Admin & BA Job Comparison: Quick Look

Compare the Admin and Business Analyst Roles

Describe the Salesforce admin role. Describe the Salesforce business analyst role. Explain how the two roles are different.
  • Some organizations don’t have a dedicated business analyst. Instead the admin takes on business analysis as a job function.
    • Salesforce Administration is an operational role that involves:
      • Working with stakeholders to define optimal processes and customizing the Salesforce Platform. Specifically:
        • Automating business processes
        • Creating reports and dashboards
        • Training users
        • Staying on top of platform updates
    • Salesforce Business Analyst is a project-based business-improvement role that involves:
      • Helping businesses improve processes and efficiency in Salesforce by eliciting, documenting, and analyzing requirements around business challenges, then producing data-driven solutions.

  • Salesforce Admins set up users, security measures and processes, and maintain data on the Salesforce Platform. They are the Salesforce Experts within the organization.
    • Key skills:
      • Communication skills, time management, leadership skills, problem solving skills
    • Key qualities:
      • Empathetic, confident, encouraging
  • Salesforce BAs use data to plan and oversee Salesforce projects. They apply their knowledge of Salesforce capabilities/limitations to guide the business to the best solutions. They are an interpreter between IT and business stakeholders.
    • Key skills:
      • Leadership skills, communication skills, project management skills
    • Key qualities:
      • Data-driven, action-oriented and quick, solution-oriented

  • Key Tasks for Admins
    • Set up the Salesforce org
    • Set up users
    • Configure security and access settings
    • Create custom objects and create and maintain fields
    • Manage sales and marketing applications
    • Manage service and support applications
    • Manage activities and collaboration
    • Manage data
    • Build reports, dashboards, and other analytics
    • Create process automations
    • Administer desktop and mobile apps
    • Install packages from AppExchange
    • Manage sandbox and production environments
    • Manage the health of the org
    • Train Salesforce users
    • Communicate with stakeholders
  • Key Tasks for Business Analysts
    • Elicit and document requirements
    • Develop and define project roadmaps
    • Write user stories
    • Communicate with managers and stakeholders
    • Analyze data and draw business insights
    • Facilitate business solutions
    • Manage Salesforce projects
    • Create and deliver business presentations
    • Manage and analyze Salesforce implementations
    • Apply frameworks and methodology to Salesforce projects
    • Create user training materials
    • Solve issues during testing
    • Understand current business processes and document processes in development

  • The Salesforce Business Analyst is a project-based role and the Salesforce Admin is an operational role