Understanding the different types of Salesforce sandboxes and org types is essential for any Salesforce administrator or developer. Sandboxes provide isolated environments for development, testing, and training without affecting your production data. This guide covers all sandbox types in Salesforce, their use cases, and how to choose the right environment for your needs.
What are Salesforce Sandboxes?
Salesforce sandboxes are separate environments that allow you to develop, test, and train on Salesforce functionality without compromising your production org’s data and customizations. Each sandbox is a copy of your production org, but the level of data and metadata copied depends on the sandbox type.
Sandboxes serve multiple purposes:
- Development and customization testing
- User training and adoption
- Integration testing with external systems
- Quality assurance before production deployment
- Backup and disaster recovery planning
Types of Sandboxes in Salesforce
Salesforce provides four main sandbox types, each designed for specific use cases and organizational needs. The availability of each type depends on your Salesforce license and edition.
Developer Sandbox
Developer sandboxes are the most basic sandbox type, designed for individual development work and small-scale testing.
Key characteristics:
- Storage: 200 MB data storage, 200 MB file storage
- Refresh frequency: Daily
- Data copied: Metadata only (no production data)
- Users: Supports all users from production org
- Best for: Individual development, Apex coding, workflow testing
Limitations:
- No production data for realistic testing
- Limited storage for large-scale development
- Not suitable for user training with real data
Developer Pro Sandbox
Developer Pro sandboxes offer more storage and capabilities than standard Developer sandboxes, making them suitable for larger development projects.
Key characteristics:
- Storage: 1 GB data storage, 1 GB file storage
- Refresh frequency: Daily
- Data copied: Metadata only (no production data)
- Users: Supports all users from production org
- Best for: Team development, complex customizations, integration testing
Use cases:
- Multi-developer projects requiring more storage
- Testing large data volumes without production data
- Complex Apex and Lightning component development
Partial Copy Sandbox
Partial Copy sandboxes include both metadata and a subset of production data, making them ideal for testing with realistic data scenarios.
Key characteristics:
- Storage: 5 GB data storage, 5 GB file storage
- Refresh frequency: Every 5 days
- Data copied: Metadata plus selected production data
- Data selection: Use sandbox templates to specify which data to copy
- Best for: User acceptance testing, training, integration testing
Configuration options:
- Create sandbox templates to define data criteria
- Include specific objects and records based on filters
- Maintain referential integrity across related objects
Full Copy Sandbox
Full Copy sandboxes are exact replicas of your production org, including all data, metadata, and configurations.
Key characteristics:
- Storage: Same as production org
- Refresh frequency: Every 29 days
- Data copied: Complete production org copy
- Users: All production users and data
- Best for: Performance testing, user training, disaster recovery
Enterprise use cases:
- Load testing with production data volumes
- End-to-end integration testing
- Comprehensive user training programs
- Backup and disaster recovery validation
Salesforce Org Types Beyond Sandboxes
While sandboxes are the primary non-production environments, Salesforce offers additional org types for specific purposes.
Scratch Orgs
Scratch orgs are temporary, configurable Salesforce environments designed for development and testing in the Salesforce DX workflow.
Key features:
- Duration: 1-30 days (7 days default)
- Configuration: Defined by scratch org definition files
- Source-driven development: Integrates with version control
- Best for: Agile development, continuous integration
Trailhead Playground
Trailhead Playgrounds are free Developer Edition orgs provided for learning and experimentation.
Characteristics:
- Free access for Trailhead users
- Pre-configured with sample data
- Limited storage and functionality
- Ideal for learning and certification preparation
Salesforce License Types and Sandbox Access
Your Salesforce license type determines which sandbox types are available to your organization.
License-Based Sandbox Allocation
Professional Edition:
- 1 Developer Sandbox included
- Additional sandboxes available for purchase
Enterprise Edition:
- 1 Developer Sandbox included
- 1 Partial Copy Sandbox included
- Additional sandboxes available for purchase
Unlimited Edition:
- 1 Developer Sandbox included
- 1 Developer Pro Sandbox included
- 1 Partial Copy Sandbox included
- 1 Full Copy Sandbox included
Performance Edition:
- Multiple sandboxes of each type included
- Designed for large enterprise implementations
Best Practices for Sandbox Management
Effective sandbox management ensures optimal development workflows and resource utilization.
Sandbox Strategy Planning
Development workflow:
- Use Developer sandboxes for individual development
- Promote changes to Developer Pro for team integration
- Test with realistic data in Partial Copy sandboxes
- Perform final validation in Full Copy before production
Refresh scheduling:
- Align refresh cycles with release schedules
- Coordinate refreshes across development teams
- Backup custom configurations before refreshes
- Document sandbox-specific customizations
Data Management in Sandboxes
Data security considerations:
- Mask or anonymize sensitive data in sandboxes
- Implement appropriate user access controls
- Monitor sandbox usage and access patterns
- Regular cleanup of test data and configurations
Performance optimization:
- Use selective data copying in Partial Copy sandboxes
- Implement data archiving strategies
- Monitor storage usage across sandbox types
- Optimize queries and processes for sandbox environments
Common Sandbox Use Cases by Type
Different sandbox types serve specific organizational needs and development scenarios.
Development Scenarios
Individual development (Developer Sandbox):
- Apex class and trigger development
- Lightning component creation
- Workflow and process builder testing
- Custom object and field creation
Team development (Developer Pro Sandbox):
- Multi-developer collaboration
- Integration development and testing
- Package development and testing
- Complex customization projects
Testing Scenarios
User acceptance testing (Partial Copy Sandbox):
- Business process validation
- User training with realistic data
- Integration testing with external systems
- Performance testing with subset data
Production simulation (Full Copy Sandbox):
- Load testing with full data volumes
- Disaster recovery testing
- Major release validation
- End-to-end business process testing
Sandbox Limitations and Considerations
Understanding sandbox limitations helps in proper planning and resource allocation.
Technical Limitations
API and governor limits:
- Same governor limits as production apply
- API call limits based on license type
- Storage limits vary by sandbox type
- Processing time limits for long-running operations
Feature limitations:
- Some features may be disabled in sandboxes
- Third-party integrations may require separate configuration
- Email deliverability restrictions in sandboxes
- Certain AppExchange packages may not function
Operational Considerations
Refresh impact:
- Custom configurations are overwritten during refresh
- User passwords reset after refresh
- Integration endpoints may change
- Test data is replaced with production data (where applicable)
Cost considerations:
- Additional sandboxes require separate licensing
- Storage overages may incur additional costs
- Refresh frequency affects development timelines
- Resource allocation for sandbox management
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the different types of sandboxes in Salesforce?
Salesforce offers four main sandbox types: Developer Sandbox (200 MB, metadata only), Developer Pro Sandbox (1 GB, metadata only), Partial Copy Sandbox (5 GB, metadata plus selected data), and Full Copy Sandbox (full production copy). Each serves different development and testing needs.
How do Salesforce org types differ from sandbox types?
Salesforce org types include production orgs, sandboxes, scratch orgs, and Trailhead Playgrounds. Sandbox types are specific categories within non-production environments, while org types encompass all Salesforce environment categories including production.
Which sandbox type should I use for user training?
Partial Copy or Full Copy sandboxes are best for user training because they include production data. Partial Copy sandboxes work well for most training scenarios, while Full Copy sandboxes are ideal when you need complete data sets and realistic performance conditions.
How often can I refresh different sandbox types in Salesforce?
Developer and Developer Pro sandboxes can be refreshed daily, Partial Copy sandboxes every 5 days, and Full Copy sandboxes every 29 days. These refresh intervals are designed to balance resource usage with development needs.
What Salesforce license types include which sandboxes?
Professional Edition includes 1 Developer Sandbox. Enterprise Edition includes 1 Developer and 1 Partial Copy Sandbox. Unlimited Edition includes Developer, Developer Pro, Partial Copy, and Full Copy Sandboxes. Performance Edition includes multiple sandboxes of each type.
Can I create custom data sets in Partial Copy sandboxes?
Yes, Partial Copy sandboxes use sandbox templates to define which data to copy from production. You can create filters based on object criteria, date ranges, and relationships to include specific data sets that match your testing requirements.