Salesforce.com holds the gold medal when it comes to customer relationship management (CRM) products for small business, though companies of all sizes utilize Salesforce for CRM. You’ll find Salesforce products and services in use across a wide swath of industries, from automotive and healthcare, to nonprofits, retail, media and communications, and finance.
Initially offered as sales automation software, Salesforce is now best known for its Intelligent Customer Success Platform, which provides cloud solutions for sales, communities, service, analytics, marketing, platform, apps, the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence. [Looking for CRM software? Check out our best picks and reviews.]
Salesforce also offers several other cloud-based products. One is Heroku, a platform as a service (PaaS) solution. Another is Force.com, a more specialized PaaS built specifically to integrate custom apps with Salesforce cloud offerings. Salesforce also offers Data.com (a cloud-based business directory), Desk.com (a cloud-based help desk system for small businesses) and Pardot (for business-to-business marketing automation), among other solutions.
These days, with the implementation of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) back in May 2018, businesses may find Salesforce’s Pardot offerings – which include auditing and configuration tools to foster compliance with GDPR – particularly compelling.
Salesforce certification program overview
Unlike in other programs, you won’t find certification tiers or hierarchies (such as associate, professional or expert) within the Salesforce certification portfolio. Instead, Salesforce certifications focus on various job roles, or tracks, common among Salesforce professionals:
- Administrators
- App builders
- Developers
- Architects
- Specialists (implementation experts)
- Marketers
- Pardot experts
- Consultants
Salesforce presently offers 23 credentials, most of which target consultants and architects.
Salesforce certification exams
Most Salesforce certifications are achieved by passing a 60-question, multiple-choice exam. Depending on the certification, you can expect the exam to last between 90 and 120 minutes. Exams for administrators, app builders, developers, marketers, consultants, Pardot experts and CPQ specialists are highly affordable, with first attempts priced at $200 and retakes at $100. Many architect certifications fall into the architect specialization category, and those exams cost $400 each (retakes cost $200). However, the pinnacle architect certification – the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect – requires a special Review Board Exam and costs $6,000 (retakes $3,000).
Training is not required for Salesforce certifications but comes highly recommended. You’ll also find there are few, if any, prerequisites for most Salesforce certifications. When present, prerequisites are simply other Salesforce certifications.
Candidates can take proctored exams at a testing location or take online exams from home or work. Either way, candidates must sign up for certification exams through Webassessor (through Kryterion Global Testing Solutions).
Salesforce Architect certifications
Salesforce revamped its approach to architect certifications beginning in 2016 to more closely align them with current and emerging customer needs. Upon visiting the Salesforce Architect Certifications page, you’ll find three architect certifications with six specialization certifications (up from a total of four certifications in early 2016):
Architect certifications:
- Salesforce Certified Technical Architect
- Salesforce Certified Application Architect
- Salesforce Certified System Architect
Specializations:
- Salesforce Certified Data Architecture and Management Designer
- Salesforce Certified Development Lifecycle and Deployment Designer
- Salesforce Certified Identity and Access Management Designer
- Salesforce Certified Integration Architecture Designer
- Salesforce Certified Mobile Solutions Architecture Designer
- Salesforce Certified Sharing and Visibility Designer
Architect certifications form a pyramid, with Salesforce Architect Specialization certifications creating the foundation. These are the designer credentials, as well as a few other closely aligned Salesforce certifications.
Salesforce considers the designer credentials to be the building blocks for a career as a Salesforce Architect and are designed to validate specific areas of expertise. Salesforce Domain Architect certifications – the Certified Application Architect and the Certified System Architect – recognize the breadth of platform knowledge in multiple connected specializations. Domain Architect certifications are achieved when a candidate meets specific requirements – namely, a set of four specific specialization credentials.
At the top of the pyramid is the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect, the crème de la crème of the Salesforce architect portfolio. This pinnacle credential recognizes professionals who implement and design custom…
