One of my pet peeves in working with a Sandbox (developer/developer pro) is that there is no data when it is created or refreshed. While you are itching to enhance the application or resolve a bug, the hassle of populating it with relevant information can be annoying.
We often resort to creating data with generic names like “Test Lead” or “Dummy Contact” that don’t truly reflect the real-world scenarios. But fear not! In this step-by-step guide, we’ll unveil the magic of generating and loading realistic fake data using AI, transforming your Salesforce sandbox experience.
Why It Matters?
Using generic data with names like “Test” or “Dummy” falls short in providing a comprehensive testing/training ground. Such data lacks the richness and complexity needed to simulate real-world scenarios, undermining the effectiveness of the testing and training processes.
The Solution – Create Realistic Fake Data
Enter the era of creating realistic fake data using Generative AI! By leveraging AI, we can now create data that closely mirrors real-world scenarios, tailored to our business needs. In this guide, we’ll explore this concept with specific instructions for various Salesforce objects, ensuring a diverse and business-relevant dataset.
Begin with the End in Mind
Imagine your sandbox as a quiet meadow, undisturbed and waiting for activity – a stark contrast to the emptiness before we load realistic fake data.
Everytime a Sandbox is created or refreshed, there is no data in any standard/custom objects in the Org. All you see is silence, crickets!
By the end of this guide, you will know how to generate realistic fake data that is relevant to your business and load it in sandboxes for effective testing & training. We will be loading data in Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Cases, Tasks & Events. We will also learn how to generate fake data for custom objects in the Org.
What We’ll Cover:
This guide will empower you to generate realistic fake data for Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Cases, Tasks, Events, and even custom objects. It provides a comprehensive approach using generative AI, specifically ChatGPT.
- We will start by setting the chat context. We will let ChatGPT know about the nature of our business so that all the data generated is as per our business. We will also provide common instrutions that ChatGPT should keep in mind for generatring the response.
- Leads: We will generate realistic names, emails, and phone numbers for potential leads along with varied lead statuses to simulate different stages of engagement.
- Accounts: Unique names starting with different English alphabets. We will also make sure that the state and country values are generated as per Salesforce standard state/country picklist values.
- Contacts: Diversified first and last names to represent various races. We will also see how to link contacts to accounts generated previously.
- Opportunities: Varied amounts, close dates, and stages with an Apex code (generated by AI) to link opportunities to accounts in a round-robin manner.
- Cases: Relevant subjects and descriptions based on the nature of the business. We will also associate cases with contacts & accounts generated previously.
- Tasks: Diverse subjects, priorities, and due dates, linked to contacts for context.
- Events: Relevant event records, linked to opportunities.
- Custom Object: Demonstrating how to generate realistic fake records for a custom object.
Once the data is generated, we will learn how to upload it to the Sandbox using dataloader.io. And we will see how to link records with each other (e.g. link cases to contacts & accounts, events to opportunities etc.) during & after the load.
Once you’ve generated the fake data, the beauty lies in its reusability. Every time you create or refresh a sandbox, you can effortlessly reload this data, ensuring a standardized and reliable testing experience.
NOTE: Certain sections of the guide will appear as locked in the free preview. You can download the unlocked version of the guide in PDF format by subscribing to our “All Access” Pass through the link below.
Downloadable Resources Include:
1. Step by Step Guide: – You will be able to download the step-by-step guide shown above in PDF format.
2. AI Prompts Template: A Microsoft Word .DOCX document containing all prompts used in this guide, editable to match your business requirements.
3. Spreadsheet: A Microsoft Excel .XLSX file with fake data for Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, Cases, Tasks, Events, and Jobs (custom object). Save time and effortlessly load these records into your sandbox in under 15 minutes.
This comprehensive guide equips you with the tools and knowledge to transform your Salesforce sandbox experience, making testing and training more efficient and realistic.
