Salesforce Testing

Salesforce has become a powerhouse in the world of customer relationship management, revolutionizing the way organizations manage their customer interactions. But as with any powerful tool, it’s crucial to ensure that it performs flawlessly and securely. That’s where Salesforce testing comes into play.

Salesforce testing is the secret ingredient that will ensure that your Salesforce applications are working as expected and are driving business success.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Salesforce testing. We’ll also talk about the different types of Salesforce testing, best practices, tips, top automation tools, and more. Let’s get started.

What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is a popular cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform that helps businesses manage their marketing, sales, customer service, and other related activities.

Salesforce was founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff and Parker Harris. Initially, it started as a SaaS (Software as a Service) for CRM. Now, Salesforce provides multiple software solutions like sales, marketing, analytics, automation, and application development.

It is the world’s #1 CRM platform, with over 150,000 customers, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. It offers multiple benefits to its business, from marketing automation, analytics, and reporting to sales automation.

Most times, Salesforce is referred to as SFDC (Salesforce.com/Salesforce Dot Com), and Salesforce Testing is referred to as SFDC testing.

Salesforce Terminology

As a Salesforce developer or tester, you must be aware of the basic Salesforce terminologies to work on the platform. The following are the most commonly used Salesforce terminologies that you should know,

VisualForce

Visualforce is a framework provided by Salesforce for building custom user interfaces.

AppExchange

AppExchange is the business app store that provides a variety of free and paid app integrations that users can use to customize their Salesforce implementation.

Apex

Apex is a resident programming language developed by Salesforce. It allows developers to build custom SaaS applications on the Salesforce platform.

Salesforce Lightning

Salesforce Lightning is the modern user interface provided by Salesforce. It offers a more streamlined and visually appealing interface than the classic Salesforce interface (Salesforce Classic).

Salesforce Connect

Connect helps users access data and records seamlessly stored on other systems.

Sandbox

A Sandbox is a replica of a user’s Salesforce implementation that users can use for testing and training purposes before it goes live. It is completely isolated from the Salesforce production organization.

What is Salesforce Testing?

Salesforce testing is the process of evaluating and verifying the functionality, performance, and quality of Salesforce applications. It involves conducting various tests to ensure that the Salesforce implementation meets the desired requirements, works as intended, and delivers a seamless user experience.

We will discuss the different types of Salesforce testing in the below sections.

Why Salesforce Testing?

• QAs can identify bugs in an early stage with high test accuracy. It helps avoid the need for costly rework, reduces production issues, and minimizes potential business risks.
• It helps validate that code and other configurations.
• Allows testers to check if the application is working as intended or not.
• It helps improve the overall software quality and user experience.
• Salesforce testing ensures that customizations work correctly and align with the desired business requirements.
• It helps validate the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data within Salesforce, ensuring the integrity and reliability of the information.
• It validates that the third-party integration with Salesforce is working correctly.

Salesforce Testing Requirements

Salesforce Testing can be classified into two main categories: manual testing and automated testing.

Manual testing: It involves testing of Salesforce application using traditional methods. That is, testers will have to test every functionality manually, mostly with the minimum use of tools.

Automated testing: It involves using automation tools to test Salesforce apps or their features. Top automation platforms like Testsigma, Kobiton, and ACCELQ are used for automating Salesforce.

Recommendations for Automating Salesforce Tests

Though there are various Salesforce automation tools, finding the best can be a bit challenging. Let me simplify it for you here by listing down what you should look for in a Salesforce automation tool:

Easy To Use

The tool should be easy to use so anyone on the team can access it. It accelerates the testing process because everyone in the team will be aligned with the process.

But how do you get this? Let’s discuss this below.

Use Low-Code Approach

Use a low code automation tool so you don’t have to worry about writing complex test scripts.

Test automation tools like Testsigma supports NLP-based testing. That is, you can now automate even complex workflows in plain English.

Third-Party Integration and CI/CD Support

Pick a tool that easily integrates with various third-party applications. So you don’t have to download multiple tools or frameworks to test Salesforce.

Salesforce-Specific Capabilities

Ensure that the tool has specific features and capabilities designed for Salesforce testing. It should support testing of Salesforce-specific components like Apex code, Visualforce pages, Lightning components, workflows, and integrations.

Should You Automate Your Tests For Salesforce?

Yes, automating tests for Salesforce applications is highly recommended. Salesforce testing is automated to avoid repetitive and error-prone manual testing activities. Also, it helps save time, cost, and effort.

You can automate Salesforce testing using automation test platforms which lets you automate the entire testing of your Salesforce implementation.

Let’s see how we can automate a test in Salesforce, in our example we are using Testsigma, a no-code test automation tool, for automating the test.

Sample test case – Test the login functionality of the Salesforce application using Salesforce test automation tools like Testsigma, you can easily create Salesforce test cases using NLPs. Refer to the below image,

Testsigma supports 3000+ real devices and over 1000+ browser and OS combos. It lets you automate cross-browser testing of your Salesforce CRM implementation in minutes. You can quickly identify bugs using detailed test reports, logs, screenshots, and videos. Also, you can automate Salesforce tests for the web, mobile, and desktop in one place.

Using automation tools helps you do Salesforce testing from a few minutes to hours which might not be possible using traditional testing methods.

Benefits of Salesforce Test Automation

Salesforce test automation offers several benefits that can significantly enhance the testing process and improve overall efficiency and effectiveness. Some of the key benefits of Salesforce test automation include:

Save Time and Effort

Automated tests can execute test cases much faster than manual testing. This helps save time and effort, allowing QAs to focus on other critical tasks and increasing overall productivity.

Improved Test Coverage

With automation, you can execute a larger number of test cases in less time and achieve wide test coverage. It helps cover a broad range of test scenarios, including both positive and negative tests and complex workflows, ensuring comprehensive validation of the Salesforce application.

High Test Accuracy

Automated tests execute test cases consistently without human errors. This leads to more accurate and reliable test results, eliminating inconsistencies that may occur during manual testing.

Faster Feedback Cycles

Automated tests provide rapid feedback on the quality of the Salesforce application. This enables faster development cycles and faster time to market. Using Testsigma, you can make your testing 5x faster and ship products faster.

Types of Salesforce Testing

Native Salesforce Testing

Native Salesforce testing utilizes the existing testing options provided within the framework. But this focuses mainly on unit tests. Though unit testing is also highly important, it does not actually show the user impact. There are other testing types, like UI testing, integration testing, regression testing, and UAT, that focus on user impact.

Manual Testing

Traditional Salesforce testing focuses mainly on manual testing. Here, the testers manually set up, execute, and analyze the tests. Different types of testing, like, functional testing, regression testing, system testing, happy path testing, and integration testing, are performed manually. Though manual testing is versatile, it lacks scalability. Because it relies on repetitive tasks performed by testers manually, making it inefficient and error-prone.

Exploratory Salesforce Testing

Exploratory Salesforce testing is an approach to testing where the tester simultaneously learns, explores, and tests the Salesforce application. Testers use their domain knowledge and experience to uncover potential issues, validate assumptions, and assess the overall quality of the application. The goal of exploratory testing is to discover defects that can not be detected using other traditional methods. This is more like a creative testing technique where testers have to think out of the box to discover potential risks, if any.

Automated Salesforce Testing

Automated testing is the core of Salesforce testing. Using the best Salesforce automation testing tools can deliver reliable and scalable results. Though Salesforce comes with a lot of challenges, like shadow DOM, heavy tree structure, and dynamic elements, there are a few automation platforms that support Salesforce testing.

Finding the right automation platform is a challenging task. It is best to use a robust tool that would let you easily automate the Salesforce tests despite the challenges. Testsigma is one such test automation platform. We will talk more about it later in this blog.

Levels of Testing in Salesforce

Unit Testing

Unit testing focuses on testing individual components or units of code to ensure their correctness and functionality in isolation. It is usually performed by developers. Testers generally use Apex, the native coding language of Salesforce, to create tests.

System Testing

System testing focuses on testing the entire Salesforce application as a whole to ensure that it functions as expected.

User Acceptance Testing

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) or Salesforce UAT involves testing the Salesforce application by end-users to ensure it meets their business requirements and expectations.

Performance Testing

Performance testing evaluates the performance, scalability, and responsiveness of the Salesforce application under different load conditions.

Security Testing

Security testing assesses the security measures and controls implemented in the Salesforce application to identify vulnerabilities and ensure data protection.

Production Testing

Production testing is a type of testing that takes place in the production environment. It aims to validate the smooth transition of code and figuration from the Sandbox stage to the production stage, ensuring no issues or obstacles arise during the process.

Regression Testing

Salesforce Regression testing analyzes if the system works as expected, even after any code changes or updates. Generally, this is carried out only when there is a change in code or configuration because of a new release, an update, or a fix.

Test automation is involved in most of these levels to reduce the risk of human errors and save manual efforts from doing repetitive tasks.

Salesforce Testing Process

Like any other web application testing, the testing process of Salesforce is also the same.QAs must have a clear understanding of the customized features and how they interact with built-in Salesforce features. So, developers and testers must have clear communication of the customized features as the user scenarios, test cases, and test scripts will be based on these interactions.

The testing will be performed in the Sandbox environment, and then it will be deployed in the production environment. To effectively perform Salesforce testing, testers should have a basic understanding and knowledge of the Salesforce terms.

Salesforce Testing Challenges

• As Salesforce has different types of users, writing test cases for various roles, settings, and features can be challenging.
• Testing advanced components and features of Salesforce, like Visualforce or Service Cloud Console, can be difficult.
• Some of the standard functionalities can not be removed even if it is not in use.
• Graphical User Interface tests do not work when switched to the test environment.
• Salesforce is a dynamic environment, so finding IDs can be quite tedious.
• Salesforce has frequent updates and releases, so you will have to update and maintain test cases after every update.
• Testers have to run tests across different test environments.

While test automation offers benefits, implementing and maintaining an effective test automation framework for Salesforce can be challenging. Selecting the right automation tools plays a major role in accelerating the testing process. So, you will have to choose the right one.

Best Practices for Salesforce Testing

• The testing team should start the testing process in the early stages. It will help them increase test coverage and perform different tests.
• Perform Salesforce tests with real user profiles.
• Test both positive and negative scenarios (valid and invalid data).
• Developers must perform unit testing before sending the code for testing. This helps fix bugs in the earlier stages and saves time.
• Right automation tools can help improve the quality of testing. For example, Testsigma as it is comprehensive and cost-effective.
• A walkthrough of the test cases with developers and stakeholders will help in understanding the requirements better.
• Execute different types of testing like Salesforce API testing, UI testing, integration testing, regression testing, cross-browser testing, UAT testing, etc.
• Update the test cases whenever there is an update in the requirement.
• Create and test user roles using Workflows.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Salesforce Tester

• The tester must be able to perform Smoke Testing to ensure all the functionalities are working as per requirement.
• They should create, maintain, and scale complex test frameworks.
• Possess the capability to set up test environments from the start.
• Design positive and negative test scenarios.
• Highly skilled in Unit Testing, Integration Testing, Load Testing, System Testing, Security Testing, Regression Testing, and Deployment Testing.
• Should have experience in using test automation tools like Testsigma and Selenium.
• They should be able to use Boundary Value Analysis and Equivalence Partitioning.
• Testers should also work on the application to know about the application and its functionality. It will help them create a functional map.
• Foster better communication and collaborate with the development team easily.
• Testers must be able to understand the customized features that can be built for the Salesforce application.
• They have to run compatibility tests if Salesforce is integrated with other third-party applications.
• Salesforce testers have to be aware of load testing tools like JMeter to validate complex flows.
• Proper knowledge of Apex

Salesforce Test Automation Tools

Before we talk about the top Salesforce test automation tools, let us take a look at why companies should use Salesforce testing tools.

Why use Salesforce Testing Tools?

• Automation tools help save 75% of your time and up to 25% of your costs.
• Get a wide test coverage and test various aspects of Salesforce, including customizations, workflows, integrations, and third-party apps.
• Automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks.
• Manage test data easily.
• Reduce manual efforts and speed up the test execution.
• Easily integrate with CI/CD tools, product management tools, etc.
• Efficiently test the Salesforce-specific capabilities like Visualforce, Lightning Web Components, etc.
• High scalability and flexibility.

Get here the list of Salesforce Automation Testing Tools.

Testsigma

Testsigma is a low-code cloud-based test automation platform that automates your Salesforce tests. The customer base of Testsigma varies from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. It is available as both open-source and Enterprise ready.

It offers a range of features and AI capabilities to streamline and automate Salesforce testing processes. Let’s take a look at it.

Features

• Create test cases using simple English using NLPs.
• Make your testing 5x faster
• It is very simple and easy to use.
• It is a cloud-based platform, so there is no need to install any extra tools or frameworks.
• Highly scalable and flexible.
• It supports codeless testing, and the tests can be extended in Java if needed
• Check responsiveness and cross-browser compatibility across 3000+ real devices and more than 1000+ browser/OS combos.
• Easily integrates with CI/CD tools, bug tracking, collaborative, and product management tools.

ACCELQ

ACCELQ is another codeless test automation tool that supports Salesforce testing. You can test both Salesforce UI and APIs in one place, like Testsigma.

Let’s take a glimpse at the other benefits it offers,

Features

• Makes your testing 3x times faster.
• Supports codeless test automation, so testers do not have to write code-based scripts.
• It is also a cloud platform.
• Easily integrates with third-party tools.

Katalon

Katalon is another reputable test automation platform that lets you automate your Salesforce testing process. It supports iava, javascript and groovy to create code-based test scripts.

Let’s look at the other benefits it offers.

Features

• It makes your testing 3x faster.
• Easily integrates with CI/CD tools.
• It is a cloud-based platform.
• Supports both Salesforce Classic and Lightning versions.

Sample Salesforce Test Scenarios

The common Salesforce test cases will include the following:

• Lead capture: Verify that new leads are successfully captured and stored in the Salesforce database.
• Information capture: Test the accuracy and completeness of data capture during account creation, including contact information, addresses, and company details.
• Checking for failed communication: Test the system’s ability to recover and retry failed communications automatically.
• Preventing access to unauthorized users: Validate that proper access controls and user permissions are implemented to prevent unauthorized users from accessing sensitive data.
• Classification: Ensure that data is correctly classified based on predefined criteria or user input.
• Billing audits: Test invoice generation and ensure that all relevant billing information is included and accurate.
• Mobile workflow audits: Verify that workflows and processes function correctly on mobile devices.
• Quotation validation: Test the creation and validation of quotations or proposals in Salesforce, including calculating pricing based on product configurations and discounts.

Other test scenarios might include checking for duplicate records and validating third-party integrations.

These are just a few examples of Salesforce test scenarios. To learn more about Salesforce test cases, read here. It’s important to tailor your test scenarios to cover the critical areas of your Salesforce application and align them with your organization’s requirements and use cases.

Summary

Salesforce testing is not a one-time event but an ongoing journey. As the Salesforce platform evolves, new features are introduced, and business requirements change, it’s crucial to stay up-to-date and adapt your testing strategies accordingly. Embrace automation, leverage the power of continuous integration, and embrace agile methodologies to keep pace with the ever-changing Salesforce ecosystem.