Testing in Salesforce: Role of No-Code & Low-Code Automation
Based on demand, Salesforce is one of the leading CRM platforms in the world, used by companies of all sizes to manage sales, service, marketing, and customer interactions. It’s flexible, highly customizable, and updated often, granting it tremendous power as a B2B platform and posing unique challenges for effective testing.
Salesforce testing can be specific and a little different. Compared to most apps, Salesforce features bespoke logic written in Apex, custom page layouts implemented with Lightning components, and numerous third-party integrations. Without the correct validation approach, these complexities have the potential to lead to regression problems, data integrity issues, and disrupted user workflows.
Understanding the Complexity of Salesforce Testing
Salesforce releases updates three times a year, which can affect even the smallest parts of your organization. Custom workflows, triggers, and integrations may fail unexpectedly if not tested thoroughly.
Key challenges in Salesforce testing include:
- Frequent changes from Salesforce core releases
- Dynamic UIs with Lightning Web Components (LWC)
- Custom Apex code and Visualforce pages
- High number of third-party app integrations
- Enforced security permissions and profiles
To test Salesforce effectively, teams must ensure coverage across all these layers UI, API, backend logic, and data integrity.
Why Does Traditional Testing Fall Short?
Most legacy automation tools rely on stable DOM structures and hardcoded selectors, which don’t hold up in Salesforce’s dynamic environment. Furthermore, traditional scripting-based approaches require skilled developers and long ramp-up times, making them less suited for Agile delivery.
That’s where low-code and no-code automation tools enter the picture.
No-Code vs Low-Code Automation in Salesforce Testing
Low-code and no-code test automation solutions are specifically designed to address the testing demands of modern platforms like Salesforce. They allow teams to write and maintain tests faster, with less technical overhead, making testing more accessible across roles.
Here’s how they compare:
| Feature | No-Code Automation | Low-Code Automation |
| User Skill Requirement | Minimal to none | Basic scripting or logic skills |
| Speed of Test Creation | Very fast | Moderate |
| Flexibility | Great for standard flows | Better for complex logic |
| Ideal For | Business users, manual testers | Test engineers, tech-savvy teams |
Best Practices for Testing in Salesforce
- Automate End-to-End Business Workflows
Focus on scenarios that impact customer experiences—like lead conversions, case assignments, and opportunity updates. - Test Across User Roles and Profiles
Ensure permission-based access control is validated for all relevant users. Profiles, roles, and sharing settings affect data visibility and actions. - Validate APIs and External Integrations
Many Salesforce workflows interact with external systems like payment gateways or marketing automation tools. Include these in your test coverage. - Include Regression Testing in Every Sprint
Due to frequent platform updates, regression testing must be a constant. Automate it as part of your CI/CD pipeline. - Leverage Test Data Management
Use tools or custom logic to maintain data consistency and avoid polluting your org. Test in sandboxes that mirror production.
How ACCELQ Simplifies Salesforce Testing?
ACCELQ is a no-code, AI-powered automation platform purpose-built for complex enterprise applications like Salesforce. It allows teams to design, automate, and execute tests using plain English statements—without writing code.
Benefits of using ACCELQ for Salesforce testing:
- Handles dynamic elements and Salesforce-specific UI complexities
- Seamless integration with CI/CD tools for automated regression
- Built-in support for APIs, databases, and backend validations
- Provides reusable assets for modular test creation
Using ACCELQ, both technical and business users can contribute to test automation accelerating release cycles and improving test coverage.
Conclusion
Strong reporting and test maintenance are also important for effective Salesforce testing. With elaborate interactions and many data dependencies, any tests can quickly become out of date within just a few sprints. This is why a test automation platform that enables dynamic maintenance and central reporting is crucial.
ACCELQ has live dashboards, root-cause analysis, and test traceability, which enable teams to easily zero in on failures, understand their impact, and take prompt action. Frequent review of test cases, especially after Salesforce has made a major release, with a review and execution of the minimum set of tests, ensuring test relevance and stability over time, and lowering the costs and effort associated with long-term maintenance.