Troubleshoot Clone Operations for On-Demand Sandboxes
Resolve common issues that can occur when cloning on-demand sandboxes.
Expected duration is 10-30 minutes for most sandboxes. If cloning exceeds 45 minutes:
- Check the Activity Timeline for the current progress stage.
- Verify the source sandbox size (larger sandboxes take longer).
- Wait for completion or automatic timeout (60 minutes).
- Contact Salesforce Support if the clone exceeds 60 minutes.
If the source sandbox remains in Cloning state after the clone completes or fails:
- Refresh the Control Center page.
- Check the Activity Timeline for clone completion status.
- Contact Salesforce Support if the state doesn't update within 5 minutes.
To diagnose a failed clone:
- Click the failed clone in the Activity Timeline.
- Review which stage the clone failed at.
Failure stages and their causes:
| Stage | Possible Causes |
|---|---|
| Prep Instance | Source sandbox not in correct state (must be Running or Stopped), or insufficient permissions. |
| Data Backup | Large dataset causing timeout. |
| Data Restore | Large dataset causing timeout, insufficient credits for target sandbox, or sandbox quota exceeded in target realm. |
| Post Validation | Network connectivity issues, or target sandbox health check failed. |
- For large datasets, consider cloning during off-peak hours.
- For permission or state issues, verify source sandbox state and your access permissions.
- For credit or quota issues, add credits or free up storage space.
- Retry the clone operation after addressing the root cause.
- Contact Salesforce Support if the issue persists after retry.