---
schema_version: "1"
id: 019a62340aa705804e8c08be6e14e2ac96b600c00ade86c52db8c5d42f40829b
title: Sandbox Testing for Marketing Cloud Next
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mktg_admin_setup_sandbox_prereq.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_admin_setup_sandbox_prereq.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 99a2d1392b548d6caf4c52137ed275bb0c75915b42ec2ab99998dd98fc62c882
description: Marketing Cloud Next uses the Salesforce Platform sandbox infrastructure, which means that you get truly isolated environments for lifecycle development. Learn about the types of sandboxes and their recommended uses, how sandboxes can be used to test email sends, how sandboxes consume credits, and other considerations.
products:
  - Marketing
release: "264"
---
# Sandbox Testing for Marketing Cloud Next

Marketing Cloud Next uses the Salesforce Platform sandbox infrastructure, which means that you get truly isolated environments for lifecycle development. Learn about the types of sandboxes and their recommended uses, how sandboxes can be used to test email sends, how sandboxes consume credits, and other considerations.

### Required Editions

[View supported editions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_editions.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Marketing Cloud Next is available in Growth and Advanced editions, and requires Salesforce Enterprise or Unlimited editions. Some features are limited by edition or purchased add-on. All functionality is available in Lightning Experience only.").

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            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d7769e54">User Permissions Needed</th>
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            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d7769e54 ">To create a sandbox:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d7769e54 ">
              <p>Manage Dev Sandboxes (Developer or Developer Pro only)</p>
              <p>OR</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">Manage
                Sandboxes (all sandbox types)</p>
            </td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d7769e54 ">To deploy <span>Data 360</span> objects:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d7769e54 "><span>Data Cloud Architect</span></td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

Use a sandbox for:

- Training and product support—Bring new employees up to speed, and respond to urgent issues faster with data in testing and development environments.
- Parallel development—Create and collaborate with multiple teams that build and test in their own environments.
- App development and org customization—Modify objects, content, flows, decisions, forms, and so on. If a test fails, it fails in a safe environment.
- App testing and automation—Conduct user-acceptance testing, staging, and integration to make apps more robust.
- Feature implementation—Set up a new channel, third-party app, or integration, or create a proof of concept and customize it for your team’s workflow and business needs.

## Considerations for Marketing Cloud Next in a Sandbox

Refer to these considerations when creating a sandbox and deploying changes from a sandbox in Marketing Cloud Next.

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            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Billing</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;">
              <ul>
                <li>Using <span>Marketing Cloud Next</span> in a sandbox consumes credits for <span>Data 360</span>, Unified Messaging, and Salesforce Personalization.
                  See <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=data.c360_a_data_cloud_sandbox_billing_considerations.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Billing Considerations for <span>Data 360</span> Sandbox</a>, <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.um_credit_usage.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Billing Considerations for Unified
                    Messaging</a>, and <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.persnl_basics_billable_usage_types.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Billable Usage Type for Salesforce
                    Personalization</a>.</li>

                <li>Usage of credits in each sandbox org is visible in the production org's
                  Digital Wallet. To determine which org generated usage, view the usage type and
                  filter by org.</li>

              </ul>
            </td>

          </tr>
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            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Business Units</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;">
              <p>When copying business units from production to a sandbox, the behavior of CMS
                workspaces depends on the sandbox type.</p>
              <ul>
                <li>Full Sandbox: CMS workspaces are replicated. Therefore, the relationships
                  between business units and CMS workspaces are preserved and copied
                  automatically.</li>

                <li>Other Sandbox Types (Developer or Partial): CMS workspaces aren’t copied. In
                  these environments, workspaces must be manually re-created, and their
                  relationships with business units must be re-established.</li>

              </ul>
            </td>

          </tr>
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            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Unified Messaging</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;">
              <ul>
                <li>When testing an SMS campaign in a sandbox, don't use the same sender code that
                  you use in production. Instead, in your production org, acquire a dedicated
                  sender code for sandbox testing. Then, to use the new sender code in your
                  sandbox, refresh the sandbox. See <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.um_channel_sms.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Set Up an SMS Unified Messaging Channel</a>. </li>

                <li> A sender code can be active in only one org at a time. You can activate or
                  deactivate a sender code from within each sandbox.</li>

                <li>Email, mobile app messaging, and WhatsApp require unique configurations in
                  each sandbox. For example, a sandbox requires its own authenticated domain and
                  From addresses for email, as well as its own tracking domains, WhatsApp number,
                  and blockout windows. These settings can't be deployed from one org to
                  another.</li>

              </ul>
            </td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Marketing content</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;">
              <ul>
                <li>Due to storage limits in Developer, Developer Pro, and Partial Copy sandboxes,
                  content and digital assets in the CMS Marketing workspace aren’t copied over
                  when a sandbox is created or refreshed. To move content, use <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.changesets.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">change sets</a> or <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.cms_import_content.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">create an import</a>.</li>

                <li>Workspaces are deployed in the Digital Experience Bundle component. Content
                  and digital assets related to content (such as images) are deployed in the
                  Digital Experience component.</li>

                <li>To make the content records easier to find in the Digital Experience
                  component, enter a descriptive API name when <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_content_create.htm&amp;type=5&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">creating content on the Content tab</a> or through <a href="https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/marketing/marketing-cloud-growth/guide/mc-manage-content.html" target="_blank">Connect API</a>. Otherwise, the system
                  automatically populates the field with a system-generated content key, which
                  can't be changed.</li>

                <li>To deploy content, the target org must have a workspace. You can deploy the
                  workspace with its content, or deploy the workspace first and then its
                  content.</li>

                <li>You can’t deploy a folder by itself. However, when you deploy a folder’s
                  content (such as an email template), the entire folder path deploys with it. </li>

                <li>To deploy an image, make sure it's related to an email, MMS message, RCS
                  message, WhatsApp message, or landing page. If an image isn't related to
                  content, it isn’t available to add in the Digital Experience component. </li>

              </ul>
            </td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Marketing flows</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;">
              <ul>
                <li>Deploy marketing flows in draft status. After you test a flow, save it as a
                  new version. The new version starts in draft status.</li>

              </ul>
            </td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Tests with customer engagement data</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="text-align:left;vertical-align:top;">To test custom reports or event-based flows, add behavior and
              messaging events to your sandbox. Create a CSV file with the necessary fields mapped
              to <span>Data 360</span> DMOs, and import it by using the File Upload data
              stream. See <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=data.c360_a_upload_a_csv_file.htm&amp;language=en_US" target="_blank">Ingest Data by Uploading a File</a>. </td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

## Recommended Uses for Each Sandbox Type

To learn more about Salesforce Platform sandboxes, see [Sandboxes: Staging Environments for Customizing and Testing](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.deploy_sandboxes_parent.htm&language=en_US).

  
| Sandbox type | What it copies | What it's best for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Developer sandbox | Your production org’s configuration (metadata) | Building and testing basic flow logic and segment rule definitions using test data |
| Developer Pro sandbox | Your production org’s configuration (metadata), with more data storage than a Developer sandbox | Testing integrations and segmentation logic, and user acceptance testing with moderate amounts of test data |
| Partial Copy sandbox | Your production org’s configuration (metadata) and a sample of your production org’s data as defined by a sandbox template | User acceptance testing and segment testing using a sample of production data |
| Full Copy sandbox | Your entire production org, including all data and metadata | Stress and load testing, and testing for complex, multichannel flows and agents |

## Use Sandboxes for Email Testing

You can send emails from a sandbox after an admin has configured [the required email settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_admin_setup_email_verify_sender.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "To send emails, you must authenticate a domain for sending, verify at least one sender email address, and provide a physical address to include in your email. In some cases, such as upgrading from Starter or Pro Suite, you can transfer email sending capabilities to Marketing Cloud Next."). Sending emails consumes message credits unless you turn on Blackhole for Email. With Blackhole turned on, you can send test emails to up to five selected domains. All other test email sends are suppressed. In Marketing Cloud Next, suppressed email sends don’t consume message credits. See [Set Up a Sandbox Blackhole for Email](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_admin_setup_sandbox_email_black_hole.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "When you test email in a sandbox, a blackhole prevents the accidental sending of test messages to real customer email addresses. Use a blackhole to test high-volume email sends, flow executions, or complex, multichannel campaign builds without consuming message credits.").

You can also send test SMS messages, WhatsApp messages, and mobile push notifications from sandboxes. These sends also consume message credits unless they’re suppressed using Blackhole.

- **[Environments and Limitations for Sandboxes in Marketing Cloud Next](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_admin_setup_sandbox_environment_limitations_ref.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    When you create a sandbox, most Marketing Cloud Next features are available for customization and testing. If an object isn’t replicated from the production org, you can re-create it in the sandbox org.
- **[Set Up a Sandbox in Marketing Cloud Next](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_admin_setup_sandbox.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    A sandbox is a copy of your Salesforce org that you can use for development, testing, and training without compromising the data and apps in your production org. Marketing Cloud Next supports every sandbox type: Developer, Developer Pro, Partial Copy, and Full Copy.
- **[Set Up a Sandbox Blackhole for Email](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_admin_setup_sandbox_email_black_hole.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    When you test email in a sandbox, a blackhole prevents the accidental sending of test messages to real customer email addresses. Use a blackhole to test high-volume email sends, flow executions, or complex, multichannel campaign builds without consuming message credits.
- **[Deploy Sandbox Changes in Marketing Cloud Next](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mktg_admin_setup_sandbox_deploy_changes.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    After you make changes in a sandbox, deploy those changes back to the production org or to another sandbox by using Salesforce Platform DevOps features.