We have now reached the discussion of our last Salesforce environment- Testing Environments. You already know about previous environments that were mentioned in the earlier blogs. Testing Environments are quite different from Production and Development Environments. Also, it is necessary to test any program and software before deploying it on the live server. To be specific, Salesforce hasn’t got any separate Testing environments for the developers. Users can only work on alternates solutions like Developer Edition or Sandboxes. Thus, you should know how to use existing tools or use a dedicated environment for testing.

What are Testing Environments?

A Testing Environment is a platform that consists of a combination of hardware and software components. It allows the testing team to check out the credibility of a program and inspect it based on test cases. In layman’s language, it enables testing of applications through hardware, software, and network configured tools. Developers migrate a newly created program into the Testing Environments before releasing it publically. They perform various tasks using large data sets. It includes checking user security, discovering bugs, and promoting further improvements (if any). Therefore, it is crucial to set up adequate testing environments according to the programs you developed.

When we talk about Salesforce, there are no individual testing environments. The Development Environment acts as a tool for testing out various applications. Also, it is quite challenging for Automated Text Scripts to come close to human testing results. Hence, you must have a group of users or testers who can practically evaluate the application. This would also improve the overall productivity of the program, especially if it is crucial for the business org. Therefore, developers require a different environment with features of a Production Environment along with users to test it.

In case you want to create a dedicated testing environment, you have the following choices,

Choice 1

The most convenient way is to use a Sandbox copy of the Production Environment that you are using for the program. Further, you can use Development Environment and deploy the same in the Sandbox. It will solve your two problems of ‘testing the application’ and ‘completing the deployment procedure’. Hence, it is suitable for developers who want a new program for their Production environment.

Choice 2

If you are unwilling to use a Sandbox, the Developer Editon environment is another available choice for you. However, there are some storage and functional restrictions of the standard version of Developer Edition. Also, it is better when someone wants to start building applications on Force.com for free.

Choice 3

At last, you can choose to work on Partner Developer Edition, which is more effective. It is like the Production environment and has extra users and storage for conducting tests. Experts recommend it when you want to create a Force.com application for selling intentions.

Final Verdict on Testing Environments

Finally, we complete our chapter on Force.com and Environments. We hope that you liked our blogs regarding the same. Make sure to visit our website as we upload blogs on a regular basis. Also, don’t forget to leave us your queries as we are more than happy to help you!

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