How to Prepare For and PASS App Builder Exam

I have to admit I had some problems identifying the complexity of this exam. As you know, DEV-401 is not accessible anymore. To be honest, I have advised some of my colleagues to focus on the declarative features of the platform. I thought it was almost the same as the mentioned DEV-401. It has turned out that I was totally wrong! In my opinion, App Builder is the new DEV-401. The Advanced Developer certificate (DEV-501) was split into two new exams: Platform Developer I and II. To sum up:

• App Builder – focuses on the declarative features of the platform. No Apex or Visualforce! It focuses on Salesforce1, Lightning Introduction, Social features, Application Lifecycle Management.
• Platform Developer I – focuses on coding skills, programmatic aspects of the platform. You should have Apex and Visualforce experience. You should know what tools/features of the platform are used  in a given scenario.
• Platform Developer II – appears to be similiar to PD I, just one level higher. You should possess advanced coding skills. What is more, you shall be acquainted with integration aspects (SOAP, REST). The exam is multi-step. Apart from a multiple-choice part it also includes an assignment and an essay.

 

When you check the full outline of the exam you are able to realise that there are 9 (!) different areas that you have to master. As always, you have to be smart when preparing. I would advise splitting your studying process into two parts. Firstly, concentrate on heavy-weight – all sections that are 10% or more:

• Data Modeling and Management – 20%
• Security – 10%
• Business Logic and Process Automation – 27%
• User Interface – 14%

Altogether it sums up to 71%! If you manage to provide the correct answer to every question from these sections you are sure to pass. Remember , you need ‘only’ 63%. Once you are done with that material you can go through the remaining parts:

• Salesforce Fundamentals – 8%
• Social – 3%
• Reporting – 5%
• Mobile – 5%
• App Deployment – 8%

These are just 29% so you can leave that for later.

Now let’s go through these bigger chunks one by one.

Data Modeling and Management

 

 

• There are various question combinations about the same topic: Master-detail vs lookup relation. Trailhead has some nice module about data modelling.

 

 

• Identify the considerations when changing a field’s type – again, e.g. what happens when you change a master-detail field to lookup:

If you are converting a master-detail relationship to a lookup for a custom object on the “detail” side, the organization-wide default for the object is automatically updated to Public Read/Write. Similarly, converting a lookup to a master-detail-relationship changes the organization-wide default to Controlled by Parent

• Schema Builder
• Importing/exporting data – matching by external IDs is available for any object
• External objects – A tool to make data outside of Salesforce visible within Platform. If you are interested in the topic check this YT video.

Questions:

 

The Salesforce Administrator is building an application and needs to create a master detail relationship between the standard object Account and a custom object. What is true regarding the relationship?
Choose 2 answers.

A. The custom object can be on the master or detail side of the relationship
B. The standard object can be on the master or detail side of the relationship
C. The standard object is always the master
D. The object on the detail side will inherit the security and sharing settings of the master object

 

What is true regarding sharing settings when changing relationship field types?

A. The sharing settings will not change
B. The sharing settings will change automatically
C. The user is prompted to set the sharing settings
D. None of the above

 

What is not true regarding using an external ID field for matching in the Data Import Wizard?
Choose 1 answer.

A. Workflow Rules will run
B. Triggers will fire
C. Validation Rules will fire
D. All of the Above

 

Global Travels has a list of leads that needs to be imported. They follow a very strict data quality policy, and therefore do not want any duplicate leads to be created in the system as part of the import. What would you, as a Salesforce developer, recommend to Global Travels?

A. Use Data Loader
B. Use Data Loader CLI
C. Use Data Import Wizard
D. Use Data Import CLI

Note: Data Import Wizard can check for duplicates while importing. Data Loader does not have such capabilities.

 

What is true regarding a lookup relationship?
Choose 2 answers.

A. The objects in the relationship can have different owners
B. A lookup relationship is used when two objects need to be linked tightly
C. Both objects in the lookup relationship can have independent sharing rules
D. Lookup fields are always optional

Note: Please note that lookup fields can be set as optional or required in the setup.

 

You are explaining to another developer not familiar with force.com how an external ID field can be used to work with data coming from another system. What features would you mention?
Choose 3 answers.

A. An external ID is indexed and increases query performance
B. An external ID can be either text, number or email data types
C. External IDs are not case sensitive
D. An external ID is used to represent an identifier for a record from an external system

Note: They can be case sensitive if proper option is selected:

 

What is true regarding encrypted fields in Salesforce?
Choose 2 answers.

A. Encrypted fields will always be masked in email templates regardless of the user permissions
B. Only users with the permission “View Encrypted Data” can see data in encrypted fields.
C. Only text, number and picklist data type fields can be encrypted
D. An existing custom text field can be converted to an encrypted field

Note: Existing text fields cannot be converted to the encrypted ones.

 

It is not possible to change the data type for which of the following field types?
Choose 2 answers.

A. Formula
B. Auto Number
C. Rich Text Area
D. Encrypted
E. Text

 

2. Business Logic and Process Automation

 

 

• Describe the capabilities of and use cases for record types – there’s very helpful cheat sheet from Salesforce.
  • You can use record types to offer different business processes, picklist values, and page layouts to different users based on their profiles.
• Describe the capabilities of and use cases for formula fields – Go and revise Trailhead material.

Check every type of possible formula. Worth mentioning that Text formula type can also display image (function IMAGE).

• Describe the capabilities of, use cases for, and implications of roll-up summary fields.
  • They can only be used in master-detail context
• Describe the capabilities of and use cases for validation rules.
  • Validation rules verify that data entered by users in records meet the standards you specify before they can save it
  • Validation rule can contain a formula or expression that evaluates the data in one or more fields and returns a value of “True” or “False”.
  • Validation rules can also include error messages to display to users when they enter invalid values based on specified criteria
  • Using these rules effectively contributes to quality data
  • More: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/point_click_business_logic/validation_rules
• Describe the capabilities of and use cases for approval processes
• Describe the capabilities of and use cases for workflow, visual workflow, and Process Builder

Basically:

• Visual Workflow  – enables you to create flows, which are triggered by users rather than events. These are more like screens that display and collect information from the user running the flow.
• Workflow – executes rules and actions behind the scenes. These can be, for example, sending email alert or field update.
• Process Builder– it is an enhanced version of Workflows and I think one day they will replace workflows completely. You can build quite sophisticated logic here without the need to create multiple workflow rules. Such solution is also much more maintainable than writing the APEX code.

 

Questions:

 

If a workflow email alert should be sent when an opportunity probability is updated to be greater than 75%, what should the evaluation criteria be?

A. When a record is created
B. When a record is created and every time it’s edited
C. When the Opportunity Probability is greater than 75%
D. When a record is created and any time it’s edited to subsequently meet criteria

 

John notices that he can edit the “Ohio Hospitals Opportunity” record, though it is submitted for approval. What could be the possible reasons for this?
Choose 2 answers.

A. John is a System Administrator
B. John is the owner of the Opportunity
C. John is the current Approver
D. John submitted the Approval request

Note: When a record is in the approval process, it is always locked; only an administrator can edit it. However, you can also allow the currently-assigned approver to edit the record.

 

In order to use the “Fast Create” data operator in a visual workflow, you need to at least have one ___________ defined

A. User Interface Screen
B. sObject Variable
C. Record ID
D. Wait Action
E. Quick Action

 

After defining the process properties (name, API name, etc.), which is the immediate first piece of information that needs to be defined while defining a process using the process builder?

A. Choose Object and Specify When to Start the Process
B. Choose Object and Specify Fields to be Updated
C. Choose Execution Order
D. Choose Output Type for the Process Flow

 

Global Insurance is using a custom app to record insurance policy applications. For travel insurance applications, the country and duration of stay is required. For life insurance applications, these fields must not be visible. Which feature would you use to meet this requirement?

A. Field Level Security
B. Permission Sets
C. Record Types and Page Layouts
D. Page Layouts

 

How can an approval request be triggered?
Choose 3 answers.

A. User clicks a button or link
B. Apex
C. Process or flow starts that includes a “Submit for Approval” action
D. Workflow Rule

 

Roll up summary fields are possible in the all of the following combinations, except

A. On Account, using Contact fields
B. On Account, using Opportunity fields
C. On Campaign, using Campaign Member fields
D. On Opportunity, using Opportunity Product fields

 

Note: Accounts and Contacts are not in the master-detail relationship, therefore roll up summary fields cannot be used.

 

3. User Interface

 

 

• Describe the user interface customization options.
  • Page Layouts in Lightning Experience
  • Compact Layouts in Lightning Experience
  • Actions in Lightning Experience
  • Home Page Layout
• Describe the capabilities of and use cases for custom buttons, links, and actions.
• Describe the declarative options available for incorporating Lightning Components in an application.

 

Questions:

 

A user wants to use inline editing from a list view to quickly edit records. What setting must be enabled?

A. Enable inline editing
B. Enable enhanced lists
C. API access
D. Both A and B

 

Note: Go to Setup->Customize->User Interface

 

Mark has created a new list view to display customers with a VIP status. What is true regarding this list view?
Choose 3 answers.

A. Mark can decide if this view should be available to all users or just himself
B. Mark can decide which fields to include in the list view
C. Only Administrators can delete custom views
D. Depending on field level security, other users may not see all fields included in the list view

 

Global Insurance has recently switched to Lightning Experience and is planning to introduce the Sales Path functionality in the near future. What can be done to ensure that it does not display on the opportunity record page until Sales Representatives have been trained in how it works?
Choose 2 answers.

A. Modify the existing opportunity record page and remove the Sales Path component
B. Modify the properties of the Sales Path component on the opportunity record page and set to hidden
C. Create a new opportunity record page in the Lightning App Builder and activate it
D. Record pages cannot be modified in Lightning Experience

Note: Lightning App Builder can be used to change record pages. Sales Path is a standard component that can be deleted from page anytime.

 

Which of the following are configurable through a Salesforce object detail page layout?
Choose 2 answers.

A. Field Layouts
B. List Views
C. Related List Layouts
D. Side bar Layout

 

If a standard lightning component is not available to meet business requirements, what should be the first action?

A. Look on the AppExchange for a custom managed component
B. Develop a custom component
C. Modify an existing component
D. None of the above

 

Salesforce lets you define actions for all of the following functions, except

A. Create a record
B. Log a Call
C. Invoke Apex Class
D. Update a Record
E. Invoke Visualforce page

 

4. Security

 

 

• Describe the features and capabilities available to restrict and extend object, record, and field access.
  • Permission Sets – A permission set is a collection of settings and permissions that give users access to various tools and functions. The settings and permissions in permission sets are also found in profiles, but permission sets extend users’ functional access without changing their profiles. 
  • Profiles – profiles are typically defined by a user’s job function (for example, system administrator or sales representative). A profile can be assigned to many users, but a user can be assigned to only one profile. You can use permission sets to grant additional permissions and access settings to users.
  • Record-Level Security (Sharing) –  I do not want to paste everything here, just visit this webpage and check every tier of the pyramid.

 

Questions:

 

How would you ensure that records of a particular object are visible only to the user, and users higher in the role hierarchy?
Choose 2 answers.

A. Set Org Wide Sharing Default for the object as Private
B. Set Org Wide Sharing Default for the object as Manager View
C. Define a Profile List
D. Define a Role Hierarchy

 

Which of the following Salesforce features allows a user to obtain delete access to a record?
Choose 2 answers.

A. Permission Set
B. Roles
C. Profiles
D. User Setup

 

Universal Containers provides read access to the Account object to all its Sales Reps, however Edit access is given to a few senior Sales reps that understand how the data needs to be updated to ensure data quality is upheld. What is the recommended way to achieve this use case?

A. Use 2 separate profiles for “Regular Sales Rep” and “Trusted Sales Rep”
B. Use 1 profile for “Sales Rep” and create an “Edit Account” Permission Set
C. Use the Role Hierarchy
D. Use programmatic sharing based on a “Trusted?” checkbox on User object

 

A Developer wants to specify the objects that users can access. With which kind of security settings can he achieve his goal?
Choose 2 answers.

A. Field-level security
B. Organization-wide sharing settings
C. Permission Sets
D. Profiles

 

Universal Systems has a “Net Worth” field on the Account object to capture total revenue worth of its customers. However only executive users should be able to view the data in this field. How would you help Universal Systems achieve this requirement?

A. Define appropriate Account Sharing Rules
B. Use VisualForce to selectively mask Net Worth data
C. Define a separate Views for executive and regular users
D. Specify Field Level Security for the Net Worth field

 

5. App Deployment

 

• Describe the key milestones and considerations when managing the application lifecycle
  • Read about different environment configurations – single development and test environment, multiple development and test environments, using central source control repository
• Describe the differences between and considerations when using the various types of sandboxes

I think key in this area is to learn by heart below table. You should have knowledge and point what kind of sandbox is suitable for which scenario.

• Describe the capabilities of and considerations when using change sets
  • Check Trailhead module for that as well as read best practices about change sets
• Describe the use cases of and considerations when using unmanaged packages

 

Questions:

 

What role does a staging environment play in a deployment plan?
Choose 2 answers.

A. A staging environment allows a test deployment to be done in an environment similar to production
B. A staging environment will usually have a full set of production data, so business processes can be tested thoroughly
C. A staging environment requires 75% test coverage, so test coverage can be confirmed
D. A staging environment will always have the exact same configuration and data as production, so it is the best environment to test a deployment

The following are true about unmanaged packages, except?

A. Unmanaged Packages can be shared using a URL
B. Unmanaged Packages can be shared via AppExchange
C. Unmanaged Packages can be created from a Developer Org
D. Unmanaged Packages can be distributed without 75% test coverage

 

Note: Every package needs at least 75% code coverage.

 

Which of the following can be performed by Change sets?

A. Adding a component
B. Updating a component
C. Renaming a component
D. Deleting a component

 

A Salesforce developer created an application which he wants to distribute as open source. What kind of package should he create?

A. Managed Package
B. Open source Package
C. Unmanaged Package
D. None of these

 

A change set can be moved between?
Choose 2 answers.

A. A Sandbox and the associated Production organization
B. Any 2 Sandboxes that belong to same Production organization
C. Any sandbox to any production organization
D. Any Developer edition organization to any Sandbox organization

 

6. Salesforce Fundamentals

 

 

• Describe the capabilities of the core CRM objects in the Salesforce schema.
  • Lead and its conversion:

 

 

• Accounts and Contacts, Opportunities. You can also find all major objects listed and described here.

 

 

• Identify common scenarios for extending an org using the AppExchange.
  • The AppExchange is a marketplace where you can find many free and paid applications that can help you with business problems. Given scenario you should know whether it is advisable to use an application from the AppExchange, build it programmatically or declaratively.

 

Questions:

 

When an account is saved, the account address should be validated using an external address service. What is the best way to accomplish this?

A. Use a validation rule to validate the address using the external service
B. Use a workflow rule to perform a validation when the address is changed
C. Use Process Builder to call the external web service to validate the address when the account object is created or edited
D. Use an APEX trigger to call the external address service and validate the address

 

Your organisation would like to rate all accounts daily based on the value of opportunities closed in the last year. The account with the highest value of opportunities closed in the last year will be rated number 1, and so on until the lowest value accounts. How could this requirement be achieved?

A. Use Process Builder and schedule an action to run each night to sort and rate all accounts
B. Use a time dependent workflow action to update the rating field
C. Use Batch Apex and schedule to run each night
D. Schedule a trigger to run on all accounts each night

Note: You can schedule Apex to be run on a daily basis and calculate score for each account

 

What is not a capability of the Lead object?
Choose 2 answers.

A. Standard or Custom fields can be mapped to fields in Account, Contact and Opportunity objects as part of lead conversion.
B. Custom objects that have been related to a lead can be copied when a lead is converted to the account, contact or opportunity
C. Leads can be grouped into queues
D. Leads can be automatically assigned to users or queues

Note: When sales reps convert qualified leads, the information from the standard lead fields appears in standard fields for contact, account, and opportunity records. If you set up custom lead fields, you specify how that custom information converts to custom fields in accounts, contacts, and opportunities. More: https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=customize_mapleads.htm

 

Universal Containers plan to start storing Orders in Salesforce. What standard features could they make use of?
Choose 3 answers.

A. Cloning existing orders with products
B. Creating an order directly from an Account
C. Creating an order directly from a Contract
D. Creating recurring orders

 

Universal Containers plans to start using Lead Management in Salesforce. What capabilities of the Lead object could they make use of?
Choose 3 answers.

A. Web to Lead
B. Email to Lead
C. Lead Conversion to Opportunity
D. Lead Conversion to Account and Contact

 

7. Mobile

• Salesforce1 Mobile Basics
  • Customizing Navigation
  • Compact Layouts
  • Quick Actions

 

Questions:

 

What is true regarding the Salesforce1 Navigation menu?
Choose 2 answers.

A. The order of the items can be selected by the administrator
B. The order of the items can be selected by the user
C. The first item in the list becomes the Salesforce1 landing page
D. The order of the objects in the recent section can be customized by the administrator

 

What is true regarding compact layouts?
Choose 2 answers.

A. If a user doesn’t have access to a field it won’t be displayed
B. Compact layouts can be assigned to different record types
C. Compact layouts support all field types
D. Compact layouts must be configured for fields to be displayed in the record header

Note: You cannot display text area, long text area, rich text area and multi select picklists in compact layouts.

 

Universal Containers want to make sure that their field agents can update shipment information when they are out of the office. What does an admin need to do ensure that Salesforce1 can be used to update shipment records from the Salesforce1 Mobile App?

A. Create Salesforce1 Mobile Page Layouts for custom objects
B. Nothing, Salesforce1 supports custom objects and page layouts
C. Create Mobile Card Layouts for the App
D. Create a corresponding mobile app and include the shipment custom object

 

8. Social

 

• Describe the capabilities of and use cases for social features.
  • Social accounts in Salesforce are the way to connect your Twitter & Facebook accounts to add a contact’s social network to their contact record. If you follow some particular person you will be able to view their up to date information and activity.

Question:

 

Salesforce can connect social profiles to all of the following objects except?

A. Leads
B. Person Accounts
C. Business Accounts
D. Users
E. Contacts

 

9. Reporting

 

• Describe the features and capabilities available when creating reports, report types, and dashboards.

 

Questions:

 

Universal Containers would like to examine their sales by region and country. Therefore they need a sub total at country level, for their Sales Data report. Considering this case, what format should the Sales Data report be?

A. Tabular
B. Summary
C. Matrix
D. Joined

 

Universal Insurance would like to highlight on a report claims that have been open for more than 30 days. What feature could be used for this?

A. Field Highlighting
B. Conditional Highlighting
C. Bucket Highlighting
D. Report Highlighting

 

Dashboards need to be refreshed to show the latest data. Which of the following statements do you have to keep in mind when scheduling dashboard refreshes?
Choose 2 answers.

A. You can schedule refreshes for dynamic dashboards
B. Dashboard won’t refresh if the month does not have the scheduled day
C. Dashboards won’t refresh as scheduled if the running user doesn’t have access to the dashboard folder
D. Dashboard refresh notifications cannot be viewed offline in email clients

 

What reporting feature can be used to create a grouping of a data field on the fly?

A. Matrix reporting
B. Report filters
C. Conditional highlighting
D. Bucketing

 

Universal Containers are doing a deep analysis on their monthly sales data, and would like the sales revenue split as products sold per country. What would be the ideal report format to address this need?

A. Tabular
B. Summary
C. Matrix
D. Joined

 

If you go through all materials listed in this blog post I’m pretty sure you will pass your App Builder exam. I would recommend you get some free developer org and play around with different tabs, objects, page layouts, field, settings etc.

Good luck and don’t forget to register for newsletter now!