Demystifying Code for Salesforce Admins
I’ve been in the Salesforce ecosystem for over 10 years as a Developer and Architect and one of the common issues I hear from long time Admins and Architects is that the coding side of the Salesforce platform isn’t for them. They can run circles around me using Flows but the code doesn’t always click. Recently I had the opportunity to share my Demystify Code for Admins presentation with the Jacksonville Architects User Group and I was given the opportunity to summarize it here as well!
A bit about my background, I have 18 Salesforce certifications (including Platform Developer II, System Architect, and Application Architect), over 700 Trailhead badges, I’ve been an 11X RAD Women Coach, am a member of the Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame, and have worked as a Salesforce Developer and Architect for Google for the past 8 years.
Why Admins Can Learn Code
I’m a big believer that even if coding isn’t for you, if you’re familiar with the admin side of the platform, you can definitely learn the coding side! At the very least, you can understand bits of code that you see once it’s broken down into components. If you can start understanding code, utilize Google searches and AI tools, then you can get pretty close to writing code! Even just understanding code though can increase your value to your company as well as potential job and career opportunities. If you’re an Admin who understands code and are being compared to an admin who doesn’t, you’ll have a leg up (not to mention maybe a little more money too)!
Admin Tools and What You’re Really Doing With Them
Consider the tools you rely on as an Admin and what’s actually happening behind the scenes when you use them. These everyday actions are more than just clicks; they’re foundational technical concepts that mirror what developers do in code.
Creating Objects and Fields
When you’re building objects and fields, you’re really building a data model, telling Salesforce what you want the name of your metadata to be, and what type of data you’re going to store there (Text field, Number field, etc). Note that all metadata will also have an API name (usually turning spaces to _ and adding __c at the end) that is used in code.
Building Reports
When you’re building reports, you’re really creating a query for records based on some condition, e.g. “show me all Account records, the Account Name, Type, and Rating field, that have the condition of Type being Customer – Direct or Customer – Channel”.
Creating Formula Fields
When you’re creating formula fields, you’re taking some input you know, putting it into some black box calculation, and outputting another value whose data type you had to tell Salesforce ahead of time. You can chain these functions together as well to make a really complex formula!
Building Flows
When you build record triggered flows, you’re building some automation where you choose the object and when your flow will fire, specifically either before or after it’s saved to the database. You also store values in flows called variables and can even save multiple values at once in a collection variable. You can use a Decision element to use conditional statements, a Loop element to loop over collections, and additional elements to create and alter Salesforce records.
And if you’ve been in the ecosystem for a while, maybe you’re even building workflow rules and process builders.
The Connection Between Admin Concepts and Apex
It may (or may not!) surprise you to learn that the same concepts you already know how to do, are the same ones used in Apex!
- Conditional logic you see in Formulas and Flow, those are your IF statements in Apex
- The idea of creating placeholders to store types of data with Fields and Flow Variables, those are Variables in Apex
- The idea of chaining logic together like you do in Formulas and Flow, those are your Apex Methods and Classes
- The querying for records you do in Reports, in Apex it’s known as SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language)
- Automation where you choose an object and when to fire it in Flows, in Apex those are your Triggers
- Looping over collections in a Flow, in Apex you do it in a For Loop
- Manipulating sObject (Salesforce object) records in a Flow, in Apex that’s DML (Database Manipulation Language)
Everything you already know how to do, are the same concepts you need to know for Apex!
I highly recommend checking out the presentation where I show how to build something with declarative tools and the exact same feature using Apex. I also take all the building blocks you learn and put them together at the end.
Final Thoughts + A Challenge
Understanding code doesn’t mean you have to become a full-time developer. It means adding another dimension to the expertise you already have. As an Admin, you already work with logic, data structures, and automation daily. The gap between what you do in Flows and what happens in Apex isn’t as wide as it seems. By breaking down concepts like variables, loops, conditions, and queries into familiar territory, code starts to feel less like a foreign language and more like a dialect of the one you already speak.
Whether you’re reading Apex in a sandbox, partnering more effectively with a dev team, or tackling lightweight code tasks on your own, that understanding builds confidence. It also sets you apart. In today’s job market, Admins who can speak both declarative and programmatic languages are incredibly valuable. You don’t need to write Apex from scratch to bring more to the table. Just being able to read it, talk about it, and know when and how to use it can go a long way. So if code has always felt out of reach, take another look. With the knowledge you already have and a willingness to learn, you’re closer than you think. You’ve got this.
And Now for the Challenge
Go back to your orgs, go to the Setup menu and search for Apex Triggers and Apex Classes. Try to identify the pieces of code that you see.
- if statements
- Variables
- for loops
- SOQL queries
- DML statements
- Methods and method calls
- return statements
Try to follow a process in your org end to end, e.g. “what happens when an Account is inserted.” I think you’ll understand more than you think!
I have some more resources at bit.ly/AdamApexResources including some courses on Pluralsight. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and say hello at the next Salesforce event! Happy coding!
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