Streamlining

Salesforce Testing
Overcoming Challenges with
Automation Strategies
Table of Content

Chapter 1 01

Introduction
Why automate Salesforce testing?

Chapter 2 04

Top challenges for Salesforce testing

Technical challenge

Business challenges

Chapter 3 15

Solving Salesforce testing challenges with automation

Case study

Chapter 4 17

An all-in-one solution for Salesforce test automation

Chapter 1

Introduction Why automate Salesforce testing?

If you're reading this, chances are you've experienced Salesforce serves as an indispensable customer relationship management (CRM) system for
the pain of Salesforce testing. Having spent countless numerous organizations, making the testing of this platform an essential task. Ensuring the
hours testing Salesforce applications, we know how accuracy and reliability of Salesforce's functionality, application integrations, and essential
frustrating and time-consuming it can be. From dealing business workflows is crucial for the continuous progress of your business. 



with complex integrations to ensuring that new
features work seamlessly, testing can quickly become
a bottleneck in the development process.

To navigate this process effectively, it is important to

With that in mind, this guidebook is designed to help acknowledge and address significant technical and business
businesses navigate the challenges of Salesforce challenges while testing your Salesforce platform.
testing and optimize its processes.

By exploring the opportunities for test automation and

highlighting best practices for Salesforce testing, we
aim to provide a comprehensive resource that will
enable organizations to streamline their testing efforts
and achieve more consistent and reliable results. 



Dealing with these challenges? You’re not alone.

folder-arrow-up wrench
pencil
complex frequent countless
integrations updates customizations

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Chapter 2

Top challenges for

Salesforce testing

 Technical challenges

Frequent releases Salesforce release

Salesforce has three major seasonal releases annually (Spring, testing issues
Summer, Winter) along with many minor ones, which add
hundreds of new features to enrich the user experience and
bolster platform functionality.

However, frequent updates can be a double-

edged sword. It becomes crucial to ensure Regression
Test environment
Communication and
testing and data management Collaboration
that the newly introduced features perform
as intended and that they don't disrupt the
Salesforce ecosystem, including integrations
with other applications. Managing regression

test suites
High instability due to
constant changes
Lack of clear and timely
communication on changes

This is a challenging task for both administrators and functional

users involved in Salesforce testing. They must overcome a Ensuring cross-browser Dedicated test environment Difficulty in coordinating
coverage unavailable with development teams
number of challenges, including developing test cases,
maintaining and organizing test scripts, and calculating the
ideal size of the regression suite. Given Salesforce's ever-
Missing critical
Data synchronization
Limited collaboration with
changing nature, continuous maintenance becomes critical, regression scenarios between environments business stakeholders
especially for QA teams using a code-based automation
platform that requires code revisions to adapt the changes.

This proactive strategy ensures that the core functionality of

the Salesforce platform remains unchanged despite changes in
object IDs and helps to avoid potential issues caused by the
system's dynamic nature.

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file-invoice Scenario

A healthcare firm relies on Salesforce for

Suggested solutions
patient data management and appointment
scheduling. They have developed a custom
Salesforce application that integrates with
their electronic health record (EHR) system,
Oracle Cerner, enabling real-time access to
patient information by doctors and nurses. cloud
cog
circle-check
However, due to the challenges of keeping
up with Salesforce's frequent releases, the
Regression Testing API Endpoint Validation
testing team had limited time to thoroughly
test the EHR platform. 

Given the challenges of keeping up Verify the compatibility and

with Salesforce's frequent releases, it is functionality of API endpoints between
An untested new feature in Salesforce's essential to perform regression testing. Salesforce and the Oracle Cerner EHR
appointment scheduling module resulted in This involves retesting the integrated system. Test the communication and
a critical conflict with the healthcare firm's system after each Salesforce release to data exchange to ensure that patient
custom scheduling application. As a ensure that the new updates do not data is accurately synchronized in real-
consequence, over 1000 patients, including introduce conflicts or break existing time. Validate that the API endpoints
those with emergency issues, experienced functionalities. Regression testing are working as expected and handle
missed appointments and care delays. This should specifically focus on areas that various scenarios, such as creating,
had a significant impact on patient well- are critical to patient data management updating, and retrieving patient
being and the overall efficiency of and appointment scheduling, including information.
healthcare delivery. To prevent such the integration points with the EHR
scenarios, prioritizing testing and ensuring system.

sufficient test coverage is crucial to identify

potential issues and minimize the risk of
system failures.

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 Technical challenges

Customizations

Salesforce is highly flexible and customizable, offering

declarative tools, programmatic options, and access to a wide

range of third-party applications through the Salesforce

AppExchange. Developers can leverage frameworks like

Visualforce, Aura, Apex, and Lightning Web Components to

create custom pages on the Salesforce Lightning platform.

However, it is important to note that with

each release, there is an increased risk of

customizations breaking.

Customizations in Salesforce can range from simple

configuration changes to intricate code modifications, adding a

layer of complexity to the testing process. Each organization's

unique customizations further complicate matters, potentially

introducing new points of failure and hindering issue resolution.

Additionally, as customizations interact with various Salesforce

features and third-party integrations, dependencies can quickly

become complex and difficult to manage. This complexity

increases the likelihood of customization conflicts and potential

disruptions. Hence, while customizations provide flexibility and

extend the functionality of Salesforce, organizations need to be

mindful of the potential risks associated with customization.

Regular and thorough testing is crucial to ensure that

customizations remain compatible and stable, mitigating the

risks of breakages and maintaining a smooth user experience.




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file-invoice Scenario

A financial firm leverages Visualforce, a Suggested solutions

powerful Salesforce framework, to create
custom pages for streamlined investment
portfolio management. These pages provide
a comprehensive view of portfolios,

browser
showcasing asset allocations, performance
metrics, risk assessments, and market
trends. Designed for user-friendliness, the keycircle-check cog
eye
custom pages enable portfolio managers Custom Keywords Visual Testing
and analysts to analyze data efficiently,
make informed decisions, and generate Create custom keywords or functions Implement visual testing as part of the
reports for clients and stakeholders. 

specific to the financial firm's portfolio test automation strategy. Visual testing
management pages. These custom tools can capture screenshots of the
However, recent Salesforce updates keywords can encapsulate complex custom pages displaying the data
introduce a compatibility issue that hampers actions or interactions with the visualizations. These screenshots serve
the rendering of data visualizations within graphical components affected by the as baselines for future comparisons,
these pages. The graphical components fail compatibility issue. By abstracting allowing the automated tests to detect
to display correctly, impeding navigation these actions into reusable custom any visual discrepancies introduced by
and compromising the accuracy of portfolio keywords, the test automation team Salesforce updates. 
analysis. This creates challenges for can efficiently handle the UI failure and
portfolio managers and analysts who rely on ensure accurate rendering of data
these visualizations for decision-making. visualizations. Custom keywords
The UI failure negatively impacts navigation provide a higher level of abstraction,
and undermines the reliability of portfolio making test scripts more readable,
analysis, potentially affecting client trust maintainable, and adaptable to changes
and stakeholder confidence. caused by Salesforce updates.

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 Technical challenges

Application integrations and

test data management
The scope of Salesforce testing extends beyond itself,
encompassing the entire ecosystem of integrated applications.

However, with the introduction of different Search Field... Search Field...

codebases and dynamic object IDs, testing Mapped (9) Mapped (9)
becomes challenging when there are
dependencies between different arrow-right Primary Language

components or when changes in one Birth Date

system affect the behaviour of other

systems. Coordinating and managing First_Name
arrow-right
these dependencies during testing can be
complex and time-consuming.  Language
arrow-right Gender
Last_Name
Testing data synchronization between Salesforce and the
integrated systems requires careful planning and coordination. It
can be challenging to ensure that data changes made in one
system are accurately reflected in other systems.

Organizations need to consider scenarios such as data conflicts,

data duplication, or data loss during synchronization and test
them thoroughly.



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file-invoice Scenario

A retailer is using Salesforce for customer

relationship management and has integrated Suggested solutions
the Survicate survey tool to gather feedback
from clients. Survicate is a third-party
application available in the Salesforce
AppExchange that allows the firm to collect circle-check
data on client satisfaction and improve gear-complex
customer service. 

Unfortunately, a mistake in the data mapping Data Mapping Verification End-to-End Integration Testing
process leads to misalignment between the Develop automated tests that verify the Implement end-to-end integration tests
customer data from Survicate and the mapping between the third-party that simulate the entire process of
corresponding contacts in Salesforce. application and Salesforce, ensuring triggering automated email campaigns
Consequently, when the retailer triggers that customer data is correctly aligned based on survey responses. These
automated email campaigns based on between the two systems. This involves tests should cover the entire workflow,
survey responses, inaccurate emails are sent validating that the mapping rules and from survey submission in Survicate to
to the wrong contacts. This disruption configurations accurately map survey email delivery in Salesforce. By
undermines the retailer's communication responses to the corresponding automating this end-to-end testing, the
strategy, as customers receive irrelevant contacts in Salesforce.

retailer can ensure that the right emails

messages that do not align with their are sent to the correct contacts based
preferences or survey feedback. The Automated tests can compare the data on their survey feedback. This helps
consequences of this data mapping issue in both systems and flag any identify any issues or inconsistencies in
are significant. The retailer's brand discrepancies or misalignments for the data mapping process and allows
reputation may suffer as customers receive investigation and resolution. for timely resolution before impacting
confusing or incorrect communication. customer communication.
Moreover, the retailer's efforts to nurture
customer relationships and provide a
personalized experience are compromised,
potentially leading to a loss of trust and
customer loyalty.



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 Technical challenges

Dynamic UI elements and

shadow DOMs

Salesforce Lightning introduces dynamic UI

elements that pose challenges for testing. 

Compared to Salesforce Classic, Lightning offers new features,

layouts, and integrations that increase the complexity of

testing. The loading process of Lightning can cause issues with

object-based testing tools as an overlay masks object

arrow-up
identifiers, similar to Shadow DOM. Object-based tools may fail
Before After
arrow-up
tests prematurely, overlooking the actual slowness of the

application. Testing solutions that validate the UI and code are

needed to address these challenges. 

Additionally, Selenium, a popular testing framework, struggles

to handle complexities like shadow DOM and pop-up windows

directly, requiring custom coding and time-consuming scripting.

Shadow DOM allows DOM elements to contain child nodes and

CSS, which helps web developers by better encapsulating their

code. However, this creates challenges for automation testing,

because elements inside a shadow root technically do not exist

in the main DOM. Continuous testing becomes incompatible

with Selenium in these cases. The consequences of dynamic UI

changes include object ID alterations or disappearances, which

traditional object-based testing may fail to handle. This leads to

incomplete test coverage and potential quality issues. 




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file-invoice Scenario
Suggested solutions
A SaaS company offers a web-based
project management software that utilizes
modern web technologies and frameworks,
circle-check circle-check circle-check
including the use of shadow DOMs. The
software provides users with a circle-check circle-check circle-check

comprehensive platform to manage

Page Object Model (POM) Non-object-based Locator
projects, collaborate with team members,
and track progress. However, the use of Implement the Page Object Model The main challenge with testing shadow
shadow DOMs in the software presents a design pattern to create a built-in DOM elements is that they are not
challenge for the quality assurance team object repository for the portfolio directly accessible using traditional
during testing. Shadow DOMs make it management pages. POM promotes a object-based locators like IDs or class
difficult to locate and interact with specific structured approach to test automation names. Shadow DOM's encapsulation
elements within the application's UI. by separating the test logic from the restricts external access to the
Traditional testing approaches that rely on page elements. It involves creating elements, making it challenging for test
object-based locators and scripting, such reusable page objects that encapsulate automation tools to find and interact
as Selenium, face limitations in directly the elements and actions specific to with them. Using a non-object-based
accessing and manipulating shadow DOM each page. By using POM, the quality locator, testers can easily navigate
elements. As a result, the quality assurance assurance team can easily update and through the shadow DOM hierarchy and
team encounters difficulties in validating the maintain the test scripts, even when view the properties and attributes of the
functionality and user experience of the the UI elements change due to encapsulated elements. This helps in
software. Locating specific elements within Salesforce updates. This enables faster understanding the structure and
shadow DOM becomes a time-consuming test script adaptation and reduces the behavior of shadow DOM and facilitates
and complex task. Test scripts that rely on impact of compatibility issues on the the creation of robust test scripts.
object-based locators fail to accurately automation suite.
Specifically, testers can generate reliable
identify and interact with the desired XPath or CSS selectors specific to
elements, leading to incomplete test shadow DOM elements, which can then
coverage and potential quality issues. be used in test automation scripts to
locate and interact with the desired
elements accurately.

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 Business challenges

Test automation

engineers’ skills & rates

Salesforce testing requires a specific set of skills and knowledge that Salesforce
not all test automation engineers possess. It involves understanding the

Salesforce platform, its architecture, and its unique testing

testing
methodologies. Test automation engineers need expertise in

Salesforce-specific technologies such as APEX, Visualforce, and Salesforce-specific

Lightning components.

Skills

The demand for skilled Salesforce test

automation engineers surpasses the available

supply, intensifying competition and driving up

rates - with a projected annual growth rate of

around 15% in the Salesforce testing market. This Business

QA Skills
analytics Skills
makes it difficult for organizations to hire and

retain talent within budget constraints.

Additionally, Salesforce is a dynamic platform that undergoes regular

updates, introducing new features, tools, and functionalities. Test

automation engineers working with Salesforce need to stay updated

with these changes and continuously upgrade their skills to effectively

test and validate the latest Salesforce releases. This requirement for

ongoing learning and upskilling adds complexity and demands

additional time and effort from test automation engineers.

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 Business challenges

Setting up test framework,

tool and methodology selection

Finding professionals with the right combination of Salesforce knowledge and
automation skills is essential to the setup process, but it’s easier said than done.

The diverse range of Salesforce functionalities, such as workflows, triggers,

validation rules, and Apex code, requires a thorough understanding to design an
effective testing framework. After establishing a test framework, choosing the
right testing tools and technologies for Salesforce testing can also be
overwhelming. Salesforce offers its native testing tools, such as the Salesforce
Test Automation Framework (STAF), but there are also third-party tools available
in the market.

On the Salesforce AppExchange alone, there are over 5,000

apps and tools available specifically designed for testing and
quality assurance purposes. Selecting the most suitable tools
that align with the organization's testing requirements,
integration capabilities, and budget can be a complex
decision-making process.

Finally, setting up a comprehensive Salesforce testing framework involves

significant mobilization time. It requires thorough planning, analysis of testing
requirements, designing test strategies, creating test environments, and
establishing test data management processes. Coordinating these activities and
ensuring smooth collaboration among stakeholders, such as business analysts,
developers, and testers, can take time and effort.





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Chapter 3

Solving Salesforce
testing challenges
with automation
Salesforce testing can be overwhelming in terms of cost and effort, leading
organizations to resort to a fragmented and manual "risk-based" approach
that compromises test coverage and quality. This approach falls short in
achieving comprehensive coverage and high-quality releases, particularly in
the context of continuous and 24/7 testing, hindering progress. 

In contrast, automated testing offers greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness

compared to manual testing. It enables organizations to embrace DevOps and
continuous development, shortening test cycles while ensuring the stability of
business-critical processes. By leveraging automation, organizations can
achieve faster and more reliable testing outcomes, allowing them to keep up
with the pace of Salesforce development and deliver high-quality solutions.


 CASE STUDY Success
How a multinational financial services firm increased Salesforce testing
coverage by over 80% with a test automation solution. 27% Accelerate project
mobilization using the
script repository and best
Challenge practice framework

With a strong reputation for delivering a wide range of This significantly reduced the time and effort

42%
professional services across diverse industries, the required to adopt and maintain Salesforce
organization relies heavily on Salesforce to streamline automated tests. Katalon's solution covered various Increase in cost-effective
their operations and serve clients ranging from modules, such as lead processes, case rate for test automation
multinational corporations to government agencies management, integrations with external applications, engineers on Katalon vs.
and non-profit organizations. However, as the firm CPQ and quote management, order management, open source skills
continues to grow and adapt to the evolving needs of Salesforce Lightning web components, Salesforce
their clients and the business landscape, they are community, Salesforce data import wizard, and

50%
encountering difficulties in effectively managing and Salesforce reports and dashboards. With this
enhancing their Salesforce platform. The extensive comprehensive automation framework in place, the Improvement on design/
utilization of Salesforce across various departments organization successfully scaled their automation authoring efforts for test
specializing in consulting, audit, tax, and financial efforts for multiple Salesforce processes with automation
advisory services has resulted in complex minimal time and effort. 

configurations, integrations, and customizations that

40%
require continuous maintenance and updates.
 Using Katalon for Salesforce test automation brought
several benefits. It accelerated delivery by allowing Decrease in test script
the testing of more scenarios within each sprint, maintenance time vs.
Solution ensuring comprehensive test coverage and quality. It typical open source
technologies
enabled in-sprint automation and facilitated API and
The organization faced Salesforce challenges and integration testing, ensuring the inclusion of tests for
sought a solution through test automation, specifically quote providers and third-party vendors. Katalon's

80%
utilizing Katalon. Their objective was to streamline low-code capabilities empowered non-technical QA
Salesforce actions, enhance data management, and team members to create automated Salesforce test Testing coverage and
ensure seamless integration with other systems. By scripts, while advanced users could leverage the support aligned to
implementing Katalon's test automation solution, they full-code capabilities through the Groovy script Salesforce’s quarterly
gained access to a pre-built set of test script libraries editor to edit test scripts and scale the testing maintenance and
tailored for Salesforce business processes. framework. upgrade schedules

Explore Katalon Streamlining Salesforce Testing | 16

Chapter 4 Cost Efficiency Salesforce Compatibility
Provides cost-effective pricing models, Supports both Salesforce Classic and

An all-in-one including a free version and flexible

licensing options, ensuring good value
for money and aligning with your budget.
Lightning environments, ensuring
seamless integration and efficient
testing across all Salesforce modules.

solution for
Salesforce

Ease of Use API Testing Support

Provides a user-friendly interface and a Supports various types of REST,
no-code/low-code approach, allowing SOAP/1.1, and SOAP/1.2 requests. It also
users with minimal coding skills to allows importing tests from tools like

test automation quickly adopt the solution. Swagger, Postman, and WADL/WSDL.

Katalon emerges as the comprehensive solution for

Salesforce test automation, offering numerous
advantages tailored to your specific needs. Item Object Input Output

Object Repository

 Postman

getUsers

registerUsers

Katalon


Log Viewer
SoapUI


Swagger


Explore Katalon Streamlining Salesforce Testing | 17

 Integration with CI/CD Test Creation and Maintenance
Seamlessly integrates with common CI/CD tools, enabling automated Offers features such as script generation, record and playback
testing within your existing development and deployment processes. functionality, and comprehensive test case management, making test
creation and maintenance efficient and hassle-free.

Community and Support Reporting and Analytics

Has an active and supportive user community, offering valuable Offers detailed test execution reports, logs, and metrics, enabling you
resources, best practices, and support when facing challenges with to analyze test results and gain insights for continuous improvement.
the tool.

Customization Testing
Item Object Input Output
Provides features like Custom keywords, allowing
you to test Salesforce customizations and validate
their behavior accurately.

utilities.CheckDropdownListElementExist

com.ea.utilites.CommonUtilities.CheckDropdownListElementExist ObjectCustomKeywords. Shadow DOM

com.ea.utilities.Common
kms.turing.katalon.plugins.helper.table.HTMLTableHelper.clickOnColumn Supported recording multi-level Shadow DOM objects
Utilities.CheckDropdownL
kms.turing.katalon.plugins.helper.table.HTMLTableHelper.clickOnColumn
and locating them during runtime.
istElementExist(TestObj
ect object, String option)
AI-native at the core
AI that’s actually practical: self-healing tests, smart
wait scheduling, dynamic test suites, actionable
insights, and more.

Explore Katalon Streamlining Salesforce Testing | 18

Automate Salesforce testing
Streamline testing frequent Salesforce processes - from lead process,

Lightning web components, to CPQ and quote management.

View your custom demo