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Exam Information
Official specifications published by Salesforce
Exam Format
Registration
Validity
Skills this practice test covers
- Configure company settings, users, licenses and login security in Setup.
- Grant record access with org-wide defaults, the role hierarchy, public groups and permission set groups.
- Build objects, relationships, fields, record types and page layouts in Object Manager.
- Import and clean data with the Import Wizard, Data Loader, duplicate rules and validation rules.
- Build reports, report types and dashboards that follow the sharing model.
- Automate work with Flow, approval processes and assignment rules, and maintain prompts in Agent Builder.
Explore related topics
ADM-201 exam content
8 domains · 28 topics · 1,321 questions
Configuration and Setup15%
This domain covers the settings an org starts with and the people who use it. Candidates maintain company settings, the user interface and users, apply org security controls, and choose the right access tool for a request.
Skills tested
- Set the fiscal year, business hours, currency management and default settings.
- Set up users with the right license, locale and login method, and deactivate them instead of deleting them.
- Apply security controls such as identity verification, Setup Audit Trail, Login Hours and Session Settings.
- Open record access with org-wide defaults, the role hierarchy, teams and public groups.
- Decide between a custom profile, a permission set and a permission set group with muting.
Official topics
- Describe the information found in the company settings (for example: company settings fiscal year, business hours, currency management, default settings).
- Distinguish and understand the administration of declarative configuration of the user interface (UI) (for example: UI/UX settings, app menu, list views, global actions, Lightning App Builder).
- Given a scenario, demonstrate the proper setup and maintenance of users (user name is unique, locales, working hours, how to distribute licenses, types of licenses, not deleting a user, implications of making inactive, override, assigning feature licenses, management of users with various login methods).
- Explain the various organization Security Controls (for example: Identity verification, Setup Audit Trail, Login Hours, Session Settings, agent access).
- Given a user request scenario, apply the appropriate security controls based on the features and capabilities of the Salesforce sharing model (for example: Teams, Sharing hierarchy, public groups, org-wide defaults, sharing: roles, subordinates, role hierarchy, report and dashboard folders).
- Given a scenario, determine the appropriate use of a custom profile or permission set (using the various profile settings, permission set group, and muting).
Object Manager and Lightning App Builder15%
This domain covers the data model and the way records look. Candidates explain object relationships, manage fields and page layouts, and assign record types, business processes and Lightning pages.
Skills tested
- Choose master-detail, lookup or junction relationships between standard and custom objects.
- Explain what deleting a field breaks, such as roll-up summaries, cross-object formulas and picklist dependencies.
- Assign page layouts, record types and business processes for standard and custom objects.
- Control visibility on Lightning pages, and add quick actions and global actions.
Official topics
- Describe the standard object architecture and relationship model (for example: standard object, parent/child, master detail/lookup/junction relationships, record types, Schema Builder).
- Explain how to create, delete, and customize fields and page layouts on standard and custom objects, and know the implications of deleting fields (roll-up summaries, cross object formulas, picklist dependencies, relationship fields).
- Given a scenario, determine how to create and assign page layouts, visibility on Lightning page layouts, record types, and business processes for custom and standard objects (quick actions and global actions).
Sales and Marketing Applications10%
This domain follows a deal from the first lead to the forecast. Candidates configure the sales process, sales productivity tools, lead automation and campaigns.
Skills tested
- Set up leads, opportunities and Path to match a sales process.
- Configure lead assignment rules and the lead convert process.
- Apply sales tools such as lead scoring, opportunity scoring, forecasting and territory management.
- Manage campaigns and campaign members.
Official topics
- Given a scenario, identify the capabilities and implications of the sales process (for example: leads, opportunities, path).
- Given a scenario, apply the appropriate sales productivity features using opportunity tools (for example: dashboards, lead scoring, Einstein for Sales, opportunity scoring, grading, and home page assistant, forecasting, territory management).
- Describe the capabilities of lead automation tools and campaign management (for example: leads, lead convert, lead assignment rules, campaign, and campaign members).
Service and Support Applications10%
This domain covers case management for support teams. Candidates route cases to the right people and automate replies and escalation.
Skills tested
- Route cases with case assignment rules and queues.
- Configure support processes, case auto-response rules and case escalation.
- Explain what Einstein for Service adds to case management.
Official topics
- Describe the capabilities of case management (for example: case, case assignment rules, and queues).
- Given a scenario, identify how to automate case management (for example: support process, case auto-response rules, case escalation, Einstein for Service).
Productivity and Collaboration10%
This domain covers the everyday tools that help users work together. Candidates manage tasks and events, Chatter groups, the Salesforce mobile app and AppExchange packages.
Skills tested
- Track activities with tasks and events.
- Set up Chatter groups for internal and external users.
- Customize the Salesforce mobile app, including its app menu and branding.
- Choose between managed and unmanaged AppExchange packages.
Official topics
- Describe the capabilities of activity management (tasks, events).
- Describe the features of Chatter (groups, accessibility to groups, internal/external users).
- Describe the capabilities of the Salesforce mobile app (Lightning page, modifying the app, browser, app menu, visibility, branding mobile app, build launchpad).
- Identify use cases for AppExchange applications (awareness of managed or unmanaged packages, who is allowed to publish, prompts on AgentExchange, flows).
Data and Analytics Management17%
The largest domain covers data moving in and out of the org and the reports built on it. Candidates import, export and back up data, keep it clean, and build reports and dashboards that respect the sharing model.
Skills tested
- Import, update, export and mass delete records with the Import Wizard or Data Loader.
- Block bad data with duplicate rules, matching rules and validation rules.
- Build reports with custom report types, bucket fields, formulas and joined reports.
- Configure dashboards with filters, scheduled refresh and dynamic dashboards.
- Explain how report folders and the sharing model decide who sees a report.
Official topics
- Describe the considerations when importing, updating, transferring, mass deleting, exporting, and backing up data (Archival, Apex data loader, Import Wizard).
- Describe the capabilities and implications of data validation tools (duplicate and matching rules, validation rules).
- Describe the options available when creating or customizing a report or report type (join objects together, with or without records, renaming the fields, formulas, bucket, join reports, chart settings, hide details, grouping totals, troubleshooting fields at a high level).
- Describe the impact of the sharing model on reports (visibility, understand folder structure, sharing fields).
- Describe the options available when creating and modifying dashboards (for example: dashboard widgets, data sources, chart types/settings, subscribing, dynamic dashboard, org licensing limits, view dashboard as, schedule refresh, filters).
Automation15%
This domain is about letting the platform handle repeat work. Candidates pick the right automation tool for a scenario and configure Flow and approval processes.
Skills tested
- Choose between Flow, assignment rules and escalation rules for a business need.
- Build screen flows, record-triggered flows and autolaunched flows.
- Explain the order of execution when several automations act on one record.
- Configure an approval process with approver criteria, approvals and rejections.
Official topics
- Given a scenario, identify the appropriate automation solution based on the capabilities of the tool (escalation rules, case assignment rules, lead assignment rules, default automation user, AI).
- Describe capabilities, use cases, and configuration for Flow (screen flows, record-triggered flows, autolaunched flows, order of execution).
- Describe capabilities, use cases, and configuration for the approval process (criteria for approvers, rejections, approvals).
Agentforce8%
The smallest domain covers Salesforce's AI agents. Candidates judge when AI suits a use case, troubleshoot agent permissions, and maintain prompts and instructions in Agent Builder.
Skills tested
- Judge when Agentforce is the right answer to a business request.
- Troubleshoot agent permissions and security settings.
- Update prompts and instructions in Agent Builder, and test them with conversation preview.
Official topics
- Describe the capabilities and use cases of Agentforce (scenarios about use cases, when it’s appropriate to use AI, security, troubleshooting agent permissions).
- Explain how to maintain, update, or install prompts and instructions in Agent Builder (light testing, conversation preview).
Requirements
- No formal prerequisites: Salesforce sets no exam or credential to hold first.
- Recommended: six months or more of work as a Salesforce administrator.
- Recommended: working knowledge of Sales Cloud, Service Cloud and Salesforce's collaboration features.
About the ADM-201 exam
ADM-201 checks whether an administrator can set up, secure and maintain a Salesforce org for its users. Salesforce's exam guide spreads this work over eight domains, from company settings and sharing to reports, Flow and Agentforce. Passing earns the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator credential. It suits admins with six months or more of hands-on experience.
Data and Analytics Management carries the most weight, so imports, data quality, reports and dashboards are a sensible place to start. The explanations say why one tool fits a request better than a close alternative, such as a validation rule against a duplicate rule. Flashcard Mode suits the long lists of report and dashboard options, from bucket fields to dynamic dashboards. Brainy AI Assistant can explain when Agentforce fits a business request and which agent permissions it needs.
How to earn the certification
- Earns
- Salesforce Certified Platform AdministratorAssociate
The credential stays valid while its holder completes Salesforce's maintenance requirements on time.
- After
- Plat-Admn-301 Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II
The advanced administrator credential, earlier called Advanced Administrator. It requires this certification first.
- CRT-402 Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder
For admins who design and build custom apps with the platform's declarative tools.
- Plat-Dev-201 Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I
For admins who start writing code once declarative tools and Flow are not enough.
- Plat-Admn-301 Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II
How to prepare for ADM-201
- 1
Follow the admin Trailmix in a practice org
Salesforce's Trailhead Trailmix for the administrator credential covers the exam topics with hands-on exercises. Do each exercise in a practice org, so every Setup task has been done once by hand.
- 2
Model access for three users
Create three users with different roles, profiles and permission sets. Set an object's org-wide default to private, open access step by step with the role hierarchy, teams and public groups, and check what each user sees.
- 3
Give data and reports the most hours
Data and Analytics Management is the largest domain. Import records with the Import Wizard and Data Loader, add duplicate and validation rules, then build a joined report and a dynamic dashboard on the results.
- 4
Rebuild a manual task in Flow
Automate one routine task, such as routing new cases, with a record-triggered flow. Compare the result with a case assignment rule, then add a simple approval process.
- 5
End with timed practice and review
Take the ADM-201 practice test in Timed Mode, then read the explanation for every missed scenario. Ask Brainy AI Assistant to compare the two closest options, such as a queue and an assignment rule.
Start a timed ADM-201run
Salesforce points candidates to its Trailhead Trailmix for the administrator credential, to the course Essentials for New Lightning Experience Administrators (ADX201), and to its administrator exam preparation course (CRT101).
Who ADM-201 is for
- New Salesforce administrators who look after an org's users, data and security.
- Business analysts who configure objects, reports and automation for their teams.
- System administrators who take over an existing Salesforce implementation.
- IT professionals who support Salesforce users day to day.
Typical job titles: Salesforce administrator · CRM administrator · Salesforce business analyst · Salesforce consultant · Systems administrator
ADM-201 glossary
18 terms from the exam objectives and the vendor's official material, each defined in a sentence.
- Agent Builder
- The Agentforce tool where admins maintain an agent's prompts and instructions and test them in a conversation preview.
- AppExchange
- Salesforce's marketplace for apps and components that admins can install in an org.
- Case auto-response rules
- Rules that send an automatic email reply to a customer when a case is created, based on the case's details.
- Dynamic dashboard
- A dashboard that shows each viewer the data that viewer is allowed to see, instead of one fixed user's view.
- Lead assignment rules
- Rules that decide which user or queue owns a new lead, based on criteria such as region.
- Matching rules
- Rules that define when two records count as possible duplicates, used together with duplicate rules.
- Muting
- Turning off chosen permissions inside a permission set group, so the group grants less than its permission sets would together.
- Order of execution
- The fixed sequence in which Salesforce runs rules, flows and other automation when a record is saved.
- Org-wide defaults
- The baseline sharing setting for each object, which sets the most restricted access users have to records they do not own.
- Permission set group
- A bundle of permission sets that can be assigned to users in one step.
- Queues
- Holding areas for records such as cases or leads, where any member of the queue can take ownership.
- Record types
- Variants of an object that give different users different page layouts, picklist values and business processes.
- Record-triggered flows
- Flows that run automatically when a record is created, updated or deleted.
- Role hierarchy
- A structure that gives users in higher roles access to the records owned by users in the roles below them.
- Roll-up summaries
- Fields on a master record that count, sum or find the lowest or highest value across its detail records.
- Schema Builder
- A visual tool in Setup that shows objects, fields and relationships as a diagram.
- Setup Audit Trail
- A log of recent configuration changes in Setup that shows who changed what, and when.
- Validation rules
- Formulas that stop a record from saving when its data breaks a business rule, and show the user an error message.