SF-Admin Sales and Marketing Applications Practice Question
AW Computing uses Salesforce to manage its sales pipeline. The sales operations team wants to prevent users from creating an Opportunity with a Close Date in the past. Which feature should the administrator use to enforce this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse validation rules with automation tools like workflow rules that run after save and cannot block invalid data.
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
✓
Validation Rule
A validation rule is the correct tool because it evaluates the Close Date against the current date and prevents saving if the condition is met. It enforces the rule consistently for all users and record creation methods, ensuring data accuracy without custom code.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Formula Field
Why it's wrong here
A formula field only calculates and displays a value; it cannot prevent a user from saving an Opportunity with a past Close Date. It is read-only and does not enforce data integrity or block record creation, so it fails to meet the requirement.
- ✓
Validation Rule
Why this is correct
A validation rule can evaluate the Close Date field against today's date and block the save if it is in the past. This enforces the requirement at the data-entry level for all users, regardless of how the record is created, without needing code or workflow.
- ✗
Approval Process
Why it's wrong here
An approval process is designed for submitting records for approval and locking them, not for validating field values at entry. It would not automatically reject a past Close Date unless a user submits for approval, which is not the desired behavior.
- ✗
Workflow Rule
Why it's wrong here
A workflow rule can trigger actions like field updates or email alerts, but it cannot stop a record from being saved. It runs after the save, so it cannot prevent the invalid Close Date from being stored, making it unsuitable for this requirement.
About these practice questions
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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.