Salesforce Part 12 2025

Salesforce Scenario Based Questions 2025

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This article concerns real-time and knowledgeable Salesforce Scenario-Based Questions 2025. It is drafted with the interview theme in mind to provide maximum support for your interview. Go through these Salesforce Tower Scenario-Based Questions 2025 to the end, as all scenarios have their importance and learning potential.📌

To check out other Scenarios Based Questions:- Click Here.

Disclaimer:
These solutions are based on my experience and best effort. Actual results may vary depending on your setup. Codes may need some tweaking.

1. How would you handle duplicate department names like ‘HR’ being allowed in Salesforce?

  • Salesforce doesn’t enforce uniqueness on field values unless you define a unique constraint manually.
  • By default, Salesforce relies on internal record IDs (primary keys) to distinguish records.
  • This allows multiple records to have the same department name like ‘HR’.
  • To enforce uniqueness, you’d have to create a validation rule or use a unique text field.

2. You’re asked to update department names in bulk using Salesforce Data Loader. How would you approach it?

  • First, export the records with IDs and names using Data Loader.
  • Modify the department names in Excel as needed.
  • Use the “Update” function in Data Loader, mapping by Salesforce ID.
  • This ensures only the intended records are updated without creating duplicates.

3. What’s the difference between insert, update, and upsert operations in Salesforce data management?

  • Insert adds new records — no ID is needed.
  • Update modifies existing records — requires Salesforce record ID.
  • Upsert does both: updates existing if ID or external key exists, otherwise inserts new.
  • Upsert is useful when handling mixed datasets.

4. During an upsert job via Workbench, some records didn’t insert. How would you troubleshoot?

  • Check if required fields are missing or incorrectly mapped.
  • Review the success and error CSV files generated after upsert.
  • Validate whether the external ID or Salesforce ID field is properly mapped.
  • Ensure all referenced lookup fields have valid values in Salesforce.

5. You’ve deleted department records via Data Loader. How can you restore them?

  • Use the “Undelete” operation in Workbench.
  • Provide the Salesforce record IDs of the deleted records.
  • Alternatively, retrieve the records from the Recycle Bin manually within Salesforce UI.
  • Useful in accidental deletion scenarios during testing.

6. In a batch data update, how would you ensure the integrity of mapped fields before importing?

  • Pre-validate the CSV file by manually checking field names and ID consistency.
  • Always map fields explicitly in Data Loader or Workbench.
  • Use the “View Mapping” screen to cross-check each mapping.
  • Perform a dry run on a small dataset to avoid mass errors.

7. You’re tasked to bulk insert new departments with a new field ‘Department Code’. What’s your approach?

  • Add a new text field ‘Department Code’ via Object Manager in Salesforce.
  • Prepare a CSV with department names and department codes.
  • Use Data Import Wizard or Data Loader to insert new records.
  • Ensure the new field is included and mapped correctly.

8. What’s the significance of record IDs in Salesforce data operations?

  • Record IDs uniquely identify each Salesforce record.
  • They’re required for update, delete, and undelete operations.
  • Created at the time of record insert, they’re not user-visible in the UI but available through exports.
  • Essential for precise targeting in bulk jobs.

9. You need to update some records and insert others using the same file. How do you handle that?

  • Use the Upsert function in Workbench or Data Loader.
  • Records with existing Salesforce IDs are updated.
  • Records without IDs are inserted as new.
  • Ensure ID column is present and blank where insert is needed.

10. How does Salesforce manage relationships between Department and Employee objects?

  • One department can have many employees — it’s a many-to-one relationship.
  • A Lookup Relationship field is created on the Employee object to reference the Department.
  • Data shows on both page layouts — individual employee’s department and department’s employee list.
  • Lookup is preferred unless you need strict referential integrity (then use Master-Detail).

11. During a massive upsert of 10,000 records via Workbench, you’re seeing partial failures. What would you do?

  • Review the generated error CSV for failed records.
  • Identify common themes (e.g., validation rules, missing lookups).
  • Fix data issues, apply proper mapping, and retry failed rows.
  • Consider batching smaller subsets to isolate problematic data.

12. You need to capture which user updated each department record. What approach would you take?

  • Enable field history tracking on the Department ‘Name’ and ‘Department Code’.
  • Alternatively, create custom fields and update via workflow or Apex trigger.
  • Later, users can use the “View Field History” related list to audit changes.

13. You must prevent deletion of ‘Legal’ department records unless there are no employees. How would you enforce that?

  • Create a Validation Rule: prevent delete when employees > 0.
  • Or better: Use a Before Delete Apex Trigger to check for related child records and throw an error.

14. You imported department data, but one record’s code length exceeds 4 characters and failed. How would you catch this early?

  • Use Excel data validation (max length constraints) before import.
  • Or perform a pilot import of a subset to test constraints.
  • Leverage the Data Loader’s error log to identify and fix row-level issues.

15. You need to migrate data from a legacy ERP into Salesforce Departments & Employees with relationships. Outline your plan.

  • Step 1: Export legacy department and employee tables (with keys).
  • Step 2: Import departments first, capture new Salesforce IDs.
  • Step 3: Update employee CSVs with Salesforce department IDs.
  • Step 4: Use Data Loader Upsert for employees.

16. A lookup relationship is blank on half the employee records after migration. What might’ve gone wrong?

  • Likely the wrong CSV mapping or missing Department IDs.
  • Check that external IDs or SF IDs were used correctly.
  • Re-export employee CSV without blanks to isolate incomplete rows.

17. You want to track how many employees per department – how would you do it?

  • Create a Roll-Up Summary Field on Department (only available in Master-Detail).
  • Or schedule a Batch Apex job that counts child records and updates a custom field.
  • Another option: Trigger-based counting and update operations on employee insert/delete.

18. How can you migrate picklist values (like Department types) from sandbox to production?

  • Use Change Sets to deploy picklist value additions.
  • Or use tools like Salesforce CLI / ANT Migration Tool with metadata XML.
  • Validate post-deployment that field is visible to profiles.

19. Sandbox vs Production: Why import via Data Loader rather than Data Import Wizard?

  • Data Loader supports large volumes, custom objects, and operations like Upsert, Delete, Undelete.
  • Import Wizard is simpler but limited (50 k max, fewer objects).
  • Choose based on data size and operation complexity.

20. Your org has Enabled “My Domain” SSO. Data Loader logins are failing. What could be the fix?

  • Remember to select the Production vs Sandbox endpoint correctly.
  • Use security token when IP not whitelisted.
  • If using SSO, use OAuth workflow to authorize Data Loader.

21. Your CSV contains a column ‘Manager Department’ referencing another department. How would you map this using Data Loader?

  • First, export Dept data with Name and ID.
  • Use Excel VLOOKUP to add a ‘Manager_Department_ID’ column based on referenced Dept Name.
  • Map ‘Manager_Department_ID’ via lookup field during upsert.

22. You need to deploy a batch job that adds missing department codes automatically. Outline your automated solution.

  • Write a Batch Apex class executing over Department records.
  • Generate code via custom logic (first 4 letters or manual input).
  • Use Database.executeBatch, schedule daily via Schedulable interface.

23. How can you prevent field-level permission issues during bulk import?

  • Check that Integration/Admin user has field-level security for all mapped fields.
  • Use “Run As” debug logs to catch permissions failures.
  • Grant required visibility via profile or permission sets.

24. You’ve deployed new fields via Change Set but Data Loader is not recognizing them. Why?

  • Check that metadata deployment is completed and fields are active.
  • Refresh Data Loader schema/cache.
  • Also consider field-level security and record type page layout visibility.

25. A scheduled CSV import fails each night. How do you debug it?

  • Review email notification sent on failure (error CSV).
  • Check for validation rule failures or null values.
  • Log into Salesforce and view Apex/Batch error logs.
  • Adjust the file or process to resolve the root cause.

26. You need to migrate attachments for departments. How would you include file data in bulk?

  • Use Data Loader to insert into ContentVersion and ContentDocumentLink.
  • First, upload file to ContentVersion (with PathOnClient & VersionData fields).
  • Then link via ContentDocumentId to Department via ContentDocumentLink.

27. How would you handle multi-currency fields during bulk import?

  • Ensure currency ISO fields are included in your CSV.
  • Match currency code visibility in user profile.
  • Consider mixing currencies: include CurrencyIsoCode in import file.

28. User complains that child lookup fields disappear after import. What might’ve happened?

  • Likely page layout or field-level security issue.
  • After import, check if layout changes affected the lookup field.
  • Verify user profile permission to view the lookup.

29. You want to schedule a nightly purge of inactive records via CLI. What tool and process?

  • Use Salesforce CLI (sfdx) with bulk:query and bulk:delete.
  • Authorize org, script sfdx force:data:bulk:query to identify old Inactive records.
  • Pass IDs to bulk:delete. Automate via CRON or Jenkins.

30. During deployment, record IDs changed incorrectly—now CSV upserts mismatched. What do you do?

  • Export new IDs from Production and re-map your CSV.
  • Alternatively, use an External ID field stable across environments.
  • Always use external key for smooth deployments.

31. You need to import data from Google Sheets via API nightly. What’s your approach?

  • Use Google Apps Script to export CSV to an accessible location or API.
  • Use a middleware (like Heroku or AWS Lambda) to fetch CSV and call Salesforce Bulk API.
  • Handle error logs via email alerts.

32. Your upsert fails with “DUPLICATE_VALUE” on external key. Why and how fix?

  • Another active record already has the same external ID.
  • Determine if skip duplicates is acceptable or use on duplicate_key flag.
  • Clean up duplicates manually or modify external ID uniqueness.

33. A child Department‑Employee relationship is deleted during migration. How avoid it?

  • Use allowFieldTruncation=false flag.
  • Maintain ParentId value for lookups.
  • Use optAllOrNone=false to allow partial successes and handle exceptions.

34. You must enforce that every new employee is assigned a department on insert. How do you guarantee?

  • Enforce via Validation Rule: ISBLANK(Department__c) triggers error.
  • Set Department__c as Required field on page layout.
  • Include this column in import files or else import fails.

35. You’re dealing with record locking during high-volume insert. How to reduce locking?

  • Use smaller batch sizes in Bulk API (e.g., 200).
  • Ensure child records processed after parent commit.
  • Avoid cross‑updates to related records in bulk.

36. How do you import/update picklist-dependent “Region” data for Employees?

  • Export picklist metadata or manually confirm valid values.
  • Map Region column in CSV to picklist field; unsupported values fail.
  • Remove invalid data from import file or add picklist values first.

37. How would you maintain parent-child relationships when migrating custom objects?

  • Insert parent records → export with IDs → use IDs in child CSV.
  • Use Upsert on parent with External ID; children reference external IDs.
  • Then insert/update child records properly.

38. How do you archive old Department records (>5 years)? Explain your deletion strategy.

  • Export IDs based on filter (CreatedDate < Desired Date).
  • Bulk Delete via Data Loader/Workbench.
  • Alternatively, soft-delete then undelete if needed. Or use Archival via Big Objects.

39. You turned on “Person Accounts” mid-project. How do you migrate employee account data?

  • Export Contact-linked Account IDs.
  • Enable Person Accounts metadata.
  • Create Person Accounts with merged data and update references.

40. You need to keep parent record references intact post-data recovery. How do you record parent IDs?

  • Always export with ParentId or External ID before deletion.
  • Store in a secure staging file.
  • Use that to re-upsert and restore relationships correctly.

41. Bulk import shows “Malformed CSV” error. Likely cause and quick fix?

  • Misaligned headers, missing quotes, misinterpreted commas.
  • Re-open CSV in a plain-text editor (not Excel).
  • Ensure UTF-8 encoding, correct header names matching Salesforce API fields.

42. You accidentally imported blank values into picklist fields. How recover?

  • If spaces present, use Data Loader Update with correct values.
  • Alternatively, restore previous values via Field History Tracking, then bulk reset.

43. You’re migrating to a packaging org with namespace. What do you need to change in CSV field API names?

  • Prefix all API names with namespace (e.g., ns__Department_Code__c).
  • Update CSV headers and Data Loader field mappings accordingly.

44. You need to keep track of import job performance. How do you measure?

  • Use Bulk API to retrieve batch job stats.
  • Log totalTime, numberRecordsProcessed, failures.
  • Output to a monitoring dashboard or Slack/Email via Apex jobs.

45. You need to import employees and assign a custom role. How do you assign hierarchy fields?

  • Export Role IDs.
  • Include UserRoleId on CSV for Employee records.
  • Use Upsert to assign role during insert.

46. Maintenance window: locking down org – how to avoid data import failures?

  • Communicate and schedule maintenance during low-activity hours.
  • Enable CRUD & FLS before import access on Integration users.
  • Validate session timeout and IP whitelists.

47. You want to revert last import changes via Data Loader. How?

  • From success and error CSVs, re-run updates with reversed changes.
  • Use ‘hard-delete’ on new records, update back modified fields.
  • Alternatively, undelete where appropriate.

48. You’re working on multi-org data sync. How do you sync Departments between two Salesforce orgs?

  • Use ETL tool (like MuleSoft/Dataloader.io/Hevo) via API.
  • Set up scheduled extracts from Source, transform, upsert to Target.
  • Handle conflicts via External IDs and timestamps.

49. You need to restrict which profiles can view department codes in import. How enforce?

  • Use Field-Level Security: uncheck visibility for restricted profiles.
  • Add rules in Data Loader UI to respect sharing settings.
  • Or hide via Page Layout assignments per profile.

50. A stakeholder asks: “How secure is our bulk import process?” What do you tell them?

  • Data Loader and Workbench respect profile-level FLS and CRUD.
  • Security tokens and trusted IP ranges enforced.
  • Logs are generated with user and timestamp stamps.
  • Use audit tracking and domain-wide session settings for full control.

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