requires candidates to demonstrate their understanding of the use of email templates in the company.
Sample Answer: Salesforce provides a selection of email formats from which you can choose. There is the Text format, which allows everyone in an organization to make modifications to standard email formats.
HTML with letterhead, Custom HTML (an expansion of HTML with letterhead), and Visualforce (with features like merging with the recipient’s data) are also available options.
#28. Can you describe two applications of the Salesforce API?
This advanced Salesforce interview question could be used to assess front-end development knowledge and experience.
Sample Answer: Developers can access Salesforce using a number of Application Programming Interfaces. APIs developed by Salesforce include both Streaming and Bulk.
With the Streaming API, you can set up triggers and subscribe to notifications that are triggered whenever Salesforce data meets the SOQL query parameters you specify. With Bulk, you can quickly import and query massive amounts of data into your Salesforce interface.
Final Thoughts
Practice makes perfect, so make sure you leave enough time to go through all 28 Salesforce interview questions to get the best results when you go to your interview!
The interview questions in our list cover all levels, starting with beginner-level ones and progressing to more complex questions. Custom labels, SOQL statements, skinny tables, and validation rules are only a few of the topics that you may anticipate talking about during your interview.
Read up, and get ready to ace your interview like a true professional!