Developer Pro Sandbox
A Developer Pro Sandbox is a sandbox environment that copies only the organization's metadata (no production data) and provides 1 GB of test data storage, compared to 200 MB in a standard Developer Sandbox.
Definition
A Developer Pro Sandbox is a sandbox environment that copies only the organization's metadata (no production data) and provides 1 GB of test data storage, compared to 200 MB in a standard Developer Sandbox. It is useful for development and testing tasks that require more storage space but do not need production data. Developer Pro Sandboxes can be refreshed once per day.
In plain English
“A Developer Pro Sandbox is like a Developer Sandbox but bigger. It copies your org's metadata (settings, code, layouts) without any production data, and gives you 1 GB of test data storage instead of the 200 MB you'd get with a regular Developer Sandbox.”
Worked example
A developer at Brookgate Software needs more test-data storage than a standard Developer Sandbox provides - she's running performance tests with realistic data volumes. She provisions a Developer Pro Sandbox: same metadata-only configuration as a Developer Sandbox, but with 1 GB of test data storage instead of 200 MB. She populates it with a representative subset of production records (custom-built via SOQL exports) and runs her tests. Developer Pro Sandboxes can refresh once per day; she keeps the test dataset stable across multiple test runs by holding off the refresh until she's ready.
Why Developer Pro Sandbox matters
A Developer Pro Sandbox is a sandbox type that copies only an org's metadata (configuration, code, layouts, and other Setup-defined components) without any production data. It provides 1 GB of test data storage and 1 GB of file storage, compared to 200 MB each in a standard Developer Sandbox. Like Developer Sandboxes, it can be refreshed once per day, supporting fast iteration cycles.
Developer Pro Sandboxes sit between Developer Sandboxes and Partial Copy Sandboxes in size and capability. They're appropriate when you need more test data space than a Developer Sandbox provides but don't need the production data slice that a Partial Copy or Full sandbox offers. Common use cases include integration testing with seeded test data, data load rehearsals, performance testing on synthetic data, and any development scenario where 200 MB isn't enough but production data isn't necessary. They consume one Developer Pro Sandbox license, which most paid editions include in limited quantities.
How organizations use Developer Pro Sandbox
Uses a Developer Pro Sandbox for integration testing where they need to load enough test data to exercise their integration code thoroughly. The 200 MB in a regular Developer Sandbox wasn't enough for realistic test scenarios.
Maintains a Developer Pro Sandbox for data migration rehearsals. They load synthetic data matching production volumes and time their migration scripts before running them in production.
Picks Developer Pro over Developer Sandbox when the team needs to test features that involve significant test data setup.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Developer Pro Sandbox.
- Sandbox Licenses and Storage Limits by TypeSalesforce Help
Test your knowledge
Q1. What does a Developer Pro Sandbox copy?
Q2. How much test data storage does a Developer Pro Sandbox provide?
Q3. When would you choose Developer Pro over a regular Developer Sandbox?
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