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Salesforce is a booming industry, without a doubt, and this fact supports the high demand for Salesforce developers. A developer is an essential requirement of every organization to maintain, develop, and customize the platform’s code. The evolution of technologies powering Salesforce has also boosted Salesforce developer jobs worldwide. This means many of you are reading this blog for your upcoming Salesforce Developer Interview.
Well, if yes, then you have landed at the right place.
You can impress an interviewer with knowledge about Salesforce as a platform. But most of the other candidates also know the same as well. You will gain an extra boost in confidence with our collection of Salesforce Developer Interview questions.
So, let us go through them quickly!
Salesforce Developer Interview Questions
We have provided a list of carefully selected Salesforce Developer Interview questions below. We have covered questions about platform, development, integrations, and LWC. You can choose to go through them in your preferred order.
1. What declarative tools can we use to customize a Salesforce instance?
Declarative tools are like building blocks in Salesforce that allow us to customize the platform without writing code. We’ve got custom fields and custom objects, which let us define our data structure. Then there are page layouts and Lightning app builder, which help us design how our records look and feel without diving into code.
Now, if we want to automate things without code, we can turn to Flow. Although we used to rely on Process Builder and Workflow Rules, Salesforce is moving away from them. Flow is the way to go for building automation without code.
2. When would we choose programmatic development over declarative?
If we need to get things done quickly and easily, declarative tools are our go-to. They’re great for more straightforward tasks and save us a ton of time.
But when things get complex, that’s when we switch to programmatic development—specialized business processes or scenarios where performance and fine-tuning the user experience are critical. Coding gives us the power to do more intricate stuff and optimize performance.
3. What is the Salesforce release model?
Salesforce rolls out significant updates three times a year: Spring, Summer, and Winter. These updates bring in new features and enhancements. About a month before each release, sandbox instances get updated so we can test our customizations before they hit our production environment.
4. What are governor limits? Please provide some examples.
Governor limits are like guardrails in Salesforce that prevent us from hogging up too many resources. They keep our processes in check, ensuring fair usage in a shared environment.
For example, we’ve got limits on the number of SOQL queries we can run, the amount of data we can process in one go, and the number of HTTP callout requests we can make in a single transaction.
5. How can you prevent duplicate records in Salesforce?
To prevent duplications of records in Salesforce, the following steps are taken:
To keep duplicate records at bay, we set up Duplicate Rules in Salesforce.
- Head to setup and search for Duplicate Rules.
- Please create a new rule and pick the object you want to apply it to.
- Set up the criteria for identifying duplicates.
- Decide what happens when a duplicate is found – like blocking the creation of duplicate records or letting users know.
- Save and activate the rule, and you’re good to go!
Read More:
Record Types in Salesforce
6. What Salesforce-supported development tools are there?
When it comes to developing on Salesforce, we’ve got Salesforce Extensions for VS Code, which is like our coding playground. It works hand in hand with the Salesforce Command Line Interface, giving us all the tools we need to write, test, and deploy our code.
7. What are the three types of object relationships?
There are three main types of object relationships in Salesforce:
- Lookup Relationship: This links two records by having one record point to another through a lookup field.
- Master-Detail Relationship: Similar to lookup, but with a twist – the child record depends on the parent. If the parent goes, so does the child.
- Self-Relationship: This is like a lookup, but it points back to the same object. It’s handy for creating hierarchies or chains of related records.
Read More:
Everything About Relationships in Salesforce
8.What is the difference between Master details & Lookup relationship?
Here are the critical differences between master details & lookup relationships:
| Master details | Lookup |
| In this relationship type, a child cannot exist without a parent (a field is required and cannot be null or blank). | Child and parent exist independently (field is not required, but we can make it required). |
| The security settings of the child are inherited from the parent. | Security settings are set independently. |
| Deleting parent also deletes all child records (Cascade delete). | Deletion of parent does not affect child records. |
| Rollup summary is possible (count, sum, min, max). | No Rollup summary (Apexexchange tools available). |
| Standard objects cannot be the child of custom objects. | Standard objects can be the child of custom objects. |
| There can be up to two master details on an object (two parents possible for a child). | Up to 40 lookups are possible on a custom and standard object. |
9. What is SOQL and its purpose?
SOQL stands for Salesforce Object Query Language, and as the name suggests, it is the primary language used for performing queries against the database. While its syntax is similar to SQL, there are a few key differences, mainly in that SOQL is exclusively used for retrieving data(i.e., SELECT statements).
It retrieves data from a single object and those directly related to it. SOQL can be used both within Apex code – to query records for consumption by code – or via the API and tools that use it – such as in data loader tools. Eg.
List<Contact> contacts = [SELECT Id FROM Contact Where AccountId = : accountId];
Read More:
SOQL Basics (Salesforce Object Query Language)
10. What is the role of the Validation rule in Salesforce?
Validation rules are necessary to ensure the accuracy and consistency of data in Salesforce. They are like the gatekeepers of our data. They make sure that the data going into Salesforce meets certain criteria or follows specific rules. It’s all about keeping our data clean, consistent, and error-free.
They can used to play the following roles:
- Data type check
- Code check
- Range check
- Format check
- Consistency check
- Uniqueness check
- Presence check
- Length check
- Lookup
11. What is required to deploy Apex code to a production instance?
When Apex code is deployed to production, there are a few things which are not compulsory but as part of best practice we need to make sure of:
- All classes and triggers must be compiled successfully.
- Tests should cover at least 75% of the Apex code, and there should be no test failures.
- Triggers must have at least 1% test coverage.
12. What programming languages can we use to customize a Salesforce instance?
To customize Salesforce, we primarily use Apex, which is like Java but for Salesforce’s server-side tasks. On the front end, we have Lightning Web Components as the leading technology, followed by older ones like Aura Components and Visualforce. These technologies use HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Apex. Additionally, we can use Flow, a low-code language for both front-end and back-end customization.
13. What are the different events for an Apex Trigger?
Apex Triggers have different events they can respond to:
- Before triggers run before a record is saved, it is helpful for validations.
- After triggers run after a record is saved, it is useful for post-saving tasks.
Triggers are then further broken down into the type of operation that invokes it. These are insert, update, delete, and undelete. This allows the triggers to be customized and invoked only when explicitly required.
14. What is the difference between Triggers and Flows?
Triggers and Flows differ in several ways, such as:
- Coding is required in the Trigger, but in the case of Flow, it is not.
- A trigger is executed after the Flow.
- In Trigger, there is a need to manually write the test class, while in Flow, there is no need for it at all.
- There is a clear pictorial presentation of logic in Flow to build it.
- If you want to develop a complex trigger, then go with the apex trigger.
Read More:
Basics of Triggers
15. What is a global Apex class?
A global Apex class is one accessible from any Apex code within any namespace. We use global classes sparingly, typically for managed packages or Apex REST web services. Global Apex class should rarely be used and only implemented when explicitly necessary, e.g., within managed packages or for Apex REST web services.
16. What is an Interface, and why would we use one?
An Interface in Apex is like a blueprint for classes, defining method signatures without implementations. We use interfaces to enforce a standard method structure across different courses, allowing for flexible behavior based on context.
It is helpful for abstracting method declaration from its specific implementation. A typical example of this can be found with batch classes, which implement the standard Salesforce database interface. Batchable.
17. How can we integrate into external REST web services?
To integrate with external REST web services, we usually use HTTP callouts to communicate with their APIs. We build request payloads using classes like JSON and XMLStreamWriter that match the API requirements.
18. How can an external system integrate into Salesforce?
External systems can integrate with Salesforce using its REST API. This allows them to perform actions like creating, updating, or querying records. A connected app can also be used to request access to Salesforce data on behalf of an external application. It must be integrated with the Salesforce API using the OAuth 2.0 protocol.
19. How can we secure credentials used for outbound integrations?
Depending on the type of credentials, we have a few options. The most preferred is Named Credentials, which specify the base endpoint and the authentication credentials. These are chosen since Salesforce then handles the authentication for us and keeps the credentials away from prying eyes.
Alternatively, if named credentials are not suitable, we could choose to store the credentials in a Custom Metadata type, which will allow different credentials to be used across various environments. We can secure the permissions to access the metadata type. We should never hard-code the credentials for integrations within our code as this is very insecure.
20. What is the difference between LWC and Aura components?
Lightning Web Components is built using current web standards to build custom HTML elements through Web Components, designed to run in a lightweight and performant manner.
Aura components are the legacy Lightning Component framework but still utilize JavaScript and HTML for development.
21. Why would we use Lightning Web Components over Aura components and vice versa?
Ideally, we should always use Lightning Web Components for any new developments due to their easier development and better performance. We should only use Aura components if we wish to use a piece of functionality that still needs to be supported in LWCs; in this case, we should wrap an LWC inside of an Aura component.
22. Where can we use Lightning Components?
Lightning components can be used in various parts of your Salesforce org. These can be decided by administrators or added by developers. You can deploy Lightning components in the Utility Bar, integrate them into Outlook and Gmail, and use them in Flows, Visualforce pages, external web pages, pre-chat snap-ins, and quick actions.
23. What is SLDS?
The Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) is like the user interface toolkit for Salesforce Lightning. It helps developers design, style, and build the user interface components of Salesforce applications.
Developers can use SLDS-provided CSS styles or component markup templates to create custom components that maintain a consistent look and feel across the Salesforce platform. SLDS also guides accessibility, language, and icons.
24. What is a roll-up summary field?
A rollup summary field is a particular type of field in Salesforce that sits on the master side of a master-detail relationship. These fields automatically calculate their values based on the aggregate data from the detail records.
For example, a rollup summary field might calculate the sum, count, or maximum value of related documents. This saves developers from having to write Apex code to perform these calculations manually.
Read More:
Roll-Up Summary Fields in Salesforce
25. How can we enforce Sharing Rules within our Apex code?
To enforce Sharing Rules within Apex code, we can define our class to use the “with sharing” or “without sharing” keywords in its definition. Alternatively, we can use the “inherited sharing” keywords, which inherit the sharing settings from the calling class. This allows us to dynamically handle sharing rules based on the context in which the code is executed.
Read More:
Sharing Rules in Salesforce
26. What are Custom Metadata Types, and why would we use them?
Custom Metadata Types are like custom objects, but they are metadata. They allow you to create your metadata types with custom fields. We use them to store configuration data that we don’t want to hardcode in our code, making it easier to change settings without modifying code.
27. What is dynamic Apex?
Dynamic Apex allows you to write code that can adapt to different circumstances at runtime. For example, you can use dynamic Apex to create and execute SOQL queries or DML statements based on user input or other factors.
28. How can we enforce Field Level Security (FLS) within our Apex code?
To enforce Field Level Security (FLS) in Apex, we can use the Schema class to check if a field is accessible to the current user before performing any operations on that field. This helps prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.
29. When should we bypass sharing and FLS within our code?
We should only bypass sharing and FLS within our code when it’s necessary for the business requirements and when we’ve thoroughly considered the security implications. This should be done sparingly and with caution, as it can expose sensitive data to unauthorized users.
30. How can we secure dynamic SOQL?
To secure dynamic SOQL, we should always use variable binding to prevent SOQL injection attacks. This means using placeholders in the query string and binding variables to those placeholders to ensure that user input is sanitized correctly and doesn’t allow malicious code execution.
Also, use the escapeSingleQuotes method to sanitize user-supplied input. This method adds the escape character (\) to all single quotation marks in a string that is passed in from a user. The method ensures that all single quotation marks are treated as enclosing strings, instead of database commands.
Read More:
Salesforce Dynamic SOQL
31. What’s the difference between queueable Apex, batch Apex, and schedulable Apex?
- Queueable Apex: It allows you to execute long-running processes in the background asynchronously. You can chain queueable jobs together and monitor their progress.
- Batch Apex: It is used to process large amounts of data in smaller batches to avoid hitting governor limits. It’s ideal for tasks like data cleansing or data migration.
- Schedulable Apex: It allows you to schedule Apex classes to run at specific times or intervals. You can use it for tasks like generating reports or sending email notifications on a recurring basis.
Conclusion
In conclusion, navigating the realm of Salesforce development requires a comprehensive understanding of the platform’s intricacies and the ability to adapt to evolving technologies. The demand for skilled Salesforce developers is ever-increasing, making job interviews in this domain competitive.
These Salesforce Developer Interview Questions questions cover a broad spectrum of topics, from platform-specific details and programming languages to declarative tools, integration strategies, and Lightning Web Components (LWC) nuances.
These are aimed to equip you, whether in the category of freshers or experienced developers, with the knowledge needed to tackle interviews confidently.
