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Debug Logs

Salesforce extensively utilizes process automation built on triggers and Apex classes, as well as Flow and Workflow Rules. Automation is a key element of CRM, significantly improving business process efficiency, minimizing manual work, and reducing the likelihood of errors.

With automation, you can automatically update data, send notifications, assign tasks, manage records, and handle complex business logic.

Due to the importance of automation, errors in it can lead not only to system failures but also to serious business consequences, such as workflow disruptions and data loss.

Without timely event tracking, critical issues may arise in the system:

  • Unidentified code and automation errors, leading to data loss or corruption.
  • Difficulties in analyzing integration failures, affecting system stability.
  • Performance degradation, caused by inefficient queries and unoptimized code.
  • Incident diagnostics issues, resulting in prolonged downtime and increased maintenance costs.

Debug Logs help track failures, identify problems, and debug automation.

Examples of Issues Debug Logs Help Resolve:

  1. Code execution errors – Apex code might fail, but without logs, it's impossible to determine the cause.
  2. Incorrect automation behavior – Triggers, Flows, Workflow Rules, or Process Builder may not work as intended.
  3. Salesforce Governor Limits exceeded – Too many SOQL queries or DML operations.
  4. System performance issues – Long-running queries, complex triggers, and execution delays may slow down performance.
  5. Integration errors – Incorrect external API calls or improper data handling may cause integration failures.

Debug Logs Functionality​

Debug Logs in Salesforce are event logs that record process execution details (Apex, Flow, integrations, etc.). Debug Logs include error messages, warnings, executed queries, operations, and resource usage details.

Debug Logs track the following:

  • Execution of Apex code (Classes, Triggers, Batch Jobs).
  • Execution of automated processes (Flow, Process Builder, Workflow). For in-depth debugging of Flow, it's preferable to use Flow Debugging.
  • Execution of queries (SOQL, SOSL, DML) and their limits.
  • System errors and exceptions.

Debug Logs Limitations and Considerations​

Debug Logs have several limitations that must be considered:

  • The maximum size of a single Debug Log file is 20 MB. If exceeded, the log is truncated.
  • The maximum number of Debug Log files per organization is 1,000.
  • Debug Log files are stored only for a limited time before being automatically deleted.
  • A high level of log detail (e.g., FINEST) can quickly exhaust available space and complicate analysis.

Best Practices for Using Debug Logs​

  1. Fine-Tuning Log Settings - Use Trace Flags only for specific users, integrations, or classes where debugging is necessary, avoiding unnecessary log generation.
  2. Choosing the Right Logging Level - Start debugging with a general level (e.g., INFO or DEBUG), increasing detail (FINEST) only when necessary.
  3. Regular Cleanup and Log Archiving - Regularly delete old logs and configure automatic archiving to external storage (e.g., Git, AWS S3) for long-term analysis.
  4. Using Third-Party Log Analysis Tools - To simplify the analysis of large log volumes, integrate with external log analysis tools (Splunk, ELK Stack, Loggly) or development tools (VS Code, Illuminated Cloud).
  5. Monitoring Debug Log Limits - Keep track of log resource availability and use automated alerts (e.g., via Scheduled Apex) for timely cleanup and data export.
  6. Ensuring Data Confidentiality - Sensitive data should not be included in logs, so logging settings must be configured with security in mind.

Summary and Recommendations​

When to Use Debug Logs:

  • During development – Debugging Apex code and automation.
  • For troubleshooting in production – Analyzing failures for specific users.
  • For integration issues – Examining API calls.
  • For performance issues – Tracking long SOQL queries and triggers.
  • For monitoring Governor Limits – Preventing errors due to excessive resource consumption.

When Debug Logs Are NOT Suitable:

  • For continuous monitoring of all events in an organization – Use Event Monitoring instead.
  • For analyzing Lightning UI performance – Use Lightning Usage App instead.

Learning and Reference Materials​

Documentation:

Trailhead:

Conclusion​

Debug Logs are one of the most powerful debugging tools in Salesforce, enabling error detection, code analysis, and resource usage monitoring. However, proper configuration is required to avoid overwhelming the system with excessive logs.

If your organization relies on complex automations using Apex, Flow, or Process Builder, Debug Logs will help quickly identify errors and optimize system performance. However, for continuous monitoring, Event Monitoring is recommended, and for Lightning UI analysis, use Lightning Usage App.