Sandboxes

A Sandbox is a copy of the production org in a separate environment, isolated from the production org. It is typically used for developing new functionality, testing, and training, without compromising data and processes in the production org. There is more than one type of sandbox; the full sandbox is the most commonly used type in Sage People implementations. Sandboxes can be periodically refreshed; a refresh takes a fresh copy of the production org and writes it to the sandbox. Different sandbox types can be refreshed at different intervals, and once refreshed you must wait until the refresh interval has elapsed before you can refresh again.

Full Sandbox

Full sandboxes are intended for use as testing environments and are the ideal sandbox type for most Sage People implementations. They are the only sandbox type to support performance testing, load testing and staging. A full sandbox replicates a production org, complete with configuration (metadata), and all data such as object records and attachments.  The 29 day refresh interval makes it impractical to use full sandboxes for development, where a much more frequent refresh is typically required.

Other Sandbox Types

  • Developer

    Intended for coding and testing in an isolated environment. A developer sandbox includes a copy of the production org configuration (metadata). The developer sandbox refresh interval is 1 day.

  • Developer Pro

    Intended for coding and testing in an isolated environment. A developer pro sandbox includes a copy of the production org configuration (metadata), and offers a larger storage limit than Developer sandboxes, allowing more robust test data sets and more extensive development and quality assurance tasks. The developer pro sandbox refresh interval is 1 day.

  • Partial Copy

    Intended for use as testing environments, typically to enable user acceptance testing, integration testing and training. A partial copy sandbox includes a copy of the production org configuration (metadata)and a subset of production data as defined by a sandbox template. The partial copy sandbox refresh interval is 5 days.

Note

Metadata is data about data; configurations, code, automation logic, and page layouts. It is the data defining how objects and their records behave, and the appearance of your org. Metadata refers to Salesforce configuration, rather than Salesforce data.

Advantages of using Sandboxes

A sandbox environment enables an HR team to:

  • Add new configuration or amend existing configuration, test thoroughly, and only when satisfied with performance and operation introduce the changes to the production environment.

  • Provides a safe environment for new HR team members to experience and build familiarity with system fundamentals while not corrupting any data.

Key facts

  • To get a sandbox for your Sage People org, contact you Customer Success Manger or the Sage People support team. Your org comes with a fixed number of available sandbox licenses; if a license is available for the type of sandbox you want, Sage People builds the sandbox for you.

  • Sandbox creation takes a minimum of a few hours. The time taken depends on the size of the org and the workload on the Salesforce servers hosting the org. Sage People notifies you when the sandbox has been created.

  • To login to a sandbox:

    1. Use the url: https://test.salesforce.com

    2. Use your production username and append the name of the sandbox.

      For example, if your username for the production org is [email protected], and the name of the sandbox is FullSndbox, your username for the sandbox is [email protected]

    3. Use the password associated with your production username. To request a password reset, contact your Customer Success Manager or raise a Sage People support request.

  • To request a sandbox refresh, raise a Sage People support request. The support team confirms the sandbox is not being tested and can be overwritten with data from the current production org.