Platform App Builder Interview Questions check how you design and build custom apps on Salesforce with clicks, not code. This is Part 25, the last part of our series, and it follows the main areas of the Platform App Builder certification.
This part pulls together skills from Part 3 on the data model and Part 7 on pages and apps. Our Lightning App Builder guide and Schema Builder guide show the main tools.
How to Use These Platform App Builder Interview Questions
Think like an app designer. For each question, start with the data model, then the business logic, then the user interface, then security and deployment. That order is how real apps are built, and it is how the exam is set out too.
Platform App Builder Interview Questions on Salesforce Fundamentals
Study with Standard vs Custom Objects.
- What is the Salesforce Platform?
- What is the difference between declarative and programmatic building?
- When should an app builder ask for code?
- What is AppExchange, and when should you check it first?
- What are the main app limits, at a high level?
- Briefly, what is multitenancy, and why does it create limits?
- What is the difference between an app and an object?
- What is a Lightning app?
- Explain the difference between a custom app and a console app.
- What is a connected app, at a high level?
- Scenario: a business wants an expense app. Do you build it or buy one?
- Scenario: a requirement needs 25 levels of related records. What do you say?
Data Modelling Questions
Study with Master-Detail vs Lookup.
- How do you design objects for a new app?
- When should you use a master-detail relationship?
- When should you use a lookup relationship?
- How do you build a many-to-many relationship?
- What happens to sharing in a master-detail relationship?
- Can you convert a lookup to a master-detail?
- What is a hierarchical relationship?
- What is an external object?
- Define Schema Builder.
- How do field types affect reports and filters?
- What happens to data when you change a field type?
- What is a lookup filter?
- Define a junction object.
- What happens to roll-ups when you delete a master record?
- What is an indirect lookup?
- Scenario: students can join many courses, and courses have many students. How do you model it?
- Scenario: a child record must be visible even when its parent is private. Which relationship do you choose?
Platform App Builder Interview Questions on Business Logic
Study with Roll-Up Summary Fields.
- What are the main tools for business logic without code?
- When do you use a formula field?
- When do you use a roll-up summary field?
- How can you roll up values over a lookup relationship?
- When do you use a validation rule?
- What is the order in which these rules run on save?
- What are cross-object formulas?
- Briefly, what is the limit on spanning relationships in a formula, at a high level?
- How do you show an image in a formula field?
- What is a picklist dependency?
- What is the difference between PRIORVALUE and ISCHANGED?
- How do you show a warning without blocking the save?
- Scenario: a parent record must show the latest child date. How do you build it?
- Scenario: a discount above 20 percent must be blocked unless a manager approves. What do you build?
Process Automation Questions
Study with Flow Types.
- Which automation tool should you use first?
- What is the difference between a record-triggered flow and a screen flow?
- When should you use an approval process?
- How do you send an outbound message, at a high level?
- How do you call a flow from another flow?
- Explain how you create records in another object with Flow.
- What are platform events, and how can Flow use them?
- How do you schedule work in the future with Flow?
- How do you send a custom notification from Flow?
- What is a scheduled-triggered flow?
- Scenario: when a job application is accepted, three records must be created. How do you build it?
- Scenario: an app must react to an event from another system. Which tool helps?
Platform App Builder Interview Questions on User Interface
Study with Dynamic Forms and Dynamic Actions.
- What is Lightning App Builder?
- What are the three types of Lightning pages?
- Define Dynamic Forms.
- What are Dynamic Actions?
- How do you assign a Lightning page by app, record type and profile?
- What is a custom tab?
- What is a utility bar?
- Briefly, what is a Lightning component, at a high level?
- How do you add a custom component from AppExchange?
- How do you design an app for mobile users?
- What is a quick action?
- What is a global action?
- Explain what a compact layout is used for.
- What is a path, and where is it set up?
- What is a list view button?
- How do you add a related record component?
- Scenario: managers and reps need different record pages for the same object. What do you do?
- Scenario: a button should appear only when the status is “Approved”. How do you build it?
Security for App Builders Questions
Study with Profiles and Permission Sets.
- How do you give users access to a new app?
- How do you control access to a new object?
- Explain how you control access to fields in a new app.
- What should the default access be for a new custom object?
- How do you share records of a new object with a team?
- What is a permission set for an app, and why use one?
- How do you test security for a new app?
- What is the difference between object and field access in a permission set?
- How do you give access to an app’s tab?
- Scenario: an app holds salary data. How do you protect it?
- Scenario: a new app must be visible to only one department. What do you set up?
Platform App Builder Interview Questions on App Deployment
Study with Sandboxes and Change Sets.
- What is an application lifecycle?
- Which sandbox should you use for building and testing an app?
- What can a change set deploy?
- What cannot be deployed with a change set?
- Explain what an unmanaged package is used for.
- What is a managed package used for?
- What is DevOps Center?
- Briefly, what should you test before you deploy an app?
- How do you train users on a new app?
- What is a deployment connection?
- What is an outbound change set versus an inbound change set?
- Define a validation-only deployment.
- Scenario: you must move an app from one org to a completely separate org. What do you use?
- Scenario: a deployment fails because of a missing field. What do you do?
Certification and Career Questions
Study with the Admin Certification Guide.
- What is the Platform App Builder certification?
- Who should take it?
- Should you take Admin or App Builder first?
- How long does it take to prepare?
- Which areas of the exam are the hardest?
- How does App Builder help you move into a developer role?
- What is the next certification after App Builder?
- How do you show App Builder skills on your CV?
- What should you build to practise?
- Scenario: an interviewer asks why you took App Builder. What do you say?
Platform App Builder Interview Questions FAQ
Is App Builder harder than Admin?
It goes deeper into data modelling and app design, but it has less on users and setup. Many people take it after Admin.
Do app builders write code?
No. App builders use clicks. But they should know when a requirement needs code and explain why.
Official Resources
Quick Recap
- These Platform App Builder Interview Questions cover fundamentals, data modelling, logic, automation, UI, security and deployment.
- Build apps in order: data, logic, interface, then deploy.
- Know master-detail versus lookup in depth.
- Use clicks first, and know when code is needed.
- Next, practise real situations in the scenario series.
What’s Next?
You have finished the topic list. Now practise real situations. Read Security Scenario Interview Questions for Salesforce Admins, the first post in our scenario series.
