How do you deploy metadata to a sandbox for user acceptance testing in the new package development model?

How do you deploy metadata to a sandbox for user acceptance testing in the new package development model?

• A. Run force:source:push from the Salesforce CLI.
• B. Use the ANT Migration Tool to deploy the metadata.
• C. Install the package version in the org.
• D. Use change sets to move the metadata between orgs.

Answer: (C)

In the new package development model, changes are delivered through versioned packages. For a sandbox used in user acceptance testing, you install a specific package version into that sandbox so it reflects the released bundle exactly as it will appear in production. This approach provides a clean, auditable, and upgradeable artifact that can be installed consistently across environments, and it lets testers verify the exact features and configurations that will be delivered. Pushing source with force:source:push is geared toward scratch or development environments where you want the org to mirror your current source, not a frozen release candidate. The ANT Migration Tool is a metadata deployment method that predates the packaging model and doesn't leverage the versioned, package-centric workflow. Change sets are an older deployment mechanism that aren’t aligned with distributing a packaged, versioned artifact and aren’t ideal for packaging-based release management.

In the new package development model, changes are delivered through versioned packages. For a sandbox used in user acceptance testing, you install a specific package version into that sandbox so it reflects the released bundle exactly as it will appear in production. This approach provides a clean, auditable, and upgradeable artifact that can be installed consistently across environments, and it lets testers verify the exact features and configurations that will be delivered.

Pushing source with force:source:push is geared toward scratch or development environments where you want the org to mirror your current source, not a frozen release candidate. The ANT Migration Tool is a metadata deployment method that predates the packaging model and doesn't leverage the versioned, package-centric workflow. Change sets are an older deployment mechanism that aren’t aligned with distributing a packaged, versioned artifact and aren’t ideal for packaging-based release management.