Top Practices to Plan and Execute Regression Testing on Salesforce

Salesforce happens to be the number one cloud-based CRM platform globally and is used by more than 150,000 businesses worldwide (Source: Salesforce). It generated $21.25 billion in revenue alone in 2021, which is easily stated to be enormous given the COVID-induced headwinds. As a CRM, Salesforce helps businesses to be more agile and customer-focused with services such as analytics, marketing automation, and application development. One of the benefits of using Salesforce is its extensibility, wherein it allows businesses to customize their solutions. Another focus area for businesses utilizing Salesforce is its thriving marketplace, which allows users to download more than 4000 applications. For instance, nCino for banking, Veeva for life sciences, and CloudSense for eCommerce, among many others.

Salesforce’s extensibility and powerful marketplace make it quite popular with businesses worldwide, as they can use it for innovation and customization. However, the benefits notwithstanding, the CRM solution has its share of challenges as well. This is because Salesforce deals with a business’s critical data and processes, and any update or customization should be tested thoroughly. But it is easier said than done, especially in a complex IT landscape where the testing process can be tedious and time-consuming. Hence, to save businesses from risk exposure and related consequences, Salesforce regression testing needs to be conducted without fail.

Again, with most software regression testing for Salesforce being done manually, there can be bottlenecks in execution due to the slow process. Automating regression testing in software testing, though helpful to some extent, is not the best thing to do. This is due to the fact that automation using script-based tools can restrict QA regression testing to technical resources only. This can go against the very grain of Salesforce, which enables non-technical users to innovate by creating codeless solutions. Furthermore, script-based tests built and run on Salesforce can be brittle given its architecture. So, where does that leave automated regression testing for Salesforce? Let us find out.

Is Salesforce regression testing through automation possible?

Yes, automation of regression testing services on Salesforce can be done, although it would be difficult given Salesforce’s complex and heavy DOM structures. But things can be worked around to implement an automated regression testing strategy using best practices.

Best practices for Salesforce regression testing at speed

The best practices business enterprises can follow to make software regression testing for Salesforce fast, secure, effective, and cost-efficient are:

• Define your approach: Before starting with automation, take into account the following considerations:

l How much test coverage to plan for.

l Determine the tasks to be automated and the ones to be done manually.

l Set up the test environments.

l Determine the parameters for testing and the report to be generated.

Also, the approach to testing can differ based on the type of Salesforce interface - classic or lighting. For instance, with Salesforce Lighting, the new interface version, scripting a test can be complex given the sticky paths of CSS and XPATHS. On the other hand, scripting a test on the classic interface can be relatively easier as the elements are defined easily.

• Select cases: Building a test suite for salesforce can be based on the following considerations:

l Is the function to be tested the core of your solution and is it important for other functionalities to work seamlessly? It goes without saying that core functions should be tested without fail.

l Is the feature new and tested against several feature updates earlier? Remember, any new feature can be more vulnerable and needs to be tested thoroughly.

l Is the new code dependent on environmental settings? This can make it more vulnerable.

l Did the code fail in the past? If so, then it should be given extra attention.

• Update your regression testing suite: With new changes made to the applications in terms of customizations, extensions, or upgrades, the regression suites should be changed and kept updated at all times. If the test cases happen to be scripted, it will be time-consuming to maintain them and will require experts from a regression testing company to manage them. Importantly, choose a tool that allows testers to create and edit tests quickly.
• Define the frequency of tests: Since regression

Salesforce testing needs to be executed whenever a new functionality, element, or feature is added, it should be run frequently. And without automation, this could turn out to be difficult. Also, should the business processes run outside of the Salesforce ecosystem, the testing should take into account the integrations as well. Furthermore, if a specific automated regression testing framework is built to test business-specific applications and their customizations, it should cater to various technologies.

Conclusion

Creating and executing an automated regression suite for Salesforce should be based on the unique needs of an organization, and an effort should be made to select tools that offer a host of benefits. These may include cross-technology support, scalability, security, and usability, among others.

Michael works for Cigniti Technologies, which is the world's first Independent Software Testing Company to be appraised at CMMI-SVC Level 5, and an ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 27001:2013 certified organization.