What is the sandbox feature in Zoho People?

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Introduction

The Sandbox feature in Zoho People provides a secure, isolated environment where administrators can test changes to forms, settings, workflows, and data without impacting live organizational data. This ensures all configurations are verified before they are deployed to the production environment, minimizing risks and improving implementation efficiency.

Step-by-Step Instructions

 

Who Can Use the Sandbox?

  • The Sandbox environment is accessible to:
    • Super Administrators (can create and manage the sandbox)
    • Sandbox Users (added manually by Super Admins for testing)
  • Navigate to:

Setting Up the Sandbox Environment

Steps to Create a Sandbox:

  1. Go to:
    Operations > Data Administration > Sandbox
  2. Click Create Sandbox.
  1. Fill in basic details and choose a sandbox creation type:
    • Configuration Sandbox:
      Replicates only forms, settings, and configurations. No live data included.
    • Configuration + Data Sandbox:
      Includes forms, settings, and selected sample data (not full live data). Best for data-level testing.
  2. Add Sandbox Users:
    • Click Add User to assign employees to the sandbox.
    • All users are assigned the Team Member role by default.
    • You can update user roles (e.g., Administrator) within User Access Control inside the sandbox.

 Even if a user has Administrator permissions in the live environment, they will be added as a Team Member by default in the sandbox.

  1. Click Create and wait for the sandbox to be initialized. This may take a few minutes.

Accessing and Using the Sandbox

  • Click Access Sandbox to open the test environment in a new browser tab.

In the Sandbox, you can:

  • Modify forms (e.g., make fields mandatory, add validations)
  • Update workflows
  • Test new automations or configurations
  • Experiment with settings, without affecting live data

A sandbox marker will be visible to help you identify the test environment.

 

Deploying Changes to Production

After testing is complete:

  1. Return to the base tab (live Zoho People).
  2. Navigate to Operations > Data Administration > Sandbox.
  3. In the Change Tracker tab:
    • Review the list of all sandbox changes.
    • Select the desired changes using checkboxes.
    • Click Deploy to Production Environment.
    • Confirm the deployment when prompted.

Changes will now be applied to your live organization.

Example: A mandatory “Reason for Leave” field added in Sandbox will now be reflected live.

 

Tracking and Logs

Within the Sandbox screen, you can switch between:

  • Change Tracker – View all modifications made in the sandbox.
  • Deployment Logs – View all changes successfully pushed to production.

Sandbox Restrictions

Some actions are not allowed in the sandbox environment, specifically in:

Settings > Manage Accounts > Organization Setup > From Addresses

Restricted actions:

  • Adding a new “From Address” (CAPTCHA or direct verification)
  • Editing an existing “From Address”
  • Deleting a “From Address”
  • Changing the default “From Address”

Why Use Sandbox?

  • Safely test changes without affecting real data
  • Validate workflows, automations, and permissions
  • Collaborate with selected users in a testing environment
  • Confidently deploy only verified configurations to production
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