Architects

There are two important aspects of testing. Test the new features and functionalities that you are introducing and test the existing features and functionalities to ensure that nothing has broken. Problems and bugs encountered in a live system can quickly shake and erode stakeholder’s confidence resulting in poor adoption and even abandonment. 

This is where you can benefit from a testing automation tool. Testing automation tools will help you increase the quality of your Salesforce system by detecting issues earlier in the project lifecycle. With a testing tool, you will be able to automatically run a series of tests QA and/or UAT sandbox and ensure that everything works fine and as intended. 

Here are a few testing automation tools that you can consider. Some of these are generic tools that can be used across the different technologies and some have specific features and functionalities for Salesforce 

1. Selenium

• Open-source testing automation tool
• Used by Salesforce itself
• Free

2. AccelQ

• Supports manual, automated & API testing
• Listed on AppExchange
• Video (2:21 mins) – accelQ Salesforce Universe – Automate 3x faster
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plans start from US$ 30/user/month

3. Provar

• Testing automation tool built specifically for Salesforce
• Point-and-click test creation
• Integrates with CI/CD solutions and release management tools
• Video (2:02 mins) – Why Provar?
• Pricing not mentioned on the website. Please contact the company directly for pricing

4. Worksoft

• Validate End to End Salesforce Business Processes
• Schedule and Run Unattended Remote Testing
• Pricing not mentioned on the website. Please contact the company directly for pricing

5. Tricentis

• Replace 100s of hours of test case maintenance with a 90 second Salesforce Scan
• Run tests seamlessly across both Salesforce Classic and Lightning
• Free trials available
• Pricing not mentioned on the website. Please contact the company directly for pricing

6. Testcraft

• Drag and drop elements to intuitively create test flows
• Reuse existing elements to quickly create new flows
• Run your tests on a programmed schedule to help you manage repetitive test actions
• Free trials available
• Pricing not mentioned on the website. Please contact the company directly for pricing

7. Smartbear

• Offers a suite of different testing products. For Example
  • SoapUI for API (Integration) Functional & Security Testing
  • LoadUI for API Performance Testing
  • TestComplete for Automated UI Functional Testing and
  • Others
• Free trials available
• Different products have different pricing. Please navigate to the company’s website for more details on pricing

Don’t see the tool of your choice listed here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.

Salesforce economy is growing like never before. It’s going to create 4.2 million jobs by 2024. If you have not started yet, then this is the best time to learn Salesforce and kick-start your journey to Salesforce. There are many Salesforce Training Websites available on the internet. Some are totally free and others are paid.  

Here is the list of some of the most popular Salesforce Training Websites that you can choose to learn Salesforce skills.

(Salesforce Training Websites, that I personally use or have used and recommended are marked with a heart)

1. Trailhead (♥)

• Salesforce’s official, self-paced, online training 
• The fun way to learn Salesforce
• Learn In-Demand Skills, earn Resume-Worthy Credentials, join the Trailblazer Community for mentorship along the way, and help to find jobs.
• Trails – Guided learning paths around a particular topic
• Trailmixes – Create and/ or follow a custom learning playlist
• Superbadges – Prove your skills with real-world business challenges
• Filter content by role, your level, Salesforce products, tags, etc.
• Free 

2. Salesforce Certification Days (♥)

• A program offered by Salesforce geared towards learners who are interested in certifying with Salesforce
• Get prepared for a Salesforce certification exam by attending the certification preparation webinars (Not recorded)
• After attending, you get a coupon code for extra savings which you can use during your exam registration
• Offers webinars on certifications such as Administrator, Advanced Administrator, Platform App Builder, Platform Developer I, Marketing Cloud Email Specialist, Sales, and Service Cloud Consultant 
• Has new schedules across different time zones every month and conducted in English, Spanish and Portuguese
• Free

3. Trailhead Academy

• Salesforce expert-led training courses
• Delivers in-person and virtual learning experiences around the world
• Offers courses for beginners and experts across various Salesforce products 
• Paid

4. Focus On Force

• Founded by Martin Gessner, 12x Salesforce Certified
• Helps you develop your career with Salesforce Training and Certification Preparation
• Offers realistic, up-to-date Practice Exams and Study guides
• Content updated as per Salesforce standard after every release
• Paid courses with 1-year access to the course

5. Mike Wheeler Media

• Provides Salesforce Certification Training and Cloud Career Coaching services worldwide
• Offers video-based training material for Salesforce user and certification courses, 
• Live Salesforce Administrator Certification course with replays available for rental
• Paid membership for US$ 27.99/month or US$ 149/year (Free 7 days trial) with access to all courses 
• Mike Wheeler’s courses available on Udemy at discounted prices

6. SFDC 99

• Most popular website and blog for Salesforce Development training
• Started by David Liu, 20x Certified Salesforce MVP and Technical Architect at Google 
• Apex programming language tutorials for point-and-click admins
• Beginner tutorials on Apex, Certifications, etc, 
• Offers 15-week Salesforce Developer Curriculum to prepare for Platform Developer I Certification
• Apex Academy – Video Courses to learn Salesforce Development hosted on Pluralsight (Paid)

7. Udemy

• Online learning platform aimed at professional adults and students
• It has over 100000 courses across different technologies and streams such as IT & Software, Business, Development, etc.
• Offers more than 600 courses across Salesforce Administration and Development
• Free and paid

8. Pluralsight

• Publicly held an online education company that offers a variety of video training courses
• Over 7000+ video-based courses aimed at software developers, IT administrators, and creative professionals
• Offers Salesforce paths containing various courses 
• Paid membership starts at US$ 19/month (Free 10 days trial)

9. Simplilearn

• Salesforce Certification – Administrator & App Builder Course
• Offers Hands-on practice on the latest Lightning Experience
• Learn how to manage and develop apps in Salesforce
• Enables you to pass two Salesforce certification exams and transform your career
• Paid

10. Edureka

• Provides world-class quality education to working professionals globally, through Instructor-led live online courses.
• Offers 4 courses on Salesforce
• Courses aimed at Administrator and Developer roles
• Paid

Don’t see the website of your choice listed here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.

Use professional collaboration tools to interact with your colleagues, customers, and partners. There are enterprise collaboration tools for internal communication. Use instant messaging tools when you need an answer quickly or use the traditional email channel. Professional collaboration tools help you keep the work-related conversations in one place and easy to trace in the future.

Here is the menu of best and most popular collaboration tools that you can choose from. We have categorized them as per the following:

(Tools, that I personally use or have used and recommended are marked with a heart)

Enterprise Collaboration Tools

1. Salesforce Chatter (♥ of course)

• Enterprise Social Network from Salesforce
• Connect, collaborate, share files, data, and expertise, all in real-time
• Help drive productivity, increase efficiency, and innovation across departments
• 5000 Chatter Free licenses available in every org
• Paid licenses such as Chatter External and Chatter Only (Chatter Plus) available. Contact your Salesforce Account executive for pricing

2. Workplace by Facebook

• Enterprise connectivity platform developed by Facebook
• Features tools like groups, instant messaging, video calls, live video broadcasting, and News Feed
• Manage employee access through G Suite and Azure, Get email less workers on board with Access Codes
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plans start from US$ 4/person/month (Free 30 days trial) 

Email & Calendar

1. GSuite (♥)

• Includes Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Meet, Chat and other tools from Google
• Get a professional email address with your own domain (e.g. ashish@asagarwal.com)
• Access Gmail on the web and using third-party programs that synchronize email content through POP or IMAP protocols
• Starts from US$ 6/user/month
• Included as a part of GSuite

2. Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365)

• Connect and stay organized with your email, calendar, and contacts
• Get a professional email address with your own domain (e.g. ashish@asagarwal.com)
• Includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and other productivity apps
• Keep all in one place
• Share files, form groups, share questions and answers, do polls and more
• Paid plan starts from US$ 6.99/user/month

Instant Messaging

1. Google Hangouts (♥)

• Communication software developed by Google
• Keep in touch with one person or a group
• Available on mobile or on desktop
• Free

2. Google Chat (♥)

• An intelligent and secure communications tool by Google
• Send direct messages to individuals or to a team in chat rooms
• Chat Rooms are used for ongoing, long-term chats
• Group conversations around a topic using rooms
• Included as a part of GSuite

3. Slack 

• Business communication platform developed by Slack Technologies
• Brings the team together regardless of location
• Have all communication and tools in one place to stay productive
• Conversations in Slack happen in dedicated spaces called channels
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plan starts from US$ 2.67/active user/month (Trial available on request)

4. Microsoft Teams

• Chat, Meet, Call, Collaborate from anywhere
• Microsoft Teams replaces Skype for Business Online
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plan starts from US$ 5/user/month 

Don’t see the tool of your choice listed here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.

Use Screen Capture and Recording Tools when you have a requirement to take screenshots, perform basic image editing, screen recording. You can make use of these tools when preparing user manuals, sales & marketing presentations, training videos, tutorials, or when logging a case with Salesforce support.

(Tools, that I personally use or have used and recommended are marked with a heart)

1. SnagIt (♥)

• Screenshot program that captures video display and audio output
• Available for both, Windows and Mac
• Create form templates, video from images, all-in-one capture, scrolling screen capture, extract text from the screen
• Paid plans start from US$ 49.95/license one time fee install on 2 machines (Free 15 days trial) 

2. TechSmith Capture (Formerly Jing)

• Create basic screenshots and screen recordings
• Available for both, Windows and Mac
• Free

3. Camtasia (♥)

• All-in-one screen recorder and video editor
• Record your screen, add video effects, transitions and more
• Has video templates, record screen, and webcam, effects, music, and audio, etc.
• Has a free plan with limited features
• Paid plans start from US$ 249/license one time fee install on 2 machines (Free 30 days trial) 

4. OBS Studio

• Open-source cross-platform streaming and recording program
• Allows plug-ins and scripts for customization
• High-performance video and audio capture and mixing
• Free

5. Apowersoft

• Online screen recorder
• Capture any screen activity with audio in one click, insert webcam while recording, edit screencast in real-time, make annotation while recording
• Offers multiple video output formats 
• Save and share your recording to the web immediately
• Free

6. Screencast-o-Matic

• Record screen, edit, and share videos
• Has separate Screen recording and Video Editor products
• Screen Recorder is free and easy to use
• Video Editor paid plans start from US$ 1.65/license/month

Don’t see the tool of your choice listed here? Please feel free to mention it in the comments below for other readers’ benefit.

Want to see a list of more of such useful resources & tools under different categories? Please do take a look at the resources page.