As a long-time Salesforce Admin and community advocate, I know how much our daily toolkit shapes the kind of impact we can have. In this year’s Salesforce Ben Salesforce Administrator Survey, we asked admins across the globe a simple question: What tools do you use every day? The responses weren’t just interesting – they revealed a powerful shift in how admins are working.
While “clicks not code” remains a core part of the admin philosophy, the lines are blurring. Many admins are now using more technical tools to address the growing complexity of Salesforce orgs. Whether you’re already using these daily or looking to level up, here are the top 5 tools Salesforce Admins say they rely on every day, along with how you can use them in your role.
1. SOQL: Query Like a Pro
SOQL, or Salesforce Object Query Language, is the language used to search and retrieve data from Salesforce objects. Think of it as SQL, but tailored specifically for Salesforce.
Why Do Admins Love It?
Need to pull a quick report that standard filters can’t handle? SOQL gives you total control over your data queries. Whether you’re troubleshooting automation, auditing records, or validating test data, SOQL enables you to quickly and efficiently pinpoint exactly what you need.
Use Cases
- Finding records with missing data
- Use SOQL to Avoid Wait Time on Reports
- Retrieve Data from Multiple Related Records
- Identifying duplicates
- Exporting data for analysis or clean-up
2. VS Code: The Dev Console’s Grown-Up Cousin
VS Code (short for Visual Studio Code) is a smart text editor you can use to write, edit, and organize code or instructions that a computer can understand.
Why Do Admins Love It?
VS Code isn’t just for developers. Admins use it to deploy changes, write and review Apex code, manage metadata, and explore their org’s structure in detail. It provides better visibility, stronger version control, and cleaner workflows.
Use Cases
- Inspecting and modifying metadata like Flows and Validation Rules
- Deploying changes to sandboxes or production
- Collaborating with developers
- Version control with Git
3. Apex: Clicks, Meet Code
Apex is Salesforce’s proprietary programming language. It allows for advanced logic, automation, and integrations that go beyond what you can do declaratively.
Why Do Admins Love It?
Admins often work in environments where declarative tools can’t solve every problem. Apex allows for more flexibility and power, enabling admins to build tailored solutions or work more effectively with dev teams.
Use Cases
- Writing custom triggers and batch jobs
- Building system integrations
- Extending Flow automation
- Creating test classes for deployments
4. Workbench: Your Admin Swiss Army Knife
Workbench is a web-based suite of tools that allows you to interact directly with Salesforce data and metadata.
Why Do Admins Love It?
Whether it’s exploring the schema or making quick updates, Workbench offers a straightforward way to perform tasks that the standard UI may not support. It’s fast, flexible, and doesn’t require a complicated setup.
Use Cases
- Force-reset a User’s Salesforce Password
- Running SOQL and SOSL queries
- Viewing metadata structures
- Bulk updating or deleting records
5. HTML: The Unsung Hero of User Experience
HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is the standard language for creating web pages. It is used to structure content on the web and is foundational for web development.
Why Do Admins Love It?
From polished Lightning Pages to branded email templates, HTML gives admins the ability to control how content looks and feels. A little knowledge of HTML goes a long way toward making your org more user-friendly and visually consistent.
Use Cases
- Customizing email and community templates
- Embedding messages in Lightning Pages
- Improving layout and readability
Summary
The takeaway from this year’s survey is clear: Salesforce Admins are becoming more technical than ever.
If you’re not using some of these tools yet, that’s perfectly okay. Start small. Learn SOQL. Open VS Code and explore your org’s structure. Customize an email with HTML. Every step makes you more confident and more capable.
You don’t need to be a developer to use these tools. You just need curiosity, a willingness to learn, and the support of a community that’s always cheering you on.
For more admin insights, check out our SF Ben Salesforce Administrator survey here.
Comments: