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✦ Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator · ADM-201

Prep for the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator with Claudeforce.

Prepare for the Administrator exam while exploring how Claude works with Salesforce data. Build the objects, permissions, and business rules behind reliable AI-assisted workflows. Three weeks of live, hands-on learning for non-coders and career changers who want to get started with Claudeforce.

3 live teaching sessionsThree optional Friday office hoursThree optional Friday office hoursThree optional Friday office hours3 weeks1-year replay accessNo coding requiredYour own practice org
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✦ Your instructor

Mike Wheeler, founder of Velza Training and Consulting

Learn from Mike Wheeler

Mike Wheeler authored the definitive study guide for this exam with O’Reilly Media. He has taught well over 500,000 global learners on major platforms such as edX, LinkedIn Learning, Pearson, and Udemy, and he built the first generative AI course on edX. He teaches for non-coders, working backward from your career goals.

500,000+ global learners taught O’Reilly author As Seen on edX, Pearson, LinkedIn Learning & Udemy
Cover of the O'Reilly Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator Study Guide by Mike Wheeler Mike Wheeler’s O’Reilly Study Guide for this exam

Who this is for

This cohort is made for non-coders and career changers who want to become a Salesforce Administrator.

The Administrator cert is the front door to a Salesforce career, and it is about configuration, not code. If you can use a browser and a spreadsheet, you can do this. We build the skills and the exam readiness from the ground up.

✦ Claude + Salesforce

What Claudeforce means for admins

Claude can help people understand and work with Salesforce data. Admins shape that data, decide who can access it, and configure the rules that guide the work. We connect those responsibilities to practical Claude-assisted exercises throughout the course.

Instructor demonstrations and provided sample data let you follow along without connecting Claude to an org. An optional read-only connection exercise is available for students whose accounts support it.

Claudeforce is the Salesforce and Anthropic partnership. Its Salesforce in Claude product currently has select pilot access, with an open beta planned. Pilot access is not required or included in this cohort.

✦ The curriculum & schedule

Your live sessions

Three live teaching sessions plus three optional Friday office hours over three weeks. Can’t attend live? Every session is recorded.

Three live teaching sessions plus three optional Friday office hours over three weeks. Can’t attend live? Every session is recorded.

Three live teaching sessions plus three optional Friday office hours over three weeks. Can’t attend live? Every session is recorded.

Three live teaching sessions over three weeks. Can’t attend live? Every session is recorded.

Explore Claudeforce through guided exercises with Claude and Salesforce practice data.

Session1
Thursday, August 6
7:30-8:30 PM Central

Setup, Object Manager & App Building

The foundation every admin is tested on: users, profiles and permissions, org and company setup, then the data model itself, objects, fields, relationships, page layouts, and building screens with the Lightning App Builder.

  • Users, profiles, permissions, and org setup: the access foundation
  • Object Manager: fields, relationships, and the data model itself
  • Building apps with Lightning App Builder
  • The configuration groundwork the rest of the exam builds on
Configuration & Setup · 15%Object Manager & Lightning App Builder · 15%~30% of the exam
Session2
Friday, August 7
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session3
Thursday, August 13
7:30-8:30 PM Central

The Apps: Sales, Service & Productivity

How the core clouds work for an admin: the sales and marketing pipeline from lead through opportunity, service and support with cases and queues, and the productivity and collaboration tools your users live in every day.

  • The sales and marketing pipeline as an admin sees it
  • Service and support applications: cases, queues, and escalation
  • Productivity and collaboration tools
  • Scenario practice across all three application areas
Sales & Marketing Apps · 10%Service & Support Apps · 10%Productivity & Collaboration · 10%~30% of the exam
Session4
Friday, August 14
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session5
Thursday, August 20
7:30-8:30 PM Central

Data, Automation & Agentforce, plus Exam Strategy

Importing and keeping data clean, reports and dashboards, and automating work with Flow. We build reports and dashboards in Salesforce, from report types and filters through to dashboard components. We finish with Agentforce: where AI fits, how admins manage agent access, and building prompt templates in Prompt Builder and Agent Builder. Then a full exam-strategy pass with a knowledge-area-by-area game plan.

  • Importing data and keeping it clean
  • Reports and dashboards that answer real questions
  • Automating work with Flow, the heaviest single topic
  • Agentforce basics for the modern admin
  • Connecting Claude to Salesforce for your studies and hands-on work
  • A domain-weighted plan for test day
Data & Analytics Management · 17%Automation · 15%Agentforce · 8%~40% of the exam
Session6
Friday, August 21
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session1
Thursday, September 17
7:30-8:30 PM Central

Setup, Object Manager & App Building with Claudeforce

Build the admin foundations behind trustworthy Claudeforce workflows: users, permissions, objects, fields, relationships, and Lightning pages. Use Claude to explain a Salesforce data model, then check the explanation against the actual configuration. Learn why a clear answer still needs the right source data and access.

  • Configure users, profiles, permission sets, and org settings
  • Build a custom object with fields, an Account relationship, a tab, and a Lightning app and record page
  • Ask Claude to explain field types and relationships, then verify each claim in Object Manager
  • Compare the access a task needs with the permissions a user actually has; an admin’s successful read does not prove another user’s access
  • Practice spotting missing information and unsupported assumptions in an AI-generated explanation
Configuration & Setup · 15%Object Manager & Lightning App Builder · 15%~30% of the exam
Session2
Friday, September 18
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session3
Thursday, September 24
7:30-8:30 PM Central

The Apps: Sales, Service & Productivity with Claudeforce

Connect the sales pipeline, service cases, and daily activities to practical Claudeforce exercises. Use our skill workflow tool to prepare a record-based account brief or an unsent follow-up, then check the result against Salesforce. See how admin configuration and data quality shape what the assistant can reliably say.

  • Configure a sales process, record type, and Path; convert a lead and inspect the resulting account, contact, and opportunity
  • Work through cases, queues, routing, and escalation scenarios
  • Connect Tasks, Events, and collaboration tools to everyday follow-up work
  • Use Claude to summarize account, opportunity, and case facts while keeping missing information visible
  • Choose an optional industry focus and draft a follow-up for human review; verify names, stages, amounts, and commitments before taking action
Sales & Marketing Apps · 10%Service & Support Apps · 10%Productivity & Collaboration · 10%~30% of the exam
Session4
Friday, September 25
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session5
Thursday, October 1
7:30-8:30 PM Central

Data, Automation & Agentforce, plus Exam Strategy with Claudeforce

Use Claudeforce-inspired exercises to investigate data quality and prepare automation tests while learning reports, dashboards, Flow, and Agentforce. Ask Claude for findings and test ideas, then verify them in Salesforce. Finish with a study plan based on the exam domains and the questions you missed.

  • Import and clean data, then use Claude to flag missing next steps and explain the supporting records
  • Build reports and dashboards; compare Claude’s interpretation with the actual rows, totals, and filters
  • Build a record-triggered Flow and validation rule; ask Claude to propose normal, boundary, and failure test cases
  • Run tests in Salesforce and compare actual results with predictions; a proposed test is not a passed test
  • Explore Agentforce, Prompt Builder, and agent access, and distinguish Claude-assisted work from an Agentforce action
  • Turn missed questions into a domain-based plan for test day
Data & Analytics Management · 17%Automation · 15%Agentforce · 8%~40% of the exam
Session6
Friday, October 2
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Shared office hours across the live cohorts: job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session1
Thursday, October 8
7:30-8:30 PM Central

Setup, Object Manager & App Building with Claudeforce

Build the admin foundations behind trustworthy Claudeforce workflows: users, permissions, objects, fields, relationships, and Lightning pages. Use Claude to explain a Salesforce data model, then check the explanation against the actual configuration. Learn why a clear answer still needs the right source data and access.

  • Configure users, profiles, permission sets, and org settings
  • Build a custom object with fields, an Account relationship, a tab, and a Lightning app and record page
  • Ask Claude to explain field types and relationships, then verify each claim in Object Manager
  • Compare the access a task needs with the permissions a user actually has; an admin’s successful read does not prove another user’s access
  • Practice spotting missing information and unsupported assumptions in an AI-generated explanation
Configuration & Setup · 15%Object Manager & Lightning App Builder · 15%~30% of the exam
Session2
Friday, October 9
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session3
Thursday, October 15
7:30-8:30 PM Central

The Apps: Sales, Service & Productivity with Claudeforce

Connect the sales pipeline, service cases, and daily activities to practical Claudeforce exercises. Use our skill workflow tool to prepare a record-based account brief or an unsent follow-up, then check the result against Salesforce. See how admin configuration and data quality shape what the assistant can reliably say.

  • Configure a sales process, record type, and Path; convert a lead and inspect the resulting account, contact, and opportunity
  • Work through cases, queues, routing, and escalation scenarios
  • Connect Tasks, Events, and collaboration tools to everyday follow-up work
  • Use Claude to summarize account, opportunity, and case facts while keeping missing information visible
  • Choose an optional industry focus and draft a follow-up for human review; verify names, stages, amounts, and commitments before taking action
Sales & Marketing Apps · 10%Service & Support Apps · 10%Productivity & Collaboration · 10%~30% of the exam
Session4
Friday, October 16
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session5
Thursday, October 22
7:30-8:30 PM Central

Data, Automation & Agentforce, plus Exam Strategy with Claudeforce

Use Claudeforce-inspired exercises to investigate data quality and prepare automation tests while learning reports, dashboards, Flow, and Agentforce. Ask Claude for findings and test ideas, then verify them in Salesforce. Finish with a study plan based on the exam domains and the questions you missed.

  • Import and clean data, then use Claude to flag missing next steps and explain the supporting records
  • Build reports and dashboards; compare Claude’s interpretation with the actual rows, totals, and filters
  • Build a record-triggered Flow and validation rule; ask Claude to propose normal, boundary, and failure test cases
  • Run tests in Salesforce and compare actual results with predictions; a proposed test is not a passed test
  • Explore Agentforce, Prompt Builder, and agent access, and distinguish Claude-assisted work from an Agentforce action
  • Turn missed questions into a domain-based plan for test day
Data & Analytics Management · 17%Automation · 15%Agentforce · 8%~40% of the exam
Session6
Friday, October 23
2-3 PM Central

Office Hours Optional

Job-market intel and open Q&A.

Session1
Thursday, November 5
7:30-8:30 PM Central

Setup, Object Manager & App Building with Claudeforce

Build the admin foundations behind trustworthy Claudeforce workflows: users, permissions, objects, fields, relationships, and Lightning pages. Use Claude to explain a Salesforce data model, then check the explanation against the actual configuration. Learn why a clear answer still needs the right source data and access.

  • Configure users, profiles, permission sets, and org settings
  • Build a custom object with fields, an Account relationship, a tab, and a Lightning app and record page
  • Ask Claude to explain field types and relationships, then verify each claim in Object Manager
  • Compare the access a task needs with the permissions a user actually has; an admin’s successful read does not prove another user’s access
  • Practice spotting missing information and unsupported assumptions in an AI-generated explanation
Configuration & Setup · 15%Object Manager & Lightning App Builder · 15%~30% of the exam
Session2
Thursday, November 12
7:30-8:30 PM Central

The Apps: Sales, Service & Productivity with Claudeforce

Connect the sales pipeline, service cases, and daily activities to practical Claudeforce exercises. Use our skill workflow tool to prepare a record-based account brief or an unsent follow-up, then check the result against Salesforce. See how admin configuration and data quality shape what the assistant can reliably say.

  • Configure a sales process, record type, and Path; convert a lead and inspect the resulting account, contact, and opportunity
  • Work through cases, queues, routing, and escalation scenarios
  • Connect Tasks, Events, and collaboration tools to everyday follow-up work
  • Use Claude to summarize account, opportunity, and case facts while keeping missing information visible
  • Choose an optional industry focus and draft a follow-up for human review; verify names, stages, amounts, and commitments before taking action
Sales & Marketing Apps · 10%Service & Support Apps · 10%Productivity & Collaboration · 10%~30% of the exam
Session3
Thursday, November 19
7:30-8:30 PM Central

Data, Automation & Agentforce, plus Exam Strategy with Claudeforce

Use Claudeforce-inspired exercises to investigate data quality and prepare automation tests while learning reports, dashboards, Flow, and Agentforce. Ask Claude for findings and test ideas, then verify them in Salesforce. Finish with a study plan based on the exam domains and the questions you missed.

  • Import and clean data, then use Claude to flag missing next steps and explain the supporting records
  • Build reports and dashboards; compare Claude’s interpretation with the actual rows, totals, and filters
  • Build a record-triggered Flow and validation rule; ask Claude to propose normal, boundary, and failure test cases
  • Run tests in Salesforce and compare actual results with predictions; a proposed test is not a passed test
  • Explore Agentforce, Prompt Builder, and agent access, and distinguish Claude-assisted work from an Agentforce action
  • Turn missed questions into a domain-based plan for test day
Data & Analytics Management · 17%Automation · 15%Agentforce · 8%~40% of the exam

✦ What you’ll walk away with

By the end, you’ll be able to

The Salesforce Administrator is your on-ramp to a Salesforce career, and it just got an AI upgrade.

The current exam has a dedicated Agentforce knowledge area, and Agentforce topics now show up inside the other knowledge areas too. That means you touch Agentforce every week of this cohort, not just once. You learn the modern, AI-era admin skills the ecosystem is moving toward, not the version from two years ago. Getting certified now puts you ahead of the curve.

✦ Exam coverage

What the Administrator exam covers

All eight knowledge areas of the current blueprint, weighted so your hours match the exam’s. Agentforce has its own knowledge area, and Agentforce topics also appear within the others.

Data & Analytics Management17%
Configuration & Setup15%
Object Manager & Lightning App Builder15%
Automation15%
Sales & Marketing Applications10%
Service & Support Applications10%
Productivity & Collaboration10%
Agentforce8%

Not sure where you stand? Grade yourself domain by domain with the free readiness scorecard. It opens in a new tab, and you can re-score as you study.

✦ What’s included

Everything that’s included

3 live teaching sessions plus 3 office hours

Live over three weeks, Thursday evenings at 7:30-8:30 PM Central, plus three optional Friday office hours at 2-3 PM Central for job-market intel and open Q&A. Come with questions, leave with skills.

3 live teaching sessions plus 3 office hours

Live over three weeks, Thursday evenings at 7:30-8:30 PM Central, plus three optional Friday office hours at 2-3 PM Central for job-market intel and open Q&A. Come with questions, leave with skills.

3 live teaching sessions plus 3 office hours

Live over three weeks, Thursday evenings at 7:30-8:30 PM Central, plus three optional Friday office hours at 2-3 PM Central for job-market intel and open Q&A. Come with questions, leave with skills.

3 live teaching sessions

Live over three weeks, Thursday evenings at 7:30-8:30 PM Central. Come with questions, leave with skills.

1-year replay access

Every session is recorded, and you keep access to the replays for a full year, so you can rewatch any time before your exam.

Weekly hands-on projects

LABS stands for Let’s Actually Build Something, and you get one every week. Week one, a custom object in your own free Salesforce org with fields, a relationship, a tab, an app, and a record page you activate yourself. Week two, the sales slice: one sales process, one record type, one Path with real guidance, and a lead you convert into three records. Week three, a record-triggered flow, a validation rule that blocks what it should, and a report with a dashboard on top of it, then a study plan built from your own missed questions. Every step is clicks. No code, no terminal, no Apex.

Use Claude to explain your data model, prepare account briefs, and develop test cases. Check the results in Salesforce as you build your admin skills.

Free readiness scorecard

Rate yourself on every exam domain, weighted by the official blueprint, then re-score as you study. Get yours here.

The scorecard grades you domain by domain, weighted by the official blueprint.

Certificate of completion

Finish the cohort and you get a personalized certificate showing your name, your track, the live session dates, and the hours of live instruction, with a public verification link your employer can check for reimbursement. Print it, save it as a PDF, or share it on LinkedIn.

Your certificate is personalized with your name and track, and carries a public verification link.

✦ Start before day one

Get ready for your first session

Watch both videos before class to set up your free Salesforce practice org and enable generative AI and Agentforce.

Step 1 · 3 min 22 sec

Get your free Developer org, with Data Cloud

Create your own free Salesforce practice org for fictional records and hands-on configuration. Keep class exercises separate from real customer data.

  • Signing up for a free Developer Edition account
  • Introducing Data Cloud setup where available; it is not required for the core Admin labs
  • The sandbox you will use for every hands-on project: objects, fields, users, security, automation, reports, and dashboards

Step 2 · 4 min 51 sec

Switch on generative AI and Agentforce

Enable generative AI and Agentforce for the AI and agent concepts we explore throughout the course.

  • Enabling Einstein generative AI in a free Developer org
  • Turning on Agentforce
  • Getting ready for Agentforce and Prompt Builder exercises

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Getting started

Bring a laptop or desktop and a free Salesforce practice org. Use Claude with the supplied sample data or follow the demonstrations. No direct Salesforce connection is required.

✦ Questions, answered

Frequently asked

What is Claudeforce?

Claudeforce is the partnership between Salesforce and Anthropic, the company behind Claude. It brings Salesforce data and workflows into Claude.

Why is Claudeforce included in an Admin course?

It connects admin concepts with practical AI work. Learn how data, permissions and automation shape what an AI assistant can do.

Is the Salesforce account free and mine to keep?

Yes. You create and manage your own free Developer Edition account. You can keep using it after the course, subject to Salesforce’s usage and inactivity rules.

Is Salesforce required?

Yes, for the hands-on admin labs. We help you set up a free practice account.

Is Claude required?

No. You can follow the lessons and supplied examples without it. A Claude account will be helpful for trying the Claudeforce exercises yourself.

Can I use Codex or another AI assistant?

Yes, for supported exercises. Codex can also work with Salesforce through tools such as CLI, APIs or MCP. We discuss it as an optional alternative; Claude remains the focus for Claudeforce examples.

I’m a complete beginner and not a coder. Can I do this?

Yes. The Administrator exam is about configuring Salesforce, not writing code. We start from the foundations and build up, one focused hour at a time. If you can use a browser and a spreadsheet, you can keep up.

What if I can’t make a session live?

Every session is recorded and shared, and you keep access to the replays for a full year, so you can watch or rewatch any of them on your own schedule. Coming live is great for asking questions in the moment, but nothing is lost if you cannot. The optional Friday office hours are recorded too.Every session is recorded and shared, and you keep access to the replays for a full year, so you can watch or rewatch any of them on your own schedule. Coming live is great for asking questions in the moment, but nothing is lost if you cannot. The optional Friday office hours are recorded too.Every session is recorded and shared, and you keep access to the replays for a full year, so you can watch or rewatch any of them on your own schedule. Coming live is great for asking questions in the moment, but nothing is lost if you cannot. The optional Friday office hours are recorded too.Every session is recorded and shared, and you keep access to the replays for a full year, so you can watch or rewatch any of them on your own schedule. Coming live is great for asking questions in the moment, but nothing is lost if you cannot.

Do I need to pay for anything besides the cohort?

The core Salesforce labs use a free practice org. You can follow the Claude-assisted exercises through instructor demonstrations and provided sample data. Connecting your own Claude account to Salesforce is optional and depends on your Claude plan, Salesforce features, and permissions; additional account costs may apply. The certification exam fee is separate and paid to Salesforce when you schedule it.

Will I need access to the Salesforce in Claude pilot?

No. We explain the Claudeforce partnership and the admin foundations behind connected AI work, then use Claude-assisted examples and practice-org exercises you can follow. The optional read-only Salesforce connection exercise is separate from access to the Salesforce in Claude pilot. Enrollment does not include or guarantee pilot or beta access.

Do I have to learn all 37 skills?

No. We focus on one practical exercise each week. Explore additional skills and industry examples at your own pace.

Why a live cohort instead of studying on my own?

Self-study stalls. A live cohort gives you a fixed three-week pace, the chance to ask questions in real time, weekly hands-on projects in a real org, and three optional Friday office hours. You actually finish, and you walk in with a knowledge-area-by-area plan instead of endlessly getting around to it.Self-study stalls. A live cohort gives you a fixed three-week pace, the chance to ask questions in real time, weekly hands-on projects in a real org, and three optional Friday office hours. You actually finish, and you walk in with a knowledge-area-by-area plan instead of endlessly getting around to it.Self-study stalls. A live cohort gives you a fixed three-week pace, the chance to ask questions in real time, weekly hands-on projects in a real org, and three optional Friday office hours. You actually finish, and you walk in with a knowledge-area-by-area plan instead of endlessly getting around to it.Self-study stalls. A live cohort gives you a fixed three-week pace, the chance to ask questions in real time, and weekly hands-on projects in a real org. You actually finish, and you walk in with a knowledge-area-by-area plan instead of endlessly getting around to it.

What is this exam?

The Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator exam (Plat-Admn-201) is Salesforce’s foundational admin credential. It is a proctored exam of 60 scored questions (plus a few unscored) with a 105-minute time limit, and you pass at 68%. It covers eight knowledge areas, from configuration and the data model to automation, the core apps, and Agentforce.

Is the Administrator certification changing names in 2026?

No. Salesforce renamed several certifications on July 24, 2026, but the Administrator credential is not one of them. It remains the Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator.

Do I need any prerequisites or partner access to take the exam?

No. There are no prerequisites, and anyone can register and sit the exam through Salesforce. You do not need to work at a partner company.

Where can I find the official exam guide?

Salesforce publishes the official exam guide through Trailhead Academy: Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator. This cohort is built directly against the current blueprint.

What is the cost of the exam, and is it included?

The exam fee is $200 USD to register ($100 for a retake), paid to Salesforce when you schedule through Trailhead Academy. It is not included; this cohort is exam prep, and you register and pay for the exam separately.

What is the readiness scorecard and how do I get it?

The readiness scorecard is a free self-assessment against the official exam domains, weighted the way the exam weights them. You rate yourself on each domain, then re-score as you study. It is free whether or not you enroll, and you can get yours at the scorecard signup page.

Do I get a certificate of completion?

Yes. When your cohort ends, you receive a personalized certificate of completion by email. It shows your name, the track, the live session dates, and the hours of live instruction, and it carries a certificate number with a public verification address your employer can confirm it against, which is what most reimbursement forms need. It is a certificate of completion for the live course, not the Salesforce certification itself. That one comes from Salesforce when you pass their exam.

What is your refund policy?

You can request a full refund until 24 hours after the first live session starts. Details are in our Terms.