AP-209 Sample Questions Answers

This is the standard troubleshooting procedure for "Why wasn't this scheduled?".

Option A is correct.If there is white space, but the optimizer didn't use it, there is likely aRule Violation(Hard Constraint) preventing it (e.g., The resource is missing a Skill, the Territory doesn't match, or the Travel Time is too long). Manually dragging the appointment to that specific spot on the Gantt triggers the rule validation logic, and the console will pop up a "Rule Violation" message telling you exactlywhichrule failed (e.g., "Match Skills Rule Violation").

Option Bhelps findvalidslots, but it doesn't explain why thecurrentwhite space is invalid.

Option Caddresses scoring (Objectives), not hard constraints (Rules). If there was space, the objectives would just give it a low score, not prevent scheduling entirely (unless the score was 0, but Rule Violations are the more common culprit for unscheduled work).

The key here is that it is a Third-Party Contractor and a Temporary engagement.

Option C is correct.

Capacity Based:Contractors are typically modeled as "Capacity Based Resources" (buckets of work) rather than named individuals, as you usually don't track their specific travel or breaks—you just know they can take "X hours of work per day."

Giving Capacity:You would define the capacityonlyfor the specific 3-week period. Once the capacity records end, the scheduling engine will naturally stop assigning work to them.

Options B and D (Deleting):It is never a best practice to delete a Service Resource record after use. You need the record to remain in the system to preserve theAudit Trailand historical data of the Work Orders they completed. You simply deactivate them or stop giving them capacity.

To prioritize junior resources without creating rigid "hard constraints" (which might prevent scheduling altogether if no junior is available), you should use Service Objectives (Soft Constraints).

Option C is correct (Resource Priority):By assigning a higher priority value to Junior Service Resource records and adding the "Resource Priority" objective to the scheduling policy, the optimization engine calculates a higher score for these resources. This acts as a general "preference" to use them whenever possible.

Option E is correct (Least Qualified):The "Skill Level" Service Objective has a setting called "Prefer Least Qualified." When enabled, the engine prefers the resource who has thelowestskill level that still meets the job requirement. For example, if a job requires Skill Level 50, and you have a Senior (Level 90) and a Junior (Level 55), the engine will pick the Junior. This is a best practice to prevent "over-qualified" resources (Seniors) from being booked on routine jobs, keeping them free for complex tasks.

The requirement is to see data "from the Gantt" (the visual chart) with "minimal clicks."

Option D is correct.TheService Tooltip Ganttfield set on the Service Appointment object controls the pop-up text box that appears when a dispatcherhoverstheir mouse over a Service Appointment bar on the Gantt chart. This requireszero clicksand is the fastest way to inspect details like "Description" without opening the full record.

Options A, B, and C refer to the "Appointment List" (the textual list on the left side of the console). While useful, scrolling through long descriptions in a list column is difficult (Option A) and requires looking away from the Gantt chart itself.

This question tests your understanding of Salesforce Field Service License types (Dispatcher, Technician, Contractor).

1 Dispatcher:Although not explicitly stated as a user in the text, you always need at least one dispatcher license to manage the schedule. (Typically implied in licensing questions unless "0" is an option).

2 Technicians:Territory A has "2 internal resources"1. Internal mobile workers require the standardField Service Mobile(Technician) license.

2 Contractors (Capacity-Based):The question states "2 contractors set as capacity-based resources: ABC and XYZ."2These are the "Bucket" accounts. In Salesforce, even capacity-based container users often consume a license (typically aContractororCommunity Pluslogin) to access the portal/community where they might view their aggregate schedule.

7 Contractors (Individuals):The question specifies "ABC... has 3 individual resources and XYZ... has 4 individual resources"3. Even if theschedulingis done at the capacity (bucket) level, if these 7 people need to log in to the app or community to close jobs, they each need a license.

Result: 1 Dispatcher + 2 Technicians (Internal) + 2 Contractors (The Managers/Buckets) + 7 Contractors (The Workers) = Option D.

(Note: Licensing models can be complex. In some strictly capacity-based models, you might not license the 7 individuals if they never log in, but Option D is the most complete answer reflecting a standard model where all participants need system access).

To tier resources generally (not per customer), you use the Resource Priority Service Objective.

Option C is correct.TheResource Priorityobjective works on a scoring scale where aHigher Valueindicates aHigher Priority. The optimization engine attempts to assign the appointment to the resource that yields the highest overall schedule score.

By assigning Full-Time = 10, Contractors = 9, and Part-Time = 8, the engine will "score" the Full-Time option highest, followed by the Contractor.

Option Duses the inverse logic (1, 2, 3). If deployed, the engine would favor the Part-Time employees (Score 3) over the Full-Time employees (Score 1), which is the opposite of the requirement.

Options A and Brefer toPreferred Resource, which is typically defined on theAccountorWork Orderlevel (e.g., "Bob is preferred for Customer X"). It is not efficient for ranking entiregroupsof employees globally.

This question addresses the limits of Skills (Work Rules) vs. Extended Match (Custom Criteria).

Option B is correct.This offers the most efficient hybrid approach9.

Skills:Use standard Skills for the "Service Type" (e.g., "Repair," "Install"). This is simple and low-volume.

Extended Match:Use theExtended Match Work Ruleto handle the "Product" matching. Instead of creating thousands of skills (e.g., "Repair-ModelX," "Repair-ModelY"), you create a custom object or field logic that matches theAsset's Productto a list ofProducts Supportedon the Resource's record. Extended Match is designed exactly for this "Pattern Matching" without polluting the Skills table.

Option Cis incorrect because creating a unique skill for everycombination(100+ per resource) leads to "Skill Explosion." This bloats the data model and degrades optimization performance10.

To send push notifications to the Field Service mobile app based on specific criteria, you need both the configuration and the automation.

Option B is correct:You must first enable and configureCustom Notificationsfor the Field Service Connected App. This ensures the mobile device is capable of receiving and displaying the specific notification type.

Option D is correct:You need an automation trigger (Record-Triggered Flow) to detect the specific business condition: The Service Appointment Status changes to 'Dispatched'ANDthe Priority (or Work Type) is 'Emergency'. The flow then executes the "Send Custom Notification" action targeting the Assigned Resource user.

Option A and C refer to "Jeopardy," which is a different feature used to warndispatchersabout impending SLA violations, not to notify technicians of new work.

In Salesforce Field Service, the scheduling engine creates a list of "Qualified Candidates" based on Work Rules (Hard Constraints). If a search returns too many candidates, it places a heavy load on the CPU and can degrade optimization performance.

Option D is correctbecause Work Rules are the mechanism used to filter candidates. Adding rules likeMatch Territory(ensuring the resource belongs to the territory),Maximum Travel from Home(filtering out distant resources), orExtended Match(matching custom criteria) effectively reduces the pool of eligible techniciansbeforethe system attempts to score them. This improves the speed and quality of the schedule.

Option A is incorrect because Service Objectives are "Soft Constraints." Theyrankcandidates (giving them a score of 0-100) but do not remove them from the list.

Option B is a manual structural change that doesn't address the configuration issue.

Option C is incorrect because optimization performance is directly controlled by the efficiency of the configuration (Scheduling Policy).

This requires a balance of data accuracy (tracking the asset) and schedule accuracy (updating the duration).

Option D is correctbecause it usesField Service Mobile Flows, which is the best practice for guiding technicians through complex processes.

Data:Creating aWork Order Line Item (WOLI)is the correct data model to track work done on a specific (secondary) Asset under the main Work Order.

Schedule:The flow can update the current Service Appointment's Duration and Scheduled End to reflect the reality that the tech will be there longer.

Automation:Triggering a "Scheduling Recipe" (now typically handled via Flows/Optimization services) ensures that if the appointment runs long, subsequent appointments for the day are automatically shifted (Reshuffled) to prevent overlapping/late arrivals.

Options A and C fail to update the schedule duration, meaning the tech will likely be late to their next job without the dispatcher knowing. Option B creates a second appointment, which is administratively heavy for "just looking at" another asset during the same visit.