What is an Apex trigger in Salesforce?

An Apex trigger in Salesforce is fundamentally a piece of code that is executed automatically in response to specific events that occur within the Salesforce platform, particularly during Data Manipulation Language (DML) operations such as inserting, updating, or deleting records. This allows developers to define automated actions that should happen in the background whenever these events occur, ensuring that business logic is consistently applied without requiring manual intervention.

For instance, if a sales record is updated, an Apex trigger can automatically adjust related records, send notifications, or enforce validation rules based on the new data input. This capability makes triggers a powerful tool for maintaining data integrity and automating processes in Salesforce.

The other options present different concepts. User interface components, such as report enhancements, relate to how data is presented but do not involve coding. Permissions defined for user access pertain to security and user management rather than the automatic execution of logic during data operations. Lastly, visual data reports are meant for sharing and analyzing information but do not serve the purpose of executing code when data changes occur.