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Full Application Test History entry
How-to guide

How to use Application Test History effectively

The page is a thin UI over standard test-run records. Most of the value comes from reading it consistently as part of a release cadence, not from one-off visits.

By Dipojjal Chakrabarti · Founder & Editor, Salesforce DictionaryLast updated May 19, 2026

The page is a thin UI over standard test-run records. Most of the value comes from reading it consistently as part of a release cadence, not from one-off visits.

  1. Open Application Test History

    Setup, Custom Code, Application Test History. Default view shows recent runs in reverse chronological order.

  2. Filter to relevant runs

    Apply filters by user, suite, status, and date range. Save a view for release-validation runs so the team can return to it quickly.

  3. Compare consecutive runs

    Pick the two most recent runs of the target suite. Compare pass rate, elapsed time, and failure list. Regressions usually appear as one or two new failed methods that succeeded the last run.

  4. Drill into failures

    Click failed runs. Read the stack trace and assertion message. Cross-reference with Apex Jobs if the failure involves async paths.

  5. Export for trend analysis

    Schedule a batch job that copies ApexTestRunResult and ApexTestResult rows to a custom history object weekly. Build a Lightning dashboard on top for quarterly retrospectives.

Gotchas
  • Retention is weeks, not months. Plan a snapshot pipeline for any trend analysis beyond a few weeks.
  • Aggregate pass counts can hide flaky tests. Per-method history is the only reliable signal for intermittent failures.
  • Code coverage is not on the page. Check the Code Coverage page separately before any production deploy.
  • Cancelled runs appear in history with partial data. They are useful only for run-start metadata, not for outcome analysis.

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Application Test History includes the definition, worked example, deep dive, related terms, and a quiz.