A minor bug in a customer journey or failed integration in Salesforce can cost a business its clients, and, in some cases, its reputation. Such blunders, however, can be avoided through Salesforce testing.
But testing isn’t about applying one method everywhere. Rather, it is about choosing the right approach for the right purpose. Each type of Salesforce testing serves a distinct role in ensuring stability and performance. And this is the exact thing we are going to cover in this article to help you know when to use which testing. So, let’s begin.
Types of Salesforce Testing and Their Uses
The different types of Salesforce testing distinctly allow for validating functionality, performance and user experience across the platform. Have more insights into the same here:
- Unit Testing
Unit testing evaluates the smallest parts of code, such as methods in a class. It ensures the accurate functionality of code in isolation. For Salesforce, it means breaking applications into small and testable units instead of long Apex methods. Developers write test classes with assertions to validate outcomes under different scenarios.
Unit testing should be used when building modular code, running quick and repeatable tests and adopting test-driven development (TDD). It helps in early bug identification, ensuring accuracy and speeding up the development by encouraging small and reliable code blocks.
- System Testing
Generally conducted after the integration and UAT, system testing is used to perform an overall check. It involves the development and execution of end-to-end test scenarios to assess the complete Salesforce platform. System testing checks if the platform meets business requirements and works as expected under real-world conditions.
This Salesforce testing should be used when validating the entire Salesforce platform. It ensures that all modules, features and customisations work together seamlessly through end-to-end scenarios. It helps verify business-critical processes and assess overall performance.
- Integration Testing
This testing is aimed at ensuring proper functionality of the systems connected to Salesforce. It verifies that data flows, APIs, third-party applications, and middleware integrations work as expected, along with interfaces and interactions between modules.
Integration testing should be used when validating the data exchange between Salesforce and external systems. It can be used to check that information is transferred accurately and consistently. It is also essential when testing workflows that span multiple platforms or to confirm that updates in one system reflect correctly in another. It helps prevent data loss, delays, misinterpretations and ensures smooth end-to-end operations.
- Regression Testing
The regression testing is aimed at identifying the impact of new changes or updates in the Salesforce application. Here, previously tested functionalities are retested to ensure accuracy and smooth functionality after modifications. It helps confirm that new features, bug fixes or system updates do not unintentionally break existing functionality.
Regression testing should be used whenever enhancements, patches or configuration changes are introduced into Salesforce. It is especially important after deploying new customisations, upgrading integrations or applying Salesforce seasonal releases.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
The User Acceptance Testing is aimed at end-user satisfaction. It involves specifying the test steps, expected and actual results, acceptance criteria, data requirements and test environment information. The ultimate aim is to ensure the delivery of functionality and performance of the application as per the end-user requirements.
UAT should be used when the application is feature complete and has passed prior testing phases, such as unit, integration and system testing. It is generally the final phase before deployment. This testing is appropriate to be conducted whenever a Salesforce implementation, customisation or major update needs to be verified by business users.
- End-to-End Testing
End-to-end testing focuses on validating the entire application or a complete user journey. It is generally performed in a browser for web applications. It is conducted to ensure different code components and pages work together seamlessly in a controlled test environment.
This testing is better suited when there is a need for a realistic validation of how an application behaves in real-world scenarios. It is most useful for verifying complex workflows, integration points and ensuring critical user journeys are working correctly across the full system.
Conclusion
Salesforce testing is a part of a structured business approach to maintain a stable and efficient platform. These are of different types: unit, system, integration, regression, UAT and end-to-end testing. The suitability of each varies and depends on the stage of development, the complexity of workflows and the business objectives involved. The application of the right testing method at the right times allows organisations to ensure accuracy, minimise risks and deliver consistent performance.
