SF-PD2 Practice Exam 1 — 20 Questions

Question 1

Refer to the exhibit. A developer is reviewing a debug log for a failed transaction. What is the primary performance issue identified in the log snippet?

Accepted Answer

The transaction failed because the CPU time exceeded the 10,000 ms limit.. The debug log shows the cumulative limit usage at the end of a transaction. The 'Maximum CPU time' entry indicates that 10,005 milliseconds were used, which exceeds the synchronous governor limit of 10,000 milliseconds. This results in a LimitException, and the transaction is rolled back, regardless of how many queries or rows were processed.

Answer

The transaction failed due to too many SOQL queries being executed.

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The transaction failed because the heap size limit was exceeded during processing.

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The transaction failed because the number of query rows exceeded 50,000.

Question 2

A developer is writing an Apex trigger that should only fire when specific fields are changed. Which THREE practices help optimize the trigger's performance?

Accepted Answer

Check field values in the trigger to avoid redundant logic.. Trigger optimization is essential for preventing unnecessary processing. By checking if fields have actually changed, the developer avoids executing logic when no relevant data updates have occurred. Furthermore, decoupling logic into service classes keeps the trigger thin and manageable, while early-exit patterns ensure the code finishes as fast as possible if conditions aren't met, maintaining high system throughput and preventing governor limit issues.

Answer

Perform all DML operations inside the trigger loop.

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Execute all SOQL queries for every record in the trigger.

Question 3

Refer to the exhibit. What is the primary security advantage of using a 'Named Credential' in this callout as opposed to hardcoding the API endpoint and credentials?

Accepted Answer

It centralizes credential management and prevents hardcoded secrets.. Named Credentials encapsulate the authentication process and the endpoint URL, separating the integration configuration from the source code. This not only makes the code cleaner but also provides centralized management of sensitive credentials. If credentials expire or the endpoint changes, the developer updates the Named Credential object, and all associated integrations are updated simultaneously without requiring a deployment or code change.

Answer

It automatically encrypts the payload for transit.

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It allows the code to bypass the 'Remote Site Settings' check.

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It enables the use of custom HTTP verbs like PATCH or DELETE.

Question 4

A developer wants to inspect private variable states and trace execution paths of a complex trigger framework during a sandbox debugging session. Which tool should the developer use to capture this diagnostic information?

Accepted Answer

Salesforce Developer Console Log Inspector. The Developer Console includes a powerful execution log inspector and perspective layout specifically designed for tracing Apex transactions. Debug logs record database queries, heap allocations, and method entries, enabling developers to isolate root causes of unexpected runtime behaviors efficiently during active troubleshooting sessions.

Answer

Salesforce Setup Audit Trail

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Salesforce Event Monitoring Analytics

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Salesforce Optimizer Report

Question 5

What is the best way to test asynchronous Apex (Future methods, Queueable) to ensure the logic within the background job actually executes?

Accepted Answer

Wrap the test logic in Test.startTest() and Test.stopTest().. Using Test.startTest() and Test.stopTest() is the only supported way to force asynchronous code to execute synchronously within a test block. Any asynchronous jobs added between these two calls are processed when stopTest() is invoked. This pattern ensures that tests can assert the outcome of background operations, which is crucial for testing complex integrations or batch processes that rely on asynchronous execution.

Answer

Use System.enqueueJob() inside the test method.

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Call the future method directly in the test.

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Use a Thread.sleep() command to wait for the job.

Question 6

A developer is writing a test class that requires a user with a specific profile. How should the developer handle the user creation process?

Accepted Answer

Create a new user within the test method and use System.runAs().. Tests must create their own data, including Users, to ensure they remain self-contained and environment-independent. Using the 'RunAs' method in combination with user creation allows the developer to simulate specific security and permission contexts. This ensures that the logic is tested exactly as it would be for the target user, confirming that the code respects the platform's security model consistently.

Answer

Query an existing user from the production environment.

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Hardcode the username of a system administrator.

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Grant the test user the 'Modify All Data' permission via a PermissionSet.

Question 7

A developer is preparing for a deployment using Salesforce DX. Which TWO practices are recommended to ensure successful and repeatable deployments?

Accepted Answer

Use Scratch Orgs to develop and test features in isolation.. Using source-driven development with Salesforce DX allows teams to maintain a version-controlled repository as the source of truth. By utilizing Scratch Orgs for development and testing, developers ensure that the environment is clean and reflects the current state of metadata. These practices minimize 'org drift' and ensure that deployments are predictable, reproducible, and easily traceable through version control history, which is crucial for professional release management.

Answer

Maintain the entire org metadata in a single, unversioned folder.

Answer

Manually deploy components via the Change Set UI for every release.

Answer

Avoid using unit tests to save time during deployment cycles.

Question 8

A developer wants to create a custom setting that can be accessed globally within Apex code without performing a SOQL query. Which type of custom setting is most appropriate if the data varies per user profile?

Accepted Answer

Hierarchy Custom Setting.. Custom Settings are categorized into List and Hierarchy types. Hierarchy Custom Settings allow developers to define values at the Organization, Profile, or User level. This provides a flexible mechanism to retrieve environment-specific configurations without the overhead of SOQL queries, which count against governor limits. For per-profile configuration, the Hierarchy type is the standard architectural choice in Salesforce development.

Answer

List Custom Setting.

Answer

Custom Metadata Type.

Answer

Custom Object with a lookup to User.

Question 9

A developer is building a complex nested Lightning Web Component structure. A deeply nested child component needs to notify an ancestor component, which is not the immediate parent, about a data change. Which configuration of the CustomEvent constructor should the developer use to ensure the event reaches the ancestor across the shadow DOM boundary?

Accepted Answer

new CustomEvent('update', { bubbles: true, composed: true });. Understanding event propagation in Lightning Web Components is vital for building scalable architectures. When an event needs to cross the shadow DOM boundary and continue bubbling up the regular DOM, both the bubbles and composed properties must be set to true. This allows the event to reach components outside of the immediate shadow root where it originated, enabling decoupled communication between distant components.

Answer

new CustomEvent('update', { bubbles: true, composed: false });

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new CustomEvent('update', { bubbles: false, composed: true });

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new CustomEvent('update', { detail: { bubbles: true, composed: true } });

Question 10

A developer is building a Lightning Web Component that needs to communicate with a parent component in a deep containment hierarchy. The event must traverse shadow boundaries without stopping at component boundaries. Which property configuration should the developer apply when instantiating the CustomEvent?

Accepted Answer

{ bubbles: true, composed: true }. Custom events in Lightning Web Components require the bubbles and composed properties to be set to true when they need to cross shadow DOM boundaries and propagate up through the entire DOM tree, including parent and grandparent components. Setting composed to false restricts the event strictly within the local shadow tree of the component that dispatched it.

Answer

{ bubbles: true, composed: false }

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{ bubbles: false, composed: true }

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{ cancelable: true, composed: false }

Question 11

A developer is writing a complex asynchronous batch Apex job that processes millions of financial transaction records. The job needs to maintain running totals across batches and update a summary logging record upon completion. Which mechanism allows state to be accurately preserved across individual executeBatch transactions?

Accepted Answer

Implement the Database.Stateful interface on the batch class definition to preserve instance member variable states across transaction chunks.. Implementing the Database.Stateful interface in a Batch Apex class ensures that instance member variables retain their values across distinct transaction chunks. Without this interface, member variables reset between execute method invocations. Preserving state is essential for maintaining running totals and aggregate metrics during large-scale data processing.

Answer

Declare instance member variables inside the batch class without implementing any special interfaces.

Answer

Store running totals inside static variables within the batch class, relying on the Apex transaction cache.

Answer

Write running totals to a custom metadata type record inside each execute method iteration.

Question 12

Refer to the exhibit. The Apex transaction is consistently hitting the CPU limit. What is the most likely cause and the best way to optimize the code?

Accepted Answer

Replace nested loops with Map-based lookups.. The CPU time limit is reached when the Apex code performs too many calculations, loops, or complex logic within a single transaction. Optimization requires reducing the complexity of the code, such as moving away from nested loops, using maps for faster lookups, or offloading heavy computations to asynchronous processes like Batch Apex or Queueable Apex. This ensures that the transaction completes within the time limit allocated by the platform.

Answer

Reduce the batch size in the Batch Apex class.

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Increase the CPU limit in the organization configuration.

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Use the 'transient' keyword for all variables.

Question 13

An enterprise Salesforce application requires high-performance execution of complex SOQL queries across millions of records. Which strategy should a developer implement to ensure optimal query performance and prevent governor limit violations?

Accepted Answer

Apply custom indexes on frequently filtered fields and ensure filters use selective criteria.. Utilizing selective queries with custom indexes combined with proper bind variables ensures that database operations avoid full table scans. This optimization directly prevents CPU time and query row limit exceptions, protecting platform resources and maintaining user experience under heavy transaction loads.

Answer

Write dynamic SOQL strings concatenating user inputs to filter datasets flexibly.

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Retrieve all records into an Apex collection and filter them using nested loops.

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Wrap every SOQL query in a try-catch block to automatically fallback to unindexed searches.

Question 14

A developer is attempting to debug a failed deployment in a sandbox. The error message is cryptic, and the debug logs are not capturing the expected execution flow. What should the developer do first?

Accepted Answer

Increase the debug log level for the user executing the deployment.. Effective debugging starts with ensuring the logging level is correctly configured. If logs are not capturing the flow, it is likely the log level for 'Apex Code' or 'Apex Profiling' is set to 'None' or 'Error'. Increasing the verbosity to 'Fine' or 'Finest' is the standard procedure to gain visibility into the execution path, allowing for the identification of logic errors or incorrect configuration.

Answer

Delete the Apex class and re-deploy it.

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Refresh the sandbox to clear any corrupted metadata.

Answer

Open a Salesforce support ticket immediately.

Question 15

A developer wants to minimize the impact of long-running operations on the user interface. Which design pattern should they utilize?

Accepted Answer

Use Queueable Apex to offload complex tasks to the background.. Asynchronous processing, such as Queueable Apex, offloads heavy tasks to the background. By executing long-running logic outside the main user request thread, the UI remains responsive. This improves the perceived performance of the application significantly, as users do not have to wait for complex computations to finish before continuing their work in the Salesforce interface.

Answer

Implement @future methods for every database update.

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Use Platform Events to perform synchronous calculations.

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Write the logic in JavaScript to execute on the client side.

Question 16

Refer to the exhibit. The service is failing because the external system requires a specific 'Content-Type' header that is missing. Which addition to the code will correctly resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

req.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');. To successfully communicate with an external API that expects specific metadata, the HTTP request must be configured with the necessary headers before the request is sent. The HttpRequest class provides the setHeader() method, which is the standard way to define metadata such as 'Content-Type' or 'Authorization'. Adding this line ensures the request is formatted correctly for the external system's expectations.

Answer

req.setBody('Content-Type: application/json');

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req.setMethod('Content-Type: application/json');

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h.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');

Question 17

A developer is writing a query to fetch related records. Which SOQL pattern is best for avoiding unnecessary query execution and improving performance?

Accepted Answer

Use a single relationship query to fetch parent and child records.. Using relationship queries (joins) allows fetching data from parent and child objects in a single SOQL statement. This prevents the 'query-in-a-loop' anti-pattern, which is the most common cause of hitting the 100 SOQL query limit. By retrieving all necessary data at once, the developer reduces the number of server round-trips and keeps the transaction lightweight and performant, which is essential for scaling code in an enterprise environment.

Answer

Perform separate queries for each record inside a loop.

Answer

Cache all retrieved data in a static Map variable.

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Use the 'FOR' loop with the 'LIMIT' keyword.

Question 18

A company requires that an integration log all outbound API requests for auditing purposes, including the full request and response body. Given the potential for high volumes, which implementation is most efficient and compliant?

Accepted Answer

Use Platform Events to log the data asynchronously in a separate transaction.. Using a Platform Event to log integration data is the most efficient pattern. Because the logging happens asynchronously, it doesn't block the main business transaction. By publishing an event, a separate subscriber can handle the heavy lifting of storing the log in a custom object, ensuring the primary business operation remains performant while maintaining an audit trail for all outbound communications.

Answer

Insert a record into a custom 'Log' object synchronously within the integration class.

Answer

Store the logs in a static variable and write to the database at the end of the day.

Answer

Write the logs to the Debug Log and parse them later using a log monitoring tool.

Question 19

An enterprise development team uses Salesforce DX scratch orgs for feature development. A developer needs to ensure that unit tests execute automatically every time code is committed to the version control system. Which integration approach achieves this requirement?

Accepted Answer

Set up a CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions or Jenkins to spin up a scratch org, push metadata, and run sf apex test run.. Integrating CI/CD pipelines with version control hooks automates validation processes. Utilizing Salesforce CLI commands within CI runners guarantees that code meets quality gates and test coverage thresholds before merging into shared branches, protecting code health and reducing integration debt across large distributed development teams.

Answer

Configure a scheduled Apex job in the scratch org to run all tests nightly and email logs to the engineering team.

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Rely on developers to manually execute unit tests in their local IDE terminals before pushing commits to remote branches.

Answer

Configure a change set deployment validation rule that triggers whenever a pull request is opened in GitHub.

Question 20

A developer is building a Lightning Web Component for a Lightning Experience app. The component contains a form with an <input> for a search term and a list of results. When the user types into the input, the component must call an Apex method that returns matching records. The developer observes that the Apex method is being invoked on every keystroke, causing excessive server calls. Which technique should the developer use to limit the number of Apex calls while still updating the results as the user types?

Accepted Answer

Implement a debounce function using setTimeout and clearTimeout to delay the Apex call until the user pauses typing.. Debouncing is the correct technique to limit Apex calls triggered by rapid user input. By delaying the call until the user pauses typing, the component reduces server load while still providing timely results. Other options either do not control timing or do not effectively reduce the number of calls in this scenario.

Answer

Set the Apex method to cacheable=true and call it imperatively from the component's JavaScript.

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Use the lightning-input component with the onchange event and call the Apex method only when the input value length exceeds three characters.

Answer

Use the @wire decorator with the Apex method and pass the search term as a reactive parameter.