Salesforce Ecosystem32% of the exam

How companies use Salesforce

Why companies put their customer data, collaboration and department apps on one cloud platform: the shared CRM, custom apps with Flow and Prompt Builder, the trusted multitenant cloud with its APIs, Salesforce's values and 1-1-1 model, and AgentExchange for ready-made solutions.

Official exam objective
Describe how companies use Salesforce.

~8 min read · 12 practice questions ·

What the exam expects

  • Explain how one shared, cloud-based CRM replaces scattered spreadsheets, inboxes and sticky notes, and why collaborating on records builds a searchable company memory.
  • Recognize realistic department apps on the Agentforce 360 Platform (formerly Salesforce Platform), the tools behind them (custom objects, Flow Builder, Prompt Builder), and a good first project.
  • Describe the multitenant cloud, automatic upgrades, the trust site and API-enabled data.
  • Name Salesforce's five core values and the 1-1-1 model.
  • Choose AgentExchange (formerly AppExchange) over building from scratch, and evaluate a listing before installing it.

Key terms:

  • CRM: customer relationship management, technology to manage relationships and interactions with customers and prospects.
  • Org: where all your data, configuration and customization lives; also called your instance of Salesforce.
  • Multitenancy: many companies share one cloud's resources, each in its own secure space.
  • API: the interface that lets software systems connect and exchange information.
  • AgentExchange: the official Salesforce marketplace for apps, agents, components and consultants.

Key facts

Real-time visibility
Detail
Managers log in and see the latest deal data instead of asking reps
Collaboration
Detail
Stored and searchable, so it becomes corporate memory
Prompt Builder
Detail
Low-code AI prompts grounded in company and customer data
First project
Detail
Email-heavy, spreadsheet-based, repetitive, few departments
Multitenancy
Detail
Same computing power, storage and core features for every size of customer
Trust site
Detail
trust.salesforce.com: performance, security, planned maintenance
API
Detail
All data and metadata is API enabled
Release cadence
Detail
Innovations reach products three times a year
1-1-1 model
Detail
1% of employees' time, 1% of equity, 1% of product to nonprofits
AgentExchange listings
Detail
Solutions and consultants; thousands free; many try-before-you-buy
Before production
Detail
Test in a sandbox or Developer Edition org
Sources for this section (5)
  • Why can a sales manager stop asking reps for deal updates once the team uses Salesforce?
  • When should a company test an AgentExchange solution in a sandbox or Developer Edition org?
  • What can you check on trust.salesforce.com?
  • Which three things does Salesforce's 1-1-1 model commit to nonprofits?

The questions are free to read. Answers with their sources and self-grading are included with the pack.

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The free Platform Foundations pack includes:

  • All 12 lessons of the Platform Foundations guide, with reading progress
  • Interactive decision walks and step-by-step sequence steppers
  • Inline practice questions and one-click topic practice (12 questions for this lesson)
  • An official source cited for every claim
  • An AI tutor that answers from the guide (uses credits)
  • Unlimited timed practice exams
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After Platform Foundations: Platform Administrator

The standard first Salesforce certification, and the prerequisite for both Agentforce consultant exams.

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