SF-Admin Configuration and Setup Practice Question
An administrator needs to prevent users from editing a field after a record has been marked as 'Closed'. What is the best way to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose page layout read-only settings or profile-level field security instead of validation rules, forgetting that those methods do not prevent updates made via APIs, data loads, or mobile devices.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a Validation Rule.
Validation rules provide a powerful way to enforce business logic by evaluating conditions at the time of record save. By checking if the record is 'Closed' and if the field has been changed, the administrator ensures data integrity. This approach is superior to page layout settings, as it prevents updates through API, data loads, and mobile, effectively enforcing the business process across all access channels.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Make the field Read-Only on the Page Layout.
Why it's wrong here
Making a field read-only on the page layout is easily bypassed by users with edit permissions, or via tools like the Data Loader or API. It is a UI-level restriction, not a data-level enforcement, making it ineffective for preventing updates to records that have moved to a 'Closed' status.
- ✓
Use a Validation Rule.
Why this is correct
Validation Rules are evaluated during the save process, regardless of the entry method. By using the ISCHANGED function and checking the status field, an administrator can strictly enforce that a record cannot be modified once it hits a closed state, protecting the integrity of the completed business transaction effectively.
- ✗
Change the Field-Level Security to Read-Only.
Why it's wrong here
Field-Level Security is a static setting applied to profiles and permission sets. It cannot be made conditional based on the record's status. Once a user is granted edit access to a field, they have it for all records, making this unsuitable for conditional logic that changes based on status.
- ✗
Use a Workflow Rule to clear changes.
Why it's wrong here
Workflow rules cannot 'undo' a user's input once saved. Attempting to clear values via workflow would result in unpredictable behavior and poor user experience, as the user would save the record and then see their data disappear, rather than being prevented from making the invalid change in the first place.
About these practice questions
This SF-Admin question is part of Courseiva's 202-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Salesforce exam blueprint
This SF-Admin practice question is part of Courseiva's free Salesforce certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SF-Admin exam.