Plain-English definitions of the core Salesforce administration terms for the Administrator exam. Simplified for learning; Salesforce documentation is authoritative.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Org | A single Salesforce instance (organisation) with its own data, configuration and users. |
| Object | A table of records. Standard objects ship with Salesforce; custom objects you create. |
| Field | A column on an object. Standard fields ship in; custom fields you add. |
| Record | A single row of data, such as one account, contact or case. |
| Profile | A user’s baseline set of permissions and access, assigned one per user. |
| Permission set | Extra permissions granted on top of a profile, assigned to many users. |
| Permission set group | A bundle of permission sets assigned together for a job function. |
| Role | A position in the role hierarchy that opens record access upward to managers. |
| Role hierarchy | The structure that grants managers access to their subordinates’ records. |
| Organisation-wide defaults (OWD) | The baseline record visibility per object (Private, Public Read Only, Public Read/Write). |
| Sharing rule | A rule that opens records sideways to groups beyond the role hierarchy. |
| Record type | A variant of an object with its own picklist values and business process. |
| Page layout | The arrangement of fields, related lists and buttons a user sees on a record. |
| Lightning App Builder | The drag-and-drop tool for building app and record pages. |
| Validation rule | A rule that blocks a save when data fails a condition, protecting data quality. |
| Flow | The single declarative automation tool, built in Flow Builder. |
| Record-triggered flow | A flow that runs automatically when a record is created or updated. |
| Screen flow | A flow that guides a user through steps with input screens. |
| Approval process | An automated route for records to be approved or rejected by people. |
| Lead | A potential customer not yet qualified; converts into account, contact and opportunity. |
| Opportunity | A potential sale tracked through stages of the sales process. |
| Case | A customer issue or request tracked through to resolution. |
| Queue | A holding location that routes records like cases or leads to a team. |
| Report type | The template defining which objects and fields a report can use. |
| Dashboard | A visual summary built from one or more reports. |
| Data Import Wizard | The built-in tool for importing standard objects up to a row limit, with matching. |
| Data Loader | A client app for importing, updating and deleting large data volumes and all objects. |
| Duplicate / matching rule | Rules that detect and prevent duplicate records. |
| Agentforce | Salesforce’s AI agent layer that administrators set up and govern. |
| Einstein | Salesforce’s built-in AI features for predictions and assistance. |
| Trailhead | Salesforce’s free online learning platform and certification prep. |