Salesforce Certified Dev Lifecycle and Deployment Architect – Complete Winter '26 Guide

Org Strategy: Sandboxes and Scratch Orgs

Sandbox types: Developer (5 MB data, for development), Developer Pro (1 GB), Partial Copy (5 GB sample data, for integration testing), Full Copy (full production replica, for load and UAT testing). Scratch Orgs are temporary, source-driven orgs created from a definition file — ideal for CI/CD. The exam tests which sandbox type to use for each phase of development and when scratch orgs are preferred over traditional sandboxes.

Version Control and Source-Driven Development

Salesforce DX uses a source format for metadata — different from the API (MDAPI) format used by Change Sets. .forceignore excludes files from source tracking (similar to .gitignore). Project Scratch Def files define scratch org configuration (edition, features, settings). sfdx project.json defines the package directories and plugin configuration. The exam tests source-driven development concepts, the difference between metadata formats, and how source tracking works in scratch orgs.

CI/CD Pipelines: Salesforce CLI and Packages

Salesforce CLI (sf commands) drives automated deployments. Unlocked Packages are the recommended packaging model — versioned, installable, supports dependency management. Managed Packages are for ISVs distributing on AppExchange — locked source. The exam tests the deployment tool hierarchy: Change Sets (org-based, no version control) → Salesforce CLI & MDAPI (scriptable) → Unlocked Packages (modular, versioned). CI/CD tools (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, CircleCI) automate test runs and deployments on code push.

Testing in the Deployment Pipeline

A minimum of 75% code coverage and all passing tests are required for production deployments. Test suites group related test classes. Run Specified Tests skips unrelated tests for faster deployments. Full test run is required for production. The exam tests how to structure test strategies — unit tests for individual classes, integration tests across objects, UAT in Partial/Full sandboxes. Test.isRunningTest() should not be used to bypass logic; instead design for testability.

Release Management and Deployment Order

Destructive Changes (destructiveChanges.xml) remove components during deployment — must be planned carefully as deleted components cannot be recovered. Dependency order matters: deploy custom objects before fields, custom fields before validation rules referencing them. Rollback strategy: Salesforce does not have built-in rollback — plan with sandbox parity, feature flags, and version-controlled deployment scripts. Post-deployment verification should include running smoke tests and checking critical business processes. The exam tests deployment sequencing and risk mitigation strategies.

Sandbox Strategy

Know the four sandbox types and when to use each: Developer (unit testing), Developer Pro (data load testing), Partial Copy (realistic data subset), Full (UAT with production data volume). Know refresh intervals.

Change Set Limitations

Change sets have significant limitations: no delete capability, no metadata dependency resolution, no version control. Know when to move beyond change sets to source-driven development.

Source-Driven Development

Understand SFDX / SF CLI source format, scratch orgs for isolated development, how to push/pull metadata, and how Salesforce DX integrates with Git version control systems.

Package Development (2GP)

Know the difference between Unlocked Packages and Managed Packages. Understand how to define package boundaries, handle dependencies between packages, and version package releases.

CI/CD Pipeline Design

Know how to design a CI/CD pipeline: source → scratch org → unit tests → package version → sandbox UAT → production. Understand how tools like GitHub Actions, Copado, or Gearset automate the pipeline.