6 Salesforce Features Every New Admin Should Learn First
Summary
New Salesforce Admins can feel overwhelmed by the platform's vast capabilities, but focusing on six core features is key to gaining immediate control and impact. These features include user management, understanding the data model via Object Manager and Schema Builder, customizing user experience with Lightning App Builder and Dynamic Forms, building actionable reports and dashboards, automating tasks through Flow Builder, and maintaining security and stability through Release Updates and Health Check. Mastery of these areas helps admins ensure secure org access, clear data structure, optimized user interfaces, insightful analytics, streamlined automation, and up-to-date platform health. This foundational knowledge sets new admins up for confidence and growth in their Salesforce roles.
Takeaways
- Master user management tools to control access and maintain org security.
- Use Object Manager and Schema Builder to understand and extend data models.
- Customize user experience with Lightning App Builder and Dynamic Forms.
- Build and filter reports and dashboards to provide actionable business insights.
- Leverage Flow Builder for automating repetitive tasks and enforcing consistency.
I was recently talking with some new Salesforce Admins who are studying for their certification exam. We discussed how BIG the platform feels and how, with so much to learn, it can feel challenging to even get started. Salesforce is incredibly powerful, which means there are a lot of features and settings, but new admins don’t need to learn everything all at once. Having been a Salesforce Admin for more than 10 years, I find it easy to forget all the lessons and features I’ve learned because they compile into my admin experience and that category in my brain of “things I just know.” But this conversation got me thinking about which features new Salesforce Admins should prioritize learning first — the features that give them the most control and impact in their role right away. So, I put together a massive list and took it to my fellow Admin Evangelists Jennifer Lee, Josh Birk, and Mike Gerholdt.