Salesforce Difference Between Questions: Quick Revision (Part 20)

Salesforce Difference Between Questions are the “X vs Y” questions that appear in almost every admin interview. This is Part 20 of our 25-part series, with the most asked comparisons and quick-fire questions for your final revision.

Each comparison links back to a topic from earlier parts, such as Part 3 on the data model and Part 5 on security. Our Master-Detail vs Lookup guide and Custom Metadata vs Custom Settings guide show how to answer one in depth.

How to Use These Salesforce Difference Between Questions

Answer each comparison in three parts: what the first thing is, what the second thing is, and when you would use each one. A one-line example makes your answer stronger. Then go through the quick-fire section and answer each question in one sentence.

Salesforce Difference Between Questions on Data Model Comparisons

Study with Master-Detail vs Lookup.

1. What is the difference between a lookup and a master-detail relationship?
2. What is the difference between a standard and a custom object?
3. Explain the difference between a formula field and a roll-up summary field.
4. What is the difference between a picklist and a multi-select picklist?
5. What is the difference between a record type and a page layout?
6. Explain the difference between a 15-character and an 18-character ID.
7. What is the difference between custom metadata types and custom settings?
8. What is the difference between an external ID and a unique field?
9. Explain the difference between a junction object and a lookup.
10. What is the difference between a hierarchical and a lookup relationship?
11. What is the difference between a formula field and a validation rule?
12. Explain the difference between a text field and a long text area.
13. What is the difference between a global picklist and a local picklist?

Security Comparisons Questions

Study with Profiles and Permission Sets.

14. What is the difference between a profile and a role?
15. What is the difference between a profile and a permission set?
16. Explain the difference between a permission set and a permission set group.
17. What is the difference between OWD and sharing rules?
18. What is the difference between a role and a public group?
19. Explain the difference between field-level security and a page layout.
20. What is the difference between a restriction rule and a sharing rule?
21. What is the difference between freezing and deactivating a user?
22. Explain the difference between “View All” and “Modify All”.
23. What is the difference between MFA and SSO?
24. What is the difference between a sharing rule and manual sharing?
25. Explain the difference between “View All Data” and “View All” on an object.
26. What is the difference between a login IP range on a profile and trusted IP ranges?

Salesforce Difference Between Questions on Automation Comparisons

Study with Flow Types.

27. What is the difference between a before-save and an after-save flow?
28. What is the difference between a screen flow and an autolaunched flow?
29. Explain the difference between Workflow Rules, Process Builder and Flow.
30. What is the difference between Flow and an Apex trigger?
31. What is the difference between an approval process and Flow Orchestration?
32. Explain the difference between a validation rule and a flow error.
33. What is the difference between an email alert and a Send Email action?
34. What is the difference between a scheduled path and a scheduled flow?
35. Explain the difference between a subflow and an invocable action.
36. What is the difference between an approval process and a validation rule?
37. What is the difference between an autolaunched flow and a scheduled flow?
38. Explain the difference between a fault path and a decision.

Reports and UI Comparisons Questions

Study with Reports and Dashboards.

39. What is the difference between a summary and a matrix report?
40. What is the difference between a joined report and a cross filter?
41. Explain the difference between a dynamic dashboard and a normal dashboard.
42. What is the difference between a report type and a report?
43. What is the difference between a bucket field and a formula field?
44. Explain the difference between a page layout and a Lightning record page.
45. What is the difference between Dynamic Forms and page layouts?
46. What is the difference between a list view and a report?
47. Explain the difference between a compact layout and a page layout.
48. What is the difference between a global action and an object action?
49. What is the difference between a tabular and a summary report?
50. Explain the difference between a report folder and a dashboard folder.

Salesforce Difference Between Questions on Data and Deployment Comparisons

Study with Data Loader and Import Wizard.

51. What is the difference between Data Loader and the Data Import Wizard?
52. What is the difference between insert, update and upsert?
53. Explain the difference between delete and hard delete.
54. What is the difference between a Developer and a Full sandbox?
55. What is the difference between a change set and DevOps Center?
56. Explain the difference between a managed and an unmanaged package.
57. What is the difference between a backup and an archive?
58. What is the difference between data storage and file storage?
59. Explain the difference between a duplicate rule and a matching rule.
60. What is the difference between a Partial Copy and a Full sandbox?
61. What is the difference between weekly export and Data Loader export?
62. Explain the difference between export and export all.

Sales and Service Comparisons Questions

Study with Cases, Web-to-Case and Email-to-Case.

63. What is the difference between a lead and a contact?
64. What is the difference between an account and a person account?
65. Explain the difference between an opportunity and a quote.
66. What is the difference between a queue and a public group?
67. What is the difference between Web-to-Case and Email-to-Case?
68. Explain the difference between assignment rules and escalation rules.
69. What is the difference between entitlements and milestones?
70. What is the difference between Chatter and Slack?
71. Explain the difference between Sales Cloud and Service Cloud.
72. What is the difference between a campaign and a campaign member?
73. What is the difference between a task and an event?
74. Explain the difference between a contract and an order.
75. What is the difference between Knowledge and Chatter answers?

Salesforce Difference Between Questions on Quick-Fire: One-Line Answers

76. What is an object?
77. Define a record.
78. What is an org?
79. What is a sandbox?
80. Define OWD.
81. What is a queue?
82. What is a flow?
83. Define a report type.
84. What is a validation rule?
85. What is a roll-up summary?
86. Define a permission set.
87. What is a page layout?
88. What is a record type?
89. Define a junction object.
90. What is a dashboard?
91. What is AppExchange?
92. Define Trailhead.
93. What is MFA?
94. What is an external ID?
95. Define Agentforce.
96. What is a field?
97. What is a profile?
98. Define a role.
99. What is a dashboard filter?
100. What is a Lightning page?
101. Define a public group.
102. What is a case?
103. What is a lead?

Salesforce Difference Between Questions FAQ

How many comparison questions come up in one interview?

Usually three to six. Profile vs role and lookup vs master-detail come up almost every time.

How long should a comparison answer be?

About 30 to 45 seconds: define both, then say when to use each with one example.

Official Resources

• Data Modeling (Trailhead)
• Data Security (Trailhead)
• Salesforce Platform Administrator Credential (Trailhead)

Quick Recap

• These Salesforce Difference Between Questions cover the data model, security, automation, reports, data and CRM.
• Answer each comparison in three parts: A, B, and when to use each.
• Add one short example to every answer.
• Use the quick-fire list for revision the night before.
• Next, test yourself with exam-style practice questions.

What’s Next?

Continue with the next part. Read Admin Certification Practice Questions for Salesforce (Part 21).