Salesforce is assisting a wide range of companies, organizations, and institutions in connecting with their consumers. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology is used by people all around the world to keep their businesses functioning. In any of these businesses, the Salesforce Administrator is vital to success. However, there are some areas in which a strong focus is required to enter the role of Salesforce Administrator. The first step is to figure out who a Salesforce Admin is. So, let’s get started on our journey!
Who is Salesforce Administrator?
- Salesforce Administrators collaborate with stakeholders to determine system needs and modify the platform.
- Secondly, they make it possible for users to get the most out of Salesforce technology.
- Thirdly, a Salesforce Admin is the one who knows the most about how to make the platform work for their company’s objectives.
- Companies hire particularly for this position, depending on their requirements. Because of the possibilities of the platform, having someone with an admin certification helps guarantee that the organization is getting the most out of it.
- Salespeople may build up customized dashboards, fields, alerts, and reports with the help of a Salesforce Admin to shorten the sales cycle and follow every lead in more detail.
- According to research, Salesforce Administrators have a high yearly growth rate, with an average beginning income of $79,000 in the United States. In India, a salesforce administrator earns an average of ₹6,90,598 per year.
Now, coming on the main section of the blog, the pathway to becoming Salesforce Administrator.
Pathway for Salesforce Administrator:
You do not need technical expertise or knowledge of Salesforce architecture to become a Salesforce Administrator. That is to say, anyone with a pc and an internet connection in any part of the globe may use the learning resources to get trained and obtain professional skills to perform the role of admin.
To begin working as a Salesforce Admin, you must first study for and pass the Salesforce Certified Administrator test. Passing this test will not improve your skills, but it will give you the confidence to achieve the Salesforce tag job designation. It takes +around 115–125 hours of study and preparation to pass, according to our estimates.
So, let’s begin with our preparation part to achieve this role!
1. Understanding the Exam Details
The Salesforce Administrator credential is for those who have worked with Salesforce before and are always looking for new ways to help their organizations benefit from new features and capabilities. From across Sales, Service, and Collaboration Clouds, the exam covers the range of apps, features, and functions accessible to end-users, and configuration and administration choices available to administrators.
Knowledge Requirement:
- Those who are Salesforce Certified Administrators must have a basic understanding of the functionality accessible to end-users as well as the configuration choices available to Salesforce Administrators.
- Secondly, you should be able to use existing Salesforce capabilities to administer a Salesforce organization, respond to basic business requests, and conduct administrative activities.
- Lastly, you should have 6 months or more of Salesforce Administrator experience and be able to successfully complete the activities specified in the test objectives portion of this guide.
Exam Format:
There will be 60 multiple-choice/multiple-select questions on the Salesforce Administrator exam, with 5 unanswered questions. However, the exam will take a total of 105 minutes to complete. You must achieve a score of at least 65 percent to pass the exam. In addition, the registration price for the exam is USD 200 plus tax, and the retake fee is USD 100 plus tax. When it comes to exam delivery, the proctored exam can be taken either onsite at a testing center or online in a proctored environment.
2. Getting used to with the Exam Topics
This exam guide is intended to assist you in determining if you are prepared to pass the Salesforce Administrator exam. The Salesforce Administrator exam, in other words, assesses a candidate’s knowledge and abilities in relation to the following goals. As a result, you should have hands-on Salesforce Administrator expertise and be able to demonstrate the use of each of the features/functions listed below.
‣ Configuration and Setup
- Explaining the information found in the company settings
- company settings fiscal year
- business hours
- currency management
- default settings
- Distinguishing and understanding the administration of declarative configuration of the User Interface.
- UI settings
- app menu, list views, and global actions
- Lightning App Builder
- Demonstrating the proper setup and maintenance of users.
- Describing the various organization Security Controls.
- Setup Audit Trail
- Login Hours
- Session Settings
- Applying suitable security controls based on the features and capabilities of the Salesforce sharing model.
- public groups
- org-wide default
- sharing: roles
- subordinates
- hierarchy, report and dashboard folders
- Determining suitable use of a custom profile or permission set using the various profile settings and permissions.
‣ Object Manager and Lightning App Builder
- Explaining the standard object architecture and relationship model.
- standard object
- parent/child
- master-detail/lookup/junction relationships, and record types.)
- Explaining the process of creating, deleting, and customizing fields and page layouts on standard and custom objects, and knowing the implications of deleting fields.
- Determining the process of creating and assigning page layouts, record types, and business processes for custom and standard objects.
‣ Sales and Marketing Applications
- Identifying the capabilities and implications of the sales process.
- sales process
- opportunity, path, and forecast impact.
- Implementing suitable sales productivity features using opportunity tools.
- dashboards
- lead scoring
- Einstein opportunity scoring, and home page assistant.
- Explaining the capabilities of lead automation tools and campaign management.
- leads
- lead convert
- lead assignment rules, campaign, and campaign members.
‣ Service and Support Applications
- Describing the capabilities of case management.
- case
- case assignment rules
- queues
- Identifying the process of automating case management.
- support process
- case auto-response rules, and case escalation.
‣ Productivity and Collaboration
- Describing the capabilities of activity management.
- Explaining the features of Chatter.
- Describing the capabilities of the Salesforce Mobile App.
- Identifying use cases for AppExchange applications.
‣ Data and Analytics Management
- Explaining the considerations while importing, updating, transferring, mass deleting, exporting, and backing up data.
- Describing the capabilities and implications of data validation tools.
- Explaining the options available when creating or customizing a report or report type.
- Describing the impact of the sharing model on reports.
- Explaining the options available when creating and modifying dashboards
- dashboard components
- data sources
- chart types
- Subscribing
- running user.
‣ Workflow/Process Automation
- Identifying suitable automation solutions based on the capabilities of the tool.
- Describing capabilities and use cases for Flow.
- Explaining capabilities and use cases for the approval process.
3. Use the Salesforce recommended training
Salesforce recommends a mix of hands-on experience, training, Trailhead trails, and self-study in the topic areas. However, the following are some of the suggested resources for this exam:
➼ Course: Administrator Certification Exam (CRT101)
This course will help you improve your problem-solving abilities while also reinforcing your understanding of fundamental concepts. Different administration and setup situations related to the test objectives will be presented by instructors. These scenarios will provide you with questions to help you prepare for your test. Further, it’s intended for Salesforce administrators who want to get their Salesforce Administrator Certification.
After completing the course, you will learn the process of:
- Firstly, understanding the different exam objectives and their weighting on the exam
- Secondly, knowing which product areas to focus on to best prepare for your exam
- Thirdly, approaching exam questions
- Lastly, additional resources are available for helping prepare for the exam
➼ Course: New Lightning Experience Administrators (ADX201)
Experts will walk you through the main duties and features that Salesforce Administrators encounter on a regular basis in this 5-day course geared for novice admins. Learn about Salesforce’s architecture, user management, and securing your organization. Moreover, learn about best practices for customization, how to set up automation to save time, and how to construct reports and dashboards for data analysis.
However, this session is designed for new and inexperienced Salesforce System Administrators, as well as Trailblazers who want to improve their knowledge of Salesforce org configuration, maintenance, and automation. Anyone interested in earning their Salesforce Administrator certificate would benefit from this program.
After completing the course, you will learn the process of:
- Firstly, explaining the Salesforce architecture and key terminology.
- Secondly, using the application development lifecycle for defining the process of managing an app’s development, from design to final release.
- Thirdly, comparing different methods for granting users access to functionality and data.
- Then, creating and customizing applications for meeting business requirements.
- Explaining use cases for data management and validation tools.
- After that, analyzing key performance indicators with reports and dashboards.
- Automating business processes using key features and functionality.
- Lastly, leveraging the Salesforce ecosystem and resources for applying and maintaining your Salesforce org.
➼ Course: New Lightning Experience Administrators – Extended (ADX201E)
Experts will walk you through the main duties and features that Salesforce Administrators encounter on a regular basis in this 5-day course geared for novice admins. Learn about Salesforce’s architecture, user management, and securing your organization. Moreover, learn about best practices for customization, how to set up automation to save time, and how to construct reports and dashboards for data analysis.
However, this session is designed for new and inexperienced Salesforce System Administrators, as well as Trailblazers who want to improve their knowledge of Salesforce org configuration, maintenance, and automation.
➼ Course: Trailhead Virtual Bootcamp for New Admins (TVB201)
Trailhead Virtual Bootcamp for New Admins is a mixed, prescriptive, expert-led training program that provides you a 30-day schedule to learn all you need to know to be an amazing Salesforce Administrator and gets you on your way to being a Salesforce Certified Administrator. However, the curriculum consists of a combination of interesting Trailhead content in bite-sized chunks and live coaching from Salesforce Certified instructors. Twice a week, you’ll be able to listen in and review the previous week’s lessons with your teacher, as well as participate in Q&A with other students.
Further, Trailhead Virtual Bootcamp for New Admins is a self-paced learning program for anybody who wants to understand the ins and outs of Salesforce administration.
After completing the course, you will learn the process of:
- Firstly, navigating Salesforce and personalizing your experience
- Thirdly, discovering the steps for setting up and/or maintaining a user
- Describing the various organization security options
- Then, explaining the features and capabilities of the Salesforce sharing model
- Implementing suitable security controls
- After that, explaining the various settings and permissions a profile controls
- Lastly, troubleshooting common user access, visibility issues, and more.
4. Become part of Trailblazer Community
To collaborate with other Trailblazers in the Trailblazer Community, join a community group, and locate a study partner and/or mentor. You can share your questions, doubts, and triumphs here to help the experts better understand your path. Further, expert advice can help you enhance your Salesforce Administrator test preparation and provide more clarity.
5. Enroll in Online Course
Enrolling in the exam online course is one option to acquire more clarity when it comes to understanding topics, developing skills, using practice tests, and preparing for the exam. It will help you study for the Salesforce Administrator test by providing you with expert-level support for any issues or queries you may have. Here are a few online course providers who can assist you in becoming well-versed and equip with in-depth knowledge in order to pass the test.
- Udemy
- Testprep Training
- Knowledge hut
- Simplilearn
6. Assess yourself using Practice Tests
It’s important to note that the exam will cover a wide range of topics, both academic and practical. As a consequence, before taking the test, you should get as much knowledge as feasible. Using exam practice tests is the most effective approach to do so.
Taking practice tests for the Salesforce Administrator Exam might help you better understand your study strategy and prepare for the real thing. You may also identify your weak areas and work to improve them. You will also be able to grasp the question format and improve your answering skills in order to manage time throughout the exam.
7. Pass the exam and prepare for advance level certification
Becoming a Salesforce administrator may be a helpful long-term career option or a method to advance your current one. That is to say, the Salesforce Certified Administrator program has two levels of certification. The first is the Salesforce Certified Administrator certification, which focuses on the features and functionality that are utilized to keep a Salesforce deployment running well as discussed above.
And, the Salesforce Certified Advanced Administrator is the program’s second credential. This certification is for Salesforce Certified Administrators who have mastered Salesforce configuration maintenance, can demonstrate a mastery of administration best practices, and can employ advanced features and capabilities to solve a range of business challenges.
Other Certifications include:
- Firstly, CPQ Specialist
- Marketing Cloud Administrator
- Lastly, Platform App Builder
Final Words
Use the information above to determine whether you are prepared to pass the Salesforce Administrator test. We’ve gathered information about the Salesforce Administrator exam’s target audience, suggested training, and a comprehensive list of exam objectives, all with the goal of assisting you in achieving a passing score. Furthermore, to increase your chances of passing the test, a combination of on-the-job experience, course attendance, and self-study is advised. So, pass the exams, give it your best, and study attentively.
