Salesforce Test Validation

Salesforce Test & Validation

When to Use

• Creating test cases/data in sandbox after deploying new features
• Building a validation checklist for a feature
• Running Apex tests
• Verifying flows, quick actions, list views, and page layouts work correctly
• Preparing for production deployment sign-off

Critical Knowledge

Deployed ≠ Working

Salesforce will happily deploy metadata that doesn't actually work at runtime. You MUST validate:

• Flows fire correctly on the right triggers
• Quick actions appear and launch
• List views show the right records
• Formula fields calculate correctly
• Apex tests pass

Test Data via Anonymous Apex

Create test records quickly using sf apex run:

sf apex run --file /tmp/create-test-data.apex --target-org 

Example test data script:

// Create test cases covering different states
List testCases = new List();

testCases.add(new Case(
    Subject = 'TEST: New case needs attention',
    Status = 'New',
    Origin = 'Web'
));

testCases.add(new Case(
    Subject = 'TEST: Waiting on customer',
    Status = 'In Progress',
    Waiting_On__c = 'Customer',
    Origin = 'Web'
));

testCases.add(new Case(
    Subject = 'TEST: Solution proposed',
    Status = 'Solution Proposed',
    Waiting_On__c = 'Customer',
    Origin = 'Web'
));

testCases.add(new Case(
    Subject = 'TEST: Closed case',
    Status = 'Closed',
    Origin = 'Web'
));

insert testCases;

// Output case numbers for reference
for (Case c : [SELECT CaseNumber, Subject, Status, Waiting_On__c FROM Case WHERE Subject LIKE 'TEST:%' ORDER BY CaseNumber DESC LIMIT 10]) {
    System.debug('Created: ' + c.CaseNumber + ' | ' + c.Subject + ' | Status=' + c.Status + ' | WaitingOn=' + c.Waiting_On__c);
}

Cleanup Test Data

Always clean up after validation:

// Delete test cases
List toDelete = [SELECT Id FROM Case WHERE Subject LIKE 'TEST:%'];
delete toDelete;
System.debug('Deleted ' + toDelete.size() + ' test cases');

Recipes

Build a Validation Matrix

After deploying a feature, create a validation checklist. For each scenario:

| # | Scenario | Steps | Expected Result | Pass? | |---|----------|-------|-----------------|-------| | 1 | New case appears in Needs Attention | Create case with no WaitingOn | Shows in "Needs Attention" list view | | | 2 | Setting Waiting On removes from Needs Attention | Edit case, set WaitingOn = Customer | Disappears from "Needs Attention", appears in "Waiting On" | | | 3 | Quick action launches | Open case → click "Propose Solution" | Screen flow opens | | | 4 | Quick action updates record | Submit the flow | Status = "Solution Proposed", Waiting_On = "Customer" | | | 5 | Closed case not in active views | Close a test case | Not in "Needs Attention" or "Waiting On" | |

Validate List Views

# Query what a list view SHOULD show
sf data query --query "SELECT CaseNumber, Subject, Status, Waiting_On__c, Owner.Name FROM Case WHERE Needs_Attention__c = true AND OwnerId = '005...' ORDER BY CreatedDate DESC LIMIT 20" --target-org 

Compare query results against what appears in the UI list view.

Validate Record-Triggered Flows

1. Create a test record that should trigger the flow
2. Update the record to match trigger criteria
3. Re-query the record to verify the flow's changes took effect:

sf data query --query "SELECT Id, Status, Waiting_On__c FROM Case WHERE CaseNumber = '00048522'" --target-org 

Validate Quick Actions Exist on Page

1. Navigate to a record page in sandbox
2. Check the action bar (highlights panel)
3. Click each new action to verify it launches
4. Submit and verify record updates

Run Apex Tests

# Run specific test class
sf apex run test --class-names CaseLifecycleFlowTest --target-org  --result-format human

# Run all tests (slower)
sf apex run test --target-org  --result-format human

# Check code coverage
sf apex run test --class-names CaseLifecycleFlowTest --code-coverage --target-org 

Validate Queue Assignments

# Find queue IDs
sf data query --query "SELECT Id, Name, DeveloperName FROM Group WHERE Type = 'Queue'" --target-org 

# Check cases owned by a queue
sf data query --query "SELECT CaseNumber, Subject, Owner.Name FROM Case WHERE Owner.Type = 'Queue' AND Status != 'Closed' ORDER BY CreatedDate DESC LIMIT 10" --target-org 

Cross-Queue Escalation Test

Create test cases assigned to different queues, then verify:

1. Each queue's list view shows the right cases
2. Cases DON'T appear in individual user's "My Cases" views
3. Queue-owned cases DO appear in "Needs Attention" when unassigned

Pre-Production Checklist

Before promoting to production:

• [ ] All Apex tests pass in sandbox
• [ ] Code coverage ≥ 75%
• [ ] All flows activated (not just deployed)
• [ ] Quick actions visible on record pages
• [ ] List views return expected results
• [ ] Formula fields calculate correctly
• [ ] Test data cleaned up
• [ ] No placeholder IDs in metadata
• [ ] Validation matrix fully passed
• [ ] User acceptance sign-off

Common Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Fix | |---------|-----| | Test data has wrong Owner | Use OwnerId in Apex to assign to specific users/queues | | Flow deployed but not activated | Check Active in flow XML | | List view looks empty | Check filter criteria + your user's permissions/role | | Apex test passes but flow doesn't fire | Test class may mock DML — verify with real records in sandbox | | Formula returns wrong value | Query the field directly: SELECT Needs_Attention__c FROM Case WHERE Id = '...' |

Edge Cases to Always Test

1. Closed records — should they appear? Usually no.
2. Queue-owned records — different behavior than user-owned
3. Bulk operations — does the flow handle 200+ records?
4. Permission sets — can the target user profile actually see/edit the fields?
5. Existing data — does the feature work on records created before it was deployed?

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: jhillock1
• Source: jhillock1/salesforce-claude-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.