Many of our clients who are familiar with Salesforce CRM often ask for a sandbox environment to be set up in the Marketing Cloud as a separate business unit. This suggestion typically comes from Salesforce Account Executives, who see separate business units as an alternative to a sandbox environment.

However, using a separate business unit as a sandbox is not only an incorrect strategy but also introduces numerous additional complexities. We will outline five reasons why a sandbox is unnecessary in Marketing Cloud and why utilizing a Business Unit is not the right solution.

• Misunderstanding:

Most customers request a Sandbox environment for one or more of the following reasons:

1. They have experience with CRM where a sandbox can be created quickly.

2. They lack experience with Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

3. Internal corporate policies mandate sandbox usage for testing.

During implementation, we strongly advise having an experienced marketing cloud business analyst or consultant work with the client to create a testing strategy and conduct workshops explaining how Salesforce Marketing Cloud works and why a sandbox does not provide added value.

• Minimal Risks:

Similar to the previous point, a lack of knowledge prompts users to request a sandbox environment. While a Salesforce CRM sandbox is essential due to the potential negative impact of changes in objects, schema, and workflow rules in the production environment, Marketing Cloud risks mainly involve sending incorrect messages to the wrong audience at the wrong time. Proper testing planning offers a safer approach to using Marketing Cloud.

• Testing Approaches:

We recommend customers address the lack of a sandbox environment by following these four rules:

1. Use distinct naming conventions for test data and content.

2. Educate and train users to minimize risks.

3. Implement approval rules and a QA process for campaigns and data changes.

4. Utilize data testing and contact builder testing for multiple schemas.

• Lack of Migration Tools:

Using a separate business unit for a Marketing Cloud sandbox lacks migration tools, leading to manual reproduction in the production business unit. This manual process introduces errors and risks, making a separate business unit as a sandbox redundant.

• Cost Associated with Migration:

Creating separate business units for testing incurs additional costs without providing the desired results. Replicating work from one business unit to another doubles implementation costs and efforts.

In conclusion, while Salesforce may not develop Sandbox functionality in Marketing Cloud in the near future, a practical testing approach driven by knowledge of Salesforce Marketing Cloud should be prioritized over using a separate Business Unit as a sandbox, as the latter does not serve as a true sandbox environment.