Narrative 12: Sandbox - Testing without the risk  

Narrative 12: Sandbox - Testing without the risk  

Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series 

Narrative 12: Sandbox - Testing without the risk

What is a sandbox environment?

A sandbox environment is a virtual playground that allows you to test freely and experiment with various elements without impacting your live environment. It provides a secure and isolated space for trying out new software, code, or configurations without unnecessary risks or costs. Using a sandbox is an excellent approach for learning, exploring, and verifying the ticketing functionality before integrating these elements into your business operations.
 
Let's say you're a developer working on a mobile app. Before releasing it to the public, you can create a sandbox environment to test the app's functionality, features, and compatibility with different devices. This lets you see how the app behaves in a controlled setting, identify and fix bugs or issues, and ensure a smooth user experience. It's like a virtual testing ground for your app or service before it enters the real world.

Exploring the Sandbox in Zoho Desk

When it comes to refining your help desk processes, safety and precision are key. Zoho Desk makes this easier with its Sandbox feature, a secure testing environment available exclusively in the Enterprise edition. Sandbox allows you to explore, configure, and test new setups before bringing them into your live account, ensuring a smooth and error-free deployment every time.

One Sandbox, unlimited possibilities

Each organization can create a single Sandbox account, designed to replicate the live production environment. From the top navigation panel to the configuration settings, the Sandbox mirrors your actual help desk setup. However, to protect operational data integrity, records inside modules are not automatically populated. Users can still manually add or import records as needed to simulate real scenarios.
 
With Zoho Desk Sandbox, testing becomes simpler, collaboration is more controlled, and deployment runs smoothly to help your support teams stay agile while protecting business continuity.
QuoteA helpful indicator — Sandbox Mode — appears on the top panel, reminding users that they are working in a testing environment and preventing accidental changes in the wrong account.

What you can test and deploy

While you can test all configurations available under Setup within Sandbox, not everything can be directly deployed to production. Currently, only customization and automation elements listed below are eligible for deployment:

Customization elements:

  • Layouts and Fields
  • Time Tracking
  • Modules
  • Templates

Automation elements:

  • Assignment Rules
  • Notify
  • Workflows
  • Skills
  • Blueprint
  • Macros
  • Supervise
  • Schedules

This focused deployment scope ensures stability while still giving admins and developers enough flexibility to fine-tune key components.

Access and permissions

Access control in Sandbox is thoughtfully designed to maintain governance and prevent accidental disruptions. Only selected agents and teams who are granted Sandbox access during its creation can participate in testing. However, deploying the tested changes to the production account requires specific privileges; users must have the Manage Sandbox permission to move configurations live.

Benefits of using a sandbox 

Reduce risks

Specific configuration changes can inadvertently lead to data loss or disrupt essential processes. By testing in the Sandbox, teams can pinpoint potential problems early on, preventing them from affecting the live system. Think of it as your safety net, allowing you to test, analyze, and proceed with confidence.

Address conflicts

Complex implementations often result in configuration conflicts. The Sandbox lets you simulate these changes and observe any disputes that may arise, enabling you to troubleshoot and fine-tune your setup before it impacts actual operations.

Verify data integrity

The Sandbox environment offers valuable insights into how each change will affect live data. It intelligently identifies which adjustments are safe and ready for deployment based on conflict and issue assessments, ensuring that only verified configurations are implemented.

Display changes Incrementally

Rolling out prominent features, process improvements, or bug fixes all at once can be overwhelming. The Sandbox allows you to break significant updates into smaller, manageable batches, test them thoroughly, and implement them gradually to minimize disruption to your existing workflows.
Info

Effective testing and deployment 

  1. Risk-free testing 
  2. Enhanced productivity 
  3. Improved support experience 

Final thoughts

Zoho Desk’s Sandbox is more than just a tool for testing; it fosters trust. It enables both admins and developers to explore innovations without hesitation, ensuring consistent performance and operational excellence. With the Sandbox, you can confidently experiment, test, and ensure flawless execution. 


Please stay tuned for more in the Desk behind-the-scenes series.

 

Regards,

 

Kavya Rao

The Zoho Desk Team


      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ



                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • How to apply customized Zoho Crm Home Page to all users?

                                    I have tried to study manuals and play with Zoho CRM but haven't found a way how to apply customized Zoho CRM Home Page as a (default) home page for other CRM users.. How that can be done, if possible? - kipi Moderation Update: The option to mark a customized
                                  • Zoho CRM Analytics - Allow To Reorder Dashboards

                                    I would like to suggest that you add the ability to reorder dashboards in the Analytics Module. I can see that this has been requested some time ago, the latest 9 years ago. I am not sure if this is a big or small endeavor, but such a small fix can go
                                  • Zoho Form URL displays incorrect name

                                    Hi, I have a form I created called "Design Request form". It displays this way everywhere I look. However, in the URL, it shows up as "DesignJobRequestFormFINAL011325PROOFV1B" and I'm not sure why. I can't find where to fix this. Does anyone have any
                                  • Consumers are talking about your business. Are you listening?👂

                                    A loyal customer might be praising your product in a forum. A frustrated user could be posting a harsh review on a public site. An excited partner may have left a comment on your campaign. A domain expert might be deconstructing your product. A prospect
                                  • What counts as a Temp for Billing Purposes in Workerly

                                    I'm considering trying this product but am not sure how the temp count is used for billing purposes. For example, if we keep a large data base of 500 potential workers.....are we billed for that or only if they are assigned to a client at a given point
                                  • Unable to Receive Emails on Zoho Mail After Office 365 Coexistence Setup – Error: 553 Relaying Disallowed

                                    Hello, My domain name is bigniter.com, and I’ve been using Zoho Mail as my email service provider without any issues. Recently, I followed the steps outlined in the Zoho documentation to enable Coexistence with Office 365: 🔗 https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/coexistence-with-office365.html#multi-server
                                  • Form name incorrectly displayed in URL

                                    Hi, I have a form I created called "Design Request form". It displays this way everywhere I look. However, in the URL, it shows up as "DesignJobRequestFormFINAL011325PROOFV1B" and I'm not sure why. I can't find where to fix this. Does anyone have any
                                  • I can't receive mail

                                    Hello, I can't receive e-mail. I no longer receive e-mails to the e-mail I received for ​my site. I also edited the DNS settings, but it doesn't work at all.
                                  • 1‑to‑1 invite missing post-setup (needs re-invite) vs channel invite auto-joins without business prompt

                                    1. Zoho Cliq 1‑to‑1 external invite The inviter sent a 1‑to‑1 invite to an invitee who didn’t have a Cliq account. After the invitee completed account setup and created a business/organization, the website redirected them to Cliq, where they opened Cliq
                                  • 【開催報告】東京 ユーザー交流会 Vol.3 2025/10/17 Zoho サービスの活用促進を外部ツールとの連携で実現!

                                    ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 10月17日(金)に新橋で「東京 ユーザー交流会 Vol.3」を開催しました。ご参加くださったユーザーの皆さま、ありがとうございました! この投稿では、当日のセッションの様子や使用した資料を紹介しています。残念ながら当日お越しいただけなかった方も、ぜひチェックしてみてください😊 ユーザー活用事例セッション:Zoho Flowと決済システムの連携 あみろくの岡島さんに、Zoho サービスの活用事例として、Zoho Flow を活用した外部サービスとの連携事例をご共有いただきました。
                                  • received email opens in a new tab every time I log in

                                    as per the title: since about when I first made my email account, every single time Ive logged in to view my inbox, a new tab opens for an email I viewed once as if restoring a closed session. I thought I just didnt understand the "starting up" settings
                                  • Engage with your customers at scale using WhatsApp Marketing Template messages

                                    Hi everyone, To make it easier for organizations to communicate with customers, Desk now allows you to send individual, mass, and bulk WhatsApp template messages from both the Ticket and Contact modules. How is this going to benefit your business? WhatsApp
                                  • Zoho Desk iOS and Android app update: AI powered: Reply Assistance and Refine Messages on IM module.

                                    Hello everyone! We are excited to introduce new AI powered features on the IM module of the Zoho Desk app. Reply Assistance: Reply Assistance generates suggested responses for incoming chat messages, which you can directly insert into the conversation
                                  • Importation Tickets error

                                    Hi, I'm newbie here 🤓 So, i'm importing data from csv, but when I try advance to mapping fields the importer tool show this message: Previously I try import, other data, and not show errors in this step. Some ideas? Best Regards,
                                  • Missing information data Zoho inventory

                                    there some missing data in Zoho inventory connection. pick list stock counts bin location we have requested it via mail and the support team doesn’t gove feedback. has anyone achieve to get these info or to ask other ya les
                                  • Showing description in timesheet and timelogs.

                                    I am wondering if it’s possible in version 5 of Zoho People to have the description show by default or with a manipulation on the user’s part. Let me show you what I mean. As you can see this is the view for the users. Now if they want to see the full
                                  • Direct “Add to Google Calendar” Option in Zoho Meeting

                                    Hello Zoho Meeting Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement related to the “Add to Calendar” functionality in Zoho Meeting. Currently, when we open Zoho Meeting and view our meetings under My Calendar, there is an Add to
                                  • Update on the client portal URL for Guest users

                                    We’re updating the way Guest users access their Connect network. As part of this change, all client organization portals used by Guest users will now be accessible through a dedicated domain specific to each data center. The access URLs mentioned here
                                  • Add Flexible Recurrence Options for Meeting Scheduling in Zoho Cliq (e.g., Every 2 Weeks)

                                    Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you are doing well. Currently, when scheduling a meeting inside Zoho Cliq, the recurrence options are limited to Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly. There is no ability to set a meeting to occur every X weeks — for example,
                                  • Sales Order, Invoice and Payment numbers

                                    Hi zoho friends, it is me again, the slow learner. I'm wondering if there is a way to have it so the Sales order, invoice and payment numbers are all the same? It would be easier for me if they were the same number so there is not so many reference numbers
                                  • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                    The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Managing addresses
                                  • Ask the Experts 24: Analytics, data administration, and mobile experience with Zoho Desk

                                    Hello Everyone! Welcome back to the Ask the Experts(ATE) series! We were so focused on our Autumn 2025 release that we didn't host an ATE session last month. In this month's ATE, we'd like to expand our areas for discussion: we'd like to listen to your
                                  • Workaround: openURL in Blueprints - An alternate approach

                                    There is a roundabout way to open a URL in blueprints after a save event. By using the 'onBeforeMandatoryFormSave' in Client Script, you can open an external URL. Now, the problem is, this is designed to be run BEFORE the blueprint is saved, not after,
                                  • MTD SA in the UK

                                    Hello ID 20106048857 The Inland Revenue have confirmed that this tax account is registered as Cash Basis In Settings>Profile I have set ‘Report Basis’ as “Cash" However, I see on Zoho on Settings>Taxes>Income Tax that the ‘Tax Basis’ is marked ‘Accrual'
                                  • Migrate file from Single File Upload to Multi File Upload

                                    Dears, I have created a new field Multi File Upload to replace the old Single File Upload field. I'd like to ask you guys what is the best way to migrate the files to the new field?
                                  • Integration Request: Elementor

                                    Integrating Zoho CRM forms with Elementor, the most popular page builder on Wordpress, would be great. I use it for our site, goenergylink.com, and I have had to use Zapier webhooks to be able to connect it with Elementor. The one issue I have run into
                                  • Open "Live Chat" from a hyperlink?

                                    Hi, I often write paragraphs and text on our company website, and usually say you can get in touch with us via live chat. Can the chat window be triggered to pop open without clicking the chat graphic in the bottom window, and use it in a hyperlink? ie:
                                  • Zoho Sites search box

                                    Is there a Search box that can be added to a Zoho site? It would be for searching within the site only.
                                  • What stops me from packaging and shipping an order when the inventory is negative?

                                    It seems if the inventory value is negative, that Zoho Inventory should not allow me to create a Package and Ship it.   But, there seems to be nothing to stop me from doing that other than when I go to physically package the item and realize that there is no stock. There also seems to be nothing on the screen that even indicates to me that I should not package and ship.  To me this is the fundamental point of an inventory system.  Am I doing something wrong?   
                                  • Conditional formatting based on another field

                                    Hi I have two fields on my form stage 1 complete and stage 1 deadline.  I am trying to setup conditional formatting so that if stage 1 complete is after stage 1 deadline the record is highlighted in red. I need both stage 1 complete and stage 1 deadline
                                  • Zoho Books | Product updates | October 2025

                                    Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From iOS 26 updates to viewing reports as charts, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Zoho Books Updates for Apple Devices At WWDC 2025, Apple
                                  • Is there API Doc for Zoho Survey?

                                    Hi everyone, Is there API doc for Zoho Survey? Currently evaluating a solution - use case to automate survey administration especially for internal use. But after a brief search, I couldn't find API doc for this. So I thought I should ask here. Than
                                  • Using IMAP configuration for shared email inboxes

                                    Our customer service team utilizes shared email boxes to allow multiple people to view and handle incoming customer requests. For example, the customer sends an email to info@xxxx.com and multiple people can view it and handle the request. How can I configure
                                  • The sending IP (136.143.188.15) is listed on spamrl.com as a source of spam.

                                    Hi, it just two day when i am using zoho mail for my business domain, today i was sending email and found that message "The sending IP (136.143.188.15) is listed on https://spamrl.com as a source of spam" I hope to know how this will affect the delivery
                                  • Changing a Single-Line Text field into a Multi-line Field without losing data

                                    Is it possible to change a Single-Line Text field into a Multi-line Field without losing data. I have a module with data for which I would like to change a single-line field into a multi-line field but I'm worried it might delete the pre-existing da
                                  • Webhook - Google Sheets

                                    I have 2 forms that are both integrated with Google Sheets. I've set up a webhook to pull form 1 data from Google Sheets to prefill data in Form 2. The issue I have is that the forms name fields are First Name & Last Name but the Google sheets integration
                                  • Verified Mark Certificate

                                    Hello Dears, Can anyone help and check my mail or direct me to the desired person who can add the verification tag to my mail https://www.zoho.com/blog/mail/email-authentication-with-bimi.html
                                  • Appointment booking is temporarily unavailable

                                    Embeded Zoho booking page in my WordPress website. When someone starts a booking, after choosing time and date, an error appears before payment - "Appointment booking is temporarily unavailable due to restricted settings." Used the embeded code given
                                  • Cannot connect to 365 business calendar and Teams, says personal but it is not.

                                    hi I have a number of users connected to their 365 business accounts. Adding a new user and it thinks hes got 365 personal edition. He does not.... Anyone know what's going on. Trying for days now. Bookings go into his MS calendar but as its thinks its
                                  • Limited review (/questions) for Bookings 2.0

                                    Hi all, I'm writing this review of Bookings 2.0 for two reasons: 1) it may be of interest to others, and 2) I'd like to be corrected if I'm wrong on any points. It's a very limited review, i.e. the things that have stood out as relevant, and particularly
                                  • Next Page