10 Salesforce Sandbox Refresh Best Practices
Salesforce sandboxes are a great way to test new features and changes, but it's important to follow best practices to avoid data loss and other problems.
A Salesforce Sandbox is a copy of your production environment used for development, testing, and training. Because a sandbox is a replica of your production environment, it contains the same data, configuration, and customizations.
A sandbox refresh is when you create a new sandbox with the most recent data and configuration from your production environment. This is different from a sandbox reset, which resets the sandbox to its original state.
Refreshing your sandbox is a best practice to ensure that your development, testing, and training environments are up-to-date. In this article, we will discuss 10 best practices for refreshing your Salesforce sandbox.
1. Use the right sandbox for the job
If you’re using a production sandbox for development and testing, you run the risk of overwriting your changes when the sandbox is refreshed. This can cause major headaches down the line, so it’s important to use the right sandbox for the task at hand.
For example, if you need to test some code changes, it’s best to use a developer sandbox. These sandboxes are meant for development and testing, and they can be refreshed without affecting your production data.
On the other hand, if you need to test some changes that involve data, it’s best to use a partial copy sandbox. These sandboxes include a copy of your production data, so you can test your changes with real-world data.
Finally, if you need to test some changes that involve configuration, it’s best to use a full copy sandbox. These sandboxes include a complete copy of your production environment, so you can test your changes in a realistic setting.
2. Create a sandbox refresh strategy
A sandbox refresh strategy ensures that your data is always up-to-date, which is important for two reasons. First, it allows you to test your Salesforce implementation with the most recent data, so you can be confident that any changes you make will work as expected when they’re deployed to production. Second, it helps ensure that your data remains accurate and consistent across all of your Salesforce environments, which is important for both compliance and data quality purposes.
Creating a sandbox refresh strategy doesn’t have to be complicated. Start by identifying which data sets you need to include in your refreshes, and then determine how often you need to refresh each one. Once you’ve done that, you can create a schedule for refreshing your sandboxes, and automate the process using tools like Copado or Gearset.
3. Avoid using production data in sandboxes
Salesforce sandboxes are meant to be used for development, testing, and training purposes. They are not meant to be used as production environments.
If you use production data in a sandbox, it can become out-of-sync with the production environment. This can cause problems when you try to refresh the sandbox because the data will no longer match.
It’s also important to avoid using production data in sandboxes because it can lead to security breaches. If sensitive data is stored in a sandbox, it could be accessed by unauthorized users.
To avoid these problems, it’s best to only use data that is specific to the sandbox environment. This data can be generated by Salesforce or created manually.
4. Keep your sandboxes clean
When you refresh a Salesforce Sandbox, all of the data in that sandbox is replaced with data from your production org. This can be a problem if there is data in your sandbox that shouldn’t be there, such as test data or data that has been manually entered.
If you have a lot of data in your sandbox that shouldn’t be there, it can take a long time to refresh the sandbox, and it can also cause problems when you try to import the data into your production org.
To avoid these problems, it’s important to keep your sandboxes clean. You can do this by deleting any data that you don’t need in the sandbox, and by using automation to populate the sandbox with data from your production org.
5. Don’t store sensitive information in sandboxes
When you refresh a sandbox, the data from your production org is copied over to the new sandbox. This includes any sensitive information that is stored in fields that are included in the refresh.
To avoid this, you should create a separate field for storing sensitive information in your production org, and exclude that field from being refreshed in your sandboxes. That way, you can keep your sensitive information safe and secure in your production org, while still being able to refresh your sandboxes with all of the other data that you need.
6. Refresh your sandboxes regularly
Salesforce sandboxes are meant to be used as development and testing environments that closely resemble your production org. However, over time, data in your sandbox can become stale, which can lead to inaccurate test results.
To keep your Salesforce sandboxes up-to-date, you should refresh them regularly, at least once every few months. When you do, make sure to include all of your data, not just a subset. That way, you can be confident that your tests will be accurate.
Refreshing your Salesforce sandboxes is easy to do, and there are even some tools that can automate the process. So there’s no excuse for not doing it. By refreshing your sandboxes regularly, you can be confident that your development and testing efforts are based on accurate data.
7. Leverage automation to streamline sandbox refreshes
Salesforce sandboxes are meant to be used as development and testing environments, which means they need to be kept up-to-date with the latest data from production. However, manually refreshing a sandbox can be a time-consuming and error-prone process.
By automating your Salesforce sandbox refreshes, you can ensure that your development and testing environments are always up-to-date, while also saving yourself time and reducing the risk of errors.
There are a few different ways to automate your Salesforce sandbox refreshes, but one of the most popular methods is using an open-source tool like SFDX-Auto DevOps. This tool automates the entire process of refreshing a Salesforce sandbox, from backing up your data to restoring it in your sandbox.
If you’re not already using automation for your Salesforce sandbox refreshes, we highly recommend you start doing so. It’s one of the best ways to streamline the process and ensure your development and testing environments are always up-to-date.
8. Consider using partial copy sandboxes
If you have a lot of data in your Salesforce org, it can take a long time to copy all of that data into a full sandbox. This can be especially true if you have a lot of large attachments, like images or videos.
A partial copy sandbox lets you choose which types of data you want to copy over, so you can get just the data you need without having to wait for a full copy. This can save you a lot of time, and it can be especially helpful if you’re on a tight deadline.
9. Delete old sandboxes
When you delete a sandbox, all of the data and configuration settings associated with that sandbox are permanently deleted. This includes any customizations you’ve made to the sandbox, as well as any data that’s been entered into the sandbox.
Deleting old sandboxes helps keep your Salesforce org clean and organized, and it frees up storage space so you can create new sandboxes. It also ensures that you’re not accidentally using outdated data or configurations when working in your Salesforce org.
10. Monitor and manage your sandboxes
Salesforce sandboxes are copies of your production environment. As such, they can quickly become outdated and no longer accurately reflect your production data. This can lead to problems when you’re trying to test new features or changes in your Salesforce org.
To avoid these issues, it’s important to regularly refresh your Salesforce sandboxes. This will ensure that your testing environments are always up-to-date and accurate.
It’s also important to monitor and manage your sandboxes after each refresh. This will help you identify any problems that may have arisen during the refresh process. By doing this, you can quickly fix any issues and prevent them from happening again in the future.