# Change set components, permissions and deployment

*Platform Administrator II Study Guide · Environment Management and Deployment · Last updated October 26, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-administrator-ii/environment-management-and-deployment/change-set-components-permissions-and-deployment*

How deployment connections, outbound and inbound change sets and their permissions work, what change sets cannot carry (deletions, renames, records), how picklists, flows, approval processes, list views, reports and user references behave on deployment, and how profile settings differ from permission sets.

- Certification: Salesforce Platform Administrator II
- Exam section: Environment Management and Deployment
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-administrator-ii

**Official exam objective:**

> Describe the capabilities and best practices for using change sets to move metadata between environments.

## What the exam expects

- Set up and authorize deployment connections, and grant the outbound and inbound change set permissions.
- Build, upload, clone, validate and deploy a change set, knowing what can't be edited or recovered.
- Handle what change sets can't do: deletions, renames and records.
- Predict how picklists, flows, approval processes, list views, reports and user references behave after deployment.
- Choose profile settings or permission sets to move access.

Key terms: **deployment connection** (the authorized link between two affiliated orgs); **outbound change set** (sent from the org you're logged in to); **inbound change set** (received, then deployed as a whole); **profile settings** (access added in a separate change set setting, not as a component); **validate** (a test deployment that reports success or failure).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who can connect | Only production and its sandboxes | [Deployment Connections](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.changesets_about_connection.htm&type=5) |
| Inbound permissions | Deploy Change Sets and Modify Metadata Through Metadata API Functions | [Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets.htm&type=5) |
| Size | 10,000 files, 400 MB, about 5,000 components | [Outbound Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.changesets_about_outbound.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Expiry | Six months after upload, then permanently deleted | [Upload an Outbound Change Set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.changesets_outbound_init_deploy.htm&type=5) |
| Deployment unit | Whole change set, one transaction | [Deploy a Change Set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets_inbound_deploy.htm&type=5) |
| Picklists | Missing values set to inactive | [Special Behavior](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.deploy_special_behavior.htm&type=5) |
| Flows | Active flow deploys inactive; one version per change set | [Special Behavior](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.deploy_special_behavior.htm&type=5) |
| List views | Visible to all users by default | [Components Available](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets_about_components.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why must a renamed component be deleted in the target first?
- When should you clone an outbound change set?
- Which profile settings overwrite matching target profiles?
- What happens if one component fails during deployment?

## Sources

- [Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets.htm&type=5)
- [Deployment Connections for Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.changesets_about_connection.htm&type=5)
- [Outbound Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.changesets_about_outbound.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Upload an Outbound Change Set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.changesets_outbound_init_deploy.htm&type=5)
- [Deploy a Change Set](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets_inbound_deploy.htm&type=5)
- [Change Sets Best Practices](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets_best_practices.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Change Sets Implementation Tips](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.changesets_implementation_notes.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Special Behavior in Deployments](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.deploy_special_behavior.htm&type=5)
- [Components Available in Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets_about_components.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Permission Sets and Profile Settings in Change Sets](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.changesets_perm_sets_profiles.htm&type=5)
- [Deploy Your Changes](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?language=en_US&id=platform.deploy_overview.htm&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 11 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Platform Administrator II pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams