Salesforce Test Automation Best Practices for Better Execution and Increased Accuracy

Salesforce is a pretty amazing product, but even the best tools have room for improvement. Test automation is one area due for an upgrade. Unfortunately, it can be an overlooked part of digital transformation. Following a set of Salesforce test automation best practices will help you get the most out of this powerful platform.    

Common Salesforce Test Automation Challenges

Salesforce is a user-friendly, customizable platform. That's probably why it has more than 150,000 customers worldwide. However, companies will likely run into a few common issues implementing test automation:

• Classic vs Lightning mismatch: There are many differences between Classic Salesforce and Lightning. Even simple discrepancies between the two versions could cause tests not to perform as expected. 
• Integrated apps and programs: Salesforce doesn't work in a vacuum. It's just one part of your overall business software ecosystem. Some testing software is only designed to work with Salesforce, meaning you'll have to test other system segments separately. 
• Regular updates: Salesforce is a very innovative company, so it rolls out many updates and new features. While that's great for the users, it's not good for testing. Testing needs to adapt to updates to continue to perform in the face of new releases. 
• Non-linear processes: Testing largely relies on linear processes, i.e., "the user does A and this leads to B." But in Salesforce, there are many different ways to get to the same endpoint. Understanding these processes and how they flow is vital to ensure testing works in all scenarios. 
• Complexity: Automation is great when it's running – but ramp-up can be rough. A lot of solutions on the market require strong technical skills to create the initial tests and then maintain them as the platform changes.  

These challenges could keep your Salesforce testing automation from performing at its peak. However, if you adhere to best practices, you'll see much better results.  

5 Salesforce Test Automation Best Practices

Salesforce automation best practices can help you decide which solutions to use and set up your system to support them. Here are five you should consider. 

#1: Ensure you're a viable candidate for Salesforce test automation 

Test automation isn't for everyone. In some cases, it's more work than it's worth. A viable automation candidate needs repeatable, predictable processes. These processes also need to happen often enough to be worth automating. High volume, repeatable and predictable actions are the best candidates for automation. 

#2: Complete a value stream map 

Value stream mapping documents the flow of a process. You put the steps into a visual aid so you can follow the journey. This helps you overcome issues where users may follow a nontraditional route to get to a solution. You can create tests based on all these various flows and eliminate bottlenecks. 

#3: Take an agile approach 

Salesforce is a dynamic platform, so your team needs to be just as adaptable. This may seem like a contradiction as we talk about the importance of automation, but manual still matters. You need to leave some room for manual testing – especially in things like alpha/beta testing. Being agile ensures you're never tied to one solution. Instead, your team is flexible enough to use them all. 

#4: Use a low code option 

Tools like Selenium are great for automation, but they come with a caveat. They require long-term expertise. Testing, like software, is not static. Low code helps non-technical people create their own Salesforce tests. It essentially upskills your testing workforce by lowering the barrier to entry. 

#5: Use a system-agnostic solution 

While Salesforce is a great tool, it's probably not the only one in your ecosystem. You have a whole suite of programs that make up your business's digital infrastructure. A program that allows you to test between different platforms, applications, and clouds lets you test important business processes both inside and outside of Salesforce. 

Salesforce test automation best practices will let you take full advantage of Salesforce’s customizability without getting bogged down by glitches or manual testing. You can verify the platform-specific solutions you use while guaranteeing their efficacy. If you're using Salesforce for your business process, you need test automation to support it.