<p>As Salesforce continues to evolve, so does the landscape of DevOps within the Salesforce ecosystem. With 2024 on the horizon, several emerging trends are set to shape the future of Salesforce DevOps. Let's explore these trends and see how Tekunda Serpent is adapting to them to stay ahead of the curve.</p>
<h2>Trend 1: Increased Automation and AI Integration</h2>
<h3>The Shift Towards Automation</h3>
<p>Automation has been a driving force in DevOps for years, but its importance is only growing. In 2024, expect to see even more integration of AI and machine learning into DevOps workflows. Automation tools will not only handle repetitive tasks but also provide intelligent insights to optimize performance and predict potential issues before they arise.</p>
<h3>How Serpent Adapts</h3>
<p>Tekunda Serpent leverages AI to automate complex deployment processes, reduce manual errors, and provide actionable insights. By integrating machine learning algorithms, Serpent can predict deployment outcomes and suggest optimizations, ensuring a smoother DevOps experience.</p>
<h2>Trend 2: Enhanced Security Measures</h2>
<h3>The Growing Importance of Security</h3>
<p>With the increasing number of cyber threats, security in DevOps is more critical than ever. Organizations are focusing on integrating security practices throughout the DevOps pipeline, known as DevSecOps. This trend ensures that security is not an afterthought but an integral part of the development process.</p>
<h3>How Serpent Adapts</h3>
<p>Serpent incorporates robust security measures, including automated security scans and compliance checks. By integrating security protocols into every stage of the DevOps pipeline, Serpent ensures that your Salesforce deployments are secure and compliant with industry standards.</p>
<h2>Trend 3: Emphasis on Continuous Testing</h2>
<h3>Ensuring Quality with Continuous Testing</h3>
<p>Continuous testing is becoming a standard practice in DevOps, emphasizing the need for regular and automated testing throughout the development lifecycle. This trend helps catch issues early, ensuring higher quality releases and reducing the risk of failures in production.</p>
<h3>How Serpent Adapts</h3>
<p>Serpent integrates continuous testing into its workflow, automating test execution and providing real-time feedback. This ensures that code changes are thoroughly tested before deployment, maintaining the quality and reliability of Salesforce applications.</p>
<h2>Trend 4: Advanced Analytics and Monitoring</h2>
<h3>Leveraging Data for Better Decision-Making</h3>
<p>Advanced analytics and monitoring are becoming essential in DevOps to provide deeper insights into system performance and user behavior. These tools help teams make data-driven decisions, optimize performance, and proactively address potential issues.</p>
<h3>How Serpent Adapts</h3>
<p>Serpent includes advanced analytics and monitoring features, offering real-time visibility into your Salesforce environment. By leveraging these insights, teams can proactively manage their systems, optimize performance, and improve overall efficiency.</p>
<h2>Trend 5: Focus on Developer Experience</h2>
<h3>Enhancing Productivity and Satisfaction</h3>
<p>As DevOps practices evolve, there's an increasing focus on improving the developer experience. Tools and processes that enhance productivity, reduce friction, and support collaboration are becoming a priority.</p>
<h3>How Serpent Adapts</h3>
<p>Tekunda Serpent is designed with the developer experience in mind. Its intuitive interface, seamless integrations, and powerful automation features reduce the complexity of Salesforce DevOps, allowing developers to focus on innovation and productivity.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>The future of Salesforce DevOps is exciting, with trends like increased automation, enhanced security, unified platforms, continuous testing, advanced analytics, and a focus on developer experience shaping the landscape. Tekunda Serpent is at the forefront of these trends, providing cutting-edge solutions to streamline your Salesforce DevOps processes.</p>
<p>Ready to embrace the future of Salesforce DevOps?</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited beta</a> now and be among the first to transform your workflow with Tekunda Serpent!</strong></p>

The Future of DevOps in Salesforce: Trends to Watch in 2024

<h2>Introduction</h2>
<p>As a Salesforce Engineer or Consultant, choosing between creating managed or unmanaged packages is a strategic decision that can significantly influence your workflows and application lifecycle on Salesforce. This guide delves deeper into each type of package, offering insights into their use cases, benefits, and considerations to help you make an informed choice based on your specific needs.</p>
<h2>What are Managed and Unmanaged Packages?</h2>
<p><strong>Managed Packages</strong> are typically created by Salesforce partners and are available through the Salesforce AppExchange. They come with a namespace that completely isolates them from your org and other packages, ensuring no naming conflicts across Salesforce orgs, but that comes with it own limitations.</p>
<p><strong>Unmanaged Packages</strong> are often used as a means to distribute open-source projects or templates that can be customized by developers. They do not include a namespace, making them fully editable but also susceptible to naming conflicts. Unmanaged packages are a great way to version control your org customisation and development while keeping it unlocked, allowing you to also reference metadata and code pre-existing on your target org.</p>
<p>At Tekunda, we've simplified the management and release processes of both Managed and Unmanaged packages with Tekunda Serpent. Our tool makes metadata and packages management effortless, allowing you to focus on innovation rather than administrative tasks. Ready to streamline your Salesforce development experience?</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited waitlist</a></strong> now and be among the first to transform your workflow with Tekunda Serpent!</p>
<h2>Detailed Comparison</h2>
<h3>Configuration and Customization</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Managed Packages</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Use Cases</strong>: Ideal for applications like third-party integrations or extending Salesforce with in self contained package. For instance, creating or installing a pre-built marketing automation tool or customer service application.</li>
<li><strong>Benefits</strong>: They are locked, which means the core components cannot be edited, ensuring integrity and support from the vendor.</li>
<li><strong>Considerations</strong>: Limited customization may not suit all business-specific needs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Unmanaged Packages</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Use Cases</strong>: Best used when a highly tailored solution is needed, such as developing a custom application specific to your business processes or creating templates that can be modified for different client setups.</li>
<li><strong>Benefits</strong>: Full access to the code allows developers to modify any aspect of the package to fit their exact requirements.</li>
<li><strong>Considerations</strong>: Requires more in-depth Salesforce development knowledge and can lead to longer deployment times.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Support and Maintenance</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Managed Packages</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Provide vendor support, regular updates, and compatibility assurances with new Salesforce releases, reducing the administrative burden on the customer/user.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Unmanaged Packages</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Maintenance and updates are the responsibility of the customer/user, potentially increasing workload for their IT team, making ideal for internal and consulting projects.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Deployment and Updates</h3>
<ul>
<li>
<p><strong>Managed Packages</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Quick to deploy as they are pre-configured. Updates are handled by the vendor and are seamlessly deployed to the customer/user environment.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<p><strong>Unmanaged Packages</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Require careful integration and testing, especially during updates, to ensure they do not interfere with existing customizations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>Choosing the Right Package for Your Needs</h2>
<p>When deciding between managed and unmanaged packages, consider:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Project Complexity and Customization Needs</strong>: If your project requires extensive customization, unmanaged may be the way to go. For self contained projects, managed packages can save time and effort.</li>
<li><strong>Resource Availability</strong>: Do you have the skilled personnel to manage potential complexities that come with unmanaged packages?</li>
<li><strong>Budget Constraints</strong>: Managed packages might seem more expensive initially but consider the total cost of ownership, including maintenance and future upgrades.</li>
<li><strong>Time to Market</strong>: Managed packages allow faster deployment, which can be crucial for time-sensitive projects.</li>
</ul>
<h2>CI/CD Implications for Managed and Unmanaged Packages</h2>
<p>Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) are critical components of modern software development, especially in dynamic environments like Salesforce. The choice between managed and unmanaged packages can have significant implications on your CI/CD strategies.</p>
<h3>CI/CD in Developing&nbsp;Managed Packages</h3>
<p><strong>Managed packages</strong> are typically created by developers aiming to distribute their applications on Salesforce AppExchange, often with an eye towards commercialization. Here are key considerations for CI/CD:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Version Control and Release Management</strong>: Managed packages must adhere to Salesforce's upgrade and release management processes, which are more structured to ensure compatibility and support. Developers need to manage versioning meticulously, as package versions are immutable once released.</li>
<li><strong>Namespace Prefix</strong>: Every managed package has a namespace prefix that uniquely identifies it across all Salesforce orgs. This namespace must be carefully managed in source control to ensure consistency across development and production environments.</li>
<li><strong>Beta Testing and Patch Versions</strong>: CI/CD pipelines for managed packages often include creating beta versions for testing and patch versions for fixing issues post-release. Automation of these processes helps maintain the stability of the package.</li>
<li><strong>License Management</strong>: Integration of licensing frameworks is essential for managed packages, particularly if they are commercial. Your CI/CD process may need to include steps for updating licensing mechanisms as part of the deployment pipeline.</li>
</ul>
<h3>CI/CD in Developing Unmanaged Packages</h3>
<p><strong>Unmanaged packages</strong> are more flexible and are often used for custom projects within a specific org or for distributing open-source projects where the developer does not retain any proprietary control. CI/CD considerations include:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Full Control Over Code</strong>: Developers have full control over the source code, making it easier to implement CI/CD practices such as automated testing, style checks, and code quality assessments without restrictions.</li>
<li><strong>Flexibility in Updates</strong>: Unmanaged packages allow developers to apply updates and changes directly at any time, supporting agile development practices. Automation tools can be used to streamline the deployment of new features and fixes.</li>
<li><strong>No Namespace Management</strong>: The lack of a namespace in unmanaged packages simplifies some aspects of version control and source code management, reducing the overhead in managing these elements in CI/CD pipelines.</li>
<li><strong>Custom Deployment Scripts</strong>: Developers can create custom scripts and utilize CI/CD tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, or GitHub Actions to automate the build and deployment processes tailored to their specific organizational needs.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Choosing the Right Strategy</h3>
<p>Selecting between developing a managed or unmanaged package often depends on the intended use case and distribution strategy:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Commercial Distribution</strong>: If you plan to sell your application on the AppExchange, a managed package is necessary. Your CI/CD pipelines should support stringent testing and compliance checks to meet Salesforce standards.</li>
<li><strong>Internal Use or Open Source</strong>: For packages intended for internal use or open-source distribution without commercial intent, unmanaged packages offer more flexibility and easier integration into personalized CI/CD workflows.</li>
<li><strong>Assess Complexity</strong>: Consider the complexity of your Salesforce environment. A simple environment might cope well with managed packages, while a complex, highly customized environment could benefit more from unmanaged packages.</li>
<li><strong>Evaluate Team Skills</strong>: Ensure your team has the skills required to manage the chosen package type within CI/CD pipelines. Unmanaged packages require robust DevOps skills to fully leverage their flexibility.</li>
<li><strong>Consider Long-Term Maintenance</strong>: Evaluate how each option affects long-term maintenance and scalability. Managed packages reduce the maintenance burden but at the cost of flexibility, while unmanaged packages offer flexibility but require ongoing maintenance efforts.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Both managed and unmanaged packages offer distinct advantages for Salesforce admins and developers. By carefully evaluating your organizational needs, resource availability, and long-term strategy, you can choose a package that not only fits your immediate requirements but also supports your Salesforce environment's growth and evolution.</p>
<p>Making an informed choice will empower your team to leverage Salesforce more effectively, ensuring that you maximize the platform's benefits while aligning with your business objectives.</p>
<p>At Tekunda, we've simplified the management and release processes of both Managed and Unmanaged packages with Tekunda Serpent. Our tool makes metadata and packages management effortless, allowing you to focus on innovation rather than administrative tasks. Ready to streamline your Salesforce development experience?</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited waitlist</a></strong> now and be among the first to transform your workflow with Tekunda Serpent!</p>

Understanding Managed vs. Unmanaged Packages in Salesforce

<div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6;">
<p>Salesforce metadata management is crucial for maintaining the integrity and efficiency of your Salesforce environment. There a different types of metadata, configurations, custom objects, fields, workflows, and other customisations that define your Salesforce setup.</p>
<p>At Tekunda, we've simplified these processes with Tekunda Serpent. Our tool makes metadata management effortless, allowing you to focus on innovation rather than administrative tasks. Ready to streamline your Salesforce development experience?</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited waitlist</a></strong> now and be among the first to transform your workflow with Tekunda Serpent!</p>
<p>Here are some tips to help you manage your Salesforce metadata efficiently:</p>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Understand Metadata Types</h3>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Configuration Metadata</h4>
<p>Configuration metadata includes settings related to your Salesforce org, such as company settings, email settings, and security settings. These configurations impact how your Salesforce environment behaves and interacts with users and external systems.</p>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Customization Metadata</h4>
<p>Customization metadata encompasses custom objects, fields, validation rules, workflows, process builders, and custom code (Apex, Visualforce, Lightning components). These elements define the custom functionalities and processes within your Salesforce instance.</p>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Use Salesforce DX for Metadata Management</h3>
<p>Salesforce DX (Developer Experience) is a powerful set of tools and features designed to improve the development lifecycle on the Salesforce platform. It includes functionalities for source-driven development, team collaboration, and continuous integration.</p>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Setting Up Salesforce DX</h4>
<ol>
<li><strong>Install Salesforce CLI:</strong> The Salesforce CLI is the cornerstone of Salesforce DX. Install it from the <a style="color: #2980b9;" href="https://developer.salesforce.com/tools/sfdxcli">Salesforce CLI page</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Authenticate:</strong> Authenticate your Salesforce org using:
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf login</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Create a Project:</strong> Initialize a new Salesforce DX project:
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf project create --name YourProjectName</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Using Scratch Orgs</h4>
<p>Scratch orgs are temporary, configurable environments that can be used for development and testing. They allow developers to work in isolated environments and ensure that changes do not affect the main org until they are ready.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Define Scratch Org Config:</strong> Create a <code>config/project-scratch-def.json</code> file.
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">{
  "orgName": "Demo Company",
  "edition": "Developer",
  "features": ["Communities", "ServiceCloud"],
  "settings": {
    "orgPreferenceSettings": {
      "s1DesktopEnabled": true,
      "selfSetPasswordInApi": true
    }
  }
}</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Create Scratch Org:</strong> Create the scratch org using:
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf org create scratch --definitionfile config/project-scratch-def.json --setdefaultusername --durationdays 7 --alias YourScratchOrgAlias</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Deploying Metadata</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Push Source to Scratch Org:</strong> Deploy your local source to the scratch org.
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf project deploy start</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Assign Permission Sets:</strong> Assign necessary permission sets.
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf org assign permset --name YourPermsetName</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Source Control Management</h3>
<p>Source control is essential for tracking changes, collaborating with team members, and maintaining the integrity of your Salesforce metadata.</p>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Using Git for Metadata</h4>
<ol>
<li><strong>Initialize Git Repository:</strong> Initialize a Git repository in your project directory.
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git init</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Add and Commit Changes:</strong> Add your changes and commit them.
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Create Feature Branches:</strong> Use branches to manage different features or tasks.
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git checkout -b feature/new-feature</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Git Workflow</h4>
<ol>
<li><strong>Fetch and Merge Changes:</strong> Regularly fetch and merge changes from the main branch.
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git fetch origin
git merge origin/main</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Commit and Push Changes:</strong> Commit your changes and push them to the remote repository.
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git commit -m "Developed new feature"
git push origin feature/new-feature</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Create Pull Requests:</strong> Open a pull request to merge your feature branch into the main branch.</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Automate Metadata Deployments</h3>
<p>Automation can significantly reduce the time and effort required to deploy metadata changes.</p>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Using CI/CD Pipelines</h4>
<p>Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines automate the process of testing and deploying changes. Tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, and GitHub Actions can be integrated with Salesforce to create automated workflows.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Set Up CI/CD Pipeline:</strong> Configure your CI/CD tool to monitor your Git repository for changes.</li>
<li><strong>Run Automated Tests:</strong> Ensure that tests are automatically run for each change.</li>
<li><strong>Deploy Changes:</strong> Automatically deploy changes to the appropriate Salesforce org based on the CI/CD pipeline configuration.</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Best Practices for Managing Metadata</h3>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Modularize Your Metadata</h4>
<p>Break down your metadata into modular components that can be managed and deployed independently. This approach simplifies the management of large and complex Salesforce implementations.</p>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Use Version Control Effectively</h4>
<p>Ensure that all metadata changes are tracked in version control. Use branching strategies to manage different development streams and ensure that changes are reviewed and tested before being merged.</p>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Maintain a Backup Strategy</h4>
<p>Regularly back up your metadata to prevent data loss and ensure that you can recover from any unexpected issues. Use tools like Salesforce Backup and Restore or third-party solutions to automate backups.</p>
<h4 style="color: #2c3e50;">Regularly Review and Clean Up Metadata</h4>
<p>Regularly review your metadata to identify and remove any unused or obsolete components. This practice helps keep your Salesforce environment clean and improves performance.</p>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Conclusion</h3>
<p>Managing Salesforce metadata is a critical aspect of maintaining a robust and efficient Salesforce environment. By using tools like Salesforce DX, leveraging source control, automating deployments, and following best practices, developers can ensure that their metadata is well-organized, secure, and scalable.</p>
<p>At Tekunda, we've simplified these processes with Tekunda Serpent. Our tool makes metadata management effortless, allowing you to focus on innovation rather than administrative tasks. Ready to streamline your Salesforce development experience?</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited waitlist</a></strong> now and be among the first to transform your workflow with Tekunda Serpent!</p>
</div>

Managing Salesforce Metadata: Tips for Developers

<p>Salesforce is a powerful platform for managing customer relationships, but businesses often need to integrate it with other applications to streamline workflows, improve data consistency, and enhance overall functionality. However, integrating Salesforce with third-party applications comes with its own set of challenges. This blog post explores these challenges and provides solutions to ensure smooth integration processes.</p>
<p>Would you like some help streamlining your Salesforce integrations?&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="#contact">Contact us now</a> to secure your spot with Tekunda's innovative team to simplify your integration challenges.</p>
<h3>Common Challenges in Salesforce Integration</h3>
<h4>1. Data Consistency and Synchronization</h4>
<p><strong>Challenge:</strong> Ensuring that data remains consistent and synchronized across Salesforce and third-party applications can be difficult. Inconsistent data can lead to errors, redundant records, and data integrity issues.</p>
<p><strong>Solution:</strong> Implement robust data synchronization strategies, such as real-time sync or scheduled batch updates, using tools like MuleSoft, Informatica, or custom-built middleware. Additionally, utilize Salesforce&rsquo;s native tools like Data Loader and Apex to handle data migrations and synchronization efficiently.</p>
<h4>2. API Limitations and Performance Issues</h4>
<p><strong>Challenge:</strong> Salesforce has API call limits that can restrict the number of interactions between Salesforce and third-party applications. Exceeding these limits can result in performance bottlenecks and potential downtime.</p>
<p><strong>Solution:</strong> Optimize API usage by combining multiple API calls into a single call where possible and using bulk API operations for large data sets. Employ Salesforce&rsquo;s event-driven architecture with Platform Events to reduce the dependency on API calls and improve performance.</p>
<h4>3. Security and Compliance Concerns</h4>
<p><strong>Challenge:</strong> Integrating third-party applications with Salesforce requires sharing sensitive data, raising concerns about data security and compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA.</p>
<p><strong>Solution:</strong> Ensure all data transfers are encrypted using protocols such as TLS. Implement OAuth for secure authentication and authorization. Regularly audit your integrations for compliance with security standards and regulatory requirements. Use Salesforce Shield for advanced security features like encryption, event monitoring, and field audit trail.</p>
<h4>4. Complexity of Integration Architecture</h4>
<p><strong>Challenge:</strong> The architecture of integrating Salesforce with multiple third-party applications can become complex, especially when dealing with different data models, APIs, and protocols.</p>
<p><strong>Solution:</strong> Simplify the integration architecture by using integration platforms such as MuleSoft or Dell Boomi, which provide pre-built connectors and a unified platform to manage integrations. Document your integration architecture thoroughly and use modular designs to make the system more manageable and scalable.</p>
<h4>5. Real-Time Data Integration</h4>
<p><strong>Challenge:</strong> Real-time data integration can be challenging due to latency issues and the need for continuous data flow between systems.</p>
<p><strong>Solution:</strong> Leverage Salesforce&rsquo;s Streaming API for real-time data updates. Use middleware solutions that support real-time data processing and message queues to handle data flow efficiently. Optimize network and server configurations to reduce latency.</p>
<p>Would you like some help streamlining your Salesforce integrations?&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="#contact">Contact us now</a> to secure your spot with Tekunda's innovative team to simplify your integration challenges.</p>
<h3>Best Practices for Salesforce Integration</h3>
<h4>1. Plan Thoroughly</h4>
<p>Before starting the integration, define clear objectives, requirements, and success criteria. Conduct a thorough analysis of the third-party application&rsquo;s capabilities and limitations.</p>
<h4>2. Use Middleware Solutions</h4>
<p>Middleware solutions like MuleSoft, Informatica Cloud, and Jitterbit can simplify the integration process by providing pre-built connectors, data transformation capabilities, and centralized management of integration flows.</p>
<h4>3. Monitor and Maintain</h4>
<p>Implement monitoring tools to track the performance and health of your integrations. Regularly update and maintain your integrations to adapt to changes in APIs, data models, and business requirements.</p>
<h4>4. Ensure Scalability</h4>
<p>Design your integration architecture to be scalable to accommodate future growth and changes in business processes. Use cloud-based integration platforms that can scale automatically based on demand.</p>
<h4>5. Test Rigorously</h4>
<p>Conduct thorough testing of your integrations, including unit tests, integration tests, and user acceptance tests, to ensure they work as expected and handle edge cases gracefully.</p>
<h3>A Technical Guide to Enabling REST APIs in Salesforce</h3>
<p>To provide a more comprehensive understanding of Salesforce integrations, let's delve into enabling REST APIs in Salesforce, a crucial aspect of many integration scenarios.</p>
<h4>Step 1: Enable API Access</h4>
<ol>
<li>Navigate to <strong>Setup</strong> in Salesforce.</li>
<li>Enter <strong>API</strong> in the Quick Find box and select <strong>API Settings</strong>.</li>
<li>Ensure that <strong>API Enabled</strong> is checked.</li>
</ol>
<h4>Step 2: Create a Connected App</h4>
<ol>
<li>In <strong>Setup</strong>, enter <strong>App Manager</strong> in the Quick Find box and select it.</li>
<li>Click <strong>New Connected App</strong>.</li>
<li>Fill in the basic information such as the Connected App Name and Contact Email.</li>
<li>In the <strong>API (Enable OAuth Settings)</strong> section, check <strong>Enable OAuth Settings</strong>.</li>
<li>Set the <strong>Callback URL</strong> (e.g., <code>https://login.salesforce.com/services/oauth2/callback</code>).</li>
<li>Select <strong>OAuth Scopes</strong> like <em>Full access (full)</em> and <em>Access and manage your data (api)</em>.</li>
<li>Save the settings and <strong>Continue</strong>.</li>
</ol>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/600d8a50-08ca-48d1-b90e-ded72f06fd49?width=1600&amp;height=800" alt="Connected App" loading="lazy"></p>
<h4>Step 3: Obtain OAuth Tokens</h4>
<ol>
<li>Use a tool like Postman to initiate the OAuth flow.</li>
<li>Make a POST request to the Salesforce token endpoint:
<pre>POST https://login.salesforce.com/services/oauth2/token</pre>
</li>
<li>Include the necessary parameters: <code>grant_type</code>, <code>client_id</code>, <code>client_secret</code>, <code>username</code>, and <code>password</code>.</li>
</ol>
<h4>Step 4: Make API Calls</h4>
<ol>
<li>With the OAuth token obtained, you can now make REST API calls.</li>
<li>For example, to query accounts:
<pre>GET /services/data/vXX.X/sobjects/Account</pre>
</li>
<li>Include the OAuth token in the Authorization header:
<pre>Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Integrating Salesforce with third-party applications is essential for maximizing the value of your CRM system and enhancing business processes. While the challenges can be significant, the solutions and best practices outlined above can help ensure a successful integration. By leveraging tools like Tekunda Serpent, you can simplify these processes, reduce manual effort, and maintain a seamless flow of data across your systems.</p>
<p>Ready to streamline your Salesforce integrations?</p>
<p><a href="#contact">Contact us now</a> to secure your spot with Tekunda's innovative team to simplify your integration challenges.</p>

Challenges of Integrating Salesforce with Third Party Applications

<div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px;">
<h2 style="color: #2c3e50;">Setting Up Your Development Environment</h2>
<p>Before diving into Salesforce development, you need to set up your environment. This involves installing the necessary tools and configuring your Salesforce project.</p>
<p>If you're looking to simplify the complexities of these processes so you can focus on innovation rather than process management, we've got the solution for you!&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited early access waitlist now</a></strong> and be among the selected to leverage Tekunda Serpent to transform your workflow!</p>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Installing Salesforce CLI</h3>
<p>First, you need to install the Salesforce CLI. This tool is essential for interacting with Salesforce orgs, creating scratch orgs, and managing metadata.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Download and Install SF CLI:</strong>
<p>Download the installer from the <a style="color: #2980b9;" href="https://developer.salesforce.com/tools/sfdxcli">Salesforce CLI</a> page. Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.</p>
</li>
<li><strong>Authenticate with Salesforce:</strong>
<p>After installing the CLI, authenticate with your Salesforce org using the following command:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf login</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Set Up Your Salesforce DX Project:</strong>
<p>Create a new Salesforce DX project or navigate to your existing project directory. Initialize the project using:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf project create --name YourProjectName</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 style="color: #2c3e50;">Creating a Scratch Org</h2>
<p>Scratch orgs are ephemeral environments that you can use for development and testing. They can be namespaced or non-namespaced, depending on your requirements.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Define the Scratch Org Configuration:</strong>
<p>Create a <code>config/project-scratch-def.json</code> file in your project directory with the necessary configuration. For example:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">{
  "orgName": "Demo Company",
  "edition": "Developer",
  "features": ["Communities", "ServiceCloud"],
  "settings": {
    "orgPreferenceSettings": {
      "s1DesktopEnabled": true,
      "selfSetPasswordInApi": true
    }
  }
}</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Create the Scratch Org:</strong>
<p>Use the following command to create a scratch org:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf org create scratch --definitionfile config/project-scratch-def.json --setdefaultusername --durationdays 7 --alias YourScratchOrgAlias</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Working with Namespaced Orgs</h3>
<p>If you're developing a managed package, you might need a namespaced scratch org. Namespaced orgs are particularly useful for developing and testing managed packages because they allow you to test your code in an environment that closely resembles your production environment. Here are some common use cases for namespaced orgs:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Isolation of Code:</strong> Namespaced orgs help in isolating your code from other packages and customizations in your Salesforce environment. This isolation ensures that there are no conflicts between your code and other packages.</li>
<li><strong>Testing Managed Packages:</strong> When developing managed packages, it's crucial to test them in a namespaced org to ensure that the package's namespace is correctly applied and does not interfere with other code or packages.</li>
<li><strong>Consistency with Production:</strong> Namespaced scratch orgs mimic the behavior of your production environment, providing a consistent testing ground. This consistency helps identify potential issues that could arise in production.</li>
<li><strong>Compliance and Security:</strong> By using namespaced orgs, you can better manage compliance and security aspects, ensuring that your managed packages adhere to Salesforce's security guidelines.</li>
</ol>
<p>Ensure your Dev Hub has a namespace registered, and include the namespace in your scratch org definition.</p>
<h2 style="color: #2c3e50;">Deploying Metadata and Code</h2>
<p>With your scratch org ready, you can deploy metadata and code. This process involves pushing your local source to the scratch org and setting up any necessary test data and permissions.</p>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Deploying to the Scratch Org</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Push Source to Scratch Org:</strong>
<p>Deploy your local source to the scratch org using:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf project deploy start</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Assign Permission Sets:</strong>
<p>Assign necessary permission sets to your user:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf org assign permset --name YourPermsetName</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Load Test Data:</strong>
<p>If you have test data, load it using SOQL queries or by importing data files:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf data import tree --plan data/sample-data-plan.json</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Install Dependencies:</strong>
<p>If your project depends on managed packages, install them using:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf package install --package YourPackageAliasOrId --wait 10</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<p>If you're looking to simplify the complexities of these processes so you can focus on innovation rather than process management, we've got the solution for you!&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited early access waitlist now</a></strong> and be among the selected to leverage Tekunda Serpent to transform your workflow!</p>
<h2 style="color: #2c3e50;">Source Control Management</h2>
<p>Effective source control is crucial for team collaboration and project integrity. Git is the most commonly used source control system in Salesforce development.</p>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Using Git for Source Control</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Initialize Git Repository:</strong>
<p>If your project isn't already under source control, initialize a Git repository:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git init</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Add and Commit Changes:</strong>
<p>Add your changes to the repository and commit them:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Create Feature Branches:</strong>
<p>Use Git Flow to manage your branches. Create a new feature branch for development:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git checkout -b feature/new-feature</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Fetch and Merge Changes:</strong>
<p>Regularly fetch and merge changes from the main branch to keep your feature branch up-to-date:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git fetch origin
git merge origin/main</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Commit and Push Changes:</strong>
<p>After developing your feature, commit and push your changes:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">git commit -m "Developed new feature"
git push origin feature/new-feature</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Create Pull Requests:</strong>
<p>Open a pull request to merge your feature branch into the main branch. Ensure your code is reviewed and approved by your team.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 style="color: #2c3e50;">Managing Releases</h2>
<p>Once your development and testing are complete, it's time to manage releases. This process can differ depending on whether you're working with a non-packaged org or a managed package.</p>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Releasing to a Non-Packaged Org</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Deploy to Production:</strong>
<p>Deploy your changes to the production org using the Salesforce CLI:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf project deploy start --target-org YourProductionOrgAlias</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Run Tests:</strong>
<p>Ensure all tests pass before finalizing the deployment:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf apex run test --target-org YourProductionOrgAlias</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Monitor Deployment:</strong>
<p>Use the Salesforce CLI to monitor the deployment status:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf project deploy report --target-org YourProductionOrgAlias <span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak" dir="ltr">--job-id &lt;yourDeploymentJobId&gt;</span></pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 style="color: #2c3e50;">Releasing a Managed Package</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Create a Managed Package:</strong>
<p>Create a new package version using the Salesforce CLI:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf package version create --package YourPackageAlias --installation-key YourKey --wait 10 --code-coverage</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Promote the Package Version:</strong>
<p>Promote the package version to make it available for installation:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf package version promote --package "YourPackageVersionId"</pre>
</li>
<li><strong>Submit for Security Review:</strong>
<p>If your package will be listed on the AppExchange, submit it for a security review. This process ensures your package meets Salesforce's security standards.</p>
</li>
<li><strong>Install the Package:</strong>
<p>Install the managed package in your production org:</p>
<pre style="background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 10px; border-radius: 5px;">sf package install --package YourPackageVersionId --target-org YourProductionOrgAlias --wait 10</pre>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 style="color: #2c3e50;">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Developing for Salesforce using the Salesforce CLI involves several steps, from setting up your development environment to managing releases. By leveraging scratch orgs, deploying metadata and code, handling source control, and managing releases efficiently, you can streamline your Salesforce development process.</p>
<p>Whether you're developing for a non-packaged org or creating a managed package, the Salesforce CLI offers powerful commands to automate and simplify your workflow. By following best practices and maintaining effective source control, you can ensure your projects are well-managed and ready for deployment.</p>
<p>If you're looking to simplify the complexities of these processes so you can focus on innovation rather than process management, we've got the solution for you!&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited early access waitlist now</a></strong> and be among the selected to leverage Tekunda Serpent to transform your workflow!</p>
</div>

Mastering Salesforce Development with Salesforce CLI

<h2>Challenge</h2>
<p>Our client, a top player in the retail industry, was grappling with the complexities of managing customer support across multiple channels. They needed a robust solution to streamline communications, improve case handling, and integrate various systems for a seamless customer experience.</p>
<h2>Solution</h2>
<p>Partnering with Tekunda, we helped the retailer leverage Salesforce Service Cloud to transform their customer support operations. Here&rsquo;s how we made it happen:</p>
<h3>1. Enhanced Communication Channels:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Implemented phone, email, chatbot, WhatsApp, FB Messenger, and web forms for broader reach and convenience.</li>
</ul>
<h3>2. Improved Internal Collaboration:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Chatter: Enabled Chatter for real-time collaboration within the support team.</li>
<li>Inter-Org Communication: Established seamless data exchange with their international branches using Salesforce-to-Salesforce integration.</li>
</ul>
<h3>3. Streamlined Case Handling:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Developed a smart feature to guide agents through a standardised support flow with dynamic questions and answers.</li>
<li>RingCentral Integration: Integrated RingCentral for efficient call handling directly within Salesforce.</li>
<li>Knowledge Base: Provided knowledge articles based on case reasons to empower agents with quick, accurate information.</li>
<li>Automation: Automated customer email notifications, case owner changes, and post-case surveys to enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction.</li>
<li>Omni-Channel Routing: Deployed Omni-Channel to intelligently route cases to the most suitable agents.</li>
<li>SLA Dashboard: Implemented a dashboard for real-time monitoring of service level agreements, ensuring timely case resolutions.</li>
</ul>
<h3>4. Robust Collaboration Features:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Displayed case history, order history, and track &amp; trace functionalities.</li>
<li>Displayed all relevant information to streamline case handling and enhance agent productivity.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Results:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Increased Efficiency: Achieved a 30% reduction in case resolution time.</li>
<li>Higher Customer Satisfaction: Customer satisfaction scores improved by a staggering 35%.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>By leveraging Salesforce Service Cloud, Tekunda transformed the retailer&rsquo;s customer support operations, delivering a superior customer experience and driving operational excellence.</p>
<p>Ready to elevate your customer support?<a href="https://tekunda.com/#contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Let Tekunda guide you</a> through the transformation with Salesforce Service Cloud!</p>
<p><strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#Salesforce</strong> <strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#CustomerSupport</strong> <strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#CaseStudy</strong> <strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#Innovation</strong> <strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#Retail</strong> <strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#CustomerExperience</strong> <strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#Tekunda</strong> <strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#ServiceCloud</strong> <strong class="ql-hashtag" data-test-ql-hashtag="true">#DigitalTransformation</strong></p>

Case Study: Transforming Customer Support with Salesforce 🚀

<div class="shortdesc">At Salesforce, to distribute a managed package, Salesforce Platform API solution, or Marketing Cloud API solution on AppExchange, it must pass the Salesforce security review. Let's discuss on how to prepare for and pass the security review.</div>
<div class="shortdesc">&nbsp;</div>
<div class="shortdesc">&nbsp;</div>
<h3 class="shortdesc">Managed 2GPs created from TRIAL Dev Hubs are not allowed</h3>
<p>Managed 2GPs created from TRIAL Dev Hubs are not reviewable by security review team.</p>
<p>Ensure that your managed 2GP was crqeated using the Dev Hub in your Partner Business Org (PBO).</p>
<p>Then, ensure that you have requested activation of your PBO so it can be moved from a TRIAL to an ACTIVE state.</p>
<p>You must log a case and select "Partner Community &amp; AppExchange" for the Product and "Security Review" and ask for the activation.</p>
<h3>Include web application scan results for third-party domains&nbsp;</h3>
<p>Your submission should include any web application scan results for the third-party (non-Salesforce) domains integrated with your app.</p>
<p>Add any non-Salesforce endpoints in your submission, included as composite environment(s), and/or in the remote site settings of your Salesforce test org. Example <a href="https://syntiliotest.azurewebsites.net">https://testapi.net/</a></p>
<p>Non-Salesforce domains/endpoints are considered in the scope of the security review if they are integrated with your Salesforce component in any way (e.g. if your app makes callouts to them, if they store any Salesforce data, or if they're used for other purposes such as authentication).</p>
<p>Provide scan results from one of approved web application scanning tools for any sites in scope of the review.</p>
<ul>
<li>Approved scanning tools include OWASP ZAP, Chimera, or Burp Suite.</li>
<li>You must correct any high-severity issues detected for OWASP ZAP or Burp Suite.</li>
<li>All issues labeled other than &ldquo;Informational/Other&rdquo; for Chimera must also be corrected.</li>
<li>Provide clean scan results, or supplement the results with documentation that explains false positives.</li>
<li>Alternatively, if no issues are detected, provide a screenshot of the endpoint scanned.</li>
</ul>
<p>Provide any necessary authentication credentials, such as username/passwords or API keys, that the Security Review Team might need to test these external integrations.</p>
<h3><strong>I</strong>dentity challenge is enabled workaround</h3>
<p>Identity challenge is enabled on your org. As a workaround, you'll need to safelist Salesforce IP ranges.</p>
<p>You can spin up a new org with the IP addresses whitelisted and multi-factor authentication (MFA) disabled by following the steps in <a href="https://quip.com/pfqeA8kRTraY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this link</a>.</p>
<p>Alternatively, follow the steps below in <span class="outlook-search-highlight" data-markjs="true">your</span> current org:</p>
<ul>
<li>Disable MFA with the steps below:
<ol>
<li>Log into the org and go to the setup section.</li>
<li>Search for &ldquo;Session Settings&rdquo; in the search bar on the top left.</li>
<li>Go to session settings, then &ldquo;Session Security Levels&rdquo;</li>
<li>Select Two-Factor Authentication from High Assurance and click remove.</li>
<li>Press save at the bottom of the page.</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>Safelist the <a title="https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=000321501&amp;language=en_US&amp;type=1&amp;mode=1" href="https://help.salesforce.com/articleView?id=000321501&amp;language=en_US&amp;type=1&amp;mode=1" data-ogsc=""><span style="color: #33ccff;">Salesforce IP ranges</span></a>&nbsp;and as well as the following ranges and addresses:
<ul>
<li>13.108.0.0 - 13.111.255.255</li>
<li>62.17.146.0 - 62.17.146.255</li>
<li>85.222.134.0 - 85.222.134.255</li>
<li>104.161.246.0 - 104.161.246.255</li>
<li>182.71.125.154 - 182.71.125.155</li>
<li>182.72.29.238 and 136.232.119.246</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Enforce sharing rules in classes</h3>
<p>Enforce sharing in your classes that access/modify salesforce standard/custom objects.</p>
<p>In order to avoid this vulnerability, you will need to declare "with sharing" these classes.</p>
<p>Note: Sharing is enforced or not in the class that perform the DML queries, if a class with sharing call another class "without sharing", and does the queries, the objects retrieved/modified will be without sharing enforcement.</p>
<p>Object (CRUD) and Field Level Security (FLS) are configured on profiles and permission sets and can be used to restrict access to standard and custom objects and individual fields. Force.com developers should design their applications to enforce the organization's CRUD and FLS settings on both standard and custom objects, and to gracefully degrade if a user's access has been restricted.</p>
<p>Some use cases where it might be acceptable to bypass CRUD/FLS are:</p>
<ul>
<li>For creating roll up summaries or aggregates that don&rsquo;t directly expose the data</li>
<li>Modifying custom objects or fields like logs or system metadata that shouldn&rsquo;t be directly accessible to the user via CRUD/FLS</li>
<li>Cases where granting direct access to the custom object creates a less secure security model.</li>
</ul>
<p>Make sure to document these use cases as a part of your submission.</p>
<h3>Sensitive Information in Debug</h3>
<p>Revealing information in debug statements can help reveal potential attack vectors to an attacker. Debug statements can be invaluable for diagnosing issues in the functionality of an application, but they should not publicly disclose sensitive or overly detailed information (this includes PII, passwords, keys, and stack traces as error messages, among other things).&nbsp;</p>
<p>No sensitive or PII data should be logged using the system.debug method.</p>
<h3>Sharing Violation Vulnerability</h3>
<p>The Force.com platform makes extensive use of data sharing rules. Each object can have unique permissions for which users and profiles can read, create, edit, and delete. These restrictions are enforced when using all standard controllers. When using a custom Apex class, the built-in profile permissions and field-level security restrictions are not respected during execution. The default behavior is that an apex class has the ability to read and update all data with the organization. Because these rules are not enforced, developers who use Apex must take care that they do not inadvertently expose sensitive data that would normally be hidden from users by profile-based permissions, field-level security, or organization-wide defaults. This is particularly true for Visualforce pages. Classes should explicity declare with sharing when possible.</p>
<h3>Conduct a Comprehensive Review</h3>
<p>Conduct a comprehensive review of your application using the above as a guide to identify similar issues.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Most cases when the security review starts their checks, they are unable to identify every instance of each type of vulnerability. As a result, their report will generally contain one example of each type of vulnerability found, and it will be up to you to check for other similar instances throughout your application.</p>
<h3>Re-visit Security Resources.&nbsp;</h3>
<p>Visit the&nbsp;<a href="http://wiki.developerforce.com/index.php/Security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Force.com Security Resources Center</a> to access free secure coding guidelines, tools, and training.</p>
<p>Re-run ZAP and Checkmarx Reports.&nbsp;In additional to manual testing, you can utilize these automated testing tools:<br><a href="https://developer.salesforce.com/page/Security/Chimera" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chimera</a><br><a href="https://security.secure.force.com/security/tools/webapp/zaprunningscan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Web Application Scanner (ZAP)</a><br><a href="https://security.secure.force.com/sourcescanner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Checkmarx - Security Code Scanner</a></p>
<h3><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></h3>
<p>More info here&nbsp;<a href="https://developer.salesforce.com/page/Testing_CRUD_and_FLS_Enforcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Security Guidelines for Apex and Visualforce Development</a><br><br>For more in-depth, interactive training materials, check out the new trailhead for <a href="https://trailhead.salesforce.com/modules/isv_security_review"><span class="s1">ISV Security Review</span></a></p>
<p>You can keep up-to-date on alerts, participate in discussions, and post comments and questions in the&nbsp;<a href="https://partners.salesforce.com/_ui/core/chatter/groups/GroupProfilePage?g=0F9300000001s8Y"><span class="s1">Security Review Collaboration Group</span></a> of the Partner Community.</p>
<p>Generate a submission checklist that is customized to your solution. Using the&nbsp;<a href="https://checklistbuilder.herokuapp.com/"><span class="s1">Security Review Submission Requirements Checklist Builder</span></a>.</p>
<p>If you submitted a package version for review and failed with some feedback from the security team, make sure when you're ready to schedule follow-up Security Review consider those two important points.</p>
<ol>
<li>&nbsp;if you changed code that runs on the Salesforce platform, you must upload a new version of your managed package.
<ul>
<li>From the Publishing Console, click the 'Listings' tab.</li>
<li>Click on your listing.</li>
<li>Link your newly uploaded managed package version to your listing by clicking the green 'Select Package' button.</li>
<li>Go to the 'Packages' tab and click the 'Start Review' link next to the Security Review field on your newest version.</li>
<li>Go through the security review wizard and follow the normal submission process.<br><br></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>&nbsp;If you fixed only code that runs externally to Salesforce, edit your existing security review submission information:
<ul>
<li>From the Publishing Console, click the 'Listings' tab if your app does not have any Salesforce package (otherwise, click on the 'Packages' tab).</li>
<li>Click on your listing in the 'Listings' tab or, if in the 'Packages' tab, scroll to your most recently submitted package version.</li>
<li>Click the "Edit Review" link (either in the 'APP' tab of the listing, or next to the package version in the 'Packages' tab). The link might also say "Submitted" instead of "Edit Review".</li>
<li>Go through the security review wizard and update any information that has changed.</li>
<li>It is required to&nbsp;<a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/case-submission?supportType=Partner_Program_Support">Log a case</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;select "Partner Community &amp; AppExchange" for the Product and "Security Review" for the Topic&nbsp;to let the Security Review Operations Team know you are re-submitting your product for review. Include your package name, ID, and version (or listing link) in the case description.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="section_7"><strong><u>We're glad to share any helpful information and would recommend you knowing more about our impact to the release cycle in Salesforce</u></strong></h2>
<p><a href="#contact" rel="noopener"><u>Schedule a demo</u></a> to find out more about how Serpent can supercharge your Salesforce DevOps Strategy today! Serpent by Tekunda offers some excellent tools to help your DevOps teams, including built-in version control, continuous deployment and release systems, merge tools, and tons of different testing tools.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>

The Secrets of Salesforce Security Review Process

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<h2 class="relative p-1 rounded-sm h-9 w-9 text-white flex items-center justify-center">Overview</h2>
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</div>
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<p><a href="https://syntilio.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Syntilio</a>, a leading software development company specializing in innovative solutions for the healthcare industry, building Salesforce managed packages listed on AppExchange faced significant challenges in their Salesforce DevOps processes. Their development team was grappling with inefficient workflows, dependency issues, and slow deployment times, hindering their ability to quickly roll out critical updates and features.</p>
<h2>Challenge</h2>
<p>Syntilio's primary challenge was the complex deployments and lack of automated releases slowed down the release cycles, hindering Syntilio's ability to respond to market needs swiftly. These challenges not only impacted their operational efficiency but also posed risks to the company's ability to serve their clients effectively.</p>
<h2>Solution</h2>
<p>Enter Serpent, Tekunda's innovative solution designed to streamline <a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/Salesforce-DevOps">Salesforce DevOps</a> workflows. Serpent was implemented as Syntilio's end-to-end solution for enhancing collaboration, automating deployment processes, and ensuring the reliability of their Salesforce applications.</p>
<h3>Collaboration</h3>
<p>Serpent revolutionized how Syntilio's team collaborated. With features like enhanced version control and a full audit trail, Syntilio's team members could work on the same projects simultaneously without overwriting each other's work, significantly reducing dependencies and streamlining their workflows.</p>
<h3>Effortless Deployment</h3>
<p>The automation of unit tests and deployments transformed Syntilio's development pipeline. Serpent ensured that any code merged into the main branch was automatically tested and deployed to the right environment, cutting down deployment times and allowing developers to focus on creating innovative solutions rather than managing the deployment process.</p>
<h3>Reliability</h3>
<p>Post-deployment, Serpent provided Syntilio with continuous monitoring and data backup services, ensuring any potential issues could be quickly identified and rectified. This not only guaranteed faster recovery times in the event of a problem but also instilled confidence in the reliability and integrity of their Salesforce applications.</p>
<h2>Results</h2>
<p>The implementation of Serpent led to a transformative impact on Syntilio's Salesforce DevOps processes:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Increased Efficiency:</strong> Deployment times were reduced by 50%, and the streamlined collaboration process led to a 40% decrease in development cycles.</li>
<li><strong>Enhanced Reliability:</strong> Continuous monitoring and automated backups ensured a 99.9% uptime for Syntilio's Salesforce applications.</li>
<li><strong>Improved Collaboration:</strong> Dependency issues were eliminated, fostering a culture of innovation and teamwork.</li>
</ul>
<p>If like Syntilio you're looking to simplify the complexities of your development processes so you can focus on innovation rather than process management, we've got the solution for you!&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><a style="color: #2980b9;" href="#contact">Join our limited beta list now</a></strong> and be among the selected to leverage Tekunda Serpent to transform your workflow!</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Syntilio's partnership with Tekunda and the implementation of Serpent ushered in a new era of efficiency, reliability, and collaboration for their Salesforce DevOps processes. By overcoming significant operational challenges, Syntilio has been able to focus on what they do best: delivering innovative healthcare solutions to their clients. Serpent not only solved Syntilio's immediate challenges but also positioned them for future growth and success in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Case Study: Syntilio Transformation with Serpent

<p>We're thrilled to unveil Serpent, a game-changing solution crafted to revolutionise <a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/Salesforce-DevOps#section_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Salesforce DevOps</a>!</p>
<p><a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/Mastering-Salesforce-DevOps#section_3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Choosing the right Salesforce DevOps tools</a> is essential for your team's success, that's why we designed Serpent with simplicity and innovation at its core, to streamline your Salesforce development and operations, ensuring seamless, efficient, and faster project deliveries.</p>
<p><strong>Why Serpent?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Improved collaboration</strong>: Teams can work together more effectively, sharing responsibilities and knowledge, leading to better decision-making.</li>
<li><strong>Faster time-to-market</strong>: Automated processes reduce manual intervention, shortening the development lifecycle and accelerating the release of new features.</li>
<li><strong>Enhanced quality</strong>: Continuous testing, monitoring, and feedback loops minimise errors and ensure a high level of application performance.</li>
<li><strong>Increased efficiency</strong>: By automating repetitive tasks, teams can focus on high-value activities, boosting productivity and innovation.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Join Our Exclusive Private Beta&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>Serpent is launching soon, and we're inviting you to be part of our exclusive private beta. This is a unique opportunity to get early access and help shape the future of Salesforce DevOps with your feedback.</p>
<p>Spaces are limited! Sign up through our website to join the waitlist and secure your spot. Don't miss out on the chance to be among the first to experience the power of Serpent.</p>
<p>👉 Sign up here: <a href="#contact">Join Serpent Waitlist</a></p>
<p>Don't just take our word for it. Join us and see how Serpent can transform your Salesforce DevOps experience. Be part of the revolution.</p>
<p>#Serpent #SalesforceDevOps #PrivateBeta #Innovation #TechCommunity</p>

Introducing Serpent: The Future of Salesforce DevOps

<h3 class="solution-title">INTRODUCTION</h3>
<p>Tekunda helped <strong><a href="https://syntilio.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Syntilio</a></strong> realise its vision of reducing the pressure on healthcare by facilitating personal and efficient unplanned care using insight driven triage. This was achieved by building the Syntilio platform as a <a href="/blog/Understanding-Managed-vs.-Unmanaged-Packages-in-Salesforce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">managed package</a> on top of Salesforce Service Cloud.</p>
<p>For every care request, the platform provides a 360&ordm; client view with all relevant data. This helps in determining urgency, making a well-informed decision, and deploying care in the community only when it is truly necessary.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>The platform provides access to both the formal and informal care network support (regional) collaboration and activating the entire care network through a range of communication channels.</p>
<h3 class="solution-title">INSIGHT DRIVEN TRIAGE</h3>
<p>For every care request, the platform provides a 360&ordm; client view where you see all relevant data. This helps in determining urgency, making a well-informed decision, and deploying care in the community only when it is truly necessary.</p>
<h3 class="solution-title">APPROPRIATE AND FAST FOLLOW-UP</h3>
<p>The platform provides access to both the formal and informal care network of the client. This way you can quickly organise the most appropriate follow-up directly with the client through loved ones or volunteers if possible, or through professional care if necessary.</p>
<h3 class="solution-title">LESS ADMINISTRATION</h3>
<p>Both triage and the organised care follow-up are automatically recorded. This means less administration for your team, and a client file that is always up to date.</p>
<h3 class="about-title">DataHub</h3>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The backbone of any successful and coherent client/patient experience is d</span><span class="s1">ata interoperability. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">i.e. Creating a new qualifying client in Syntilio creates it in your ECD or your Tele-monitoring app (or vice versa)&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Making sure the right data is in the right place at the right time.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">DataHub guarantees your clients' data stays in sync.</span></p>
<h3 class="about-title">CareHub</h3>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Integration between Syntilio and your IoT devices for remote monitoring of both devices and clients</span></p>
<p>Client monitoring (smart sensors, medication support, video calling, etc...) and Device monitoring (battery, online state, malfunctions, etc&hellip;).</p>
<p>Regional and cross segment cooperation, Routing of events, Case handling, Triage questionnaires, Asset registration, and data synchronisation; all in Syntilio</p>
<h3 class="about-title">VideoHub</h3>
<p>A secure, user-friendly video calling app created specifically for healthcare, both acute and planned, enabling remote consultations and patient monitoring.</p>
<p>It integrates seamlessly with CareHub, ensures confidentiality, and boosts patient satisfaction through its intuitive design.</p>

Case Study: Syntilio Platform on the AppExchange

<p>I want to share a day that encapsulates why Tekunda is such an incredible place to work. Last week, our team took a break from regular work to dive into a day filled with learning, laughter, and genuine bonding. Check out the video to see how it all went down!</p>
<p><iframe style="width: 100%; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9;" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/nbiPJ-18kEY?si=bcuhu7DW10TRFZpo" frameborder="0" sandbox="" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Kickstarting the Day with Games</h2>
<p>We started our morning away from our desks, gathered in a conference room for some light-hearted games. "Two Truths and a Lie" kicked off the day. It's surprising how much you can learn about your teammates when trying to decipher the truths from the lie. Next, "Blind Drawing" had us in stitches, but also showed how communication is key in even the most chaotic situations.</p>
<h2>Tech Talks by Our Very Own</h2>
<p>What I love about Tekunda is that we're not just colleagues; we're a community of passionate tech enthusiasts. So, the afternoon saw five of our team stars presenting on hot tech topics like <span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak" dir="ltr">WebRTC, NextJS, Celery, and GraphQL</span>. We believe in 'Knowledge Sharing,' and these sessions displayed just how much expertise we have within our walls. It was an awe-inspiring experience, seeing our own team members share knowledge that rivals any external tech conference out there.</p>
<h2>Escape Room: The Clock Is Ticking!</h2>
<p>After enriching our brains, it was time to challenge them. We ended the day with an escape room activity. There's nothing like a ticking clock to ignite team spirit and get everyone working together toward a common goal. Strategy, quick thinking, and teamwork led us to "escape," but it was clear that the real win was the collective problem-solving that got us there.</p>
<h2>The Tekunda Spirit</h2>
<p>Last week&rsquo;s activities were a beautiful representation of our values and work culture. Tekunda isn&rsquo;t just about delivering extraordinary digital experiences for our clients; it's also about making sure the team behind those solutions is engaged, informed, and excited about their work. We're not just employees here; we're a family committed to personal and professional growth, and these regular team-building days contribute to just that.</p>
<h2>Come Join Us!</h2>
<p>At Tekunda, you're not walking into a mere job; you're becoming part of an active, learning community. If this sounds like the kind of place where you'd like to grow your career, don't hesitate to apply. We&rsquo;re always looking for passionate individuals to join our community of learners and doers. Check out our careers page to see the exciting opportunities we have available: <a href="https://tekunda.com/careers" target="_new">Tekunda Careers</a>.</p>
<p>So, that was our phenomenal day, and it's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to why Tekunda is such an exceptional place to work. Big ups to everyone who contributed to making it a memorable experience.</p>
<p>#TeamWork #TechTalks #EscapeRoom #JoinTekunda</p>

Freaky Friday! Team Building, Tech Talks: Why I Love Working here

<h2>First Impressions Last</h2>
<p>In the digital realm, a customer's first interaction with your brand often sets the tone for the entire relationship. This could be anything from a well-designed website to the ease of navigation in your mobile application. In many instances, customers make up their minds about a business in the first few seconds. Therefore, immediate engagement is vital, offering something of value upfront&mdash;be it information, an exclusive offer, or even an engaging user interface&mdash;can turn a potential customer into a loyal one.</p>
<h2>Personalisation is Key</h2>
<p>Technology has enabled a level of personalisation that was previously unimaginable. With data analytics, it's possible to understand a customer's behaviour, preferences, and even anticipate needs. These insights shouldn't be ignored; they should be utilised to create a tailored experience. Personalised email campaigns, product recommendations, and customer service interactions all contribute to a sense of being valued and understood, which is essential for long-term customer retention.</p>
<h2>Seamless Integration</h2>
<p>Customer experience isn't limited to a single channel. It's a cumulative effect of interactions across various platforms and touchpoints. Whether a customer engages with your brand through social media, your website, or in a physical store, the experience should be seamless. Consistency in tone, messaging, and service quality is crucial for building trust and satisfaction.</p>
<h2>The Role of Customer Service</h2>
<p>Going the extra mile is often most apparent in customer service interactions. At Tekunda, we ensure our support teams are empowered to solve problems efficiently and make real-time decisions that favour the customer. This approach can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one, creating customer evangelists who not only stay loyal but also promote your brand through word of mouth.</p>
<h2>Feedback Loops</h2>
<p>Open channels for customer feedback are invaluable. They not only identify areas for improvement but also present an opportunity to connect on a personal level. Acknowledging feedback and implementing changes shows a level of dedication and responsiveness that customers appreciate.</p>
<h2>Make it Right</h2>
<p>Mistakes are inevitable. It's how you handle them that defines your brand. Apologising sincerely and taking immediate corrective action can often win back a disgruntled customer. The 'front-page test' applies here; act in a way that would make you proud if it were reported in the media.</p>
<h2>Exceeding Expectations</h2>
<p>Small gestures can make a big difference. Whether it's a personalised thank-you note, an unexpected upgrade, or priority support, these 'extra miles' can transform customer satisfaction into customer delight. At Tekunda, we strive to inject this philosophy into every aspect of our operation.</p>
<h2>Go the Extra Mile with Passion</h2>
<p>Passion is not just a buzzword; it's an ethos. It's what drives us to continually improve and innovate. When this level of enthusiasm is evident in interactions with customers, it's contagious. It transforms the mundane into the extraordinary and creates memorable experiences that customers are eager to share.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>In a saturated market, it's not enough to simply meet customer expectations; you must exceed them. Tekunda prides itself on not just offering solutions but also creating experiences that make each customer feel valued and understood. From the first interaction to ongoing support, every touchpoint is an opportunity to go the extra mile. And when you do, not only do you win a customer, you win an advocate.</p>
<p>Remember, the extra mile is never crowded. Make it your business to be there.</p>

Going the Extra Mile: Creating Exceptional Customer Experiences

<p>Salesforce DevOps is a powerful approach that combines the strengths of software development and IT operations to ensure smooth delivery and management of Salesforce applications. This article will guide you through the key aspects of Salesforce DevOps, from understanding its benefits to implementing best practices, and selecting the right tools for your organisation. By the end of this comprehensive guide, you will have the knowledge and confidence to implement Salesforce DevOps in your organisation and boost your team's productivity.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2 id="section_1"><strong>The Significance of Salesforce DevOps</strong></h2>
<p>Salesforce DevOps is the fusion of development, operations, and business teams to enhance collaboration, streamline workflows, and ultimately deliver high-quality applications and features faster. By adopting Salesforce DevOps, organisations can achieve the following benefits:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Improved collaboration</strong>: Teams can work together more effectively, sharing responsibilities and knowledge, leading to better decision-making.</li>
<li><strong>Faster time-to-market</strong>: Automated processes reduce manual intervention, shortening the development lifecycle and accelerating the release of new features.</li>
<li><strong>Enhanced quality</strong>: Continuous testing, monitoring, and feedback loops minimise errors and ensure a high level of application performance.</li>
<li><strong>Increased efficiency</strong>: By automating repetitive tasks, teams can focus on high-value activities, boosting productivity and innovation.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="section_2"><strong>Salesforce DevOps Best Practices</strong></h2>
<p>To successfully implement Salesforce DevOps, organisations should adopt the following best practices:</p>
<h3 id="section_2_1"><strong>Define Clear Objectives and Metrics</strong></h3>
<p>Set measurable goals for your Salesforce DevOps initiative and track progress using relevant key performance indicators (KPIs). This approach enables you to evaluate the success of your efforts and make data-driven decisions.</p>
<h3 id="section_2_2"><strong>Foster a DevOps Culture</strong></h3>
<p>Encourage a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility among development, operations, and business teams. This shift in mindset is crucial for breaking down silos and ensuring the success of your Salesforce DevOps strategy.</p>
<h3 id="section_2_3"><strong>Automate Processes</strong></h3>
<p>Automate manual, repetitive tasks such as code deployment, testing, and environment provisioning. This reduces human errors and frees up team members to focus on more strategic activities.</p>
<h3 id="section_2_4"><strong>Implement Version Control</strong></h3>
<p>Utilise version control systems like Git to track changes to your Salesforce code and configurations. This practice ensures consistency, enables collaboration, and simplifies rollbacks in case of issues.</p>
<h3 id="section_2_5"><strong>Leverage CI/CD Pipelines</strong></h3>
<p>Employ continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to automate the build, test, and deployment of Salesforce applications. This approach ensures consistent and reliable delivery of new features and updates.</p>
<h2 id="section_3"><strong>Choosing the Right Salesforce DevOps Tools</strong></h2>
<p>Selecting the right Salesforce DevOps tools is essential for your organisation's success. Consider the following factors when evaluating your options:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Ease of integration</strong>: Choose tools that seamlessly integrate with your existing Salesforce environment and processes.</li>
<li><strong>Scalability</strong>: Opt for tools that can grow with your organisation and accommodate increasing complexity and size.</li>
<li><strong>Security</strong>: Prioritise tools that provide robust security features to protect your data and comply with industry regulations.</li>
<li><strong>User experience</strong>: Select tools that offer an intuitive interface and facilitate collaboration between team members.</li>
</ul>
<p>Some popular Salesforce DevOps tools include:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Version control</strong>: Git, Bitbucket, GitHub, and SVN</li>
<li><strong>CI/CD</strong>: Jenkins, CircleCI, GitLab CI/CD, and Bamboo</li>
<li><strong>Testing and code quality</strong>: Selenium, Jest, SonarQube, and PMD</li>
<li><strong>Environment provisioning and configuration</strong>: Terraform, Ansible, and Salesforce DX</li>
<li><strong>Monitoring and analytics</strong>: New Relic, AppDynamics, and Splunk</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="section_4"><strong>Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) for Salesforce</strong></h2>
<p>Implementing CI/CD pipelines in your Salesforce DevOps strategy allows you to automate the build, test, and deployment processes. This approach ensures consistent, reliable, and efficient delivery of new features and updates. Here's an overview of how CI/CD works in Salesforce:</p>
<h3 id="section_4_1"><strong>Continuous Integration</strong></h3>
<p>Continuous Integration (CI) is the process of automatically building and testing Salesforce code whenever a change is pushed to the version control system. CI helps identify and resolve issues early, reducing the risk of integration problems and ensuring code quality. Key steps in the CI process include:</p>
<ol>
<li>Developers commit code changes to the version control system.</li>
<li>The CI server detects the changes and triggers a build.</li>
<li>The build process compiles the code, runs automated tests, and generates reports.</li>
<li>The CI server notifies the team of the build and test results.</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="section_4_2"><strong>Continuous Deployment</strong></h3>
<p>Continuous Deployment (CD) takes CI a step further by automatically deploying the tested code to the appropriate Salesforce environments. CD enables teams to deliver new features and updates quickly, ensuring a faster time-to-market. Key steps in the CD process include:</p>
<ol>
<li>The CI server passes the tested code to the CD pipeline.</li>
<li>The CD pipeline deploys the code to the staging environment for further testing.</li>
<li>If the staging tests pass, the CD pipeline deploys the code to the production environment.</li>
<li>The team monitors the application's performance and addresses any issues.</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="section_4_3"><strong>Salesforce DevOps Metrics and KPIs</strong></h3>
<p>Tracking the right metrics and KPIs is crucial for evaluating the success of your Salesforce DevOps initiative. Consider monitoring the following indicators:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Deployment frequency:&nbsp;</strong>Measure how often your team deploys new features or updates to understand the effectiveness of your CI/CD pipeline.</li>
<li><strong>Lead time for changes:&nbsp;</strong>Assess the time it takes for a code change to move from commit to deployment. Shorter lead times indicate a more efficient development process.</li>
<li><strong>Change failure rate:&nbsp;</strong>Monitor the percentage of deployments that result in a failure or require a rollback. A lower failure rate signifies higher code quality.</li>
<li><strong>Mean time to recovery (MTTR):&nbsp;</strong>Track the average time it takes for your team to recover from a failed deployment. A shorter MTTR indicates a more resilient and agile organisation.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="section_5"><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>Mastering Salesforce DevOps requires a deep understanding of its principles, best practices, and tools. By implementing a strong DevOps culture, automating processes, and leveraging CI/CD pipelines, your organisation can streamline the development process, improve collaboration, and accelerate the delivery of high-quality Salesforce applications. Monitoring key metrics and KPIs will help you gauge the success of your Salesforce DevOps strategy, enabling continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making.</p>

Mastering Salesforce DevOps

<p>Looking to skyrocket your career in the tech industry? Look no further than the Salesforce ecosystem! With a growing demand for Salesforce professionals, there has never been a better time to jumpstart your career in this dynamic and fast-paced field.</p>
<p>But where do you start? Fear not, as we've got you covered with our comprehensive guide on why and how to start a career in the Salesforce ecosystem. From must-have skills to top certifications and resources, this blog post has everything you need to know to kickstart your career in Salesforce.</p>
<p>Whether you're a recent graduate or looking to switch careers, this post will equip you with the knowledge and tools to take your career to new heights. Don't miss out on the opportunity to join one of the most exciting and lucrative industries in tech &ndash; read on to learn more!</p>
<h2 id="section_1"><strong>Why should you consider a career in the Salesforce ecosystem?</strong></h2>
<ol>
<li>Work with a world-dominating technology: Salesforce is the world&rsquo;s leading CRM platform posting an average year-on-year growth of 25% for the past four years and has ambitious plans to double its growth over the next few years.</li>
<li>Enjoy numerous job prospects: Salesforce is used by over 150,000 firms worldwide, ranging from small enterprises to Fortune 500 corporations, like Tekunda, providing enough chances for future Salesforce developers like yourself.</li>
<li>Participate in an exciting, innovative environment that is always changing, and have the chance to work with cutting-edge technology in a dynamic and fast-paced industry.</li>
<li>You become a member of an inclusive community of developers, administrators, and users who are always happy to assist and support one another, providing you with access to a plethora of information, resources, and training opportunities to help you grow and improve your talents.</li>
<li>Multiple routes into the ecosystem to become a Salesforce developer. Whether you are a recent graduate or an experienced developer, there are many opportunities available to help you get started in this exciting and dynamic field.</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2 id="section_2"><strong>Essential Skills for a Salesforce Professional</strong></h2>
<p>To thrive in the Salesforce ecosystem, it's crucial to develop a mix of technical and non-technical skills. Some of the most sought-after skills include:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Salesforce Administration:</strong>&nbsp;Mastery of core CRM functionalities, such as user management, security settings, and data management.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Development:</strong>&nbsp;Proficiency in Apex, Visualforce, and Lightning Web Components to create custom solutions and integrations.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Configuration:</strong>&nbsp;Understanding of declarative tools, such as Process Builder, Flow, and Workflow Rules, to automate processes without coding.</li>
<li><strong>Data Analysis and Reporting:</strong>&nbsp;Ability to extract insights from data using Salesforce reporting tools and dashboards.</li>
<li><strong>Project Management:</strong>&nbsp;Expertise in managing Salesforce implementation projects, following best practices, and ensuring timely delivery.</li>
<li><strong>Communication and Collaboration:</strong>&nbsp;Strong interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2 id="section_3">Common job roles in Salesforce development</h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>Salesforce Administrator</strong>&nbsp;is responsible for configuring and managing the Salesforce platform. They ensure that the system is running smoothly, and they are responsible for managing user accounts, data security, and customisations.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Developer</strong>&nbsp;is responsible for creating custom solutions using programming languages like Apex and Visualforce. They're also responsible for integrating Salesforce with other systems and platforms, such as ERP systems and marketing automation systems.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Consultant&nbsp;</strong>is responsible for helping businesses implement Salesforce solutions. They work with clients to understand their needs and requirements and provide guidance on how to best use the platform to meet their business goals.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Architect</strong>&nbsp;is responsible for designing and overseeing the implementation of complex Salesforce solutions. They have a deep understanding of the Salesforce platform and its capabilities and work closely with clients and developers to ensure that solutions are designed and implemented correctly.</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2 id="section_4"><strong>How to kick off my Salesforce Development career?</strong></h2>
<h4 id="section_4_1"><strong>Technical Skills</strong></h4>
<p>Salesforce Development requires a strong understanding of the Salesforce platform, including its architecture, data model, security features, and customisation options, as well as programming languages like Apex and Visualforce.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Apex</strong>&nbsp;is the programming language used to write custom code for the Salesforce platform. It's essential that you have an in depth understanding of Apex and the best practices for writing efficient and scalable code.</li>
<li><strong>Visualforce</strong>&nbsp;is a markup language used on the Salesforce platform to construct bespoke user interfaces. You must be well-versed on Visualforce and its capabilities, as well as its best practices to build successful user interfaces.</li>
<li><strong>Lightning Web Components (LWC)</strong>&nbsp;is a programming model and framework for building responsive web interfaces on the Salesforce platform. You should develop a strong understanding of LWC and its capabilities, as well as best practices for building efficient and effective web interfaces.</li>
<li><strong>Integration:</strong>&nbsp;you must be well-versed in integration methods and technologies such as REST, SOAP, and OAuth to be able to integrate Salesforce with other systems and platforms, such as ERP systems, marketing automation systems, and other third-party applications</li>
</ol>
<h4 id="section_4_2"><strong>Gain Experience</strong></h4>
<p>To build a successful career, you need practical experience working on projects. You can gain this experience by working on personal projects, contributing to open-source projects, or working on small projects for willing clients.</p>
<h4 id="section_4_3"><strong>Get Certified</strong></h4>
<p>Salesforce offers a range of certifications for developers, including the Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I and II certifications.</p>
<h4 id="section_4_4"><strong>Network</strong></h4>
<p>Building a strong network of contacts in the Salesforce community can help you to find job opportunities, connect with other developers, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in the industry.</p>
<h4 id="section_4_5"><strong>Develop Your Soft Skills</strong></h4>
<p>It's crucial that you have excellent communication skills, as well as the ability to work with a variety of stakeholders, including business users, project managers, and other developers. So work on sharpening those communication skills to prepare yourself for a successful career.</p>
<h2 id="section_5"><strong>Free Resources to Learn Salesforce Development</strong></h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>Trailhead</strong>: Salesforce's free learning platform offers a variety of modules and trails on Salesforce development. You can learn at your own pace and earn badges and certifications as you complete modules.</li>
<li><strong>Developer Community</strong>: The Salesforce Developer Community is a fantastic environment to meet other developers, ask questions, and learn from industry leaders.</li>
<li><strong>YouTube</strong>: Some popular channels include Salesforce Developers, Admin Hero, SFDC Monkey, and many more YouTube channels that offer tutorials and walkthroughs on Salesforce development.</li>
<li><strong>Blogs</strong>: Including the official Salesforce Developer Blog, which offers insights and best practices on Salesforce development.</li>
<li><strong>Open-Source Projects</strong>: Contributing to open-source projects can be a great way to gain practical experience and build your portfolio. The Salesforce Open-Source Community offers a variety of projects that you can contribute to.</li>
<li><strong>Meetups</strong>: Attending local meetups and user groups can be a great way to network with other developers and learn about the latest trends and best practices in the industry.</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2 id="section_6"><strong>Salesforce Certifications to Elevate Your Career</strong></h2>
<p>Salesforce offers a range of certifications catering to various roles, such as administrators, developers, architects, consultants, and marketers. Some popular certifications include:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Salesforce Certified Administrator:</strong>&nbsp;Validates your knowledge of Salesforce configuration, management, and best practices.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Certified Platform Developer I:</strong>&nbsp;Demonstrates your ability to build custom applications using Apex and Visualforce.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Certified Platform App Builder:</strong>&nbsp;Showcases your proficiency in designing, building, and implementing custom applications using declarative tools.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant:</strong>&nbsp;Validates your expertise in designing and implementing Sales Cloud solutions that meet customer requirements.</li>
<li><strong>Salesforce Certified Service Cloud Consultant:</strong>&nbsp;Demonstrates your ability to design and deploy Service Cloud solutions to enhance customer support.</li>
</ol>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2 id="section_7"><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>Embarking on a career in the Salesforce ecosystem&nbsp;can be both interesting and lucrative. Because of the platform's popularity and the growing need for competent developers, there are several opportunities for anyone willing to put in the effort to get the necessary skills and expertise. Building a successful career&nbsp;requires a combination of technical expertise, professional certifications, and real-world experience outlined in this article. You can get started by&nbsp;taking advantage of the free resources available, such as Trailhead, the Developer Community, and open-source projects. If you want to join a creative team that is developing breakthrough Salesforce products, visit our <a href="/careers" rel="noopener"><strong><u>careers page</u></strong></a> and apply for one of our open roles.</p>

Why and How to Start a Career in the Salesforce; Skills and Resources

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<p>We will cover a couple of topics to make your life easier whether you already are using second generation managed packages or you are new to this topic.</p>
<p>Whenever you create a new release, it could take a lot of time &amp; effort, and when it fails, sometimes it does not provide all that meaningful errors to help you resolve the issue! I really wish it gave more detailed error messages like the sfdx deploy command. Still, that&rsquo;s not the ugly part yet, It gets even more tricky when your package is already created and ready for use, however when you try installing it in your test org, you find out that there are a lot of features not working as expected!</p>
<p>If you want to avoid this mess or already facing it, then you are in the right place to learn from our challenges and mistakes saving you the needless headache.</p>
<h2 id="section_1"><strong><u>Apex Access Modifiers</u></strong></h2>
<p>Let's start by getting to know the different access modifiers in apex classes so it can help you choose how to implement your code:</p>
<h3 id="section_1_1"></h3>
<h3 id="section_1_2"><strong>Private</strong></h3>
<p>This access modifier is the default, and means that the method or variable is accessible only within the Apex class in which it&rsquo;s defined. If you don&rsquo;t specify an access modifier, the method or variable is private.</p>
<h3 id="section_1_3"><strong>Protected</strong></h3>
<p>This means that the method or variable is visible to any inner classes in the defining Apex class, and to the classes that extend the defining Apex class. You can only use this access modifier for instance methods and member variables. This setting is strictly more permissive than the default (private) setting, just like Java.</p>
<h3 id="section_1_4"><strong>Public</strong></h3>
<p>This means that the method or variable is accessible by all Apex within a specific package.</p>
<blockquote>In Apex, the public access modifier isn&rsquo;t the same as it is in Java. This was done to discourage joining applications, to keep the code for each application separate. In Apex, if you want to make something public like in Java, you must use the global access modifier.</blockquote>
<h4 id="section_1_4_1"><strong>@NamespaceAccessible</strong><strong>&nbsp;annotation</strong></h4>
<p>For accessibility by all second-generation (2GP) managed packages that share a namespace, use public with the @NamespaceAccessible annotation. Using the public access modifier in no-namespace packages implicitly renders the Apex code as @NamespaceAccessible.</p>
<h3 id="section_1_5"><strong>Global</strong></h3>
<p>This means the method or variable can be used by any Apex code that has access to the class, not just the Apex code in the same application. This access modifier must be used for any method that must be referenced outside of the application, either in SOAP API or by other Apex code. If you declare a method or variable as global, you must also declare the class that contains it as global.</p>
<blockquote>We recommend using the global access modifier rarely, if at all. Cross-application dependencies are difficult to maintain.</blockquote>
<h2 id="section_2"><strong><u>AuraEnabled Annotation</u></strong></h2>
<p>The @AuraEnabled annotation enables client-side and server-side access to an Apex controller method. Providing this annotation makes your methods available to your Lightning components (both Lightning web components and Aura components). Only methods with this annotation are exposed.</p>
<p>In API version 44.0 and later, you can improve runtime performance by caching method results on the client by using the annotation @AuraEnabled(cacheable=true). You can cache method results only for methods that retrieve data but don&rsquo;t modify it. Using this annotation eliminates the need to call setStorable() in JavaScript code on every action that calls the Apex method.</p>
<p>In API version 55.0 and later, you can use the annotation @AuraEnabled(cacheable=true scope='global') to enable Apex methods to be cached in a global cache.</p>
<div>
<div>
<div>If you have an Apex class in your base package&nbsp;<br><br></div>
<div>
<pre spellcheck="false">global with sharing class TestClass{ <br>@AuraEnabled
global static void testMethod{}
}</pre>
You can reference this method from a different package in your Lightning Web Component like this<br><br>
<div>
<pre spellcheck="false">import logExceptionLWC from "@salesforce/apex/TestClass.testMethod";</pre>
</div>
<h2 id="section_4"></h2>
<h2 id="section_4"></h2>
</div>
</div>
<div>Global access modifier would is the trick to be able to reference it from another package. However if you're referencing the Lightning Web Component from an Apex Class within the same package, then a Public access modifier would be fine in this case.</div>
</div>
<h2 id="section_2"><strong><u>JSON Access Annotation</u></strong></h2>
<p>One of the most important tricks is when you create a custom model in your apex code and you might need to serialize or deserialize it later, then you will definitely need to add the Json Access annotation for your custom model. Hint: make sure to add the annotation to your child objects as well ;)</p>
<p>So what is Json Access annotation? And what is it's serialization &amp; deserialization options and considetaions?</p>
<p>The @JsonAccess annotation defined at Apex class level controls whether instances of the class can be serialized or deserialized. If the annotation restricts the JSON serialization and deserialization, a runtime JSONException exception is thrown.</p>
<p>The serializable and deserializable parameters of the @JsonAccess annotation enforce the contexts in which Apex allows serialization and deserialization.</p>
<p>You can specify one or both parameters, but you can&rsquo;t specify the annotation with no parameters. The valid values for the parameters to indicate whether serialization and deserialization are allowed:</p>
<h6 id="section_2_1"></h6>
<ul>
<li><strong>never:</strong>&nbsp;never allowed</li>
<li><strong>sameNamespace:</strong>&nbsp;allowed only for Apex code in the same namespace</li>
<li><strong>samePackage:</strong>&nbsp;allowed only for Apex code in the same package (impacts only second-generation packages)</li>
<li><strong>always:</strong>&nbsp;always allowed for any Apex code</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="section_3"><strong>JSON Access Considerations</strong></h3>
<p>If an Apex class annotated with JsonAccess is extended, the extended class doesn&rsquo;t inherit this property. If the toString method is applied on objects that mustn't be serialized, private data can be exposed. You must override the toString method on objects whose data must be protected. For example, serializing an object stored as a key in a Map invokes the toString method. The generated map includes key (string) and value entries, thus exposing all the fields of the object.</p>
<pre spellcheck="false">@JsonAccess(serializable='always' deserializable='always')
global class FullDetails{
  global String fullName {get; set;} 
  global Address address {get; set;} 

@JsonAccess(serializable='always' deserializable='always')
global class Address{
  global String streetName {get; set;} 
  global String postalCode {get; set;} 
  }
}
</pre>
<h2 id="section_4"><strong><u>Referencing Apex Classes from a Managed Package</u></strong></h2>
<p>What if you are creating some unpackaged apex classes in your project and you might reference another apex class or an interface that is part of the managed package? Just make sure to set these classes as global and reference the class by &lt;Namespace&gt;.&lt;ClassName&gt;</p>
<h2 id="section_5"><strong><u>Named Credentials</u></strong></h2>
<p>The usual callout reference would be&nbsp;<strong>callout:&lt;NamedCredentialsApiName&gt;</strong>, but if you're using named credentials as part of your package for your callout classes, you'll need to update it to&nbsp;<strong>callout:&lt;NampeSpace&gt;__&lt;NamedCredentialsApiName&gt;</strong></p>
<h2 id="section_6"><strong><u>Connected App</u></strong></h2>
<p>If you are adding the connected app component to your package, here are the exact steps to do it and avoid some common bugs</p>
<ol>
<li>Create a developer org</li>
<li>Go to package manager</li>
<li>Check namespace availability then add it</li>
<li>Link namespace developer org to your DevHub (If while trying to connect, it fails after the part of the allow access popup, make sure to wait for 10 to 15 minutes then re-try)</li>
<li>Go to app manager and create a new connected app</li>
<li>Assign either full permissions or api, web, and refresh permissions</li>
<li>After creation of the connected app, you can add metadata in your dx project</li>
</ol>
<pre spellcheck="false">&lt;?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?&gt;
&lt;ConnectedApp xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata"&gt;
  &lt;developerName&gt;YourNamespace__ConnectedAppName&lt;/developerName&gt;
  &lt;contactEmail&gt;ConnectedAppContactEmail&lt;/contactEmail&gt;
  &lt;label&gt;ConnectedAppLabelName&lt;/label&gt;
  &lt;version&gt;ConnectedAppVersion&lt;/version&gt;
&lt;/ConnectedApp&gt;
</pre>
<p>If you followed the exact same steps and in the process of creation of package version it fails with the error that says</p>
<blockquote>ERROR running force:package:version:create: &lt;ConnectedAppName&gt;: Installing an app (&lt;ConnectedAppName&gt;) that has been deleted.</blockquote>
<p>Trust me we've been there, you will need to create a new package first, then create a new package version! To validate this before starting, create a new dummy dx project and create a new package, add the same connected app you already created, and finally create your package version and let me know if that works with you!</p>
<h2 id="section_7"><strong><u>Rest of Salesforce Components</u></strong></h2>
<p>Finally you need to go through all your fields, objects, triggers, permission sets, custom metadata...etc and add &lt;Namespace&gt;__</p>
<h2 id="section_7"><strong><u>Installation of Managed Package Challenges and Tricks</u></strong></h2>
<p>If you found a similar error resulting in failure of installation your package in any environment, instead of spending hours and days trying to figure it out, just remove those standard Quick Actions from your layout, and then re-add them once the package is installed successfully.</p>
<div>
<div>
<pre spellcheck="false">(ObjectName-Layout) In field: QuickAction - no QuickAction named NewCase found<br>(ObjectName-Layout) In field: QuickAction - no QuickAction named NewTask found<br>(ObjectName-Layout) In field: QuickAction - no QuickAction named LogACall found<br>Component [flexipage:filterListCard] attribute [filterName]: Error retrieving filter [My_ChatterGroups] for entity [CollaborationGroup]</pre>
</div>
<h2 id="section_4"></h2>
<h2 id="section_4"></h2>
</div>
<p>Another one to think about, if your source code is dependant on Salesforce built-in Components, then ensure to give access to those components as part of your pre-deployment steps before installation of the package version. Like in here, enabling of omni channel.</p>
<div>
<div>
<pre spellcheck="false">Your org doesn't have access to component runtime_service_omnichannel:omniWidget.</pre>
</div>
<h2 id="section_4"></h2>
<h2 id="section_4"></h2>
</div>
<p>Finally, if you have standardValueSets in the your source code and your package version metadata is dependant on it, then ensure to deploy those value sets as pre-deployment step before installation of package version. Like in here, deploying custom status pick-list value named TestValue.</p>
<div>
<div>
<pre spellcheck="false">Component [lst:dynamicRelatedList] attribute [adminFilters]: TestValue isn't a valid picklist value.</pre>
</div>
<h2 id="section_4"></h2>
<h2 id="section_4"></h2>
</div>
<p>You can reference <a href="https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/metadata-coverage/60" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metadata Coverage Documentation </a>to know which components is packageable!</p>
<h2 id="section_7"><strong><u>We're glad to share any helpful information and would recommend you knowing more about our impact to the release cycle in Salesforce</u></strong></h2>
<p><a href="#contact" rel="noopener"><u>Schedule a demo</u></a> to find out more about how Serpent can supercharge your <a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/Salesforce-DevOps" rel="noopener">Salesforce DevOps</a> Strategy today! Serpent by Tekunda offers some excellent tools to help your DevOps teams, including built-in version control, continuous deployment and release systems, merge tools, and tons of different testing tools.</p>
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</section>

The Secrets of Salesforce Second Generation Managed Package

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<h2 id="section_1">What Is DevOps?</h2>
<p>DevOps enables organisations to develop and enhance their products more rapidly compared to other software development methodologies. Continuous Integration (CI) is a best practice within DevOps software development, which encompasses the build and unit testing phases of the software release process. Each committed revision initiates an automatic build and test, allowing for early identification and resolution of issues before releasing updates to customers.</p>
<h2 id="section_2">What Is Salesforce DevOps?</h2>
<p>Salesforce DevOps is the same as actual DevOps while focusing on Salesforce at scale. This helps development teams detect problems, identify bugs, and fix them before releasing changes to their customers. DevOps = automated, more regular releases.</p>
<p>There are a number of tools currently in Salesforce for deployment of these applications, including change sets, Workbench, SalesforceDX, DevOps Center, the Force.com migration tool, CI/CD Pipeline and 3rd part AppExchange tools. Learn about Salesforce&nbsp;<a href="/blog/The-5-Pillars-of-Salesforce-DevOps" rel="noopener">Development and Deployment Process</a>.</p>
<h3 id="section_2_1"><strong>Benefit of DevOps tools</strong></h3>
<p>Here are some benefit of DevOps tool.</p>
<ul>
<li>Shorter Development Cycles, Faster Innovation</li>
<li>Reduced Deployment Failures, Rollbacks, and Time to Recover</li>
<li>Improved Communication and Collaboration</li>
<li>Increased Efficiencies</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="section_3"><a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/The-5-Pillars-of-Salesforce-DevOps">Pillars of a Successful Salesforce DevOps</a></h2>
<p><strong>DevOps is a journey</strong>&nbsp;which starts with small steps. Make sure the whole team is onboard and up to speed. Layer on complexity when your team and process is ready. There are pillars of a successful DevOps process.</p>
<h4 id="section_3_1">1.&nbsp;<strong>Version Control</strong></h4>
<p>Version control is the new&nbsp;<strong>single source of truth</strong>.&nbsp;Version Control Systems (<strong>VCS</strong>)&nbsp;help you trace back any changes and creates high-quality gates of security for your precious code and metadata.</p>
<h4 id="section_3_2">2.&nbsp;<strong>CI/CD Pipeline</strong></h4>
<p>CI/CD is&nbsp;<strong>Not</strong>&nbsp;just for deploying changes. It more than that, It allows you to validate the build, run automation testing and helped you in code backup. CI/CD ensures reliable and smoother deployments and a lower code coverage failure rate.</p>
<h4 id="section_3_3">3.&nbsp;<strong>Automation Testing</strong></h4>
<p>A good DevOps tool always performs&nbsp;automation testing&nbsp;for you on every pull request and before every release to ensure that you're never merging or releasing uncovered or buggy changes.</p>
<h4 id="section_3_4">4.&nbsp;<strong>Backup</strong></h4>
<p>Protect yourself from malicious attacks, Salesforce bugs, accidental deletions, etc. Having the peace of mind that you can always roll back.</p>
<h4 id="section_3_5">5.&nbsp;<strong>Code Scanning</strong></h4>
<p>Code scanning tools help automate parts of the manual process of&nbsp;code review&nbsp;in Salesforce. You can use Static Code Analyser tools to achieve the same results.</p>
<p><a href="/blog/The-5-Pillars-of-Salesforce-DevOps" rel="noopener"><u>Learn more about&nbsp;DevOps 5 pillars.</u></a></p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/e0b3d51d-e299-43f0-a856-b4fc2cc3d78a?width=453&amp;height=373" alt="Salesforce Dev Ops Tools"></p>
<h2 id="section_4"><strong>Let&rsquo;s Understand The CI/CD</strong></h2>
<p>Let&rsquo;s understand the difference term of CI/CD</p>
<h4 id="section_4_1">1.&nbsp;<strong>Continuous Integration</strong></h4>
<p>Using continuous integration, a product is made to incorporate and integrate each code modification on each commit (continuously), by any and all developers. an automated build then verifies each check-in, letting teams detect issues early.</p>
<h4 id="section_4_2">2.&nbsp;<strong>Continuous Delivery</strong></h4>
<p>Continuous delivery ensures that code will be speedily and safely deployed to production by manually pushing each change to a production-like environment. Since each modification is automatically delivered to a staging environment, you&rsquo;ll be able to deploy the application to production with a push of a button once the time is correct.</p>
<h4 id="section_4_3">3.&nbsp;<strong>Continuous Deployment</strong></h4>
<p>Continuous deployment is the next step of continuous delivery. using Continuous deployment, each modification that passes the automated tests is deployed to production automatically. Most firms that aren&rsquo;t bound by regulatory or other constraints should have a goal of continuous deployment</p>
<h2 id="section_5"><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/9e6d0511-d983-4f1e-9017-1cd955421855?width=668&amp;height=290" alt="Salesforce Dev Ops Ci CD"></h2>
<h2 id="section_6">Salesforce DevOps Tools</h2>
<p>There are different DevOps Tools are available. Which can be divided into the below category.</p>
<h4 id="section_6_1"><strong>1.&nbsp;Custom Build</strong></h4>
<p>You can build your own tool using different CI/CD platforms. Like below:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Jenkins</strong>: Jenkins is an open-source continuous integration software. It is written using the Java programming language. It facilitates real-time testing and reporting on isolated changes in a more massive codebase.</li>
<li><strong>CumulusCI</strong>: CumulusCI makes it easy for developers, admins, and testers to do their work and collaborate in version control.</li>
<li><strong>Azure DevOps</strong>:&nbsp;Azure DevOps is a fully integrated set of services that provide you with all the tools necessary for building and maintaining a backlog, hosting your source code repositories, implementing continuous integration, along with delivery and testing workflows for your products before releasing them</li>
<li><strong>GitHub Actions:&nbsp;</strong>GitHub Actions makes it easy to automate all your software workflows, now with world-class CI/CD. Build, test, and deploy your code right from GitHub.</li>
<li><strong>Gitlab pipelines</strong>: Similar to GitHub Actions, if you prefer GitLab over GitHub. It&rsquo;s a no-brainer that you&rsquo;ll be more comfortable with the platform&rsquo;s interface and familiar with its features and workflows.</li>
</ol>
<h4 id="section_6_2"><strong>2.&nbsp;Automated Platforms</strong></h4>
<p>Those DevOps Tools which well integrated with Salesforce.</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Serpent:</strong>&nbsp;Quality-Driven, Low-Code DevOps and Automated Testing Platform; a complete end-to-end DevOps platform that is highly scalable, reliable and fully integrated with the Salesforce platform.&nbsp;<a href="#contact" rel="noopener"><strong><u>Contact us to get started today for FREE</u></strong></a></li>
<li><strong>Gearset:&nbsp;</strong>is a significant improvement from using Salesforce change sets. Due to the many limitations with deploying specific metadata types between sandbox testing environments and production, prices start at 300$ per developer.</li>
<li><strong>Copado:&nbsp;</strong>A solid deployment tool. The query option for deployments is very helpful when moving Salesforce Data, prices start at 250$ per developer.</li>
</ol>
<p>Based on your company's needs and budget, and considering all above tools, you can decide if you need build a DevOps process or buy.</p>
<h2 id="section_7"><a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/Mastering-Salesforce-DevOps">Salesforce DevOps Best Practices</a></h2>
<p>So far we understand what is DevOps and which all are important part of Successful DevOps. Let see some DevOps Best practices.</p>
<p><strong>1. Environment Planning:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Developer Sandboxes and Scratch Orgs:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Each developer uses a Developer or Developer Pro sandbox for long-term projects.</li>
<li>Developers also use scratch orgs for short-term, feature-specific development and testing.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Integration Sandbox:</strong>
<ul>
<li>A shared sandbox (Partial Copy) for integrating individual contributions from developers.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>UAT (User Acceptance Testing) Sandbox:</strong>
<ul>
<li>A Full Copy sandbox for business users to test new features before they are moved to production.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Staging Sandbox:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Another Full Copy sandbox that mimics the production environment for final pre-production testing.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Production Environment:</strong>
<ul>
<li>The live environment where end-users interact with the application.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>2. Environment Management:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Sandbox and Scratch Org Management:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Regularly refresh Developer and Integration sandboxes to reflect the latest production data and configurations.</li>
<li>Use Salesforce DX for creating and managing scratch orgs. Set up scripts to automate the creation and teardown of scratch orgs.</li>
<li>Schedule UAT and Staging sandbox refreshes around major releases to align with testing cycles.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Backup Strategy:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Implement automated backups for sandboxes and production data to avoid data loss.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>3. </strong><strong>Version Control:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Commit Strategy:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Commit changes frequently with clear, descriptive messages.</li>
<li>Use pull requests for code reviews before merging to main branches.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Change Tracking:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Track metadata changes and keep configurations in sync across environments using tools like Gearset or Copado.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>4. Environment Configuration:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Org-Specific Configurations:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Use Salesforce DX scratch orgs for configuration and development.</li>
<li>Use Salesforce CLI and sfdx commands to manage and deploy changes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Environment Variables:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Securely manage sensitive information using Salesforce Shield or encrypted custom settings.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>5. Automated Deployment:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Version Control:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Use Git as the source of truth for all metadata and code.</li>
<li>Implement branching strategies (e.g., feature branches, develop branch, master branch) to manage changes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>CI/CD Pipeline:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Use Salesforce DX, Jenkins, and GitHub Actions to automate deployment processes.</li>
<li>CI/CD pipeline stages include:
<ol>
<li><strong>Build:</strong> Retrieve code from version control.</li>
<li><strong>Test:</strong> Run automated tests using Apex Test Execution.</li>
<li><strong>Deploy:</strong> Deploy changes to Integration sandbox, followed by UAT, Staging, and Production.</li>
<li><strong>Scratch Org Validation:</strong> Create scratch orgs in the CI/CD pipeline to validate changes in an isolated environment.</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>6. Data Management:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Test Data:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Use anonymised or synthetic data in Developer and Integration sandboxes to comply with data protection regulations.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Data Migration:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Use tools like Salesforce Data Loader or Talend for data migration between environments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Scratch Org Data:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Use Salesforce DX to seed scratch orgs with relevant data for development and testing purposes.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>7. Monitoring and Logging:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Logging:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Implement logging using Salesforce Debug Logs and set up alerts for critical errors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Monitoring:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Use AppExchange tools like New Relic or Datadog for performance monitoring and health checks.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>8. Compliance and Security:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Security Reviews:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Regularly perform security reviews and penetration testing in Staging and Production environments.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Access Controls:</strong>
<ul>
<li>Implement role-based access controls (RBAC) to limit access to sensitive environments and data.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="section_8">FAQ&rsquo;s</h2>
<p><strong>What is Salesforce DevOps?<br></strong>Salesforce DevOps is the same as actual DevOps and it focused on leveraging Salesforce at scale. This helps development teams detect problems, identify bugs, and fix them before releasing changes to their customers<br><strong>Is Salesforce DevOps a good career? <br></strong>Yes, DevOps engineers have good career option. As now days every project is using Salesforce DevOps.<br><strong>What does a Salesforce DevOps engineer do?<br></strong>DevOps Engineer are responsible for implementing continuous delivery, optimisation, monitoring, release management. They also support the end to end release process.</p>
<h2 id="section_9">Summary</h2>
<p>Salesforce DevOps is a culture and a set of process that bring development and operations teams together to complete software development. I hope after looking into all DevOps Tools you can decide your deployment strategy and process.</p>
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</section>

Salesforce DevOps

<p><a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/Salesforce-DevOps">Salesforce DevOps</a> is a software development process that combines the principles of Agile, continuous integration, and continuous delivery to streamline the delivery of high-quality applications. In this article, we will explore the 5 pillars of a successful <a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/Salesforce-DevOps">Salesforce DevOps</a> process and how to implement them in your organisation.</p>
<p>DevOps is crucial to the development life cycle, it allows your team to move faster and safer while empowering them to recover from a bad release or data loss quickly and effectively. <a href="https://tekunda.com/blog/Salesforce-DevOps">Salesforce DevOps</a> is unique in that it requires knowledge of the SFDC domain and sfdx tools besides the regular DevOps knowledge, which makes finding the right tool or creating one from scratch, quite the challenge. That's why we created Serpent, it increases your agility, shortens release cycles, and reduces deployments to minutes; empowering you to stay ahead of your competition!</p>
<p><a href="#contact">Schedule a demo</a> to find out more about how Serpent can supercharge your Salesforce DevOps Strategy today! Tekunda offers some excellent tools to help your DevOps teams, including built-in version control, continuous deployment systems, merge tools, and tons of different testing tools.</p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/f9fe9466-3660-4922-967f-3d8aefe2abc9" alt="Devops Icon 1"></p>
<h2 id="section_1">What is Salesforce DevOps?</h2>
<p>DevOps is the combination of practices, and tools that increases an organisation's ability to deliver applications and services at high velocity. Evolving and improving products at a faster pace than organisations using manual software development and infrastructure management processes.</p>
<p>DevOps optimises your team collaboration as you build and deploy Salesforce apps, integrate with version control, automate workflows, and release with confidence using CI tools and the Metadata API. We will highlight how Tekunda uncomplicates and streamlines these practices.</p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/69f63f87-3676-4acb-8a25-b02c8196ea2b?width=82&amp;height=82" alt="Devops Icon 2"></p>
<h2 id="section_2">How is Salesforce DevOps different?</h2>
<p>Salesforce developers can choose from wide variety of environments to work in; scratch orgs, developer orgs, sandboxes, partial and full copy sandboxes, and of course production where all your important customer data lives.</p>
<p>You also have the choice between multiple ways to package a release depending upon the project's needs and its target audience. You could use changesets, managed packages, unmanaged packages, unlocked packages, metadata deployment, or Salesforce DX to load a new application into an organisation.</p>
<p>These are just some of the ways that approaching DevOps from a Salesforce perspective can differ from DevOps practices with other programs. If all these different methods of managing and deploying your applications seems a little hectic, check out Serpent and eliminate that operational headache immediately!</p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/83ea470b-8c0e-4882-b18e-f7799af845ef" alt="Devops Icon 3"></p>
<h2 id="section_3">Why is DevOps Important?</h2>
<p>It gives you the most important edge in technology,&nbsp;<strong>agility</strong>! It allows you to source control, build, deploy, release much more faster and manage changes more efficiently. It empowers your software team to manage the whole process end to end with minimal code effort resulting in a much more simplified development process between the team.</p>
<p>DevOps comes with the great value of eliminating the traditional and manual grunt tasks which are complicated and really time consuming. It does so by introducing a lot of automated processes like running automation, integration, and unit tests, deploying to the right environment without intervention and many more. This results in faster releases with lower risks empowering you to achieve your ROI even faster.</p>
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<h2 id="section_4">Pillars of a Successful Salesforce DevOps</h2>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/0e59cbf5-9401-4065-8176-9e76554b0a82" alt="Devops Pillar 1"></p>
<h3 id="section_4_1">Pillar 1: Version Control</h3>
<p>Version control refers to the tracking of changes and keeping records of previous versions of an application&rsquo;s code, metadata, and releases. Developing with version control is pivotal in any environment because you need to be able to revert changes at a moment&rsquo;s notice. If a new change breaks production due to unforeseen bug(s), then you need to be able to restore to your previous stable version of the application at a moment&rsquo;s notice minimising operational downtime.</p>
<p>Version control also enables seamless team collaboration, since oftentimes there is not just one member working on an application. When multiple developers make changes to the code, any changes need to be separately tracked and accessible and visible to the whole group or risk having them clash in overlap. It&rsquo;s for this alone that version control is singularly considered to be the most important component of any DevOps setup.</p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/838bc3fc-0edb-4446-b9cc-81c3ae542382" alt="Devops Pillar 2"></p>
<h3 id="section_4_2">Pillar 2: Release Management</h3>
<p>It's important to have proper process to handle of your release cycle! Going directly from development to production could cost you everything and endless loop of unstable software, and that&rsquo;s where release management comes in. Release management focuses on handing over the software from the development phase to the go-live phase for the users to use. In order to finally go-live, the software undergoes through a series of tests to ensure that the software is working as it should be. Release management is responsible for providing the needed environments for performing these random regression tests allowing you to apply any needed fixes until the rollout occurs.</p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/cb20dfee-5aec-4c20-a2a8-0cacb08154de" alt="Devops Pillar 3"></p>
<h3 id="section_4_3">Pillar&nbsp;3: Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery</h3>
<p>CI/CD for short falls under the umbrella of release management. From automatically running unit tests on newly opened pull requests verifying that everything still works as expected, to automating deployment to the right environment when new code is merged. CI/CD is the glue that guaranties your whole DevOps flows smoothly from one step to the next without wasting developers time, allowing them to do what they do best, develop!</p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/47e41de5-d62c-43c2-9eec-0974c4ad5577" alt="Devops Pillar 4"></p>
<h3 id="section_4_4">Pillar 4: Speed</h3>
<p>Do you prefer to work fast or precisely? What if both can be achieved together while lowering the risks! DevOps strategy allows you to mitigate the risks of making a fault change spread out across different organisations instantly and affecting the end-user. In addition it gives the option to always have a rollback strategy of your development changes while having a proper backup.</p>
<p>DevOps ensure that engineering teams are implementing their work without the fear of dependability and breaking stuff, definitely nobody wants to redo work, and by implementing smart DevOps solutions you eliminate that factor, and continuously focus on your next big releases to your clients.</p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/29057324-85a7-463a-8ee5-cbfa9440b7a4" alt="Devops Pillar 5"></p>
<h3 id="section_4_5">Pillar 5: Collaboration</h3>
<p>With version control, multiple team members can work on the same application simultaneously eliminating the factor of dependencies. Version control facilitates coordination, sharing, and collaboration across the entire software development team by enabling teams to work in distributed and asynchronous environments. It allows you to manage changes and maintain different versions of your code and artifacts, and resolve merge conflicts and related anomalies which will speed up your Salesforce Apps time to production.</p>
<p><img src="https://beck.tekunda.com/assets/50677a26-9d83-48e1-94a5-6799f5c25ef9" alt="Devops Pillar 6"></p>
<h2 id="section_5">Your All-in-one DevOps Solution. Powerful. Secure. Fast. Easy to use.</h2>
<p>Serpent was built specifically for the Salesforce development and release cycles. It allows users to seamlessly orchestrate changes across their development ecosystem, eliminating pain points experienced when using traditional dev tools. Serpent handles the full development-release lifecycle including running unit tests, merging components, version control, continuous integrations, continuous deployments, code analysis, roll-back and backups.</p>

The 5 Pillars of Salesforce DevOps

<p>Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have come a long way over the past few decades. What started as basic tools to manage customer data has evolved into powerful platforms that not only store information but also help businesses engage with their customers more effectively. Salesforce Service Cloud is at the forefront of this evolution, revolutionising the way companies handle customer support.</p>
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<p><strong>The Changing Landscape of Customer Support</strong></p>
<p>Customer expectations are higher than ever. In today&rsquo;s fast-paced digital world, people expect quick, personalised, and efficient service. They don&rsquo;t want to wait days for a response or be passed from one agent to another without getting their issue resolved. This shift in expectations has pushed companies to rethink how they approach customer support, and CRM systems like Salesforce Service Cloud are stepping up to meet these demands.</p>
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<p><strong>What Makes Salesforce Service Cloud Different?</strong></p>
<p>Salesforce Service Cloud is more than just a tool to manage customer inquiries; it&rsquo;s a comprehensive platform that integrates various aspects of customer service into one cohesive system. Here are some key features that set it apart:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>1. <strong>Omni-Channel Support</strong></p>
<p>&bull; <strong>What It Does:</strong> Salesforce Service Cloud offers omni-channel support, allowing businesses to manage customer interactions across multiple channels like phone, email, live chat, social media, and more&mdash;all from a single platform.</p>
<p>&bull; <strong>Example:</strong> Imagine a customer starts a conversation on social media, continues it via email, and then calls for further assistance. With Salesforce Service Cloud, the support agent handling the call can see the entire history of that customer&rsquo;s interactions, ensuring a seamless experience.</p>
<p>2. <strong>AI-Powered Assistance</strong></p>
<p>&bull; <strong>What It Does:</strong> Salesforce Service Cloud leverages artificial intelligence through its Einstein AI feature to provide smart suggestions, predict customer needs, and automate routine tasks.</p>
<p>&bull; <strong>Example:</strong> Suppose a customer contacts support about a billing issue. Einstein AI can automatically suggest relevant knowledge base articles or pre-written responses, speeding up resolution time. It can also predict what the customer might ask next, allowing agents to proactively address their concerns.</p>
<p>3. <strong>Self-Service Capabilities</strong></p>
<p>&bull; <strong>What It Does:</strong> Salesforce Service Cloud empowers customers to solve their issues independently through self-service portals and communities. Customers can access a knowledge base, FAQs, and community forums, reducing the load on support agents.</p>
<p>&bull; <strong>Example:</strong> A customer needing help with a product setup can access a detailed guide in the self-service portal without waiting for an agent. If they have further questions, they can post in a community forum where other customers or support staff can provide answers.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Customisation and Integration</strong></p>
<p>&bull; <strong>What It Does:</strong> Salesforce Service Cloud is highly customizable, allowing businesses to tailor it to their specific needs. It also integrates seamlessly with other systems, including marketing, sales, and third-party applications.</p>
<p>&bull; <strong>Example:</strong> A retail company can integrate Salesforce Service Cloud with its inventory management system, enabling support agents to check product availability, process returns, or issue refunds directly from the CRM.</p>
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<p><strong>Real-World Impact: Use Cases</strong></p>
<p>Let&rsquo;s look at a couple of scenarios where Salesforce Service Cloud has made a significant difference for businesses:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Use Case 1: Enhancing Customer Experience for a Global Retailer</strong></p>
<p>A global retail company was struggling with fragmented customer support across different regions. Each region used different tools and processes, leading to inconsistent service and frustrated customers.</p>
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<p><strong>Solution:</strong> By implementing Salesforce Service Cloud, the company centralised its customer support operations. Now, all regions use the same platform, ensuring consistent service. Omni-channel support allows customers to reach out through their preferred channels, while the AI-powered suggestions help agents resolve issues faster. The result? A 40% reduction in response times and a significant boost in customer satisfaction.</p>
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<p><strong>Use Case 2: Streamlining Support for a Tech Company</strong></p>
<p>A tech company offering software solutions was dealing with an overwhelming number of support tickets, many of which were repetitive inquiries. Their agents were bogged down by routine tasks, leaving them with little time to handle complex issues.</p>
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<p><strong>Solution:</strong> Salesforce Service Cloud&rsquo;s self-service portal allowed customers to find answers to common questions on their own, reducing the number of incoming tickets. Meanwhile, Einstein AI automated responses to frequently asked questions, freeing up agents to focus on more challenging issues. This led to a 50% reduction in ticket volume and improved overall support efficiency.</p>
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<p><strong>The Future: What&rsquo;s Next for Salesforce Service Cloud?</strong></p>
<p>As technology continues to evolve, so too will Salesforce Service Cloud. Here are a few trends and developments that we can expect to see:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>1. <strong>Deeper AI Integration</strong></p>
<p>&bull; AI will play an even bigger role in customer support, with predictive analytics becoming more sophisticated. This means anticipating customer needs before they even contact support, leading to a more proactive service approach.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Enhanced Mobile Support</strong></p>
<p>&bull; With more customers using mobile devices, Salesforce is likely to further enhance its mobile support capabilities, making it easier for customers to access help on the go.</p>
<p>3. <strong>Increased Focus on Personalisation</strong></p>
<p>&bull; Personalisation will be taken to the next level, with CRM systems like Salesforce Service Cloud offering even more tailored experiences based on customer data, preferences, and behavior.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Greater Emphasis on Data Security</strong></p>
<p>&bull; As data privacy concerns continue to grow, Salesforce will likely introduce more robust security features to protect customer information and ensure compliance with global regulations.</p>
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<p><strong>Conclusion: Why Salesforce Service Cloud is a Game-Changer=</strong></p>
<p>Salesforce Service Cloud is not just keeping up with the changing landscape of customer support; it&rsquo;s leading the charge. By offering a platform that combines omni-channel support, AI-powered assistance, self-service options, and deep customisation, it empowers businesses to deliver exceptional customer service. Whether you&rsquo;re a small business or a global enterprise, Salesforce Service Cloud can help you meet&mdash;and exceed&mdash;your customers&rsquo; expectations.</p>
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<p>If you&rsquo;re ready to transform your customer support, now is the time to explore what Salesforce Service Cloud can do for you. At Tekunda, we specialize in helping businesses unlock the full potential of Salesforce solutions. Contact us today to learn how we can help you create a future-proof customer support system that keeps your customers happy and your business thriving.</p>

How Salesforce Service Cloud is Revolutionising Customer Support

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