In the ever-evolving digital business landscape, Salesforce continues to be the world’s leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform. With businesses relying heavily on CRM to optimize customer engagement and business performance, skilled Salesforce professionals are in high demand. While many begin their journey with an interest in Salesforce Admin roles, a deep understanding of development tools and skills can elevate their career to new heights.
This comprehensive guide explores the Salesforce Developer Training program tailored specifically for Admin aspirants. Whether you’re looking to boost your credentials, prepare for Salesforce Admin certification, or gain hands-on knowledge in Apex and Visualforce, this content will help you understand how this training fits into your career plan.
Why Choose Salesforce Developer Training as an Admin?
Salesforce Admins traditionally focus on system configuration, workflow automation, data management, and user support. However, employers are increasingly seeking Admins with a foundational grasp of development concepts. Here’s why:
- Broadened Skill Set: Gain insights into Apex code, SOQL queries, and custom UI elements with Visualforce.
- Problem Solving: Address complex automation or UI needs that go beyond declarative tools.
- Career Growth: Transition easily into hybrid Admin-Developer roles or specialized technical positions.
- Certification Advantage: Understanding development enhances your chances of passing both Admin and Developer certifications.
What is Salesforce Developer Training?
Salesforce Developer Training is a structured learning program that imparts in-depth knowledge of Salesforce’s development features. This includes programmatic tools like Apex (a Java-like programming language), Visualforce (UI markup language), Lightning components, custom metadata types, triggers, and integration techniques.
While the course caters to aspiring developers, it’s increasingly relevant for Admins who want to take their functional expertise to the next level.
Who Should Enroll?
- Salesforce Admins preparing for advanced roles
- IT professionals switching to CRM
- Technical analysts supporting Salesforce implementations
- Business consultants aiming to improve process automation
Key Learning Objectives
Online IT Guru Salesforce Developer Training equips you with the technical expertise needed to customize Salesforce applications beyond what is possible through point-and-click tools.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand Salesforce platform architecture and API integration
- Write efficient Apex triggers and classes
- Build dynamic UIs with Visualforce and Lightning Components
- Customize workflows using programmatic approaches
- Use SOQL and SOSL for querying records
- Debug and deploy changes using Salesforce DX
Course Modules Breakdown
The Salesforce Developer Training course is structured into ten in-depth modules. These modules take learners from foundational concepts to advanced Salesforce development practices, ensuring a solid grasp of both theory and hands-on development techniques.
Module 1: Salesforce Platform Fundamentals
This foundational module introduces learners to the Salesforce platform’s underlying architecture and structure.
Multi-Tenant Architecture
Salesforce is built on a multi-tenant architecture, which means multiple customers share the same computing resources in a secure and isolated way. Each customer's data is logically separated, even though it resides on the same hardware. Understanding this concept is crucial, as it affects how customizations, upgrades, and data management are handled across different orgs.
Editions Overview
Salesforce offers several editions, such as Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited. Each edition comes with varying levels of features, limitations, and pricing. Developers must be aware of edition differences, especially when planning or deploying solutions that might rely on specific functionalities available only in certain editions.
Understanding Salesforce Metadata
Metadata in Salesforce includes configuration elements such as objects, fields, workflows, and Apex classes. It defines the structure of data and behavior of the system. Developers interact with metadata through tools like the Metadata API, enabling customization and deployment. Understanding metadata is foundational to automating development and deployment tasks.
Module 2: Data Modeling and Management
Data modeling is central to application development in Salesforce. This module dives into the building blocks of the Salesforce database structure.
Standard vs Custom Objects
Salesforce provides out-of-the-box objects such as Account, Contact, Opportunity, and Case. However, developers often need to create custom objects to support business-specific data and workflows. Knowing when and how to use standard versus custom objects is key to efficient system design.
Fields and Relationships (Lookup, Master-Detail)
Objects have fields of various data types, such as text, number, checkbox, or picklist. Relationships define how objects relate to one another:
- Lookup Relationships are loosely coupled and optional.
- Master-Detail Relationships are tightly coupled and enforce referential integrity and cascading behavior (like record deletion or roll-up summary fields).
Schema Builder
This graphical tool allows developers to create and view objects, fields, and relationships visually. It helps in planning data models efficiently and understanding existing architecture at a glance.
Validation Rules
Validation rules ensure data integrity by preventing incorrect data entry. These are logical expressions that return true or false, triggering an error message when conditions are not met.
Module 3: Apex Programming Basics
Apex is Salesforce’s proprietary, strongly typed, object-oriented programming language. This module introduces the syntax and foundational constructs.
Syntax and Data Types
Apex has a syntax similar to Java and supports primitive data types like Integer, Boolean, String, and Date. It also supports collections like List, Set, and Map.
Control Structures and Exception Handling
Apex includes standard programming control structures—if-else, loops (for, while), and switch statements. Exception handling is managed through try-catch blocks, ensuring graceful error management and system stability.
Object-Oriented Principles in Apex
Developers learn about classes, objects, inheritance, and encapsulation. Applying these principles helps write reusable, modular, and maintainable code, which is critical in enterprise applications.
Module 4: Triggers and Classes
This module explores the reactive programming model in Salesforce, where triggers respond to DML operations on records.
Before and After Triggers
- Before triggers allow validation or manipulation before records are committed to the database.
- After triggers are used when operations like sending emails or updating related records are needed post-save.
Trigger Context Variables
Salesforce provides context variables like Trigger.new, Trigger.old, Trigger.isInsert, and Trigger.isUpdate to understand the operation being performed and access affected records.
Apex Classes and Methods
Classes group logic and data together. Methods define actions or computations. Classes can be reusable across triggers, Visualforce pages, or Lightning components.
Best Practices for Scalable Code
This includes keeping triggers logic-free, using one trigger per object, bulkifying operations to avoid governor limits, and writing modular classes.
Module 5: SOQL and SOSL
Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL) and Salesforce Object Search Language (SOSL) are used to retrieve data from Salesforce.
Writing Queries in Apex
SOQL is used for structured queries similar to SQL. For example:
apex
CopyEdit
SELECT Name, Email FROM Contact WHERE AccountId = :accId
Dynamic vs Static Queries
- Static queries are predefined and hardcoded in Apex.
- Dynamic queries are constructed at runtime, useful in flexible, user-driven applications.
Query Performance Tuning
Performance can be improved by selective filters, indexing fields, and minimizing data retrieval using LIMIT and WHERE clauses to reduce CPU and heap usage.
Module 6: Visualforce and UI Customization
Visualforce is a markup language for building custom interfaces in Salesforce.
Creating Visualforce Pages
Developers can define custom user interfaces using tags that render components like tables, forms, and charts. These pages can be linked to controllers that define their behavior.
Standard vs Custom Controllers
- Standard controllers allow interaction with standard Salesforce objects.
- Custom controllers are Apex classes used to provide more control over logic and data handling.
UI Component Library
Visualforce includes a wide array of components like
Passing Parameters Between Pages
Developers can pass values between pages using URL parameters, hidden fields, or view state, enabling seamless data navigation in multi-page workflows.
Module 7: Lightning Web Components (LWC)
LWCs are the modern standard for building responsive UI on the Salesforce platform.
LWC vs Aura Components
LWC is based on modern JavaScript and Web Components standards. It offers better performance and a more modular architecture than the older Aura framework.
Component Lifecycle
Understanding lifecycle hooks like connectedCallback(), renderedCallback(), and disconnectedCallback() is crucial to manage initialization, rendering, and cleanup tasks.
Event Handling and Data Binding
LWCs support event bubbling and custom events to communicate between components. Data binding ensures synchronization between the UI and the underlying model.
Module 8: Testing and Debugging
Salesforce mandates unit testing for all Apex code. This module covers strategies for creating robust test coverage and troubleshooting.
Writing Test Classes
Developers write test classes to simulate user actions and validate logic. This includes setting up test data using @testSetup methods and asserting expected outcomes.
Code Coverage Best Practices
Apex code must have at least 75% test coverage for deployment to production. However, focus should be on meaningful coverage, testing positive and negative scenarios.
Debug Logs and Checkpoints
Debug logs provide insights into execution steps, SOQL queries, DML statements, and exceptions. Checkpoints are set to inspect variables at runtime in the Developer Console.
Module 9: Deployment and DevOps
Moving changes from sandbox to production is a critical part of Salesforce development.
Change Sets vs Metadata API
- Change sets offer a point-and-click method for deployment between connected orgs.
- Metadata API is used with tools like Ant, SFDX, or CI/CD platforms to deploy between unconnected orgs.
Salesforce DX
Salesforce DX (Developer Experience) is a modern development toolset supporting version control, scratch orgs, CLI tooling, and modular development.
Version Control Integration
Integrating tools like Git allows teams to collaborate, manage versions, and track changes across development environments systematically.
Module 10: Integration Techniques
Salesforce often needs to communicate with external systems. This module covers integration methodologies.
REST and SOAP APIs
- REST API is lightweight and used for modern web-based applications.
- SOAP API is more rigid and XML-based, suitable for enterprise integrations.
Named Credentials
Named credentials store endpoint URLs and authentication settings securely, simplifying callouts to external systems.
External Objects and Salesforce Connect
Salesforce Connect allows real-time data access to external systems without storing it in Salesforce. External objects map external data sources, which can be queried like standard Salesforce objects.
Hands-On Projects
To bridge the gap between theory and practice, you will work on real-world projects such as:
- Project 1: Custom CRM App Development with Apex and Visualforce
- Project 2: Workflow Automation for Lead Management
- Project 3: Integration with External Payment Gateway
Each project includes requirements gathering, solution design, implementation, and deployment simulation.
Why Choose Online IT Guru for Salesforce Developer Training?
Expert Mentorship
Get trained by certified Salesforce developers with real-world experience in large-scale CRM projects.
Flexible Learning Options
Choose between self-paced video learning or live instructor-led sessions based on your availability.
Lifetime LMS Access
Revisit course material, assignments, and recorded sessions any time from any device.
Certification Readiness
Our curriculum is aligned with the Salesforce Platform Developer I certification exam.
Placement Assistance
We offer job support and resume-building guidance. Our learners are placed in MNCs across the globe.
Certification Guidance
After completing the course, you'll be ready for:
- Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I
- Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder
You will receive:
- Completion certificate
- Mock exams and quizzes
- Access to certification guides
Career Outcomes
With Salesforce Developer Training , Admin professionals can unlock roles such as:
- Salesforce Technical Admin
- Salesforce Developer
- App Builder
- CRM Solution Consultant
- Integration Specialist
Average salaries (India-based):
- Entry-level Admin: INR 5-7 LPA
- Developer/Admin Hybrid: INR 8-12 LPA
- Salesforce Developer: INR 12-18 LPA
Salesforce Developer vs Salesforce Admin
Feature
Salesforce Admin
Salesforce Developer
Tools Used
Workflow Rules, Process Builder
Apex, Visualforce, LWC
Focus Area
Configuration, Setup
Custom Coding, API Integration
Suitable for
Non-technical professionals
Developers, technical users
Certification Path
Admin > Advanced Admin
Developer I > Developer II
Job Market
Growing
Highly Competitive
Learning Resources
Included Materials:
- Assignments and quizzes
- PDF downloads and eBooks
- Salesforce Playground for practice
Additional Resources:
- Trailhead modules
- Salesforce Developer Documentation
- Stack Exchange and community forums
Whether you're starting out in Salesforce Admin or looking to upgrade your career with development skills, Salesforce Developer Training is a strategic move. With expert-led content, hands-on practice, and career support, Online IT Guru equips you to become a certified and skilled Salesforce professional ready to thrive in the global tech industry.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the difference between a Salesforce Admin and Developer?
Admins configure the system; developers write code to extend functionality.
2. Is this training suitable for complete beginners?
Yes, even Admins with no coding background can start with this course.
3. What prerequisites are needed?
Basic understanding of Salesforce and business processes is recommended.
4. Is there job placement assistance?
Yes. We offer resume review, mock interviews, and job referrals.
5. Will this course prepare me for certification?
Absolutely. It is mapped to the Salesforce Platform Developer I syllabus.
6. How long is the course duration?
The full training spans 25+ hours with projects and assignments.
7. Can I access content after course completion?
Yes, with lifetime LMS access you can revisit content anytime.
8. What kind of projects are included?
You will build real CRM applications and integrations using Apex and Visualforce.
9. What is the exam format for Salesforce Developer Certification?
The exam includes 60 multiple-choice questions with a time limit of 105 minutes.
10. Is live training available?
Yes. Both live and self-paced options are offered with expert instructors.