Salesforce has evolved from a CRM into a full-blown ecosystem powering sales, service, marketing, analytics, customer communities, CPQ, and enterprise workflows. As companies build custom objects, triggers, flows, and integrations, ensuring everything works reliably becomes mission critical.

That’s where Salesforce Testing steps in.

This guide breaks down the complete process: types of Salesforce testing, best practices, automation tools, challenges, and how to build a scalable testing strategy for enterprise-level implementations.

Table of Contents

Why Salesforce Testing Matters More Than Ever in 2025

Salesforce releases three major updates every year.
Your customizations need to survive every release.

Most organizations now use:

  • Custom Lightning components

  • Complex Flows and Process Builders

  • Apex triggers and classes

  • Third-party integrations

  • API-driven automation

  • Managed packages

  • Industry Clouds (Financial, Health, Education, etc.)

One small issue can break sales pipelines, support operations, or financial workflows.

Without strong testing, you risk:

  • Broken integrations

  • Failed deployments

  • Slow Lightning pages

  • Wrong data mapping

  • Automation conflicts

  • Compliance violations

  • Business downtime

Salesforce testing ensures stability, quality, and scalability—especially in enterprise environments.

1. Types of Salesforce Testing

Testing in Salesforce covers both platform-specific and standard QA methods.

A. Functional Testing

Ensures features work exactly as intended.

Includes:

  • Object and field validation

  • Page layouts

  • Workflows and Process Builders

  • Lightning record pages

  • Validation rules

  • SLAs, case routing, lead routing

B. UI/UX Testing

Especially important for Lightning Experience (LEX).

Checks:

  • Layout rendering

  • Responsiveness

  • Page load time

  • Component behavior

  • Button visibility per profile

C. Regression Testing

Essential before every deployment and Salesforce release.

Covers:

  • Apex triggers

  • Flows

  • Automation interactions

  • Security rules

  • Field dependencies

D. Integration Testing

Salesforce connects with dozens of systems:

  • SAP/ERP

  • CPQ tools

  • Payment gateways

  • Marketing tools

  • Data warehouses

  • Middleware (Mulesoft, Boomi)

Testing ensures:

  • Accurate data sync

  • Error handling

  • API limits

  • Trigger automation behavior

E. UAT (User Acceptance Testing)

Business users validate:

  • Processes

  • Data

  • Usability

  • Workflow logic

This is the final sign-off step.

F. Security Testing

Critical for compliance-heavy industries.

Checks:

  • Profile and permission sets

  • FLS (Field-Level Security)

  • Role hierarchy

  • Sharing rules

  • Guest user security

  • Portal & community access

G. Apex Testing

Salesforce requires 75% code coverage for production deployments.

Tests include:

  • Negative tests

  • Bulk tests

  • Async tests

  • API tests

2. Salesforce Testing Process (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Requirement Analysis

  • Custom objects

  • Flows

  • Triggers

  • SLAs

  • External system integration

  • Security rules

Step 2: Sandbox Setup

Use the right sandbox type:

Sandbox Type Usage
Dev Developer testing
Dev Pro Advanced custom dev
Partial Copy UAT + integration
Full Sandbox End-to-end testing

Step 3: Test Planning

Define:

  • Test scenarios

  • Test data

  • Test environments

  • Regression scope

Step 4: Test Case Development

Write detailed test cases for:

  • Functional

  • Integration

  • Regression

  • Security

Step 5: Execution

Run tests across LEX, mobile app, and integrations.

Step 6: Defect Tracking

Use:

  • JIRA

  • Azure DevOps

  • ClickUp

  • Asana

Step 7: Automation (Optional but recommended)

More on this below.

Step 8: Deployment Testing

Validate in:

  • Staging

  • Full Sandbox

  • After production deploy

3. Salesforce Test Automation

Automation is becoming essential as implementations grow.

Best automation candidates:

  • Repetitive regression tests

  • Multi-profile login checks

  • Workflow validations

  • Data mapping validations

  • Bulk data imports

  • Lightning component rendering

  • API sync behavior

Popular Salesforce Test Automation Tools

Tool Strength
Selenium Open-source, good for UI testing
Provar Salesforce-native automation
Copado Robotic Testing CI/CD focused
Testim.io AI-driven testing
ACCELQ No-code Salesforce automation
Tricentis Enterprise-grade testing
Katalon Easy scripting

Automation significantly cuts regression effort, speeds up deployments, and reduces manual errors.

4. Common Salesforce Testing Challenges

1. Complex Customizations

Every org customizes Salesforce differently.

2. Dynamic Lightning UI

Component-driven layout changes complicate automation.

3. Governor Limits

Testing needs to consider:

  • SOQL limits

  • DML limits

  • Async call limits

4. Multiple Integrations

One failed API call can break workflows.

5. Test Data Issues

Partial sandboxes don’t always mirror production.

6. Frequent Releases

Salesforce’s continuous updates require ongoing regression testing.

7. Profile/Permission Conflicts

Users often see different components due to permission sets.

5. Best Practices For Salesforce Testing

✔ Use Separate Sandboxes for Dev, QA, and UAT

Prevents environment conflicts.

✔ Maintain a Comprehensive Regression Suite

Include high-risk and high-usage features.

✔ Automate Repetitive Scenarios

Especially Lightning flows and UI elements.

✔ Test Multi-User Scenarios

Admin, Sales Rep, Manager, Support Agent, etc.

✔ Validate Data Integrity

Incorrect mapping breaks reports and analytics.

✔ Include Negative & Bulk Testing in Apex

Salesforce requires it.

✔ Review Release Notes Every Season

Identify breaking changes early.

✔ Test on All Browsers & Devices

Salesforce behaves differently across platforms.

6. Salesforce Testing Use Cases (Real-World Examples)

🏷 Retail

  • POS–Salesforce integration testing

  • Inventory sync

  • Loyalty system flows

🏦 Banking & Financial Services

  • KYC verification

  • Data encryption & compliance

  • Multi-step approval workflows

🏥 Healthcare

  • Patient data confidentiality

  • EHR system integration

  • Appointment scheduling flows

💼 B2B SaaS

  • Lead routing

  • Opportunity scoring

  • Customer support workflows

⚙ Manufacturing

  • Dealer portal testing

  • Order sync

  • Field service automation

7. Tools Comparison (Quick Breakdown)

Feature Selenium Provar ACCELQ Copado Testing
No-Code ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓
Salesforce-Native Support Medium High High High
Cost Free $$$ $$ $$
AI Assistance ✗ Limited ✔ ✔
Best For Dev-heavy teams Enterprise QA Faster automation DevOps teams

FAQ

1. Is 75% code coverage enough?

Yes—but aim for 85–95% for safety.

2. How often should I run regression tests?

Before every deployment + every Salesforce seasonal release.

3. Whch sandbox is best for UAT?

Partial Copy or Full Sandbox.

4. Can Salesforce testing be fully automated?

No. Complex flows and integrations still need manual validation.

5. Is manual testing still required?

Absolutely—especially for UX, workflows, and business logic.

Author Bio — Techiesin.com

Techiesin.com publishes in-depth enterprise technology guides covering Salesforce, automation, DevOps, cloud platforms, QA testing, AI tools, and digital transformation. Our mission is to simplify complex tech concepts and help enterprises build smarter, more scalable systems.