Blog

With guided preparation, anyone can clear this exam in their very first go.

My name is Abhi Chauhan. I am a Salesforce Developer from India, and in this article I will be sharing a few suggestions and reminders before you take your Salesforce App Builder Certification.

Here are the resources you're going to need for your preparations:

Trailhead Trailmix
YouTube
Focus on Force’s Study Guide (Best for Quick Revision)
Focus on Force’s Practice Exams (Highly Recommended!)
Salesforce Documents (If you are still left with some time)

Suggestion #1. Start with Trailmix by Salesforce.

This is a lengthy one and will fetch almost 50,000 points as well (closer to Trailhead Ranger). It is important that we understand how we can reap the maximum benefit from Trailhead.

As a beginner, I made certain mistakes while working with Trailhead. I used to complete modules just to accumulate points and it ended up doing more harm than good later. Always keep a notebook or a notepad with you while working on badges and use markers to highlight important points and facts.

The importance of making notes is that it will help you to revise everything faster. You cannot go through the lengthy Salesforce documents or reattempt all the trailhead badges right before your certification. These notes will be very useful for that purpose.

Here are the topics covered in this certification and what I thought of them:

Logic and Process Automation—28 (Easy but tricky)
Salesforce Fundamentals—23 (Medium difficulty)
Data Modeling and Management—22 (Medium difficulty)
User Interface—17 (I found this tough)
App Deployment—10 (Easiest)

Furthermore, there are free webinars for certification preparation sponsored by Salesforce. These can also be leveraged to boost your preparation. These webinars are like crash-courses.

Suggestion #2. Memorize the 8 Formula Data Types when working with Formula Fields.

When working with formula fields, there are 8 specific return types. Do your best to memorize them for this specific exam. This will come handy while working with questions related to type conversion or you may get a question on the type of formula fields.

Always remember: 'A formula field can use the fields of same object or parent object'

Some Important Restrictions:

Character limit in formula fields is 3,900 characters.
Fields referenced in formula fields cannot be deleted.
You can’t use Long Text Area, Encrypted Fields, Description Fields

'Cross Object Formula Field' :You can extend the relationship up to 10 levels.

Suggestion #3. Know the types of Roll-Up Summary Fields.

There are four types of roll-up summary fields:

COUNT
SUM
MIN
MAX

Note: 'AVERAGE' is not available for Roll-Up Summary

✓ Filters can be specified to filter the records available for roll up.

✓ Date and Date/Time Fields are available when you select the roll-up type as Min/Max.

✓ Roll-up summary can trigger Workflow Rules and Field Validations.

Suggestion #4. Familiarize yourself with Validation Rules.

Validation rules don’t apply when you create records with Quick Create. Additionally, validation rules are only enforced during lead conversion if validation and triggers for lead conversion are enabled in your organization.

VALIDATION RULES TRIGGER:	VALIDATION RULES DO NOT TRIGGER:
Web to Lead	Campaign Hierarchy
Web to Case	If master transfer tool is used to change the ownership of records
Roll Up Summary Fields	Workflow Updates

Suggestion #5. Remember these about Picklists and Field Dependencies.

This specific topic can come with some tricky questions so I’ve added points compiled from my notes:

Global Picklist → This can be used to make a picklist available for multiple objects

Setup → Picklist → Global Values Set

“While creating a picklist field for any object, we have the option to select the Global Value Set for the values of the picklist field.”

Let’s take a quick look at some conclusions on Field Dependency:

Field Type	Controlling field	Dependent field
Standard Picklist	Yes	No
Custom Picklist	Yes	Yes
Multi Select Picklist	No	Yes
Checkbox	Yes	No

Also, we cannot have multiple levels of Field Dependency. So if there are three picklist fields i.e. A, B and C, then we can choose a combination of any two i.e. A & B, B & C, or C & A. It is not possible to create a chain of dependency traversing across A, B and C.

Note: There is nothing like RADIO BUTTON.

ADDITIONAL REMINDERS

If a user wants to take ownership of any record (regardless of the OWD), you must have the edit permission on that OBJECT.

A single queue can hold records from multiple objects

Remember the acronym → P.U.R.R.

A queue can contain: P (Public Group), U (Users), R (Roles), R (Roles and Subordinates)

Custom tabs can be of the following types:

Web Tab
Lightning Component Tab
Custom Object Tab
Visualforce Tab
Lightning page Tab

You cannot create an address field. It is a composite type.

In addition to normal object records, Data Loader can be used to upload:

Attachments
Documents
Links

Attachments can be migrated from one org to another in two steps:

Export from Source Org
Upload to Target Org

You cannot export a Power Point presentation or Video Files, but a link can be obtained for the same.

In the formula fields, there is nothing like ‘REPLACE’ instead ‘SUBSTITUTE’ function is available.

Full copy sandbox is ideal for performance testing

The following can trigger the Approval process:

Flow
Process
Button
Trigger

The following can be set as Approver:

User
Queue
Designated/Delegated Approver

When a record is submitted for approval, it is locked for changes until the record completes the approval process. But the following can still make edits:

System Administrator
Approver
User with Modify All Data permission

Note: Salesforce Mobile App can be used to submit records for approval and also to REJECT or APPROVE records.

There you have it!

This sums up some of the important points I've saved for the App Builder certification! Review this 2-3 times before the exam, understand the concepts, and you will be ready to snag that certificate! Let me know your feedback in the comments.

What Certification are you studying for now?

Focus on Force currently provides practice exams and study guides for sixteen certifications

View All Courses

Salesforce Certification Courses

Abhi Chauhan

From India, 7X Certified Salesforce Developer with Experience in TIBCO and MuleSoft. A foodie, and a DIY type of person who likes helping people.

Salesforce Platform App Builder Certification: A Few Pointers Before Your Exam

There are generally two types of candidates that take the Salesforce Platform App Builder certification: one with vast experience and the other might actually be a beginner. Although it will certainly be easier for the former, it does not mean that the latter can’t pass it with flying colors.With guided preparation, anyone can clear this exam in their very first go.My name is Abhi Chauhan. I am a Salesforce Developer… Read More

Focus on People: Vitaly Makarkin — The Importance of Community

Vitaly is a Consultant and Business Analyst whose career started in Marketing. After opening his first marketing agency a decade ago, he decided that CRM implementation was a necessity and experimented with various CRM software before finally deciding on Salesforce. A multi-certified Salesforce professional in Admin, Advanced Admin and Platform Builder; Vitaly gives some practical insights on how to empower oneself by being a part of a community.

New Salesforce Admin Exam (Updated for 2021 Syllabus)

The Salesforce Admin exam will be changing on June 23, 2021. While it may look like there were many changes, actually more than 90% of the topics you need to be knowledgeable in are the same as in the previous exam outline. So what is changing? For starters, the number of exam sections have been reduced from 12 to 7. Previous sections were either moved or renamed as shown below.

How to Start your Salesforce Career

At Focus on Force, we understand the power of certifications in helping you to improve your Salesforce career and understanding of the Salesforce platform. These certifications can lead to raises, promotions and more leverage in salary negotiation. However, early on in your Salesforce journey it can be difficult to translate these certifications into paychecks by landing your first Salesforce job.

Things for new Salesforce admins to do in the first week and month

You’ve landed your very first job as a Salesforce administrator, or maybe it’s not your first. But still, you feel like celebrating on that very first Monday, leaning back in your chair and putting your feet up on the desk, drinking your favorite caffeinated hot beverage and relaxing! Not quite so fast. Being a successful anything requires getting off to a good start on the correct foot and being organized from the beginning.

Preparing for Your First AppExchange App

I’m Johann, a Berlin Admin, Developer, Architect, and entrepreneur. I use all my knowledge and experience to craft small but powerful apps at Admin’s Helper. 3 apps in 3 months: What sounds like a crazy idea was possible because I did my homework before I started. The homework I did was ‘defining guidelines’ and ‘study before I build’. The guidelines helped me to focus on the right things, while ‘study before I build’ made sure I was fast and good with my code.

What is Custom Setting in Salesforce

If you have delved into the world of custom objects in the Salesforce platform, you have more than likely used Custom Objects to interact with your Apex code, and, depending on your permissions, even had your APIs call on those custom objects. Amazing, right?

Focus on People: Samuel Blount – Getting Admin Certified For Broader Professional Competencies

Samuel was formerly an Engagement Manager for a digital transformation (DX) project. While still enjoying a non-technical role for his client, little did he know that his passion for continuous learning will be rekindled through a Salesforce certification. Check out how he was able to decode the nooks and crannies of this known CRM tool, his future career plans, and how the certification made him a sought-after professional.

App Builder Exam Update February 2021

The exam guide for the App Builder certification has been updated for the Winter 21 release. We regularly monitor the exam guide for changes and go to work to update our materials after analyzing the changes. At first glance, it looks like there were many changes and if you have the exam scheduled soon, you may be wondering if your preparation will be sufficient.

Focus on People: Andrew Smith – Shifting From Robots to Readers Through a Salesforce Career

Andrew was once a Robotics professional who simply wanted to get out of his comfort zone. While he’s on his way to master newer skills to add to his arsenal, he suddenly found a niche of expertise that seems to fit his goals and purpose—a Salesforce career. Know about his journey in discovering the Salesforce career path, the challenges he faced while studying for the certifications, and the measures he took to be a successful Salesforce professional in the learning space.

Focus on Joy

Community is one of our company values. We are part of the Salesforce community and seek to help others wherever possible. This may mean providing advice, extending course access, and providing free access to volunteer groups. And this time of the year is different because we have extended our community’s reach to focus on sharing joy.

Reports and Dashboard Part 4: What Else Is Here?

The Winter ‘21 release is here and the Summer ‘20 release hype has already ended, but we still want to make sure that you did not miss out on the past updates related to the Salesforce report and dashboard features. In the last part of this Reports & Dashboards series, grit your teeth as we count down to the last four items in our checklist! 4 In Console, Report Links… Read More

Focus on People: Maayan Assayag – From Curiosity to Creating a Career

Maayan is a Senior Consultant who started her Salesforce journey with immense curiosity on how it works at the backend. Only having a goal in mind to set up a good CRM system for their company, she was instead directed to a path that she would enjoy—a Salesforce career. Her pursuit to becoming a multi-certified Salesforce professional is shared here as well as her tips on how to study for the exam and master the trade.

Reports and Dashboard Part 3: Manage Product Pricing with a Custom Report

If you would like to know how to create a custom report for Price Book entries, we have broken down the steps for you in this article. Creating a custom report for Price Book entries makes product pricing easier to update and manage.Product and pricing management is one of the top priorities of PuppyCat Global Inc., a rising superstar in the manufacturing industry of organic pet essentials. The sales managers… Read More

«‹10 111213 14 ›»

Related Posts

Salesforce Certification Courses

@