Administrator cheat sheet

Profile: A profile is a Salesforce record that defines a user's baseline object and field permissions, plus settings like login hours and app access. Every user has exactly one profile, and permission sets extend access beyond it.
Permission set: A permission set is a collection of settings and permissions that grants users additional access without changing their profile. Permission set groups bundle multiple permission sets, supporting a least-privilege, additive model.
Role: A role is a position in the Salesforce role hierarchy that controls record-level visibility for sharing. Roles determine which records users can see through the hierarchy, and are distinct from profiles, which control object and field permissions.
Organization-wide defaults: Organization-wide defaults (OWD) are the baseline record-access settings that define the most restrictive level of access to each object. Sharing rules, role hierarchy, and manual sharing then open access up from that baseline.
Sharing rule: A sharing rule is a configuration that automatically grants record access to groups of users beyond the organization-wide defaults. Rules can be based on record ownership or on criteria, and they open access rather than restrict it.
Record type: A record type is a Salesforce configuration that offers different business processes, picklist values, and page layouts to different users for the same object. It lets one object support multiple processes, such as separate sales and support case processes.
Page layout: A page layout controls the organization of fields, related lists, and buttons on a record detail page. Layouts are assigned by profile and record type, and Dynamic Forms can place fields with more granular, component-level control.
Lightning App Builder: Lightning App Builder is a point-and-click tool for building and customizing Lightning pages from standard and custom components. It supports Dynamic Forms and dynamic component visibility to tailor pages without code.
Flow: Flow is Salesforce's primary declarative automation tool for building processes that collect data and perform actions. Record-triggered, screen, scheduled, and autolaunched flows are the recommended go-forward approach over the retired Workflow Rules and Process Builder.
Approval process: An approval process is an automated sequence that routes a record for approval according to defined steps and criteria. It specifies initial submission, approval, and rejection actions, and can require one or more approvers.
Validation rule: A validation rule is a formula-based check that enforces data quality by preventing a record from being saved when the formula evaluates to true. It displays an error message to the user, helping keep data clean at entry time.
Field-level security: Field-level security controls whether users can view or edit specific fields, independent of object permissions and page layouts. It is set on profiles and permission sets and is the authoritative control for field visibility.
Data Loader: Data Loader is a client application for bulk importing, updating, deleting, and exporting Salesforce records, handling up to five million records. It complements the browser-based Data Import Wizard, which is limited to about 50,000 records and fewer objects.
Report type: A report type defines the objects and fields available to a report, and whether related records are required. Standard report types cover common objects, while custom report types let administrators expose specific object relationships and fields.
Dashboard: A dashboard is a visual container of components such as charts, gauges, and tables that summarize the data from source reports. Dynamic dashboards show data according to the viewing user, and a running user sets whose access determines the data.
Agentforce: Agentforce is Salesforce's platform for building and deploying autonomous AI agents that act on CRM data. Administrators configure agents declaratively with topics and actions, and it appears as a dedicated section on the refreshed Administrator exam blueprint.
Einstein Trust Layer: The Einstein Trust Layer is the security and governance framework for Salesforce generative AI, providing data masking, zero data retention, and toxicity detection. It lets administrators enable AI features while keeping company data grounded and protected.

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