Salesforce Sandbox Types You Should Know

Salesforce provides four different types of sandboxes: developer, partial data, full copy, and configured. Each type of sandbox has its own purpose and benefits. Developer sandboxes are perfect for developers who want to test new code or build applications. Partial data sandboxes are ideal for testing new features or data changes. Full copy sandboxes are perfect for testing changes that affect the entire organization, such as a new release.

Introduction to Salesforce Sandboxes

A Salesforce sandbox is a copy of your Salesforce production environment. Use sandboxes to test changes in a copy of your actual production data, without affecting your live organization.

You can refresh a sandbox with data from your production org, or you can have Salesforce generate test data for you. To specify how much data to generate, set up the Data Population level when you create the sandbox. After you create and activate a sandbox, you can view and edit data in it just like in your production organization.

There are four types of sandboxes: developer, developer pro, partial copy, and full.

Developer Sandbox: 200MB storage limit
Developer Pro Sandbox: 1GB storage limit
Partial Copy Sandbox: 250MB to 20GB storage limit (available in Enterprise Edition and Unlimited Edition)
Full Sandbox: 100GB storage limit (available in Enterprise Edition and Unlimited Edition)

Types of Salesforce Sandboxes

There are four types of Salesforce sandboxes: Developer, Developer Pro, Partial Copy, and Full Copy.

Developer: The Developer sandbox is a copy of your production org. It contains your organization’s configuration, data, and customizations. You can use this type of sandbox to build and test applications.

Developer Pro: The Developer Pro sandbox is a copy of your production org. In addition to your organization’s configuration and data, it also contains a sampling of your production data. You can use this type of sandbox to build and test applications with a representative set of data.

Partial Copy: The Partial Copy sandbox is a copy of your production org that contains a subset of your data. You can choose which standard and custom objects to include in the copy, as well as how much data to include for each object. You can use this type of sandbox to test applications with a limited set of data.

Full Copy: The Full Copy sandbox is an exact replica of your production org, including all configuration, customizations, and data

Why Use Salesforce Sandboxes?

Salesforce sandboxes are isolated copies of your Salesforce production org. They let you test new features, configurations, and customizations in a safe environment that doesn’t affect your Salesforce production org or your users. When you’re ready, you can deploy your changes from the sandbox to your production org.

There are several types of sandboxes depending on the level of data and configuration you need to test. You can use a Developer Pro sandbox for development and unit testing. A Full or Partial Copy sandbox copies data and configuration from your production org so you can test with realistic data.

A Developer sandbox is perfect for kicking the tires on new features or practicing configurations without affecting live data. It comes with a pre-configured set of users, so you don’t have to worry about adding sample data. Just log in and start exploring!

A Developer Pro sandbox is just like a Developer sandbox, but with more room to add data. You can use it for development, unit testing, and integration testing with sandboxes or third-party services.

A Partial Copy sandbox includes a copy of your production org’s metadata and limited data—usually between 200 and 500 MB compressed—that you specify. When you create the Partial Copy, you choose which objects and how much data to include in the copy. This type of sandbox is perfect for testing complex business processes because it includes a representative subset of your actual production data.

How to Set Up a Salesforce Sandbox

There are four types of Salesforce sandboxes: developer, developer pro, partial copy, and full copy. You can use a sandbox to test changes to your production org before deploying them to your users. This lets you try out new features, test customizations, and run reports in a safe, isolated environment.

To set up a sandbox, you need a production org. When you’re ready to create your sandbox, log in to your production org and go to Setup. In the Quick Find box, enter Sandboxes, then select Sandboxes.

Click New Sandbox. On the Choose Sandbox Template page, select the type of sandbox that you want to create. Developer and Partial Copy sandboxes are created immediately. full copy and Developer Pro sandboxes take longer to create because they are copied from your production data.

Enter a name and description for your sandbox. Select when you want the sandbox to be created, then click Create Sandbox.

Best Practices for Using Salesforce Sandboxes

Salesforce sandboxes are copies of your production environment used for development, testing, and training purposes. There are four types of sandboxes—Developer, Developer Pro, Partial Copy, and Full. Let’s take a look at some best practices for using Salesforce sandboxes.

First, it’s important to understand the different types of sandboxes so you can choose the one that best meets your needs. developer sandboxes are limited configurations intended for individual developers.

They can be refreshed with data from production, but they cannot be refreshed with data from other sandboxes. Developer Pro sandboxes have more storage capacity than developer sandboxes and can be refreshed with data from production or other sandboxes.

Partial Copy and Full sandboxes are both configurable environments that can be used for development, testing, or training. Partial Copy sandboxes contain a subset of your production data, while Full sandboxes contain a complete copy of your production data.

Once you’ve chosen the type of sandbox that’s right for you, there are a few best practices to keep in mind when using it. First, remember that sandboxes are separate environments from production, so any changes made in a sandbox will not affect your live data. This includes adding or deleting records, as well as changes to field values and object permissions.

Second, it’s important to properly manage your sandbox data so that it doesn’t get out of sync with production. To do this, create a process for regularly refreshing your sandbox data from production (weekly or monthly is typically sufficient). Finally, make sure to provide adequate training to all users of your sandbox, so they understand how it works and how to use it effectively.

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your Salesforce sandbox is a valuable tool for development, testing, and training.

Troubleshooting Salesforce Sandboxes

If you experience difficulties with your Salesforce sandbox, here are some common issues and their solutions.

Connection Issues:

If you’re having trouble connecting to your sandbox, first check the URL. The URL for a Salesforce sandbox is different from a production org, so make sure you’re using the correct URL. If you’re still having trouble, try these troubleshooting steps:
-Clear your browser cache.
-Use a private browsing window to access your sandbox.
-Make sure cookies are enabled in your browser settings.
-Try accessing your sandbox from another computer or device.

Data Issues:
If you do not see the same data in your sandbox as you do in production, check the data export settings in your org. By default, Salesforce doesn’t copy over all data when you create a new sandbox. You can change the data export settings in Setup by going to Sandboxes > Data Export. From here, you can select which types of data to include in your next sandbox refresh.

Salesforce Sandbox FAQs

1) What is a Salesforce Sandbox?
A Salesforce Sandbox is a copy of your Production environment used for development, testing, and training in a controlled environment. Data and metadata are copied from your Production org to create a duplicate org with the same configurations. Once created, you can modify data and code in your Salesforce Sandbox without impacting your live Production data.

2) How do I get started with my Sandbox?
You can access your Sandbox by logging in to your Production environment and clicking the “Go To My Sandbox” link in the top right-hand corner. If you don’t see this link, please contact your administrator.

3) What are the different types of Salesforce Sandboxes?
Salesforce offers four different types of sandboxes: Developer, Developer Pro, Partial Copy, and Full Copy. Each type has its own set of benefits and use cases.

Developer: The smallest and quickest to create, Developer sandboxes are perfect for individual developers or small teams who need a space to build apps or test changes without impacting production data.

Developer Pro: slightly larger than a Developer sandbox, Developer Pro sandboxes offer more room to build and test. These sandboxes are ideal for small teams working on multiple projects simultaneously.

Partial Copy: Partial Copy sandboxes allow you to select which data you want to copy over from production, making them great for testing with large amounts of data. These sandboxes are perfect for QA teams or those working on data-intensive projects.

Full Copy: As the name suggests, Full Copy sandboxes duplicate your entire Production environment, including data, metadata, and configurations. Full Copy sandboxes are ideal for user acceptance testing (UAT), or when you need an exact replica of Production for training or demo purposes.

Conclusion

Salesforce offers various types of sandbox environments, each of which has its own benefits and drawbacks. It’s important to choose the right type of sandbox for your needs in order to get the most out of it.

The four main types of Salesforce sandboxes are developer, developer pro, partial copy, and full copy. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the right one for your needs.

Developer sandboxes are the most basic type of Salesforce sandbox. They’re perfect for development and testing, but they don’t include any data from your production environment. This can make it difficult to test certain features or integrations.

Developer Pro sandboxes are similar to Developer sandboxes, but they include a copy of your production data. This makes it easier to test things like data migrations or new features that rely on data from your production environment. However, Developer Pro sandboxes are more expensive than Developer sandboxes, so they’re not always the best choice for development and testing purposes.

Partial Copy sandboxes are perfect for testing data-heavy features or processes. They include a subset of your production data, so you can be sure that the results you get in your Partial Copy sandbox are accurate. However, Partial Copy sandboxes are more expensive than Developer and Developer Pro sandboxes, so they’re not always the best choice for development and testing purposes.

Full Copy sandboxes are the most complete type of Salesforce sandbox environment. They include a complete copy of your production data, so you can be sure that the results you get in your Full Copy sandbox are accurate. However, Full Copy sandboxes are more expensive than all other types of Salesforce sandboxes, so they’re not always the best choice for development and testing purposes.