Partial Copy Sandbox
A Salesforce sandbox type that copies all metadata and configurations from production plus a sample of production data (defined by a sandbox template), used for testing with realistic data without copying the full dataset.
Definition
A Salesforce sandbox type that copies all metadata and configurations from production plus a sample of production data (defined by a sandbox template), used for testing with realistic data without copying the full dataset.
In plain English
“A Partial Copy Sandbox is a Salesforce sandbox that has all your metadata and configuration plus a sample of your real production data. The sample is defined by a sandbox template. It's good for testing with realistic data without copying everything.”
Worked example
Tarrymoor Capital's QA team needs realistic-but-bounded test data - not the full-volume production copy a Full Sandbox provides, but more than the metadata-only Developer Sandbox. They provision a Partial Copy Sandbox: full metadata + a sample of production data defined by a Sandbox Template (10,000 records max per object, on the objects QA needs). The sandbox refreshes every 5 days. QA tests against representative data shapes without the storage cost or refresh duration of a Full Sandbox. Partial Copy Sandboxes are the middle tier between cheap-and-empty and expensive-and-complete.
Why Partial Copy Sandbox matters
A Partial Copy Sandbox is a Salesforce sandbox type that copies all metadata and configurations from production plus a sample of production data (defined by a sandbox template), used for testing with realistic data without copying the full dataset. The sandbox template specifies which objects to include and how many records, letting admins create sandboxes that have meaningful test data without the storage cost or refresh time of a full sandbox.
Partial Copy is one of four sandbox types: Developer (small, metadata only), Developer Pro (larger, metadata only), Partial Copy (metadata plus sampled data), and Full (complete copy of production). Partial Copy fits scenarios where developers and admins need realistic data for testing but don't need the full production dataset. The trade-off is the upfront work of designing a sandbox template that captures meaningful sample data. Mature DevOps practices use Partial Copy for integration testing, UAT, and training scenarios.
How organizations use Partial Copy Sandbox
Uses Partial Copy Sandboxes for UAT testing with realistic but reduced data, balancing testing fidelity with refresh time.
Designed sandbox templates to capture representative samples across their data model for meaningful testing.
Maintains Partial Copy sandboxes for integration testing where full data isn't necessary but realistic data is.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Partial Copy Sandbox.
- Sandbox Licenses and Storage Limits by TypeSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is a Partial Copy Sandbox?
Q2. What controls which data is included?
Q3. When use Partial Copy over Full?
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