Run a Validate-Only Deployment

To ensure a successful deployment ahead of time, create a validate-only deployment. You can create a validation for only the bundling stage and versioned stages. You can run a validate-only deployment within DevOps Center or using Salesforce CLI.

Note To run a validate-only deployment using Salesforce CLI, you must first externally merge changes in the source control repository before running the CLI command. See Deploy Changes Using Salesforce CLI (Beta) for details.

A validation checks the results of Apex tests and deploying components but doesn’t save any components in the org. A validation enables you to view the success or failure messages that you’d receive with an actual deployment.

Later, you can perform a quick deployment to promote changes to a pipeline stage or to your release environment without having to run tests.

1. In DevOps Center, go to Pipelines Stages.
2. In the bundling or a versioned stage, click Promote as Work Item Bundle, Promote Work Item Bundle, or Promote Work Item Bundles, as applicable.

   If you have an existing validation, you see a warning indicating that any subsequent promotion disqualifies the existing validation for quick deployment.

3. For Promotion Option, click Run a Validate-Only Deployment.
4. Select the changes to promote.
5. Select the appropriate test option.

   If you plan to run a quick deployment for this validation, you must run tests, the Apex tests must pass, and code coverage requirements must be met.

   
6. Click Promote.

   If you ran the validation without running tests, the Quick Deploy button isn’t available. A successful validate-only deployment is valid for 10 days. If the validation fails, see Activity History for details.

   
7. Within 10 days, click Quick Deploy to complete the promotion.