Chapter 2 of 4 · Salesforce Platform Developer

Process Automation and Logic

Apex syntax, SOQL, SOSL, DML, triggers, governor limits, order of execution and exceptions.

  • 7topics
  • 29 minfast track
  • 1diagrams and exhibits
  • 28%of the exam
Start with Declarative Automation and Combining Flow with Apex

Topics in this chapter

Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.

  1. 1Declarative Automation and Combining Flow with ApexFlow types a developer must know, and how Flow and Apex work together: invocable methods and variables, calling flows from Apex…4 min
  2. 2Apex Language Basics and Control FlowApex data types, collections, constants, access modifiers, static and instance members, interfaces, and control flow with if…4 min
  3. 3SOQL, SOSL and DML in ApexSOQL and SOSL in Apex with bind variables, relationship and aggregate queries, date literals, SOSL search, DML statements…4 min
  4. 4Apex Triggers and Class Best PracticesApex triggers for Platform Developer: events, context variables, before versus after, bulkification, one trigger per object…4 min
  5. 5Governor Limits in Apex TransactionsApex governor limits for Platform Developer: SOQL, DML, CPU, heap, callout and async limits, the Limits class, bulk patterns and…4 min
  6. 6Transactions, Order of Execution and RecursionThe Salesforce save order of execution: before-save flows, triggers, validation rules, after-save flows, roll-ups, commit…Diagram5 min
  7. 7Exception Handling and Custom ExceptionsApex exception handling for Platform Developer: try, catch and finally, built-in exceptions, DmlException methods, custom…4 min

About this chapter

What this chapter covers

Process Automation and Logic is 28%, the largest section of the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer exam. It covers declarative automation, Apex variables, methods, modifiers and interfaces, control flow, SOQL, SOSL and DML, trigger best practices, governor limits, the save order of execution and recursion, exception handling, and combining Flow with Apex.

Questions are mostly scenarios and short code samples: you choose the code, feature or fix that meets a requirement, or predict what a piece of Apex does. Expect real Apex, SOQL and JavaScript syntax and real governor-limit numbers.

How the topics fit together

Apex syntaxQuerySOQL and SOSLChange dataDMLTriggerbulk safeLimits and errors

Apex is the language, SOQL and SOSL read data, DML changes it, and triggers run Apex when records are saved. Everything runs in one transaction that must stay inside governor limits.

Exam tip

Most code questions in this section come down to one rule: no SOQL or DML inside a loop. Work with collections and maps instead.

How to use these pages

Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.

  • What it is: the idea in plain words.
  • How it works: the mechanism, with tables and code examples.
  • What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorise and how questions are phrased.
  • Common mistakes: the classic traps.
  • Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.

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