Salesforce CRM Administration Handbook: A comprehensive guide to administering, configuring, and customizing Salesforce CRM

I received an early review copy of this book and this review is my honest opinion after reading it.This is book based on the authors' practical experience of working with Salesforce on a day-to-day basis and contains the fundamentals that are essential for any admin. The authors are clearly writing based on their own experience of Salesforce setup and configuration, and based on my own experience I can validate they have covered all the core areas of Salesforce.It gives users new to the platform all they need to setup and administer a Salesforce system for a team. I'd particularly recommend this book for anyone who has been thrust in to the new role of Salesforce administrator from a background of sales support or admin, for example, or anyone who has worked with another CRM system and needs to get up to speed with Salesforce.It also contains information on the Salesforce certification process and admin exam, which is also highly relevant for any new admin looking become certified and build their career on the Salesforce ecosystem. This section, along with all the others, is based on the practical experience of the authors in treading the same path, and the reader can have confidence that every tip or piece of advice is based on real-world experience.This is not a book for everyone - if you have already worked with Salesforce for many years you'll find little new material here, but as a solid introduction / foundation for new admins, I can highly recommend it.

I was provided an early copy of this book at no cost for review, and have no other connection to the authors or publisher. I am a Salesforce Admin and rather than read this cover to cover, I use it as I do other tools, looking at specific topics for situational information based on my experience and I find it to be timely, well-organized, and user-friendly. Importantly, the focus is on Sales Cloud and Service Cloud. The authors have done an excellent job describing both simple and complex concepts in clear, understandable language, supplementing the narrative with useful visual aids including graphics and screen clips.This book not only takes you through the must-know aspects of Salesforce, covering objects, records, automation, system architecture, security, reporting, and much more, but it also includes a section on exam preparation for aspiring professionals. When you purchase the book, you can download a PDF copy at no cost with proof of purchase. I encourage anyone considering purchasing this book to look at the breadth of content included in the Read A Sample link in the listing. There you can see the Table of Contents, a text sample, and the index. I do wish there was more content related to Flows and actually would love to see a book like this one dedicated to them! Despite a few minor typos and some attempts at humor that didn't resonate with me (but admittedly may with many others), this book would be an excellent addition to a Salesforce Administrator’s toolkit.Without a doubt, this is a book I would purchase and feel was well worth the cost. I would and will also recommend it to my professional network.

The book is meticulously structured to cater to both beginners and advanced users. It starts with the fundamentals of Salesforce CRM, making it accessible for newcomers, and gradually delves into more complex topics, ensuring that even experienced administrators can find valuable insights. The chapters are well-organized, covering a broad range of topics including data management, security, automation, and customization. Here are my takeaways:1. **Clear and Concise Explanations:** The authors excel at breaking down complex concepts into understandable chunks. Each topic is explained clearly, with step-by-step instructions that make it easy to follow along.2. **Practical Examples:** One of the book’s strengths is its use of real-world examples and scenarios. This practical approach helps readers understand how to apply the concepts in their own Salesforce environments.3. **Comprehensive Coverage:** The handbook covers everything from the basics of navigating the Salesforce interface to advanced topics like Apex programming and custom object creation. This comprehensive coverage ensures that readers have a well-rounded understanding of Salesforce administration.4. **Tips and Best Practices:** Throughout the book, the authors share valuable tips and best practices that can save administrators time and help them avoid common pitfalls. These insights are particularly useful for those looking to optimize their Salesforce implementations.5. **Visual Aids:** The inclusion of diagrams, screenshots, and tables enhances the learning experience. These visual aids are well-integrated into the text, helping to illustrate key points and provide clarity.This handbook stands out as a thorough and insightful guide that successfully demystifies Salesforce administration. Its blend of theory, practical advice, and real-world examples makes it a cornerstone resource for effective Salesforce management.

I'm an experienced Salesforce user and consultant, and had an opportunity to review an early copy of the book. If you are looking to get into the world of Salesforce, or are already an admin, this is a great guide to help get you started! The book is well structured and covers a variety of topics that you won't learn from just browsing Trailhead or searching the web. Let the authors be your guide as you get started on your adventure!

I am pleased to have had a chance to review this book early! It is a fantastic new resource for Salesforce Administrators and for those training toward the Salesforce Admin certification. I have no connection to these authors, other than that they offered me early access and a chance to be an early reviewer.This book is so useful, readable, and current that I have already recommended it to students I am mentoring.Here’s what I like about it:1. It's current today - so get it today! (Things quickly become obsolete in the Salesforce world.) It also projects into the future, such as discussing the changes we need to be making to profiles/permission sets by 2026.2. It is well laid out and easy to read through, including helpful screenshots, diagrams, and “Tip” boxes throughout.3. It covers all the topics you need to know - including an intro to the admin role, all the “hard skills” (Admin cert topics), test taking strategies, and job search strategies.4. The level and amount of detail on the Salesforce Admin cert topics seems spot on - not too brief, not too far into the weeds.5. It's conversational, but not in a way that distracts from the content. Here’s an example, “You may now be wondering, ‘Where is my Salesforce org located?’ or ‘Is it working correctly?’ and‘Is there any planned maintenance?’ There is a quick way to answer this question. As knowing where the data is really located is one of the most important security- and law-related topics, Salesforce provides us with a way to find this information.”6. It has a sense of humor, but doesn’t make elaborate, off-topic jokes, as so many instructional books do. For example, they say, “Salesforce is a platform where one of the most important rules is to try to not use Visualforce…Just kidding. The real rule is ‘try to configure before starting to code.’”7. Another thing this book doesn’t do is tell stories about fictional users. I also find that distracting. It does occasionally use analogies, such as a hotel analogy for multi-tenancy, which is very effective. But mostly it just explains how to use the Salesforce features and how to configure Salesforce to work for the users, which is just what I want to read when learning new material.I typically find a lot of typos in books, but in this one I have found only one so far (on page 130, "Grand Access Using Hierarchies" should read "Grant Access Using Hierarchies")One omission I noticed is that in the section that talks about "View All" and "Modify All" for specific objects, they chose not to mention the "View All Data" and "Modify All Data" system permissions. Interestingly, this was skipped or glossed over when I was first learning Salesforce Administration skills, too, but grasping it later gave me a clearer understanding that record sharing is primarily not done via profile/permission set, but these are two exceptions. Of course, these superpower sharing perms should usually only be held by System Admins, and not everyone should be a System Admin!Ten sample test questions are provided. When the answers are given, they mostly provide only a link to documentation, rather than a discussion of why the right answers are right and the wrong answers are wrong. The standard for this has been set by Focus on Force. But this book is not primarily about the exam or practice exams. A nice supplement might be longer practice exams with detailed discussions of how to determine the correct answers.Having written about and taught Salesforce concepts, including practice exam questions, I know how challenging this all can be. These authors have done a great job. If you are reading this in 2024, and want to learn to be a Salesforce Administrator, I recommend getting your copy today.