Salesforce Certification Glossary 2026
60+ must-know terms for every Salesforce certification exam — from Admin to Architect
Understanding Salesforce terminology is half the battle in any certification exam. These terms appear directly in exam questions. Bookmark this page as a quick reference during your studies.
A
- Apex
- Salesforce's proprietary object-oriented programming language (similar to Java) used to execute flow and transaction control statements on Salesforce servers. Required for Platform Developer certifications.
- API (Application Programming Interface)
- A protocol that allows external systems to communicate with Salesforce. Salesforce exposes REST API, SOAP API, Bulk API, Streaming API, and Metadata API. Key for Developer and Architect exams.
- AggregateResult
- The return type for SOQL queries that use aggregate functions (COUNT, SUM, AVG, MAX, MIN). Commonly tested in Platform Developer I exam questions.
- Assignment Rules
- Automated rules that assign leads or cases to users or queues based on criteria. Tested in Administrator and Service Cloud Consultant exams.
B
- Batch Apex
- An Apex interface that allows processing of large data volumes asynchronously in chunks (up to 50 million records). Tested in Platform Developer I and II exams. Default batch size is 200 records.
- Bulkification
- The practice of writing Apex code that handles multiple records in a single transaction rather than one at a time. Critical Governor Limit concept tested in Platform Developer I.
C
- Canonical Data Model
- A standardized data model (used in MuleSoft / Integration Architect context) that provides a common representation of data across multiple systems, reducing point-to-point integration complexity.
- Connected App
- A framework that allows external applications to integrate with Salesforce using OAuth 2.0. Required knowledge for Administrator and Developer exams.
- Criteria-Based Sharing Rules
- Sharing rules that extend record access to groups of users based on field values rather than record ownership. Tested in Administrator and Advanced Administrator exams.
D
- Data Extensions (Marketing Cloud)
- Database tables in Marketing Cloud that store subscriber data and can be used for segmentation, sends, and automation. Required for Marketing Cloud certifications.
- Declarative Development
- Building Salesforce solutions using point-and-click tools (Flow, Process Builder, validation rules) without writing code. Contrasted with programmatic development in exam questions.
- Delegated Administration
- A feature allowing Admins to grant limited admin privileges to non-admin users for specific tasks (e.g., creating users in a specific profile). Tested in Advanced Administrator exam.
- Dynamic Forms
- A Lightning App Builder feature that allows placing individual fields and sections on a page layout independently, enabling more granular visibility rules. Tested in Administrator exams post-2023.
E
- Einstein Analytics (now CRM Analytics)
- Salesforce's AI-powered analytics platform for creating interactive dashboards, predictive models, and data stories. Core to the CRM Analytics and Einstein Discovery certification.
- Entitlement Management
- A Service Cloud feature for defining and enforcing customer support agreements (SLAs), including milestones and entitlement processes. Tested in Service Cloud Consultant exam.
- External ID
- A custom field marked as an External ID that can be used as a unique identifier for upsert operations during data import. Key concept for Administrator and Developer exams.
F–G
- Flow (Salesforce Flow)
- Salesforce's primary automation tool that can create records, update fields, send emails, call Apex, and more. Encompasses Screen Flows, Auto-launched Flows, and Scheduled Flows. Critical for Administrator and App Builder exams since Flow replaced Process Builder.
- Governor Limits
- Salesforce's runtime limits that prevent any single Apex transaction from consuming too many platform resources. Examples: 100 SOQL queries per transaction, 150 DML statements per transaction. Central to Platform Developer exams.
H–J
- Heap Size Limit
- The maximum amount of memory an Apex transaction can use (6 MB synchronous, 12 MB asynchronous). A common Governor Limit tested in Platform Developer I.
- Junction Object
- A custom object with two Master-Detail relationships that creates a many-to-many relationship between two objects. Tested in Administrator, App Builder, and Developer exams.
L–M
- LWC (Lightning Web Components)
- Salesforce's modern component framework based on web standards (HTML, JavaScript, CSS). Replaced Aura components as the preferred development framework. Key for Platform Developer II.
- Multi-Currency
- A Salesforce feature that allows organizations operating in multiple countries to track amounts in different currencies with automatic conversion using exchange rates. Tested in Administrator and Consultant exams.
- MuleSoft Anypoint Platform
- Salesforce's integration and API management platform. The runtime for all MuleSoft certifications. Key components: Anypoint Studio, API Manager, Runtime Manager, Exchange.
O–P
- OWD (Organization-Wide Defaults)
- The baseline record access level that determines what users can see and do with records they don't own. Options: Private, Public Read Only, Public Read/Write. The starting point for all sharing model questions in Admin exams.
- Person Accounts
- A Salesforce feature that combines Account and Contact into a single record for B2C use cases (individuals rather than businesses). Tested in Sales Cloud and Service Cloud Consultant exams.
- Platform Events
- A Salesforce messaging framework for broadcasting and receiving custom notifications within the Salesforce platform and external apps. Tested in Platform Developer II and Integration Architecture exams.
- Profile
- A collection of settings and permissions that controls what users can see and do in Salesforce. Every user must have exactly one profile. Contrasted with Permission Sets in all admin-level exams.
Q–R
- Queues
- A feature that allows groups of users to take ownership of records (leads, cases, etc.) on a first-come, first-served basis. Tested in Administrator and Service Cloud Consultant exams.
- Record Types
- A feature that allows different picklist values and page layouts for different user groups on the same object. A high-frequency topic in Administrator exams.
- Role Hierarchy
- The organizational chart structure in Salesforce that determines record visibility for users above the record owner in the hierarchy. Works in conjunction with OWD and sharing rules.
S
- SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language)
- The query language used to retrieve records from Salesforce databases. Similar to SQL but Salesforce-specific. Cannot perform joins — must traverse relationships using dot notation. Core to all developer certifications.
- SOSL (Salesforce Object Search Language)
- A search language for performing text searches across multiple objects simultaneously. Contrasted with SOQL on Developer exams.
- Sandboxes
- Copies of a Salesforce production org used for development and testing. Types: Developer (200 MB), Developer Pro (1 GB), Partial Copy (5 GB), Full (same as production). Types and use cases are tested in all admin and developer exams.
- Sharing Rules
- Automated rules that extend record access beyond OWD settings based on record ownership or criteria. Two types: Owner-based and Criteria-based. Fundamental to Administrator security model questions.
T–V
- Territory Management (Enterprise Territory Management)
- A Salesforce feature for organizing accounts and opportunities into sales territories with flexible assignment rules. Tested in Sales Cloud Consultant exam, particularly territory hierarchies and assignment rules.
- Trigger
- Apex code that executes before or after record DML operations (insert, update, delete, undelete). Best practice is one trigger per object. Core to Platform Developer I exam.
- Validation Rules
- Rules that verify data entered by users meets specified criteria before saving. Use formula expressions. Tested in Administrator exam — know when to use vs. required fields.
- Visualforce
- Salesforce's legacy markup language for creating custom UIs. Still appears on older developer exams. Being replaced by Lightning Web Components in modern development.
W–Z
- Webassessor (now Kryterion Testing)
- The third-party platform used to register for and take Salesforce certification exams. Supports both online proctored and testing center exams.
- Workflow Rules
- Legacy Salesforce automation tool (being retired). Knowledge of Workflow Rules still appears on some exams, but new implementations should use Flow. Know the difference between Workflow field updates and Flow Record Updates.
Study tip: When you encounter an unfamiliar term in a practice exam, add it to this glossary with your own definition. The act of writing your own definition dramatically improves retention vs. passive reading.
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