Salesforce Platform Developer Interview Questions and Answers – 2024                                         

What is Salesforce and how does it benefit organizations?

Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM platform helping organizations manage customer interactions. It centralizes data, streamlines processes, and improves communication, fostering customer relationships, boosting efficiency, and supporting business growth.

Explain the key components of the Salesforce platform?

Salesforce platform comprises key components like Sales Cloud (sales automation), Service Cloud (customer service), Marketing Cloud (marketing automation), and App Cloud (custom app development). This components integrate to provide a unified CRM solution, enhancing business processes and customer engagement.

What is the difference between a custom object and a standard object in Salesforce?

In Salesforce, standard objects are pre-built entities like Leads and Accounts, while custom objects are user-defined entities tailored to specific business needs. Custom objects allow organizations to create and manage unique data structures, fields, and relationships, offering flexibility to adapt Salesforce to their specific processes and requirements.

 What is Apex in Salesforce?

Apex, developed by Salesforce, is a programming language used to create custom functionalities and business logic on the Salesforce platform. Developers employ Apex to build triggers, controllers, and classes, increase the platform’s customization capabilities.

Explain the significance of triggers in Salesforce and provide an example.

Triggers in Salesforce are event-driven pieces of Apex code that automate actions when records are inserted, updated, or deleted. They enhance customization and enforce business processes. For example, a trigger can automate the creation of a task whe n a new lead is inserted, streamlining follow-up procedures.

Differentiate between SOQL and SOSL queries in Apex.

SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language) is used to query records from a single object in Salesforce, while SOSL (Salesforce Object Search Language) is used to search multiple objects for records containing a specified term. SOQL is precise, while SOSL is broader in scope for searching.

What is Visual force?

Visualforce, a Salesforce framework, empowers developers to craft custom user interfaces for applications. Employing a tag-based markup language, it seamlessly integrates with Apex code to provide enhanced functionality and a tailored user experience.

Explain the lifecycle of a Visual force page.

The lifecycle of a Visualforce page in Salesforce involves the following stages: initialization, request processing, rendering, and postback processing. Initialization sets up the page, request processing handles user input, rendering displays the page, and postback processing manages any interactions or changes before the page is re-rendered.

How can you incorporate JavaScript in a Visual force page?

JavaScript can be incorporated into a Visualforce page using the `<script>` tag or by linking external scripts. It enhances user interactions, validation, and dynamic behavior within the Salesforce user interface.

Explain the importance of integration in Salesforce development.

Integration is essential in Salesforce development, linking varied systems for seamless data flow and a unified organizational view. It improves business processes, boosts efficiency, and facilitates better decision-making throughout the entire organization.

Describe the various integration options available in Salesforce.

Salesforce provide various combination options, including REST and SOAP APIs for web services, Bulk API for large data sets, Streaming API for real-time events, and External Objects for flawless  data access. These options facilitate integration with external systems, apps, and services.

How can you make a callout to an external web service in Apex?

In Apex, calling an external web service is achieved using the `HttpRequest` and `HttpResponse` classes. This process entails crafting an HTTP request, configuring parameters, dispatching the request, and managing the ensuing response.

Why is testing crucial in Salesforce development?

Testing in Salesforce development ensures the reliability of code, identifies bugs early, and maintains the integrity of customizations, promoting a stable and secure application environment.

Explain the differences between unit testing and integration testing in Salesforce.

Unit testing in Salesforce evaluates individual components or functions in isolation, verifying their correctness. Integration testing assesses the interaction between various components, ensuring they work harmoniously together. While unit testing is focused on isolated units, integration testing ensures the seamless collaboration of different units within the Salesforce application.

How can you write a test class for an Apex trigger?

To create a test class for an Apex trigger in Salesforce, generate test data, invoke the trigger’s logic through DML operations (insert, update, delete), and use assertions in Apex test methods to verify the expected outcomes.

Describe the security features available in Salesforce.

Salesforce provides robust security features, including role-based access control, field-level security, encryption, audit trails, IP range restrictions, and two-factor authentication. These features ensure data integrity and protect against unauthorized access.

Explain the concept of profiles and permission sets.

Profiles and permission sets in Salesforce control user access. Profiles define permissions and settings for a user’s baseline access, while permission sets extend access without changing profiles, allowing flexibility in permissions.

How do you manage version control in a Salesforce development environment?

In Salesforce development, version control is commonly administered through source control systems such as Git. Developers utilize Salesforce CLI or third-party tools to fetch and deploy metadata, monitor changes, collaborate effectively, and uphold a code version history, facilitating improved teamwork and release management.

How do you optimize SOQL queries for performance?

To optimize SOQL queries in Salesforce, use selective queries by filtering on indexed fields, limit the use of wildcard characters, fetch only necessary fields, and consider using query optimization tools.

Describe the considerations for designing a data model in Salesforce.

When designing a data model in Salesforce, consider scalability, relationships, and custom objects to meet business requirements. Leverage standard objects when possible, design efficient relationships, and use field types wisely. Plan for future expansion, ensuring the data model aligns with the organization’s present and future needs.