03.04.01 — Equivalence Partitioning in Salesforce Logic

Lesson goal

This lesson explains how Equivalence Partitioning can be applied effectively in Salesforce projects to reduce the number of test cases without reducing coverage.

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• identify logical partitions in Salesforce requirements,
• group test conditions in a meaningful way,
• avoid redundant test cases while still covering critical behavior.

Why Equivalence Partitioning matters in Salesforce

Salesforce implementations often generate a large number of possible test combinations:

• multiple user profiles,
• multiple record types,
• multiple field value combinations,
• multiple automation paths.

Testing every possible combination is not realistic.

Equivalence Partitioning allows you to:

• group inputs that behave the same way,
• select representative values,
• focus testing effort where behavior actually differs.

This is essential for keeping Salesforce test suites maintainable.

What Equivalence Partitioning really is

Equivalence Partitioning is a test design technique that assumes:

If the system behaves the same way for a group of inputs,
testing one representative input from that group is sufficient.

Each group is called an equivalence class.

In Salesforce, equivalence classes often emerge from:

• permissions,
• validation rules,
• automation conditions,
• data state.

Identifying equivalence classes in Salesforce

In Salesforce, equivalence classes are rarely based on single input values.

They are usually based on context combinations, such as:

• user permissions,
• record ownership,
• record type,
• field values.

Example: user permissions

Instead of testing every profile separately, you can group users into:

• users with edit permission on an object,
• users without edit permission.

Each group represents a different behavior path.

Equivalence Partitioning and validation rules

Validation rules naturally create equivalence classes.

Example:

• values that satisfy the rule,
• values that violate the rule.

You do not need to test every invalid value.

You need to test one representative invalid case per logical rule.

This keeps tests focused on logic, not data enumeration.

Equivalence Partitioning in record types

Record Types often define different behavior paths:

• different required fields,
• different picklist values,
• different automation.

Each Record Type usually represents a separate equivalence class.

Within a Record Type, many field combinations may behave identically.

Testing one representative case per Record Type is often sufficient.

Grouping profiles and permission sets

Testing permissions does not mean testing every profile individually.

Instead, group users by:

• effective permissions,
• access level,
• allowed actions.

Two users with different profiles but identical effective permissions often belong to the same equivalence class.

This reduces duplication while preserving coverage.

Data-driven equivalence classes

Data state often defines behavior.

Examples:

• Opportunity in Open state vs Closed state,
• Account with related records vs without,
• Record with required lookup populated vs missing.

Each distinct behavior path defines an equivalence class.

Avoiding false equivalence

A common mistake is grouping inputs that appear similar but behave differently.

Warning signs:

• hidden automation conditions,
• permission edge cases,
• record ownership rules,
• sharing model differences.

When in doubt:

• split classes first,
• merge later if behavior proves identical.

Combining Equivalence Partitioning with Preconditions

Equivalence classes should be reflected in:

• test scenarios,
• Preconditions definitions,
• test case scope.

Preconditions describe which equivalence class is being tested.

This keeps test cases:

• explicit,
• reviewable,
• easy to reason about.

Practical guideline

When designing Salesforce tests:

• identify where behavior changes,
• group everything else,
• test one representative case per group.

This approach:

• reduces test volume,
• improves clarity,
• focuses effort on meaningful differences.

Key takeaway

• Equivalence Partitioning reduces test cases without reducing coverage.
• In Salesforce, equivalence classes are usually defined by context, not single values.
• Group users, record types, and data states based on behavior.
• Always validate that grouped inputs truly behave the same way.

Used correctly, Equivalence Partitioning is one of the most powerful tools in Salesforce test design.