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How to study understanding, not memorization

April 19, 2017

Meowwww!

Preface: this post is part of the Study Guide: How to Earn 15 Salesforce Certifications series.

Remember how I told you to study for understanding, not memorization?

Well, here’s exactly how do that!

Start with the official exam guide for your certification. For this post, we’ll use the Salesforce Advanced Administrator Certification as an example. Here’s its exam guide:

Next, scroll to the Exam Outline section. You’ll see a list of features you need to study:


Workflow rules… my old friend!

For each feature listed on the exam outline:

  • Practice configuring the feature in a free developer org. Play around with it!
  • Read the feature’s official documentation, and other official tutorials you might find on it. For example, implementation guides and/or Trailhead
  • Unofficial material can be helpful too, but note that the exams are based on official documentation. Unofficial material can sometimes steer you in the wrong direction

You have a good understanding of a feature when you can answer these questions about it:

1. When should this feature be used?
2. How does this feature work?
3. What is the customization potential of this feature?
4. When should you NOT use this feature?
5. What are similar features, and when should they be used instead?
6. How do you report / monitor the feature?
7. How does this feature work within Salesforce’s security model?
8. Are there any limits around this feature?

Once you can sincerely answer these questions about each feature, you will pass!

Practice Example: Workflow Rules

You’ve practiced configuring these and have read all the docs. To gauge your understanding, you should be able to answer all of the questions above. Take notes if you prefer.

Your answers should look something like this:

1. When should this feature be used?

A workflow rule should be used when you need to automate processes using IF / THEN logic.
Source: Workflow Rule Documentation

2. How does this feature work?

When a record is inserted / updated and it meets all the criteria for a workflow rule, the rule’s actions are executed. Actions include immediate and time dependant:

  • Email alerts
  • Field updates
  • Outbound messages
  • Tasks

Source: Workflow Rule Documentation

3. What is the customization potential of this feature?

A workflow rule can be evaluated when a record is:

  • Created
  • Created, and every time it’s edited
  • Created, and any time it’s edited to subsequently meet criteria

Workflow rule criteria include:

  • Field filter criteria
  • Whenever a custom formula evaluates to true

Source: Create a Workflow Rule

As for a workflow rule’s actions:

Email alerts can be sent to related and/or designated email addresses using templates.
Source: Email Alert Action

Field updates can be done on the selected object or a related master-detail relationship record.
Source: Field Update Actions

Outbound messages send information to an external service using the SOAP API.
Source: Outbound Message Actions

Tasks are the details of a specific assignment given to a user.
Source: Task Actions

4. When should you NOT use this feature?

  • When you need complex and/or multiple IF / THEN statements
  • When you need to automatically create or delete records
  • When you need to update records other than itself or its parent
  • When you need to post to Chatter

Source: Which Automation Tool Do I Use?

5. What are similar features, and when should they be used instead?

Similar tools include Process Builder, Visual Workflows, Approval Processes, and Apex.
See this article for a breakdown of when to use each feature.

6. How do you report / monitor the feature?

Pending workflow actions can be monitored in the Time-Based Workflow search in Setup.
Source: Monitor Pending Workflow Actions

7. How does this feature work within Salesforce’s security model?

Field updates happen independently of field-level security.
Source: Considerations for Field Update Actions

8. Are there any limits around this feature?

You can only have 50 active workflow rules per object.
Source: Workflow Limits


I guarantee you will pass the certification if you can do all of the above for each feature!

Remember, all the materials you ever need are available for free. The official documentation is your best friend. If you focus and put in your best effort, you will pass any certification you want!

Next post: Guide to passing all Salesforce certifications! **MUST READ!**

30 Comments
Cat
July 4, 2020 @ 3:35 am

hi

thank you so much for this

with point 7. How does this feature work within Salesforce’s security model? are you referring to the Object Level Security or Field Security or Record Security?

or all 3 of them?

thank you so much

Reply
Anonymous
July 3, 2020 @ 11:41 pm

hi

with regards to point 7 How does this feature work within Salesforce’s security model?

Just wanting to clarify that the Salesforce Security Model is

Reply
    David Liu
    July 3, 2020 @ 11:48 pm

    Gotta study it to learn, it’s a big topic!

    Reply
Carlos Perez
March 31, 2020 @ 11:12 am

How to access to Salesforce platform to have at home?. Is there a way to subscribe as individual?.

Reply
    David Liu
    March 31, 2020 @ 11:21 am

    You can use a free one here: https://developer.salesforce.com/signup

    Reply
Thomas
January 5, 2020 @ 6:21 pm

These 8-points are on-point. Thank you for putting up this website full of helpful resources.

Reply
Ripal Patel
January 18, 2019 @ 4:06 am

Hello David,

I want to prepare for Advanced Admin Salesforce Certification
Can you please suggest me the resource that i used to learn.

Reply
Ripal Patel
January 18, 2019 @ 3:50 am

Hello David,

I want to prepare for Advanced Admin Salesforce Certification
can you suggest me the resource which i can utilise to learn.

Reply
Saddam
December 3, 2018 @ 9:41 pm

Hello David,

I want to prepare for PD 1(CRT 450) Salesforce Certification
can you suggest me the resource which i used to learn.

Reply
Balaji Pooruli
July 23, 2018 @ 12:05 pm

Very good overview and insight. With Salesforce is pushing towards Lightning, I would add a 9th point as below.

9) Is this feature supported in Lightning?

Reply
VJ
May 29, 2018 @ 3:28 pm

Hello David,

Are your courses available on Udemy or only on Pluralsight?

Reply
    David Liu
    May 29, 2018 @ 9:28 pm

    Pluralsight only

    Reply
Mohammad Amir Ashraff
October 17, 2017 @ 5:06 am

Hi David,

I’m planning to begin study for Salesforce certification.

My questions are,

1) are the contents of your website sufficient enough to pass the Salesforce Admin cert ?

2) For instructor-led training what is your suggestion, do I have to enroll for any instructor-led training or does your website cover that portion also ?

3) Is there any cost involved if I undertake courses mentioned in your website ?

Thanks,
Amir

Reply
    David Liu
    October 21, 2017 @ 10:01 pm

    1) Yes, though everyone learns differently! Check out the success stories page for other methods!
    http://www.sfdc99.com/sfdc99-reader-success-stories/

    2) IMO very expensive

    3) Pricing is here!
    https://www.pluralsight.com/pricing

    Reply
      Davina
      April 9, 2018 @ 2:20 pm

      David, I signed up for dev401 exam which is due on Wednesday. While looking for online resources I landed on your website. The information here is great and I find your videos far better than boring trail heads. I would like to check more on your website. Meanwhile, Can you please help me with any recent dumps for dev 401.

      Thanks,
      Davina

      Reply
        David Liu
        April 9, 2018 @ 9:13 pm

        Thank you very much! This is all the material I got with certs hahaha

        Reply
Srinivasa Gupta
October 12, 2017 @ 9:37 am

Hi David, am planning to give service cloud certification exam. It would be so nice if you can guide me here

Reply
    David Liu
    October 12, 2017 @ 8:01 pm

    Read every word in this entire guide!

    Reply
Naresh
June 23, 2017 @ 8:51 am

Nice writing David!

Reply
Dave Holford
May 16, 2017 @ 12:11 am

David,

Long time stalker, first time poster.

I just wanted say thank you for producing such an awesome suite of learning resources. My fellow SFDC evangelists here in AU all agree that you personify everything that is right about the Salesforce Community and you do it in such a well-structured and easy way to understand. I cannot imagine how many hours, cups of coffee, late nights and cluster headaches went into creating this site – but I do know it is the gold standard.

Personally, I’ve been in the Salesforce space for nearly 4 years as an ADM/SA/BA and the last 2 have been spent building 2 enterprise-scale apps to put up on Appexchange (we are just going through the Approval Process and Security Review now), but we couldn’t have done it without people like yourself who share their extensive knowledge and experience so freely. As we say in AU, “You’re a bloody legend, mate.”

I am now officially looking forward to swotting up in preparation to finally knock out my Advanced Admin, Developer I, Sales and Service Cloud certs and this site and Trailhead will be my go-to resources for all of them.

Reply
    David Liu
    May 16, 2017 @ 12:22 am

    Thank you Dave!! Very kind of you!!

    Good luck on your certs!!

    Reply
Anonymous
May 4, 2017 @ 1:36 pm

Thank you David

Reply
swati patel
April 20, 2017 @ 7:50 pm

I already book my exam for next week for admin 201. Thanks for giving more details on workflow.

Reply
    David Liu
    April 20, 2017 @ 9:34 pm

    Good luck Swati!!

    Reply
    Anonymous
    May 4, 2017 @ 1:35 pm

    Good luck swati

    Reply
Mamatha
April 20, 2017 @ 7:48 pm

SFDC99 method….road map to certifications!! Thank you David :)

Reply
    David Liu
    April 20, 2017 @ 9:35 pm

    Cheers!

    Reply
salesforcemusingsbymuniramajmundar
April 19, 2017 @ 10:57 pm

Very thorough guide and insights! Thank you very much.

Reply
Suresh Boddu
April 19, 2017 @ 10:35 pm

Thank you so much DAVID for sharing things which worked for U………………..

Reply
Suresh Boddu
April 19, 2017 @ 10:31 pm

Thank you so much D@vid

Reply

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