Top 12 Salesforce Business Analyst Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the dynamic world of Salesforce, standing out as a business analyst means showing sharp, practical skills that turn business needs into working solutions. Below, you’ll find twelve core capabilities to feature on your resume—tools, techniques, and platform know-how that prove you can move projects forward and deliver measurable outcomes.

Salesforce Business Analyst Skills

1. Salesforce CRM
2. Apex
3. Visualforce
4. Lightning Experience
5. SOQL
6. Einstein Analytics
7. Flow Builder
8. Process Builder
9. Data Loader
10. Reports & Dashboards
11. Salesforce CPQ
12. Pardot

1. Salesforce CRM

Salesforce CRM is a cloud platform for managing sales, service, marketing, and more—centralizing customer data and interactions to improve relationships, process flow, and growth.

Why It's Important

It’s the hub. You align teams, standardize processes, and use data to guide decisions. Everything else connects to this core.

How to Improve Salesforce CRM Skills

Strengthen the foundation and the rest gets easier:

1. Understand business goals deeply: Interview stakeholders, map processes, and tie each feature to a measurable outcome.

2. Customize with restraint: Standard objects first, well-governed customizations second. Keep layouts lean. Use picklists and validation to prevent bad data at the door.

3. Champion data quality: Define ownership, build validation rules, set dedupe standards, and track data KPIs.

4. Integrate smartly: Use platform APIs and standardized patterns so data flows cleanly across systems. Document everything.

5. Automate with Flow: Prefer Flow over Workflow Rules and Process Builder for new automation. Keep logic modular. Reuse subflows.

6. Drive adoption: In-app guidance, tailored training, role-based home pages, and steady support. Adoption beats features.

7. Iterate based on feedback: Release in small chunks, gather user feedback, refine, and repeat.

8. Lean on analytics: Use Reports and Dashboards to surface trends, bottlenecks, and wins. Review them with business owners.

9. Stay current: Plan for seasonal releases. Evaluate new features and retire the old.

How to Display Salesforce CRM Skills on Your Resume

2. Apex

Apex is Salesforce’s server-side language for complex logic, transactions, and integrations. Analysts don’t have to code daily, but understanding Apex unlocks sharper requirements and better solutions.

Why It's Important

When clicks hit limits, Apex carries the heavy load. Knowing what’s feasible—and what’s risky—helps you design the right approach.

How to Improve Apex Skills

1. Master the data model: Objects, relationships, sharing, and how that impacts logic.

2. Learn the basics: Triggers, classes, test methods, bulkification, and governor limits.

3. Practice with scenarios: Draft pseudo-requirements, sketch acceptance criteria, and outline Apex solutions.

4. Study patterns: Trigger frameworks, separation of concerns, and reusable services.

5. Read code: Explore Apex Recipes and sample projects to see real patterns in action.

6. Review and refine: Participate in code/design reviews to learn what “good” looks like.

7. Keep pace with releases: New language features and platform changes arrive three times a year.

8. Validate with certification: Platform Developer knowledge—even if you don’t code full time—sharpens your analysis.

How to Display Apex Skills on Your Resume

3. Visualforce

Visualforce lets teams build custom UI pages. It’s still around, though modern work leans toward Lightning and LWC. Analysts may encounter Visualforce in legacy footprints and hybrid environments.

Why It's Important

Legacy doesn’t vanish overnight. Understanding how Visualforce works helps you maintain, optimize, or plan a path to modern components.

How to Improve Visualforce Skills

1. Use standard controllers when possible: Less custom code, fewer bugs, faster delivery.

2. Think view state: Keep it lean by limiting stored data and using transient variables where appropriate.

3. Query smart: Select only needed fields, filter tightly, and avoid queries in loops.

4. Load what matters: Lazy-load heavy components and datasets to speed initial render.

5. Enhance with JavaScript: Use AJAX for partial page updates and a smoother experience.

6. Handle errors gracefully: Clear messages. Helpful recovery steps. Log with context.

7. Plan the transition: When appropriate, map a migration path to Lightning pages or LWC.

How to Display Visualforce Skills on Your Resume

4. Lightning Experience

Lightning Experience is Salesforce’s modern UI. Faster navigation, flexible layouts, dynamic pages, and components that shape the user journey.

Why It's Important

Better UX drives adoption. With the right layouts, actions, and insights, people move quicker and make smarter choices.

How to Improve Lightning Experience Skills

1. Start with user research: Watch real workflows. Identify friction. Design for outcomes, not just pages.

2. Build with Lightning App Builder: Keep pages role-based, trim components, and use visibility rules.

3. Adopt Dynamic Forms and Actions: Show the right fields and actions at the right time.

4. Leverage LWC and standard components: Extend where it matters. Avoid bending the platform for edge cases.

5. Tune performance: Minimize heavy components on load. Defer nonessential queries.

6. Measure and iterate: Track usage, gather feedback, and refine layouts repeatedly.

How to Display Lightning Experience Skills on Your Resume

5. SOQL

SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language) retrieves data from Salesforce with precision. It’s the lens for analysis, validation, and troubleshooting.

Why It's Important

Accurate queries power reliable reporting, impact analysis, and root-cause investigations. Bad queries waste limits; good ones tell the truth.

How to Improve SOQL Skills

1. Query only what you need: Avoid broad selects. Limit fields and records.

2. Use WHERE strategically: Filter on indexed fields when possible. Be specific.

3. Prefer relationship queries: Pull parent/child data in one shot where practical.

4. Avoid NOT/!= when possible: They can force full scans. Reframe the logic.

5. Use LIMIT and pagination: Control scope and memory.

6. Bulk-safe patterns: Don’t query in loops. Cache IDs and reuse results.

7. Inspect with Query Plan: Evaluate cost and identify indexing opportunities.

8. Know the limits: Governor constraints shape design. Plan within them.

How to Display SOQL Skills on Your Resume

6. Einstein Analytics

Einstein Analytics is now called CRM Analytics (previously Tableau CRM). It brings advanced dashboards, AI-driven insights, and embedded analytics directly into Salesforce.

Why It's Important

It surfaces trends and predictions inside the flow of work. Less guesswork, more signal. Decisions get crisper.

How to Improve Einstein Analytics Skills

1. Learn SAQL fundamentals: Go beyond basic lenses for complex transformations.

2. Model data thoughtfully: Clear datasets, conformed dimensions, and documented joins.

3. Use templates and apps: Jumpstart common use cases, then customize.

4. Design for action: Interactive filters, meaningful KPIs, and drill paths that answer “what next?”

5. Blend predictive features: Leverage AI insights where they add clarity, not noise.

6. Govern access: Row-level security and data policies that respect least privilege.

7. Stay release-aware: New widgets, connectors, and functions roll out seasonally.

How to Display Einstein Analytics Skills on Your Resume

7. Flow Builder

Flow Builder is the platform’s primary no-code automation tool. Screen flows, record-triggered flows, subflows—the backbone of scalable, maintainable automation.

Why It's Important

You can automate complex processes without code, orchestrate data updates, and guide users with clean screens. It’s where modern automation lives.

How to Improve Flow Builder Skills

1. Start modular: Break big logic into subflows. Reuse generously.

2. Design for scale: Bulk-safe patterns, minimal queries, and selective entry conditions.

3. Use fault paths: Handle errors thoughtfully. Log context. Notify owners.

4. Optimize elements: Fewer Get/Update elements. Filter early. Cache results.

5. Test with rigor: Sandbox first, debug with sample records, and run through edge cases.

6. Migrate legacy automation: Use the Migrate to Flow tool and consolidate rules into coherent designs.

7. Document: Name elements clearly, comment decisions, and diagram the flow.

How to Display Flow Builder Skills on Your Resume

8. Process Builder

Process Builder is a legacy point-and-click automation tool. It still exists in many orgs, but Salesforce recommends Flow for new automation and migration of existing processes.

Why It's Important

You’ll encounter it in production. Knowing how it behaves—and how to replace it—keeps systems stable during transitions.

How to Improve Process Builder Skills

1. Stabilize first: Consolidate overlapping processes. Minimize node sprawl.

2. Bulk-conscious criteria: Tight conditions and formula fields that reduce unnecessary evaluation.

3. Separate concerns: Split unrelated logic for readability and troubleshooting.

4. Use invocable actions: Centralize complex logic so it can be reused—and later consumed by Flow.

5. Instrument and monitor: Use debug logs and error notifications to spot performance issues.

6. Plan the migration: Map each process to Flow, test parity in a sandbox, then cut over in phases.

How to Display Process Builder Skills on Your Resume

9. Data Loader

Data Loader moves large volumes of records in and out of Salesforce—insert, update, upsert, delete, and export. It works with CSV files and supports Bulk API (including Bulk API 2.0) and a command-line interface for automation.

Why It's Important

Big jobs need reliable throughput. Clean migrations, controlled updates, and dependable backups hinge on it.

How to Improve Data Loader Skills

1. Clean before you load: Standardize formats, dedupe, and validate mandatory fields.

2. Map fields precisely: Save mappings for repeatability and fewer mistakes.

3. Use the right API: Choose Bulk API for large jobs; REST/SOAP for smaller or ordered operations.

4. Batch smartly: Tune batch sizes to balance speed and limits. Test with samples.

5. Automate safely: Use the CLI for scheduled jobs with robust error handling and logging.

6. Track errors: Review error files, fix root causes, and reprocess only what failed.

7. Audit and rollback plans: Keep exports and ID mappings to unwind if something goes sideways.

How to Display Data Loader Skills on Your Resume

10. Reports & Dashboards

Reports deliver detailed slices of data. Dashboards turn those into at-a-glance visuals. Together, they tell the story of your pipeline, service metrics, and operational health.

Why It's Important

Leaders need clarity. Teams need feedback loops. Good analytics do both—continuously.

How to Improve Reports & Dashboards Skills

1. Start with KPIs: Define metrics that tie to goals. If it can’t drive a decision, cut it.

2. Choose the right report type: Tabular for exports, Summary for groups, Matrix for cross-totals, Joined for multi-domain comparisons.

3. Build cleanly: Use filters, buckets, and row-level formulas to reduce noise.

4. Design role-based dashboards: Dynamic dashboards and component visibility for tailored views.

5. Schedule and subscribe: Push the right insights to the right people at the right cadence.

6. Validate data lineage: Confirm source fields, transformation logic, and ownership.

7. Revisit often: Retire stale components. Evolve as the business changes.

How to Display Reports & Dashboards Skills on Your Resume

11. Salesforce CPQ

Salesforce CPQ (part of Revenue Cloud) streamlines configure-price-quote work—product rules, pricing, discounts, approvals, and clean proposal generation inside Salesforce.

Why It's Important

It speeds quoting, reduces mistakes, and connects sales to downstream billing and revenue processes.

How to Improve Salesforce CPQ Skills

1. Simplify configuration: Prune choices, tighten product rules, and guide reps with guardrails—not roadblocks.

2. Keep pricing authoritative: Centralize price books, discount schedules, and approvals. Audit regularly.

3. Use guided selling: Ask high-signal questions to steer to valid bundles fast.

4. Optimize performance: Review rule execution, reduce redundant lookups, and cache where possible.

5. Integrate quote-to-cash: Connect CPQ with Billing, ERP, and e-signature to close the loop.

6. Train relentlessly: Playbooks, demos, and job aids. Keep it practical and scenario-based.

7. Measure and iterate: Track cycle time, approval latency, and error rates. Fix the biggest drags first.

How to Display Salesforce CPQ Skills on Your Resume

12. Pardot

Pardot is now Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. It’s B2B marketing automation for segmentation, scoring, grading, nurturing, and Sales alignment—natively tied to Salesforce.

Why It's Important

Better leads, smarter handoffs, and clearer attribution. Sales works the right opportunities at the right time.

How to Improve Pardot Skills

1. Get the data right: Sync rules, field mapping, and deduping procedures that keep databases clean.

2. Segment with precision: Dynamic lists, tags, and granular filters for targeted engagement.

3. Refine scoring and grading: Align models with Sales feedback. Recalibrate periodically.

4. Design Engagement Studio programs: Branch on behavior, time, and field changes. Test subject lines and cadence.

5. Tighten Sales alignment: Clear MQL/SQL definitions, SLAs, and alerting that Sales actually uses.

6. Report what matters: Use Account Engagement analytics (and CRM Analytics if available) to tie programs to pipeline and revenue.

7. Enable and iterate: Document playbooks, train marketers, and evolve campaigns based on performance.

How to Display Pardot Skills on Your Resume